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ActiveCampaign Integration

Connect your ActiveCampaign account to Valid Email Checker and verify your email lists without ever leaving our platform. No file exports, no manual uploads—just seamless verification that keeps your lists clean and your deliverability high.


What You'll Need

Before you start, make sure you have:

  • An ActiveCampaign account (any plan)
  • Admin access to your ActiveCampaign account
  • Your ActiveCampaign API URL and API Key
  • Sufficient credits in your Valid Email Checker account

Finding Your ActiveCampaign API Credentials

ActiveCampaign requires two pieces of information to connect: your API URL and your API Key. Here's how to find them:

Where to Find Your API Credentials
  1. Log in to your ActiveCampaign account
  2. Click the Settings gear icon (bottom left)
  3. Select Developer from the left sidebar
  4. Your API URL and API Key are displayed under API Access

ActiveCampaign Developer settings showing API URL and API Key location

What you'll see:

CredentialDescriptionExample
URLYour unique ActiveCampaign API endpointhttps://youraccount.api-us1.com
KeyYour secret API key (long string)a1c3c03a01298e9122538...
Copy Both Values

Use the Copy API Url and Copy API Key buttons to copy these values exactly. Even a small typo will prevent the connection from working.


Connecting ActiveCampaign to Valid Email Checker

Now that you have your credentials, let's connect your account.

Step 1: Open the Integration Modal

You have two ways to start:

Option A: Click Integrations in the sidebar, then click + Connect Integration or click on the ActiveCampaign card.

Option B: Click Bulk Upload in the sidebar, then click Connect Email Platform in the top right corner and select ActiveCampaign.

Step 2: Enter Your Credentials

The connection modal will appear asking for your ActiveCampaign details:

Connect ActiveCampaign modal with URL and API Key input fields

Fill in the following:

FieldWhat to Enter
Connection Name (optional)A friendly name like "My ActiveCampaign Account" or "Marketing Team AC"
ActiveCampaign URLYour API URL from ActiveCampaign (e.g., https://youraccount.api-us1.com)
ActiveCampaign API KeyYour API Key from ActiveCampaign

Step 3: Click Connect Account

Once you've entered your credentials, click Connect Account. We'll verify your credentials and establish the connection.

If successful, you'll see a confirmation and be taken to the list selection screen.

Connection Failed?

If you see an error, double-check that:

  • Your API URL includes https:// at the beginning
  • Your API Key is copied exactly (no extra spaces)
  • Your ActiveCampaign account is active

Verifying Your ActiveCampaign Lists

Once connected, you can verify any of your ActiveCampaign lists. Here's how:

Step 1: Select a List

After connecting (or when you click Sync Now on an existing connection), you'll see all your ActiveCampaign lists:

ActiveCampaign list selector showing available lists with contact counts and verification options

Each list shows:

  • List name — The name you gave it in ActiveCampaign
  • Contact count — How many emails are in that list

Click on the list you want to verify.

Step 2: Choose Your Verification Mode

This is where the magic happens. You have two options:

Option 1: Verify Only

Select Verify only if you want to:

  • See verification results before making any changes
  • Review which emails are problematic
  • Make manual decisions about what to keep or remove
  • Download results for your records

This imports and verifies your list but doesn't modify anything in ActiveCampaign. Your original list stays exactly as it is.

Option 2: Clean List Automatically

Select Clean list automatically if you want us to:

  • Verify all emails
  • Automatically remove or unsubscribe bad emails from your ActiveCampaign list
  • Keep your list clean without manual intervention

When you choose this option, you can customize exactly what happens to each email type:

Email TypeAvailable ActionsDefault
InvalidUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepUnsubscribe
DisposableUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepDelete
Catch-allUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepKeep
UnknownUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepKeep
RiskyUnsubscribe, Delete, KeepKeep

What each action means:

  • Unsubscribe — The contact stays in ActiveCampaign but is unsubscribed from the list (they won't receive emails but you keep their data)
  • Delete — The contact is completely removed from ActiveCampaign
  • Keep — No action taken; the contact remains as-is

Step 3: Start Verification

Click the button to start importing and verifying your list. You'll be automatically redirected to the Uploads & Results page to track progress.


Tracking Your Verification Progress

Once verification starts, you'll see your task on the Uploads & Results page:

Uploads & Results page showing verification processing status

What you'll see:

ColumnDescription
Task IDUnique identifier for this verification (e.g., VECKDRPH44L)
List NameThe name of your ActiveCampaign list
Upload DateWhen you started the verification
Total EmailsNumber of contacts being verified
StatusCurrent state (Processing, Completed, etc.)
ProgressPercentage complete with progress bar
ActionsView Results, Delete
Real-Time Updates

The page updates automatically—no need to refresh. You'll also see a notification in the top right showing "Importing emails from integration..." while we pull your contacts.

