Phone number verification is the easiest way to ensure a phone number is legitimate. It simply entails sending a verification code via SMS or a phone call and getting a response back. You don’t need a complex or expensive tool to do this.
Phone number verification APIs automate this process, making it a breeze for businesses of all sizes to verify contact information. Plug these APIs into mobile apps, CRM systems, and websites to verify numbers during sign-ups, logins, or data updates.
This guide includes seven of the best phone number verification APIs in 2024 that offer features designed to support your business needs. We’ll break down the pros and cons of the platforms you’ve likely considered but haven’t had the opportunity to explore deeper. Read on to learn what makes each solution unique and pricing plans.
Benefits of a phone number verification API
Phone verification has been used for decades by companies globally. The need for verification is fundamental: businesses rely on accurate customer phone numbers for critical processes logging in, making transactions, and setting passwords.
Phone numbers also strengthen the brand/customer relationship. Companies rely on phone numbers to deliver important marketing messages, promotions, and announcements. If a number isn’t valid, the customer will never see your marketing efforts, wasting your time and resources.
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Phone number verification can help with both business-critical processes and marketing outreach. Here are the core benefits of using a phone number verification API:
Improved data accuracy and quality
A phone number verification API ensures the contact information in your database is accurate and up-to-date. This means errors caused by fake or mistyped numbers. Your communications campaigns will reach their intended recipients.
Enhanced customer experience
Customers use their phones to get all kinds of alerts – from order status updates to, special promotions and discounts. A phone number verification API helps ensure that all your customers enter a valid and active phone number to get messages that elevate their experience.
Reduced fraud and spam
Some of the most common cyberattacks include phishing and spamming. Both of these methods rely on customer information. A phone number verification API helps identify and block fraudulent and spam numbers, protecting your business and customers from malicious activities.
Cost savings on undeliverable messages
Sending messages to invalid phone numbers can quickly become a significant overhead cost. Removing invalid phone numbers before you waste money trying to reach them helps improve your ROI and budget your resources more efficiently.
Features to look for in a phone number verification API
As you look for the best phone number verification APIs, keep an eye out for these features to help you find the right fit.
- Real-time validation: Ensure the API provides instant validation to verify numbers as they are entered, improving accuracy and user experience.
- Easy to use and navigate: Consider a phone number verification API that offers a clean, intuitive interface. This will reduce the implementation time for your developers and make day-to-day ops easier.
- Global reach and coverage: Look for an API that supports phone numbers from multiple countries so you can operate internationally without any hassle.
- Integration capabilities: The API should easily integrate with your existing systems, providing a seamless setup process and compatibility with your tech stack.
- Detailed reporting and analytics: Choose an API that offers comprehensive reports and analytics to monitor verification processes, understand patterns, and make informed decisions.
- Scalability and reliability: Ensure the API can handle large volumes of requests and maintain high uptime, especially during peak times, to support your business growth.
Top 7 phone number verification APIs: at a glance
The table below provides a quick overview of the best phone number verification APIs.
Top 7 phone number verification APIs
To help you make an informed decision, we’ve compiled a list of the top seven phone number verification APIs you should consider.
1. Plivo
Plivo is one of the most advanced customer engagement tools on the market. Its Verify API is designed for effortless verification with robust fraud control features that protect you against phishing and SMS pumping attacks.
Plivo’s free Fraud Shield is one of the most attractive features in its API offering. It understands the customers' usage patterns and automatically adjusts the thresholds across countries. Plivo Verify also offers built-in reporting that helps you assess your cost savings by preventing fraud attacks.
The best part? Plivo delivers the lowest cost per verification among top-rated solutions on the market. There are zero authentication fees and you only pay for SMS and voice charges. Use Plivo’s pre-registered phone numbers and avoid monthly phone number rental fees. In addition, there’s no compliance fee, meaning you eliminate overhead costs associated with compliance registrations.
With Plivo, ready-made message templates are pre-approved and designed to increase conversions. Plivo Verify offers a 95% OTP conversion rate. We’re rated highly for support with extensive documentation that helps teams get started in five minutes or less.
Pros
- Best-in-class, built-in fraud protection for free
- High deliverability and accuracy rates support a 95% OTP conversion rate
- Go live in 220+ countries in five minutes or less
- 99.99% uptime SLAs available, plus comprehensive support and premium 24-hour customer service
- Low cost per conversion
- Channel flexibility: send OTPs using SMS, voice & WhatsApp
Cons
- Pricing may be higher for small businesses
Pricing
- Base pricing: $0 verification fee. Pay only the standard fee per channel. See detailed SMS and Voice pricing.
- Volume pricing: Contact the sales team to get the best pricing.
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2. Numlookup API
Numlookup API is a simple and quick solution for phone number verification. It automates the process by checking carrier information and the status of phone numbers. On its free tier, you can send 100 requests monthly—suitable for smaller businesses that are building their customer base and testing the waters.
When it comes time to scale, and you need an unlimited amount of API connections, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. Paid users get premium support. Numlookup API guarantees a 24-hour turnaround time for their paid customers. Along with this, they also boast 100% uptime in the last 90 days for all customers.
