Compare/Head to head

Clay vs Twain

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

Twain

$49/mo 30 day free trial

Twain is an AI agent that researches each prospect live on the web, qualifies them and writes 1:1 sequences for email, LinkedIn and calls. It suits agencies doing account-based business development where every hiring manager message needs a real reason to reach out. Plans start at $49 a month for 500 credits, and new accounts get 500 free credits for 30 days with no credit card.

Where Twain fits

  • Agencies doing account-based BD to named clients
  • Recruiters who want sources behind every personalization
  • Teams sending through Instantly, lemlist, Smartlead or HeyReach
  • Desks that want to run outreach from Claude via MCP

At a glance

DetailClayTwain
Starting price$185/mo$49/mo
Free tier✓Yes–No
Free trial14 day free trial30 day free trial
MCP server✓Yes✓Yes
Public API✓Yes✓Yes
Listed underLead generation, OutreachOutreach, LinkedIn

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

Twain

Stands out: Twain cites dated, linked sources for every signal it uses, so you can check why it wrote what it wrote, which a first line tool like Lyne.ai does not show. It prices by credits with unlimited team members and ships its own MCP server, so a whole desk can share one pool and run it from Claude.

Watch out: Exporting researched data to your CRM or files needs Pro at $198 a month, so Starter is mainly for working inside Twain or a connected sequencer. Ultra mode starts at 10 credits per lead, so deep research burns through a 500 credit plan quickly.

Not the right fit for

  • Very high-volume sends where a first line is enough
  • Teams on Starter that need CRM export
  • Buyers who want a permanent free plan

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

Twain

  • 30 day trial with 500 credits and every feature
  • Unlimited team members on every plan
  • Own MCP server and public API
  • CRM and file export needs Pro at $198 a month
  • Ultra mode costs 10 or more credits per lead
  • No permanent free plan

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

Twain

$49/mo

Twain sells one feature set priced by monthly credits, with unlimited team members and no per-seat fees. Starter costs $49 a month for 500 credits or $99 for 1,000 credits, and shows only issue titles from the qualification agent. Pro costs $198 a month for 2,000 credits, $396 for 4,000, $900 for 10,000 or $1,260 for 14,000, and adds full qualification findings, export to your CRM or files, and rollover of unused credits. Enterprise is quote-based and adds custom workflows, deliverability support, audit logs, data residency and an API and MCP SLA. Base research costs 1 credit per lead, High costs 2 and Ultra starts at 10. One-time credit packs start at 200 credits for $30 and expire after 60 days. New accounts get 500 free credits for 30 days with every feature and no credit card required. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 4 Nov 2026

Common questions

Is Clay cheaper than Twain?
Twain starts lower, at $49/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 Twain for free?
Clay carries a free tier on our listing. Clay offers a 14 day free trial. Twain offers a 30 day free trial.
Does Clay or Twain have an MCP server?
Clay and Twain 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?