Compare/Head to head

Clay vs Instantly

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

Starting price

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

Instantly

$37.60/mo Free trial

Cold-email infra for teams farming many sending mailboxes. Outreach Growth is $37.60/mo billed yearly, or $47/mo monthly.

Where Instantly fits

Outbound recruiting teams sending at volume
Agencies running many sending accounts
Desks that need warmup plus a unibox
Recruiters who want an agent to find candidates and send first outreach

At a glance

Detail	Clay	Instantly
Starting price	$185/mo	$37.60/mo
Free tier	✓Yes	–No
Free trial	14 day free trial	Yes
MCP server	✓Yes	✓Yes
Public API	✓Yes	✓Yes
Listed under	Lead generation, Outreach	Outreach

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 $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

Instantly

Stands out: Warmup, unibox, and volume send with hosted MCP and a public API, plus an AI Recruiting Agent that finds candidates from a job link and emails them.

Watch out: Deliverability still depends on your domains and inboxes, not the tool alone.

Not the right fit for

Teams that only need LinkedIn messaging
Buyers looking for an ATS

Pros and cons

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

Instantly

Warmup and unibox in the same desk
AI Recruiting Agent sources candidates and drafts outreach from a job link
Hosted MCP plus REST API
No-card get-started path on the vendor site

Sending domains and inboxes are bought separately
Sequence designer is plainer than multichannel rivals
Volume tiers step up quickly as mailboxes grow

What each one costs

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

Instantly

$37.60/mo

Outreach plans: Growth $37.60/mo billed yearly, or $47 monthly, for 5,000 emails and 1,000 contacts; Hypergrowth $85.58/mo yearly, or $107 monthly, for 125,000 emails and 25,000 contacts; and Light Speed $286.30/mo yearly, or $358 monthly, for 500,000 emails. Lead credits are a separate plan from $47/mo, and bundles of both start at $94/mo. Every plan has unlimited email accounts and warmup. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Is Clay cheaper than Instantly?

Instantly starts lower, at $37.60/mo against $185/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 Instantly for free?

Clay carries a free tier on our listing. Clay offers a 14 day free trial. Instantly offers a free trial.

Does Clay or Instantly have an MCP server?

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