# Bouncer vs Kickbox: which do AI models recommend for email verification, September 2026

GTM AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, Email verification. Four of twelve models named Bouncer first on the direct prompt; one named Kickbox. Page: https://gtm-ai-index.com/gtm-data/email-verification/bouncer-vs-kickbox/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bouncer | 24% | #2 of 11 | 0% | 40 | 11 of 12 |
| Kickbox | 4% | #5 of 11 | 0% | 27 | 12 of 12 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Claude Haiku 4.5: bouncer first (first choices: Bouncer, Skrapp) (alternatives: NeverBounce, ZeroBounce)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: bouncer first (first choices: Bouncer) (alternatives: Allegrow, BounceBan, NeverBounce, ZeroBounce)
- Perplexity Sonar: bouncer first (first choices: Bouncer) (alternatives: Hunter, MillionVerifier, ZeroBounce)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: bouncer first (first choices: Bouncer) (alternatives: Hunter, NeverBounce, ZeroBounce)
- Llama 4 Maverick: kickbox first (first choices: Clearout, Hunter, Kickbox)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither first, one named (first choices: Hunter, ZeroBounce) (alternatives: Bouncer, Clearout, Kickbox)
- Mistral Small: neither first, one named (first choices: ZeroBounce) (alternatives: Bouncer, Clearout, Hunter, NeverBounce)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: ZeroBounce) (alternatives: Bouncer, EmailListVerify, Kickbox, MillionVerifier)
- Kimi K2: neither first, one named (first choices: ZeroBounce) (alternatives: Bouncer, Clearout, Hunter)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither first, one named (first choices: Clearout) (alternatives: Hunter, Kickbox)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: ZeroBounce) (alternatives: Hunter)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: ZeroBounce) (alternatives: Hunter)

## What the models said about Bouncer

- "Well-regarded alternatives with stronger track records ... include Bouncer, ZeroBounce, Kickbox, and NeverBounce" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend Bouncer as the best all-around value (great accuracy, flexible non-expiring pricing, 100 free credits to trial)" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, budget prompt, first choice)
- "I'd recommend evaluating Skrapp or Bouncer first, as they balance accuracy, ease of use, and workflow integration" (Claude Haiku 4.5, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Kickbox

- "The best email verification service for a mid-market B2B company is Hunter, Clearout, or Kickbox" (Llama 4 Maverick, direct prompt, first choice)
- "or Kickbox if you want point-of-entry validation integrated into your existing tech stack." (Claude Haiku 4.5, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "include Bouncer, ZeroBounce, Kickbox, and NeverBounce" (Kimi K2, negative prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.