Comparison

Best phone number validation APIs in 2026

Which phone validation API should you use? We compared the popular options by data returned, free tier and price per lookup.

Updated October 1, 2026 · 2 min read

We publish numlookupapi, so we are not neutral. Prices and free tiers are taken from each provider’s public pricing page in October 2026.

Quick comparison

APIReturnsFree tierEntry price
numlookupapiValidity, carrier, line type, location, time zones, all formats, batch100 / month, commercial use$9.99 for 5,000
numverify (apilayer)Validity, carrier, line type, location100 / month, non-commercial$14.99 for 5,000
Twilio Lookup v2Formatting free; line type, caller name, SIM swap as paid packagesFormatting only$0.008 per line type lookup
Abstract Phone ValidationValidity, carrier, line type, locationLimited free creditsPaid plans per volume
Vonage Number InsightBasic, standard and advanced insight levelsTrial creditPer request by level
libphonenumber (Google, open source)Validity, type by range, formats, original carrierFree, offlineFree

How to choose

  1. Only need to check formats? Use libphonenumber (or the free phone number validator), no API needed.
  2. Need carrier and line type at a predictable cost? A flat-rate API such as numlookupapi or numverify is the cheapest per lookup.
  3. Already deep in Twilio or Vonage? Their lookup products add per-request costs but keep everything on one bill.
  4. Validating lists? Look for a batch endpoint (numlookupapi validates 100 numbers per request) to cut round trips.

numlookupapi in one request

curl -H "apikey: YOUR-KEY" "https://api.numlookupapi.com/v1/validate/+14158586273"

{
  "valid": true,
  "international_format": "+14158586273",
  "country_code": "US",
  "location": "Novato",
  "carrier": "AT&T Mobility LLC",
  "line_type": "mobile",
  "number_type": "landline_or_mobile",
  "timezones": ["America/Los_Angeles"]
}

Detailed head-to-heads: numlookupapi vs numverify · numlookupapi vs Twilio Lookup.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free phone validation API?

For offline format checks, Google's libphonenumber is free and open source. Among hosted APIs with carrier and line type, numlookupapi and numverify both offer 100 free requests per month; numlookupapi allows commercial use on the free plan.

Do I need an API if libphonenumber is free?

libphonenumber validates formats and number ranges offline. You need an API when you want carrier and line type for ported numbers, or when you cannot ship numbering-plan data to every client and keep it updated.

Phone number API

Validate numbers like this in your app

numlookupapi checks any phone number worldwide in one request and returns validity, line type, carrier, location and every standard format as JSON.

Read the documentation

100 free requests every month. No credit card required.

GET https://api.numlookupapi.com/v1/validate/+12069220880

{
  "valid": true,
  "number": "12069220880",
  "local_format": "2069220880",
  "international_format": "+12069220880",
  "country_prefix": "+1",
  "country_code": "US",
  "country_name": "United States of America",
  "location": "Seattle",
  "line_type": "landline",
  "e164_format": "+12069220880",
  "national_format": "(206) 922-0880"
}

Keep reading

E.164 phone number format explainedWhat the E.164 format is, how to convert any phone number to E.164, examples for 10 countries, a regex and why APIs like Twilio require it. Validate phone numbers in JavaScriptThree ways to validate phone numbers in JavaScript and Node.js: regex, libphonenumber-js and a phone validation API with carrier and line type. With code. Validate phone numbers in PHPValidate phone numbers in PHP with libphonenumber-for-php and the numlookupapi API. Includes a Laravel validation rule and E.164 formatting. Validate phone numbers in PythonValidate and format phone numbers in Python with the phonenumbers library, then add carrier and line type with the numlookupapi API. Copy-paste code for Django and Flask. numlookupapi vs numverifyLooking for a numverify alternative? Compare numlookupapi and numverify: pricing per plan, free tier, commercial use, batch lookups and features. numlookupapi vs Twilio LookupCompare numlookupapi with Twilio Lookup: what each returns, per-lookup vs flat monthly pricing, and when a dedicated phone validation API is cheaper.

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