Head to head

Clay vs Exa

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

Exa

$7/1k searches Free tier

Web, people and company search API built for AI agents. Free plan with $10 in credits each month; paid search is $7 per 1,000 requests.

Where Exa fits

  • Builders putting web search inside coding or research agents
  • GTM teams enriching people and companies through an API
  • Teams that want search inside Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT
  • Startups living on free monthly credits before paying

At a glance

DetailClayExa
Starting price$167/mo$7/1k searches
Free tier✓Yes✓Yes
Free trial14 day free trialNot on record
MCP server✓Yes✓Yes
Public API✓Yes✓Yes
Listed underLead generation, OutreachLead generation, Sourcing

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

Exa

Stands out: Hosted MCP server on the free plan, with people and company indexes alongside the web index.

Watch out: Pay-as-you-go has no monthly floor, but Deep Search, Agent runs and phone lookups are billed separately. Free is a small monthly credit, not unlimited.

Not the right fit for

  • Recruiters who want a point-and-click sourcing UI
  • Teams that need a fixed-price annual seat license

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

Exa

  • $10 in free credits every month, no card
  • Hosted MCP server on the free plan
  • People and company indexes besides web search
  • Phone lookups cost $0.07 each on Agent
  • Free credits cover light testing only
  • SSO and zero data retention need Enterprise

What each one costs

Clay

$167/mo

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

Checked 7 Sep 2026

Exa

$7/1k searches

Free plan: $20 in credits at signup plus $10 every month, no card. Pay-as-you-go search is $7 per 1,000 requests, contents $1 per 1,000 pages and Deep Search $12 per 1,000 requests; Agent runs are $0.012 to $1.00 each. Enterprise is custom. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Is Clay cheaper than Exa?
Exa starts lower, at $7/1k searches 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 Exa for free?
Clay and Exa carry a free tier on our listing. Clay offers a 14 day free trial.
Does Clay or Exa have an MCP server?
Clay and Exa ship 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 7 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?