Compare/Head to head

Clay vs Lyne.ai

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

Lyne.ai

$39/mo Free tier

Lyne.ai researches prospects from a list of emails or LinkedIn URLs and writes personalized cold email intro lines in bulk. It suits recruitment agencies and lead gen shops sending high volumes of BD email who want a custom first line without a VA writing it. There is a pay-as-you-go free plan at $6 per 20 credits, and paid plans start at $39 a month.

Where Lyne.ai fits

  • Agencies sending thousands of BD emails a month
  • Lead gen shops that resell outbound to clients
  • Recruiters building lists from Sales Navigator
  • Teams already sending through lemlist, Woodpecker or Mailshake

At a glance

DetailClayLyne.ai
Starting price$185/mo$39/mo
Free tier✓Yes✓Yes
Free trial14 day free trialNot on record
MCP server✓Yes–No
Public API✓Yes✓Yes
Listed underLead generation, OutreachOutreach, Email finders

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

Lyne.ai

Stands out: Lyne does one narrow job, the personalized first line, and charges per row with output rather than per seat, which is cheaper than a full AI SDR like AiSDR for agencies that already have a sender. It bundles a Sales Navigator scraper with email validation, so list building and first lines sit in one account.

Watch out: The output is an intro line and subject line, not a full researched email or sequence, so you still write the body and run sending elsewhere. The pricing page labels both paid plans Custom and does not spell out every limit, so check what the $39 plan includes before buying.

Not the right fit for

  • Low-volume, highly researched executive search outreach
  • Teams wanting full AI written sequences
  • Buyers who need detailed plan limits up front

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

Lyne.ai

  • Pay-as-you-go free plan with no monthly charge
  • No credit charged when there is no output
  • Sales Navigator scraper with email validation
  • Writes intro lines, not full emails
  • Paid plan limits are not fully spelled out
  • Needs a separate sending tool

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

Lyne.ai

$39/mo

The Free plan costs $0 with no monthly charge, and you pay as you go at $6 per 20 credits. One credit equals one personalized row, and Lyne does not charge a credit when it cannot produce output. A $39 a month plan is aimed at scraping needs. A $120 a month plan includes 2,000 emails a month at $0.25 per Lyne, with credits that roll over. All plans include all integrations, and Lyne offers an Unlimited plan and other volume pricing on request. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Is Clay cheaper than Lyne.ai?
Lyne.ai starts lower, at $39/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 Lyne.ai for free?
Clay and Lyne.ai carry a free tier on our listing. Clay offers a 14 day free trial.
Does Clay or Lyne.ai 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?

All Clay alternatives All Lyne.ai alternatives Every Lead generation tool

Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 4 Nov 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?