Clay
Our pickWaterfall enrichment with Claygent on every row.
From $185/mo Free tier 14-day free trial MCP server API
Bottom line
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.
Stands out for: 150+ provider waterfall plus Claygent on every row, with MCP and API.
Watch out for: Not a sender. Paid plans start at $185/mo on Launch, CRM sync needs Growth from $495/mo, and credit burn adds up.
Overview
Clay enriches a spreadsheet across a large provider waterfall, then lets you push clean rows to a sequencer or ATS. Claygent fills research-style columns when a static finder is thin. It is not the mailbox and not the ATS. A free plan exists. There is a hosted MCP at api.clay.com and a REST API.
Teams pick Clay when one finder is not enough coverage and they would rather chain vendors than buy ZoomInfo. Launch starts at $185/mo with 2,500 Data Credits and job change and signal tracking, Growth at $495/mo, and there is a 14-day trial. Named providers include HubSpot, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Apollo, Hunter, and ZoomInfo.
Who it's for
Best for
- Sourcers building enriched spreadsheets
- Teams chaining many data vendors
- Desks that want Claygent research columns
- RevOps pushing clean rows to a sequencer or ATS
Not ideal for
- Teams that need Clay to send the email
- Buyers who want a cheap single-finder
Key features
Waterfall. Chain 150+ data providers on a single row until email or mobile hits.
Claygent. AI column that researches accounts and people when enrichment alone is thin.
AI features
| What the AI does | Plan |
|---|---|
| Claygent researches accounts and people per row | Included |
Only features named in the vendor's own documentation. Anything sold separately is marked as an add-on.
Screenshots
TAM search filters
Lead score formula and table
CRM lead list with enrichment
ABM targets ad export
Agent builder
Images: Clay's own website. Select an image to see it full size.
MCP server
https://api.clay.com/v3/mcp
First-party MCP at api.clay.com. REST plus a hosted MCP server.
Setup steps and live status MCP Directory Check your stack in the MCP readiness checker
Pricing
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 and adds CRM sync, HTTP API and webhooks. Enterprise is custom with an annual commitment. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.
Checked 2 Oct 2026. Vendors change prices without notice.
Is Clay expensive?
Clay starts at $185/mo. We list 218 lead generation tools in total. 55 have a free tier, and those with a public price typically start around $49 a month.
- 34 quote-based
- 55 free tier
- 171 public price
Worked out automatically from every lead generation listing, so it updates as the directory changes.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free plan, then Launch from $185/mo
- 14-day trial documented
- Waterfall plus Claygent in one table
Cons
- Does not send mail; you still need a sequencer
- CRM sync needs Growth, from $495/mo
- Credit burn is easy to underestimate
Integrations
HubSpot Salesforce LinkedIn Apollo Hunter ZoomInfo
What's new at Clay
Recapping the products announced at Sculpt 2026 (opens in a new tab)
24 New Clay Integrations for GTM Data & Signals (opens in a new tab)
Clay raises $115M to be the AI growth engine for every company (opens in a new tab)
See all 3 Clay updates, taken from Clay's own announcements and our price checks.
Follow Clay
Get an email when Clay ships a new feature, posts release notes or changes its starting price. Only when something changes, and you can stop in one click.
How Clay compares
See all Clay alternatives, with what each one does differently and a head to head for every pairing.
| Tool | Free tier | From | MCP | API | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ✓ | $185/mo | ✓ | ✓ | |
| | ✓ | $49/mo | ✓ | ✓ | Compare |
| | – | $49.99/mo | ✓ | ✓ | Compare |
| | – | $47/mo | ✓ | ✓ | Compare |
| | – | Sales-quoted | ✓ | ✓ | Compare |
$49/mo Free tier MCP API
All-in-one database plus sequencer if you want send in the same login.
$49.99/mo MCP API
Cheaper pay-per-valid-result API if you do not need Claygent.
$47/mo MCP API
The sender you typically pair with Clay rows.
Sales-quoted MCP API
Enterprise graph if you would rather buy one vendor than a waterfall.
Your next step
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