Verify a Swordfish Export Before You Send

What we could and could not read

We tried Swordfish's site and its pricing page on 9 November 2026. Both returned only a bot check ("Checking for any bots"), so nothing about its email data, credits, statuses or exports could be read. Rather than guess, this guide does not describe them.

Before relying on any label in your file, ask the vendor:

• What check produced the "verified" flag, and does it cover catch-all domains?
• When was this specific address last checked?
• Are you charged for rows that come back invalid?
• What does the file contain for rows you could not confirm: blank, flagged or a guess?

See questions to ask a B2B data vendor for the longer list.

Why a Swordfish row can still bounce

• Snapshot age. The contact was right at the time it was gathered (email valid but person left the company).
• Catch-all domains. No outside check can confirm a mailbox on a server that accepts everything (catch-all emails: what to do).
• Phone-first data. Files exported mainly for phone numbers can carry emails nobody re-checked.
• Merged files. Swordfish rows combined with other sources. The oldest rows set your bounce rate.

The send-day routine

1. Export and note the date

Add an export-date column so you can re-verify by age later. Keep the original file untouched and work on a copy.

2. Clean

• Remove duplicate emails across every file you are loading.
• Limit contacts per company so one account does not get a burst.
• Tag catch-alls with the bulk catch-all checker.

3. Verify

Upload the CSV at /verify, pick the email column and run it. Each address gets a live SMTP check.

Result	Action
Valid	Main sequence
Risky (catch-all)	Second wave, best grades first
Risky (role, disposable, full)	Drop for outreach
Invalid	Suppress
Unknown	Re-check tomorrow

Catch-alls come back as risky with a grade and a reason (catch-all scoring).

4. Re-import and send in waves

Download the results, keep valid rows for your main sequence and load them into your sender. Catch-alls go a day later in a small batch. Pause when hard bounces pass your platform's line (bounce rate thresholds by platform).

5. Compare against your own numbers

Note the bounce rate by source. If Swordfish rows bounce less than other sources after your own check, that is evidence worth more than any pricing page. Bounce rate by source helps compare.

What to do with each group

Valid rows go into the main sequence, with the verification date kept in a column.

Risky catch-all rows are the judgment call. The server accepts anything during the check, so the best you get is a grade and a reason. Send the best-graded ones first, a day after the valid wave, and stop if bounces rise.

Risky role, disposable and full-mailbox rows are poor outreach targets.

Invalid rows go to a permanent suppression list so they never return in a later import (cold email suppression lists).

Unknown rows mean the server did not answer in time. Retry the next day.

When the vendor will not say

If the vendor cannot say what its label means, treat the whole column as unconfirmed. That costs one upload and removes the guesswork. Keep a note of the bounce rate by source so you can compare the vendor against your own numbers later. Data vendors: verify before delivery describes the habit.

More on timing: how often to verify an email list. Compare approaches on the bulk email verifier page.

Try it on your own export

Upload a slice at /verify. The first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card.

Pro, $39 a month: Unlimited email verification.* Never metered, never cut off. See pricing.

*Fair use: the first 100,000 checks a month at full speed, then slower, never cut off.