What percentage/amount of unconfirmed accounts can be considered "normal"?

[smallwheels]

Some users do not confirm their email after registering. Some, b/c they don't receive the confirmation email or b/c it may end up in spam, but probably some just never click on the link. I am wondering what amount can be assumed as normal or tolerable? On my forum it is around 10% of the registrations which feels a bit high.

It is not limited to certain providers, but sometimes there may other issues come into play like some people simply mistype their address or use a non existent one and some people use a "burn" address where mails get forwarded to their real address and this process goes wrong relatively often. But in both cases I'd see a bounce in the logs which is not the case most of the time. Usernames, countries and mail addresses typically look normal within the usual audience of my forum, so probably no spam bots.

What are your experiences?

What have you (successfully or unsuccessfully) tried to lower the amount?

 

[philmckrackon]

Ten percent is not bad for a site that does not enforce verification. I stopped that by forcing the confirmation by using this addon. If the email is not confirmed then if logged in the site is not viewable.

Restrict Browsing For Unverified Email Users 1.0.2

[01] Restrict Browsing For Unverified Email Users

Jul 9, 2024

This addon will gives you the ability to restrict browsing for unverified email users.

• Abu Abdullah
• email confirmation restricted access
• Add-ons [2.x]

 

[ENF]

0%
Anything not confirmed within 24HR gets deleted.
At least so far, anyone using a legitimate address (that's not a burner/temp/alias), confirmation percentage is in the 90% range.
If the confirmation bounces, it just its until the 24HR timer expires. (They have a chance to correct the issue with instructions set in a notice)

We also have this Addon going as well.

Thread 'Prevent Unconfirmed Email Addresses from Browsing Community [Paid]'

Jan 17, 2023

Wutime submitted a new resource:

Prevent Unconfirmed Email Addresses from Browsing Community - Prevent users with unconfirmed email address from browsing community until confirmed

Prevent all newly registered users with unconfirmed email addresses from viewing community pages until they’ve confirmed their email address.

Features include:

• Show detailed message warning users to confirm email (versus default XF notice)
• Option to add account email update link within message (on/off [default=on])
• Option to remove other notices from displaying (remove default...

• Wutime
• Replies: 20
• Forum: Add-on releases [2.x]

• 

 

[smallwheels]

Ten percent is not bad for a site that does not enforce verification.

I use Andy's "first post only", so guests (and as I get it unconfirmed users as well) will only see the first post of a thread:

First post only

Dec 18, 2017

Show first post only to guests.

• AndyB
• Add-ons [2.x]

I don't use this to foster registrations but to lock out AI bots from content, it does however foster registrations massively (and should foster verification, too). So I guess from your point of view this would be enforcing registration.

On top of that I do use Xon's email domain verification add on to avoid typos and fake domains:

https://atelieraphelion.com/products/email-domain-validation.268/

However: Sometimes people mistype the local part of their mail address or they misspell the domain in a way that they do use another domain with a valid mx entry.

Other than that I use the "user check" add on to get rid of disposable mail addresses:

[Free] UserCheck - Block Disposable Emails

May 26, 2025

Stop Spam at the Door - Block Disposable Emails Automatically

• UserCheck
• disposable disposable email addresses email spam temporary verification
• Add-ons [2.x]

​

 

[BrettC]

Chose 1% as you do not have a less than 1% option.

Edit: I should add some context, one forum I setup years ago uses an internal user-auth system. The traditional XenForo user registration flow was completely disabled, and all accounts were handled from an external user database. If the account did not have a confirmed email via the global accounts system, the account would be refused to be created on XenForo. On another forum that I manage, if the account isn't email-verified within 24 hours and has made no posts, out it goes.

 

[jeb35]

When over 95 percent of members registering are spammers on a forum I help admin, so my guess is less than 5 percent. But that 95 percent is giving people the benefit of the doubt. Forum has been going for 25 years or so. Was very busy back in fhe day but its been a ghost town for quite some time. Get a valid member probably once a week.