MailVet vs Hunter
Hunter is an outreach tool that also verifies mailboxes. If you find and email leads, pick Hunter. MailVet only checks addresses people give you.
The facts
| Fact | Hunter | MailVet |
|---|---|---|
| Mailbox check over SMTP | Yes. It asks the mail server whether it would accept the address, without sending an email. | No. MailVet never contacts the mailbox, so it can't tell you one exists. |
| Catch-all detection | Yes, accept_all. | No. That takes an SMTP probe. |
| Disposable domains | Yes, disposable. Hunter skips these and charges no credit. | Yes, from open lists refreshed daily. Domains not on them yet can get a suspect signal, with partial coverage. |
| Mail server (MX) check | Yes, mx_records. | Yes, mx and accepts_mail. |
| Time per check | A request can run up to 20 seconds. After that you get a 202 and poll. | In the same request, no polling. Its mail server lookups stop at 4 seconds. |
| Free to start | 50 credits a month. A verification costs 0.5 credits. | 100 checks a month, no card. |
| Price | From $49 a month for 2,000 credits, or $34 a month billed yearly. | $19 a month for 5,000 checks, up to $99 for 100,000. |
| When you run out | Their page lists extra credit packs. | Hard cap. The API answers 429 and never bills extra. |
| Unused credits or checks | Monthly credits reset and don't roll over. Yearly credits come upfront. | Don't carry over. The quota resets on the 1st, UTC. |
| Addresses stored | Not compared. Read their privacy policy. | No. Our app doesn't store or log addresses, only the domains it has seen. Send them by POST to keep them out of URLs and host logs. |
Vendor pricing changes. Checked November 5, 2026. If their page says otherwise, trust their page.
Pick Hunter if
- You need to find addresses, not only check them.
- You want sequences and leads in the same tool.
- You need a mailbox-level answer on each address.
Pick MailVet if
- You only need to check addresses people type into your form.
- You want an answer inside the signup request, with no polling.
- You want a plan built around checks, starting at $19.
Sources
MailVet’s column comes from our docs and pricing. MailVet isn’t affiliated with Hunter. The name belongs to its owner.