Compare/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.

Starting price

Artisan

Sales-quoted

Autonomous AI BDR (Ava): find, enrich, outbound, replies, meetings. Sales-quoted; 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

$185/mo Free tier 14 day free trial

Waterfall enrichment plus Claygent research columns for GTM and recruiting list work. Free plan exists; paid Launch starts at $185/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 priceSales-quoted$185/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 $185/mo on Launch, CRM sync needs Growth from $495/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 are scoped into the quote
  • Not a cheap Instantly alternative

Clay

  • Free plan, then Launch from $185/mo
  • 14-day trial documented
  • Waterfall plus Claygent in one table
  • Does not send mail; you still need a sequencer
  • CRM sync needs Growth, from $495/mo
  • Credit burn is easy to underestimate

What each one costs

Artisan

Sales-quoted

Team and Scale plans are listed with pricing scoped on your plan, and Enterprise is custom. Pricing depends on lead volume, mailboxes, and dialer seats, and you request a quote. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Clay

$185/mo

Free plan with 100 Data Credits and 500 Actions a month. Launch starts at $185 a month (2,500 Data Credits, 15,000 Actions, job change and signal tracking). Growth starts at $495 a month (6,000 Data Credits, 40,000 Actions) and adds CRM sync, HTTP API and webhooks. Enterprise is custom with an annual commitment. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

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 4 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?