Head to head

Clay vs Cleanlist

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

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

Cleanlist

$79/mo Free tier 14 day free trial

Waterfall B2B enrichment billed per hit, with a real free allowance. Starter is $79/mo ($59/mo billed annually).

Where Cleanlist fits

  • SDR teams enriching CSVs and Sales Nav lists
  • Buyers who want pay-per-hit waterfall data
  • Teams that need HubSpot or Salesforce sync
  • Builders who want API or MCP on Pro or Scale

At a glance

DetailClayCleanlist
Starting price$167/mo$79/mo
Free tier✓Yes✓Yes
Free trial14 day free trial14 day free trial
MCP server✓Yes✓Yes
Public API✓Yes✓Yes
Listed underLead generation, OutreachEmail finders, Lead generation

Where they pull apart

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

Cleanlist

Stands out: Pay only when an email or phone is found; misses cost zero credits.

Watch out: Public API and MCP start on Pro, not Starter. Phones cost 10 credits versus 1 for email. Credits roll over, seats do not.

Not the right fit for

  • Users who need API access on the cheapest paid plan
  • High-volume phone enrichment (10 credits per hit)

Pros and cons

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

Cleanlist

  • Hits-only billing; misses cost 0 credits
  • Free plan plus a 14-day Scale trial
  • Credit rollover on a shared team wallet
  • API and MCP start on Pro, not Starter
  • Phones cost 10 credits per successful hit
  • Starter caps lists at 2,500 leads

What each one costs

Clay

$167/mo

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

Checked 7 Sep 2026

Cleanlist

$79/mo

Free plan with 30 credits a month and one seat. Starter is $79/mo billed monthly or $59/mo billed annually for 1,500 credits and two seats. Pro starts at $229/mo ($172/mo annual) and Scale at $599/mo ($449/mo annual); extra seats are $20/mo. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 18 Sep 2026

Common questions

Is Clay cheaper than Cleanlist?
Cleanlist starts lower, at $79/mo against $167/mo for Clay. That is the entry plan on each side, so the real number depends on seats and the tier you land on.
Can you try Clay or Cleanlist for free?
Clay and Cleanlist carry a free tier on our listing. Clay offers a 14 day free trial. Cleanlist offers a 14 day free trial.
Does Clay or Cleanlist have an MCP server?
Clay and Cleanlist ship a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 7 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?