Head to head

Artisan vs Clay

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Autonomous AI BDR (Ava): find, enrich, outbound, replies, meetings. Listed around $600/mo; the vendor does not publish a price grid.

Where Artisan fits

  • GTM teams replacing an SDR with an agent
  • HubSpot or Salesforce shops
  • Companies that will buy credits plus a mailbox stack
  • Buyers comparing AiSDR and Ava

Clay

$167/mo Free tier 14 day free trial

Waterfall enrichment plus Claygent research columns for GTM and recruiting list work. Free plan exists; paid starts around $167/mo, with a 14-day trial.

Where Clay fits

  • Sourcers building enriched spreadsheets
  • Teams chaining many data vendors
  • Desks that want Claygent research columns
  • RevOps pushing clean rows to a sequencer or ATS

At a glance

DetailArtisanClay
Starting price600$167/mo
Free tier–No✓Yes
Free trialNot on record14 day free trial
MCP server–No✓Yes
Public API–No✓Yes
Listed underLead generation, OutreachLead generation, Outreach

Where they pull apart

Artisan

Stands out: Ava as an AI employee for outbound (HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack named), sold like headcount, not like Instantly.

Watch out: Pricing is not published. Confirm the current credit pack on a demo before you budget.

Not the right fit for

  • People who need a $29 sequencer
  • Teams that refuse autonomous outbound
  • Buyers who need a published price today

Clay

Stands out: 150+ provider waterfall plus Claygent on every row, with MCP and API.

Watch out: Not a sender. Paid plans start at about $167/mo, with Launch from $185/mo, and credit burn adds up.

Not the right fit for

  • Teams that need Clay to send the email
  • Buyers who want a cheap single-finder

Pros and cons

Artisan

  • Full-cycle AI BDR rather than a sequencer with a writer
  • HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack named
  • Sold as headcount replacement, which is the honest frame
  • No published pricing grid
  • Credits and mailboxes will stack on top of $600
  • Not a cheap Instantly alternative

Clay

  • Public start at $167/mo
  • 14-day trial documented
  • Waterfall plus Claygent in one table
  • Does not send mail; you still need a sequencer
  • Launch tier costs more, from $185/mo
  • Credit burn is easy to underestimate

What each one costs

Artisan

600

Credit-based plans scale with lead volume, mailboxes, and dialer seats. Third-party reporting places an Employee plan near $600/mo billed annually; higher volume and Enterprise tiers are sales-quoted. Confirm current packaging on artisan.co/pricing.

Checked 8 Sep 2026

Clay

$167/mo

Free plan, paid from ~$167/mo. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 7 Sep 2026

Common questions

Is Artisan cheaper than Clay?
Clay starts lower, at $167/mo against 600 for Artisan. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.
Can you try Artisan or Clay for free?
Clay carries a free tier on our listing. Clay offers a 14 day free trial.
Does Artisan or Clay have an MCP server?
Clay ships a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 8 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?