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Soft vs Hard Bounce Classifier

The classification rules are buried in RFC 3463 and provider-specific extensions. This tool tells you in plain English: retry, suppress, or investigate.

Classification: Hard

Suppress this address immediately. The mailbox doesn't exist.

What it does

Parses the SMTP enhanced status code (5.x.x or 4.x.x) and the freeform text. Cross-references against known patterns from Gmail, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple, Proofpoint, Mimecast.

When to use

Building bounce processing logic. Diagnosing why a previously-deliverable address suddenly bounces. Cleaning a list after a provider migration.

FAQ

Should I suppress 4.x.x bounces?+

Not on the first occurrence. 4.x.x is transient (rate limit, temporary failure). Suppress only after 5+ consecutive 4.x.x bounces over multiple days.

What about 5.7.x codes?+

Policy rejections — usually content or reputation. Don't suppress the address; investigate your sending. Suppressing hides the symptom while the reputation problem continues.

You analyzed one send. Outsolvi analyzes every send, forever.

Subject scores, preview tests, header parses are one-shot. Outsolvi runs the same analysis on every email you send and surfaces patterns: which subjects open, which preheaders convert, which threads stall. From $7/user/mo yearly.

Get the continuous version
Nate SummersCo-Founder, Outsolvi

Nate built Outsolvi after watching every email-tracking tool he had ever used lie to him about opens. Outsolvi runs Tier 1 to 5 confidence scoring on every open, native in Outlook and Gmail, so the number on the dashboard is one a rep can actually act on.

Last reviewed May 25, 2026Editorially independent

We update these pages when the underlying mechanics change — new mailbox-provider rules, new tracker behavior, new measurement gaps. The dates above are real revisions, not auto-touches.