Data Validation · head-to-head
Lob.com vs PurgoMalum
Lob's US Address Verification API checks, standardizes, and CASS-certifies a US postal address in real time, returning delivery-point-validation flags, vacancy and building-type metadata, and a corrected/deliverable address in one JSON response. It's the same verification engine behind Lob's broader direct-mail automation platform (mail creation, printing, and USPS tracking), so a key created for one Lob product works across the rest. Authentication is a single API key sent as the HTTP Basic Auth username, with separate test and live keys so integrations can be built and tested before any usage is billed.
PurgoMalum is a free, keyless GET-only web service that strips or flags profanity and obscenity in a submitted text string, recognizing common character substitutions ("@" for "a", "$" for "s") and an internal profanity list that can be extended per-request with an `add` parameter of extra blocked words. Separate request-type paths return the cleaned text as plain text, XML, or JSON, or return just a "true"/"false" verdict via its `containsprofanity` endpoint, so callers pick the shape they need without content negotiation headers. It's a single-purpose text-moderation utility rather than a full profile of a company's platform — there is no dashboard, key, or paid tier.
| Lob.com | PurgoMalum | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | API Key | None |
| Pricing | metered | free |
| Formats | JSON | JSON, XML, Plain Text |
| CORS | yes | yes |
| HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
PurgoMalum needs no API key, while Lob.com requires API Key — pick PurgoMalum to start without signup.