How to Choose a DNC Scrubbing Service: 7 Things to Check

Choosing a DNC scrubbing service is a compliance decision, not just a vendor decision — the quality of the scrub is the quality of your protection. Here are seven concrete things to check before you commit to one.

1. What data does it actually check?

Federal DNC is the baseline. Ask whether the service also covers honeypot traps and known litigators, and be clear on what's included versus upsold. A cheap scrub that only checks one list may leave gaps you assumed were covered.

2. How fresh is the data?

The registry changes daily. A service scrubbing against a stale snapshot is worse than useless — it gives false confidence. Ask how often the underlying data is refreshed, and see how often the registry updates.

3. Is the pricing transparent?

Per-number pricing you can see beats "request a quote" and annual contracts. Watch for monthly minimums and per-seat fees that make small or occasional scrubbing uneconomical.

4-7. The rest of the checklist

• Records. Does it produce a dated, downloadable report you can keep as evidence? See reading a scrub report.
• Speed and scale. Can it handle your list sizes without a multi-hour wait?
• Integration. Is there an API if you need to automate, or only manual uploads?
• A free trial. Can you test it on your own real list before paying? If not, ask why.

Carrier Fence covers DNC and honeypot data with transparent per-number pricing, downloadable reports, and an API — and you can test it on 500 numbers free. Try it on your list.

General information, not legal advice.