AI Tools 
Clay review
Go-to-market data platform that combines many data providers, AI research agents and workflows to build and enrich lead lists.
⚡ Quick verdict
Clay is the power tool of B2B prospecting: if you can describe the data you want, you can usually build a Clay table that finds it, enriches it from multiple providers and pushes it to your CRM. That flexibility comes with a learning curve and a pricing model built on two meters, Actions and Data Credits. It shines for teams with an operator who enjoys building workflows.
Key takeaways
- Free plan: 500 actions and 100 data credits per month, with unlimited seats and tables.
- Launch starts at $167 per month and Growth at $446 per month, billed annually (annual saves 10%).
- Actions run workflow steps; Data Credits pay for data from providers. Both are sized per plan and can be topped up.
- Multi-provider waterfall enrichment and Claygent AI research are included even on Free.
- Growth adds CRM auto-sync, HTTP API integrations and webhooks.
At a glance
| Best for | RevOps teams, growth marketers, agencies and technical sales teams building custom prospecting workflows |
|---|---|
| Pricing from (USD) | $167/mo (Launch, billed annually) |
| Free plan | Yes — 500 actions and 100 data credits per month, unlimited seats |
| Platforms | Web |
| Company | Clay |
| Category | Sales |
| Last checked | October 16, 2026 |
On this page
What Clay is
Clay is a go-to-market (GTM) data platform. It looks like a spreadsheet, but each column can call a data provider, an AI agent or an integration. Start with a list of companies, add a column that finds decision-makers, another that waterfalls through several providers to find a verified email, another where an AI agent reads each company’s website and writes a personalized first line, then push the finished rows to your CRM or sequencer.
That flexibility is why Clay has become popular with RevOps and growth teams: rather than accepting whatever fields a single database offers, you design the exact data you need.
Key features
Waterfall enrichment
Query multiple data providers in sequence until one returns a result, improving coverage for emails, phone numbers and firmographics.
Claygent AI research
An AI agent that researches each row on the web, answering questions such as “Does this company offer a free trial?” or “Who is their head of IT?”
Tables and workflows
Unlimited tables on every plan, with formulas, conditional runs and scheduled refreshes.
Clay Sequencer and integrations
Send email sequences from Clay, or sync to CRMs and outreach tools. Growth adds CRM auto-sync, HTTP API integrations and webhook automations.
Pricing breakdown
Checked on clay.com/pricing on October 16, 2026. Clay meters usage in Actions (workflow steps) and Data Credits (provider data), both sized per plan.
| Plan | Price | Included usage | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 500 actions/mo, 100 data credits/mo | Unlimited seats and tables, waterfalls, Claygent, Sequencer |
| Launch | From $167/mo billed annually | From 15,000 actions/mo plus data credits | For small teams automating prospecting |
| Growth | From $446/mo billed annually ($495 monthly) | From 40,000 actions/mo plus data credits | CRM auto-sync, HTTP API, webhooks |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Advanced controls and support |
Data credit packs are added on top of each plan and scale with volume. Annual billing saves 10%.
Best use cases
- Account-based lists: find every Series B fintech in the US using a specific tool, then enrich the CFO’s contact details.
- CRM hygiene: refresh job titles and company size across thousands of records.
- Personalized outreach: have Claygent summarize each prospect’s recent news and draft a relevant opener.
- Inbound enrichment: enrich form fills automatically and route hot leads.
How to get started
- Sign up free or start the 14-day trial at clay.com.
- Import a CSV of companies or use a Clay search source.
- Add an enrichment column, such as “find people at company” with title filters.
- Add a waterfall for work emails and test it on 10 rows first.
- Add a Claygent column with a clear research question.
- Send results to your CRM or Clay Sequencer, then monitor usage in settings.
Tips and tricks
- Always test on a few rows before running a full table.
- Use conditional runs so expensive steps only run on qualified rows.
- Write Claygent prompts with a fallback (“If not found, return ‘unknown’”).
- Watch both meters: Actions and Data Credits are counted separately and don’t roll over by default.
Example Claygent prompt:
Visit {company website}. In one sentence, describe what they sell and to whom. Then answer yes or no: do they publish pricing on their site? If you can’t find it, return “unknown.”
Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Combines many data sources in one table
- AI agents can research almost any public data point
- Unlimited seats, even on Free
- Highly customizable workflows
- Strong community and learning resources
👎 Cons
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- Two usage meters make costs harder to predict
- Paid plans start well above most prospecting tools
- Powerful workflows can burn credits quickly if misconfigured
Who should (and shouldn't) use Clay
✅ A good fit if you…
- Have a RevOps or growth operator who likes building systems
- Need data points standard databases don't offer
- Run an agency doing outbound for multiple clients
⛔ Look elsewhere if you…
- Want a simple contact database with built-in sequences (consider Apollo.io)
- Have a small budget and low volume
- Don't have time to learn a new tool
Clay alternatives
- Apollo.io — B2B contact database, outreach sequences and AI sales agents in one go-to-market platform. (from $49 per seat/mo (Basic, billed annually))
- Instantly — Cold email platform with unlimited sending accounts and warmup, a 450M+ B2B lead database and AI sales agents. (from $47/mo (Growth outreach plan))
- HubSpot (Breeze AI) — Agentic customer platform with a free CRM, Breeze AI agents for marketing, sales and service, and usage-based HubSpot Credits. (from Free; Starter currently from $7/seat/mo (limited-time offer))
- Relevance AI — Build an AI workforce of agents for go-to-market and operations work—no code required. (from $19/mo billed annually (Pro))
FAQ
Is Clay free?
Yes. Clay's free plan includes 500 actions and 100 data credits per month, unlimited seats and tables, multi-provider waterfalls, Claygent enrichment and Clay Sequencer for email.
How much does Clay cost?
Billed annually, Launch starts at $167 per month and Growth at $446 per month. Monthly billing costs about 10% more (Clay lists Growth starting at $495 per month). Enterprise is custom.
What are Actions and Data Credits in Clay?
Actions are consumed when Clay runs workflow steps, and Data Credits are consumed when you pull data from providers. Each plan includes a set amount sized for most users at that tier, and you can top up.
What is Claygent?
Claygent is Clay's AI research agent. It browses the web to find and summarize information about companies or people, such as pricing models, recent news or technologies used.
Does Clay sync with my CRM?
Yes. The Growth plan adds CRM auto-sync and enrichment, HTTP API integrations and webhooks.
Sources
This is an editorial review based on research of official Clay pages and documentation, not hands-on benchmark testing. Prices are in USD and were checked on October 16, 2026; vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official pricing page before buying.
