Head to head

Clay vs ZoomInfo

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

ZoomInfo

Sales-quoted

Enterprise B2B contact graph with direct dials, org charts, technographics and intent. Quote-based, and overkill if you only need emails.

Where ZoomInfo fits

Talent teams where sales already pays for ZoomInfo
Desks that need reports-to lines and org charts
Account-based recruiting with intent data
Enterprise processes that already include the graph

At a glance

Detail	Clay	ZoomInfo
Starting price	$167/mo	Sales-quoted
Free tier	✓Yes	–No
Free trial	14 day free trial	Not on record
MCP server	✓Yes	✓Yes
Public API	✓Yes	✓Yes
Listed under	Lead generation, Outreach	Email finders, Lead generation, Visitor ID
Capterra	Not enough reviews	4.1 from 322 reviews

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

ZoomInfo

Stands out: The buying-committee graph and intent data, not just email lookup.

Watch out: Recruiter-only desks should price Wiza, ContactOut or Tomba first. This is an enterprise contract.

Not the right fit for

Recruiter-only buyers signing a new enterprise contract
Teams that only need email and mobile lookup

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

ZoomInfo

Org charts and intent, not only emails
MCP available
Strong value when sales already funds the seat

No public price
Enterprise contract and sales cycle
Overkill as a recruiter-only finder

What each one costs

Clay

$167/mo

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

Checked 7 Sep 2026

ZoomInfo

Sales-quoted

Sales-quoted. Contact the vendor for current terms. No public starting price on the vendor site as of the verification date.

Checked 16 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Clay or ZoomInfo for free?

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

Does Clay or ZoomInfo have an MCP server?

Clay and ZoomInfo 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?