PRACTICAL GUIDE

Website checks or an API integration? Choose your starting point

By ApiVect · 4 October 2026

Understand ApiVect Manual Free, the separate API trial and which checks use each allowance. Plan your first invoice, VAT or domain workflow.

A one-off invoice check and an automated billing integration need different starting points. Before running your next check, decide whether you want a result on the website or a response your software can process. ApiVect offers both, with separate allowances. Understanding that separation helps you plan a useful first test.

Start on the website when you need an occasional answer

Manual Free includes 10 website checks per calendar month, with a maximum of 2 per day. Invoice, VAT and domain checks share this allowance for your business. It has no expiry, and you do not need code, an API key or a card to use it.

Create your account, verify your email and set up an authenticator before opening a tool. Have the input ready: a supported UBL XML invoice or credit note, an EU VAT number, or a domain to review. Choose the tool that answers your immediate question rather than spending checks on unrelated inputs.

Count completed checks, not just positive results

A conclusive result uses one manual check, including a negative result. Inconclusive results and technical failures use none. A VAT number reported invalid is different from a VIES service that cannot answer; preserve that distinction when deciding what to do next.

Do not interpret a completed invoice validation as a guarantee that a recipient will accept the document. Read its findings and relevant rules. For VAT, the EU explains that VIES draws on national databases and that an invalid response can have several causes. Use the official guidance when investigating a registration question.

Start with the API trial when software will run the checks

The separate 14-day API trial includes 100 invoice validations, 100 VAT checks and 25 domain audits. These are product-specific allowances; they are not a single pool of 225 interchangeable checks. Manual Free continues after the API trial ends.

Use the API quickstart to create a key and make a small request. Keep the key in an environment variable rather than source code. For invoice validation, send an idempotency key and distinguish a completed response containing validation findings from an HTTP failure. The Python and Node.js guide provides a synthetic invoice workflow and a local stub test.

Plan the smallest test that proves your client can send input, read a response and handle an unsuccessful outcome. Record the request identifier and result status for troubleshooting without copying invoice contents or credentials into logs.

Lists, monitoring and conversion have their own scope

Manual Free covers the individual invoice, VAT and domain checks described above. It does not include every ApiVect workflow. VAT CSV lists use the separate VAT allowance shared with the VAT API. Domain Watch uses a separate subscription and requires ownership proof. Invoice conversion and PDF workflows also have their own product allowances.

Match the plan to the task before signing up for a paid workflow. Check current product pages for input limits, retention, availability and prices. The website's current plans are the reference if a product changes after this guide is published.

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