Email list counter: how many addresses, and how many checks to verify them
In short: Counts every row of a pasted list or CSV: unique addresses, duplicates, the same Gmail inbox written twice, bad formatting and blanks, then the number of checks a verification run needs. Limit: It counts and formats; it can't tell whether a mailbox exists. That takes a verification run.
An email list counter tells you how many addresses a list really holds. Paste the list or drop the CSV and every row is counted as a unique address, a duplicate, the same Gmail inbox written another way, badly formatted, not an address or blank. The unique, well-formed count is the number of checks a verification run uses.
Price: this tool is free. Checking a whole email list is from $9/mo, and the first 100 checks are free with Google, no card. See pricing
Sample result
9 rows hold 4 unique addresses: 1 duplicate, 1 same Gmail inbox, 1 badly formatted, 2 empty or not addresses.
- Checks needed
- 4
- Rows read
- 9
- Not needing a check
- 5
What this means for you
A verification run checks the 4 unique addresses, not the 9 rows.
- Paste a list or drop a CSV
- Every row gets one label
- Unique count = checks needed
- Download what was left out
- Count
- Duplicates
- CSV
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated · Runs in your browser; nothing you paste is sent to us
Also in: Português (Brasil) · Español · Deutsch · Français
How do I count the email addresses in a list or CSV?
- Paste addresses one per line, or upload the CSV or TXT export. In a CSV the email column is found for you and the other columns are ignored.
- Leave "Count Gmail dots and +tags as one inbox" on unless you need exact spellings counted separately.
- Press Count the list. Every row gets one label, and the totals show what a verification run would check.
- Download the unique addresses, or the rows that were left out with the reason, or check the unique list straight away.
Example
- You enter
- A 9-row CSV:
[email protected]and[email protected],[email protected]and[email protected],bob@@contoso.example, a blank email cell,[email protected],[email protected]andsee attached. - You get
- 4 unique addresses, so a run checks 4. 1 duplicate (the capitalised Jane), 1 same Gmail inbox, 1 badly formatted (two @ signs), 1 not an address and 1 blank.
[email protected]counts as unique and is marked as a likely typo of gmail.com. All 4 fit in the 100 free checks. - Limits
- Runs in your browser with no row cap; an uploaded file can be up to 25 MB.
How many emails are in my list?
Fewer than the row count, almost always. An export from a CRM or a lead tool carries blank rows, the same person entered twice in different capitals, [email protected] next to [email protected] (one inbox, as Gmail treats dots and +tags), and cells that were never addresses at all. Each row is put in exactly one group, so the groups add up to the rows you pasted, and the unique count is the number of real recipients.
Formatting is judged by the same rules as the bulk email syntax checker: two @ signs, a space, a missing top-level domain or a doubled dot is badly formatted, citing RFC 5322 where the rule comes from. Addresses on a likely typo domain such as gmial.com still count as unique, and are marked so you can fix them first with the email typo corrector.
How many verification checks will my list use?
One per unique, well-formed address. Duplicates, blanks and rows that aren't addresses don't need a check, so a deduplicated file costs less than the raw row count suggests; the counter shows the difference. On SimpleVerifier the first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in and no card, and the counter says how many of your addresses that covers and which monthly plan fits the rest.
If you re-verify the same list every month, the unique count is also your monthly volume. The cleaning frequency calculator works out how often that needs to be, and the verification cost calculator prices it across vendors.
Is this faster than counting in Excel?
| This tool | Excel or Google Sheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Unique count | Ignores case and wrapping | =COUNTA(UNIQUE(LOWER(A2:A))), case only |
| Same Gmail inbox | Dots and +tags matched | Not without a custom formula |
| Badly formatted rows | Named, with the rule | Needs a regex column |
| Rows left out | Downloaded with the reason | Filter by hand |
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Marketers
- Know the real size of an export before an email platform bills it as contacts.
- Cold emailers
- See how many leads a purchased CSV really holds once repeats and junk rows are out.
- Agencies
- Quote a client's verification job on the unique count, not the row count.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- It counts and formats; it can't tell whether a mailbox exists. That takes a verification run.
- It matches the same inbox only for Gmail's dots and +tags; the same person on two different addresses counts twice.
- In a CSV it reads one email column; a second address in another column isn't counted.
Common questions
- How do I count unique emails in a list?
- Paste the list or upload the CSV here. Every address is compared in lower case after stripping wrapping such as Name <address>, and Gmail dots and +tags can be matched too, so the unique count is the number of different inboxes.
- Do duplicates use verification checks?
- Not if you remove them first. A run checks each address you upload, so a file with repeats checks the same inbox twice. Download the unique list here and upload that.
- Why is my count lower than the number of rows?
- Blank rows, repeats, the same Gmail inbox written two ways, and cells that aren't addresses are counted separately. The table shows each row's label, and the groups add up to the rows you pasted.
- Can it count emails in an Excel file?
- Save the sheet as CSV first, or use extract emails from Excel, which reads .xlsx files directly and gives you a list to paste here.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. The count runs in your browser. Only the optional mailbox check at the end sends the unique addresses, after you press the button and sign in.
Sources
A tidy list can still be full of dead addresses.
Extracting, deduplicating and syntax checks all work on the text of an address. None of them can tell whether the mailbox exists. Only the server that hosts it can answer that, through an SMTP check, and that is what the paid product does.
- Upload the cleaned file as it is: CSVs up to 100,000 rows
- A real SMTP mailbox check on every row, with catch-all detection
- Small list? Starter at $9/mo covers 2,500 emails a month, cancel anytime
Plans from $9 a month, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.