Status meanings:

  • 🔄 Processing — Verification in progress
  • Completed — All done! Click "View Results" to see the breakdown
  • ⚠️ Completed with Warning — Finished, but some emails couldn't be processed (credits refunded)
  • Failed — Something went wrong (rare)
  • 🗑️ Deleted — File deleted after 15 days on our server

Managing Your ActiveCampaign Connection

Your connected ActiveCampaign accounts appear on the Integrations page. Here's how to manage them:

Integrations page showing connection management menu with Sync Now, Rename, and Delete options

Connection Actions

Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to any connection to see your options:

ActionWhat It Does
Sync NowOpen the list selector to verify another list from this account
RenameChange the connection name (helpful if you have multiple accounts)
DeleteRemove this connection (doesn't affect your ActiveCampaign account)

Connection Status

Each connection shows:

  • Provider — ActiveCampaign logo and name
  • Connection Name — The name you gave it
  • Status — Active (green)
  • Connected — Date you added this connection

Connecting Multiple ActiveCampaign Accounts

Have multiple ActiveCampaign accounts? No problem! Valid Email Checker lets you connect as many accounts as you need.

Connection picker showing multiple ActiveCampaign accounts with Add Another Account option

Adding Another Account

  1. Go to Bulk UploadConnect Email PlatformActiveCampaign
  2. If you already have a connection, you'll see the connection picker
  3. Click + Add Another Account
  4. Enter the credentials for your additional ActiveCampaign account
  5. Give it a unique name so you can tell them apart (e.g., "AC - Marketing Team" vs "AC - Sales Team")

Switching Between Accounts

When you have multiple accounts connected:

  1. Click on ActiveCampaign from the Bulk Upload page or Integrations page
  2. The connection picker displays all your connected accounts
  3. Click Sync Now on the account you want to use
  4. Select your list and verify as usual

Credits and Billing

How Credits Work with Integrations

  • 1 credit = 1 email verified (same as all other verification methods)
  • Credits are deducted when verification starts
  • Unknown results are automatically refunded
  • Duplicates are removed before verification (and not charged)

Checking Your Balance

Your credit balance is always visible in the top right corner of the dashboard. Make sure you have enough credits before starting a large verification.

Credits Running Low?

If you don't have enough credits for your list size, you can:


Team Member Access

If you're a team member (not the account owner):

  • You can connect your own ActiveCampaign accounts
  • You'll use credits from the shared team balance
  • The owner can see credits used by each team member

Troubleshooting

"Invalid API credentials" Error

  • Check your API URL: Make sure it starts with https:// and looks like https://youraccount.api-us1.com
  • Check your API Key: Copy it fresh from ActiveCampaign (Settings → Developer → API Access)
  • Check for extra spaces: Make sure you didn't accidentally copy spaces before or after the credentials

"No lists found" Message

  • Your ActiveCampaign account might not have any lists yet
  • Create at least one list in ActiveCampaign, then try again

Verification Takes Too Long

  • Large lists (10,000+ contacts) may take several minutes
  • The page auto-updates—no need to refresh
  • Check the progress bar for an estimate

Some Emails Show "Unknown" Status

  • This happens when we can't definitively verify an email (server didn't respond, etc.)
  • Credits for Unknown results are automatically refunded
  • You can re-verify these emails later

Changes Not Appearing in ActiveCampaign

If you chose "Clean list automatically" but don't see changes:

  • Allow a few minutes for ActiveCampaign to sync
  • Check your "Unsubscribed" or "Deleted" contacts in ActiveCampaign
  • Make sure the verification completed (check Uploads & Results)

Best Practices

Before Your First Verification

  1. Start with a small list — Test the integration with a smaller list first
  2. Use "Verify Only" mode — See results before auto-cleaning
  3. Review the results — Understand what each status means before taking action

For Ongoing List Hygiene

  1. Verify new imports — Whenever you add contacts to ActiveCampaign, verify them
  2. Schedule regular cleanings — Verify your main lists monthly or quarterly
  3. Use "Clean list automatically" — Once you're comfortable, automate the cleanup
  4. Monitor your sender reputation — Clean lists = better deliverability

For most users, we recommend:

Email TypeRecommended ActionWhy
InvalidUnsubscribeThese will bounce—don't send to them
DisposableDeleteTemporary emails, likely inactive
Catch-allKeepMay be valid; monitor bounce rates
UnknownKeepCouldn't verify; try again later
RiskyUnsubscribeHigh bounce risk; play it safe

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this affect my ActiveCampaign account?

Only if you choose "Clean list automatically." The "Verify only" option doesn't modify anything in ActiveCampaign.

Can I verify automations or segments?

Currently, you can only verify lists. To verify contacts in automations or segments, export them to a list first.

How often should I verify my lists?

We recommend:

  • After every import — Verify new contacts immediately
  • Monthly — For active, growing lists
  • Quarterly — For stable lists with minimal changes

Is my API key secure?

Yes. Your API key is encrypted and stored securely. We only use it to fetch your lists and (if you choose) update contact statuses. We never read email content or send emails on your behalf.

Can I undo an automatic cleanup?

No. Once contacts are deleted or unsubscribed via "Clean list automatically," you'd need to restore them manually in ActiveCampaign. This is why we recommend trying "Verify only" first.

Can I verify all my lists at once?

Currently, you verify one list at a time. This gives you more control over the process and lets you apply different cleaning rules to different lists.


Next Steps


Need Help?

Having trouble connecting ActiveCampaign? Contact our support team and we'll help you get set up.