1. Home
  2. Clean a list
  3. Apollo.io

Clean your Apollo.io list

Export your contacts from Apollo.io as a CSV, verify every address, then import the valid file back and keep the risky one out of your first send. Verification finds addresses that cannot receive mail. It cannot tell who will read or welcome your email, and an address it cannot confirm is called risky, never valid.

Export steps and bounce rules read from Apollo.io's own pages, checked 23 Oct 2026.

1. Export the CSV from Apollo.io

  1. In Apollo, open Search > People and filter to the contacts, saved search or list you want.
  2. Select the contacts, then click Export.
  3. Choose whether to export all selected contacts or only those with verified emails.
  4. Click Export records, then go to Settings > Import & Exports > CSV Exports and click Download.

Apollo's help notes that exporting contacts you have already saved uses no credits, while net-new people are saved first and can use credits.

Apollo's export can include emails Apollo has not verified. Exporting only verified emails does not make a catch-all address safe.

Source: Apollo.io help. The shorter version is on the Apollo.io export page.

2. Apollo.io's published bounce rule

Apollo pauses a sequence when its bounce rate passes the auto-pause threshold set in your team's sending policy (Bounce guard), but its help does not publish a default number. Its bounced-email article calls a bounce rate under 2% typical and says a rate consistently above 5% needs immediate investigation.

Source: Apollo: Troubleshoot Bounced Emails, read 23 Oct 2026.

Other platforms' lines are in bounce rate limits by platform.

3. What verification can and cannot tell you

It can tell you

  • The address is malformed or the domain has no mail servers.
  • The mailbox does not exist, where the provider answers the check.
  • The domain is disposable.
  • The domain accepts all mail, so the address cannot be confirmed.

It cannot tell you

  • Whether the person reads your email or agreed to receive it.
  • Whether the address is a spam trap.
  • Whether a risky address is real. Catch-all domains and providers that hide mailbox status stay unconfirmed.
  • Whether the contact still works at that company.

Unconfirmed always means risky, never valid. You get three files back, valid, risky and invalid, with your original Apollo.io columns kept.

4. Import the clean file back

  • Keep the columns as they came out of Apollo.io, so the file maps back to the same fields on import.
  • Import the valid file into Apollo.io or the tool you send from. Use Apollo.io's own import help for the exact screens.
  • Hold the risky file back. If you send to it, send small batches later and watch the bounce rate against the rule above.
  • Drop the invalid file, or mark those contacts as bad email in Apollo.io so they are not mailed again.

Check a Apollo.io address, then your list

Type any address. It gets the same check the paid plans run: syntax, the domain’s mail servers and, where the provider allows it, a live mailbox check. Nothing is sent to the address.

Five checks a minute, no account needed. Nothing is sent to the address — we ask its mail server whether the mailbox exists, then disconnect.

Have a list? Sign in with Google and the first 100 addresses are checked free, with results to download. No card.

By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.

Common questions

How do I export my contacts from Apollo.io?
In Apollo, open Search > People and filter to the contacts, saved search or list you want. Select the contacts, then click Export. Choose whether to export all selected contacts or only those with verified emails. Click Export records, then go to Settings > Import & Exports > CSV Exports and click Download. Apollo's help notes that exporting contacts you have already saved uses no credits, while net-new people are saved first and can use credits.
What bounce rate does Apollo.io allow?
Apollo pauses a sequence when its bounce rate passes the auto-pause threshold set in your team's sending policy (Bounce guard), but its help does not publish a default number. Its bounced-email article calls a bounce rate under 2% typical and says a rate consistently above 5% needs immediate investigation. Source: Apollo: Troubleshoot Bounced Emails, read 23 Oct 2026.
Does a "valid" result mean the person will read my email?
No. Verification tells you whether an address can receive mail, not whether the person reads it, wants it or agreed to it. It cannot detect spam traps either.
What does a risky result mean?
A risky address could not be confirmed as a real mailbox, usually because the domain accepts all mail (catch-all) or the provider will not say. Unconfirmed addresses are never reported as valid. Keep them out of your first send and mail them later, in small batches.
Is there a free way to try this on my Apollo.io list?
Yes. Sign in with Google and the first 100 addresses are checked free, with results to download and no card. After that, verification is $29.99 a month on the Pro plan.

Clean your next list before it bounces

100 free email checks when you sign in with Google, no card. Then monthly plans from $9, or one flat price with fair use, never cut off.

100 free checks, no card Cancel anytime Secure payment by Stripe