Pros:
- Quick and easy to implement; designed for small businesses
- Provides worldwide coverage for global phone numbers
- Quick lookup with detailed carrier and status information
- SDKs for the most popular languages (Python, Ruby, Node.js, and PHP)
Cons:
- Free tier rate limits are hit quickly
- Lacks additional features like email or IP address validation
- Limited to basic phone number lookup without advanced functionalities
Pricing
- Free plan: The free tier allows up to 100 requests at 10 requests/minute
- Small plan: Starts at $9.99/month for up to 7000 requests
- Medium plan: Starts at $44.99/month for up to 65,000 requests
- Large plan: Starts at $89.99/month for up to 300,000 requests
- Custom plan: For more requests, you need to contact their team
3. Neutrino API
Neutrino is designed as a general-purpose API, offering tools such as bad word filter, email validation, phone number validation, phone playback, SMS verification, phone verification, and more.
Their phone number verification API allows you to parse, validate, and get location information for a phone number. You can identify the general user agent type, and device features, such as the brand, model, and OS. Additionally, it supports verification for both local and international phone numbers and includes fraud detection features.
Pros:
- Quick and easy to get started
- Offers various validation services including phone, email, and IP address
- Very affordable
Cons:
- Poorly designed interface which can be confusing
- Lack of documentation can make integration difficult
- Tech support is available only via an online contact form or email
Pricing
Free Trial – With its free plan, you can explore its all features.
- Tier 1: Neutrino API starts at $10/month for up to 10,000 requests per day
- Tier 2: Starts at $50/month for 100,000 requests per day
- Tier 3: Starts at $250/month for 1M requests per day
4. Vonage Verify API
Vonage is an advanced platform that offers a dedicated Verify API to easily validate customers across the world at scale. It provides multiple authentication channels including SMS, voice (TTS), WhatsApp, email, and Silent Authentication, allowing you to authenticate your customers based on their preferences. They do the heavy lifting for you including fraud monitoring, failover, OTP generation, and sender ID management.
One of the standout features of Vonage is its fraud detection, which is designed to prevent expensive unauthorized transactions. It automatically triggers step-up authentication for suspicious numbers and uses up-to-date phone number intelligence to identify fraudulent transactions. Additionally, Vonage offers global text-to-speech (TTS), intelligent failover, adaptive routing, and flexible implementation.
Pros:
- Reliable verification with detailed carrier information
- Highly versatile, providing phone, email, and WhatsApp verification
- Easy integration with robust documentation
Cons:
- Per-request pricing may become expensive with high-volume
- May require technical knowledge for the initial setup
Pricing
- Verify conversion plan: Pricing per API call starts at $0.005 per request for number lookup.
- Verify success plan: Contact their sales team for a custom price
5. Abstract API
Abstract offers a library of APIs for an array of processes; email validation, IP geolocation, company enrichment, public holidays, phone validation, link shortener, image processing, weather API, and more.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive solution or have needs beyond just phone number verification, then Abstract is a great solution. But if your needs are limited, you might want to consider a more straightforward tool.
Regarding phone number validation, it supports over 190 countries and guarantees a 99.99% uptime SLA with 24/7 customer support via email, chat, and phone.
Pros:
- Easy and quick to get started
- Offers a free-for-life tier
- Global coverage suitable for international operations
- Easy setup with user-friendly documentation
Cons:
- Potentially higher costs compared to single-purpose APIs
- Customer support is reviewed as subpar
- Accuracy is questionable
Pricing
- Free plan: The free tier allows up to 250 API calls per month.
- Paid plan: Starts at $17/month for up to 30,000 requests per year, with higher tiers available.
6. Byteplant
BytePlant provides multiple solutions: address validator, email validator, phone validator, and anti-spam. Its phone validation API supports 240 countries and offers real-time phone validation, phone list cleaning, and a 30-day money-back guarantee (no questions asked).
BytePlant integrates well with platforms such as Salesforce and Mailchimp and ensures secure data transmission with industry-standard encryption. The API is designed to handle large volumes of requests, making it suitable for businesses with high validation needs.
Pros:
- Real-time phone number verification
- High accuracy with international and national number validation
- Secure data transmission with industry-standard encryption
Cons:
- Monthly credit costs can be high for small businesses
- Limited free tier, encouraging quick transition to paid plans
Pricing
- Pricing: Monthly credits cost around $390/month for up to 10,000 requests.
- Paid plan: Pay-as-you-go option available.
7. Mocean
Mocean’s Verify API specializes in phone number lookup and SMS verification services. It supports real-time phone number validation and provides detailed data about the phone number, including carrier and line type.
It comes with features like intelligent failover, adaptive routing, and flexible charging. Mocean's API is easy to integrate and supports multiple programming languages. The service is ideal for businesses focused on SMS marketing, providing secure data handling with robust encryption.
Pros:
- Pay-as-you-go pricing model for cost efficiency
- Provides both phone number lookup and SMS verification
- Secure data handling with robust encryption
Cons:
- Pricing can add up with high usage
- Limited free tier compared to competitors
Pricing
- Pricing: Pay-as-you-go pricing starts at $0.0037 per request for phone number lookup.
- Paid plan: $0.0138 per SMS verification sent.
Get started with Plivo today
Choosing the right phone number verification API involves considering key factors. Start by understanding your business’s needs and goals, listing out specific of your must-have and nice-to-have features like customization, global presence, and customer support.
Think Plivo might be the perfect API for your verification needs? Find out today with a trial.
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