Quick answer
Clay is a spreadsheet-style tool that pulls contact details from more than 150 providers and researches each row with an AI agent. Here is what to use instead, matched to what you need.
Updated October 2026
- If you want a contact database and email sending in one app at a low price: Apollo has a free plan, then $65 per seat a month (a seat is one user's license).
- If you want to ask for a list in a chat box and have it researched and emailed: Unify has a free plan, then $20 or $60 per seat a month.
- If you want data, buying-signal alerts and email sequences in one place and can commit to a year: Amplemarket's Startup plan is $600 a month on a yearly term.
- If you already send with lemlist and need lead data inside it: lemlist's data add-on is $20 a month for 2,000 credits, on top of plans from $69 a month.
- If you want a list of target companies from a plain description: Landbase starts at $499 a month for 15,000 credits, and 1,000 free credits come with no card.
- If you run a larger team and are ready to talk to sales: ZoomInfo is quote only.
Clay has a free plan with 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, and paid plans start at $185 a month. Prices are monthly, in US dollars, as of 19 October 2026. Confirm the price with the company before you buy.
Who is this page for?
This page is for founders and first sales hires who are buying software and weighing Clay against other tools. It covers sales software only, not sales job advice.
Clay is one of 16 tools in our guide to the best AI SDR tools for startups. This page covers alternatives to Clay: what to use instead, and what each one costs. The eight tools here cover some or all of Clay's jobs: finding people, filling in their contact details, researching each one and sending the first message.
What does Clay do, and what does it cost?
Clay is a spreadsheet-style workbench. You build a table of people or companies, and Clay fills in each row with data from more than 150 providers. An AI agent called Claygent researches each row on the web, and Clay can send the outreach. It suits people who build their own lead tables step by step.
Clay pricing and plans
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | Actions a month | Data credits a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 500 | 100 |
| Launch | $185 | $167 | 15,000 | 2,500 |
| Growth | $495 | $446 | 40,000 | 6,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Paid plans have a 14-day trial. Every plan includes unlimited seats and tables, so you do not pay per user. Sync with your CRM (the app where you keep customers and deals) starts on Growth.
Why do people look for a Clay alternative?
Clay does a lot. These are reasons a different tool can fit better.
- Cost depends on how much each row does. Clay counts two things, actions and data credits, so your bill depends on how many steps each row runs.
- You build the table yourself. If you would rather describe who you want and get a list back, Unify and Landbase work that way.
- Sending is only part of the job. Clay sends email with its sequencer (from the Launch plan), and it warms the mailboxes you buy inside Clay. Buying mailboxes starts on Growth. Booking meetings is not listed. Warm-up means slowly raising your sending volume so email providers learn to trust a new mailbox. Apollo (from the Basic plan), lemlist and Amplemarket include it too.
- The first paid step is $185 a month. Apollo, Unify and Regie.ai start lower, at $65 per seat, $20 per seat and $49 a month. They count different things, so compare what you get, not only the price.
Which Clay alternative fits your startup?
Prices are monthly billing unless noted. Per-seat prices are per person, so multiply by the number of people who will use the tool.
- Solo founder, under $100 a month: Apollo Free or Basic ($65 per seat), Unify Free, Base ($20 per seat) or Pro ($60 per seat), Regie.ai Free or Pro ($49), lemlist Email ($69), Rox (free start) or Landbase (1,000 free credits to try). Choose one data tool and one sender. If you pick an all-in-one such as Unify, you may need only one.
- One to three sellers, about $100 to $600 a month: Apollo Professional ($99 per seat), lemlist Multichannel ($109 per user), Rox Individual ($100) or Teams ($255).
- Funded team, about $500 or more a month: Amplemarket Startup ($600 on a yearly term) or Landbase credit bundles (from $499).
- Quote only: ZoomInfo, after a talk with sales.
How do the Clay alternatives compare on price?
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan or trial | Finds and fills in contacts | Sends the messages itself |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | Free; Launch $185 a month, monthly billing | Free plan; 14-day trial on paid plans | Data from 150+ providers, row by row | Yes |
| Apollo | Free; Basic $65 per seat a month, monthly billing | Free plan; 14-day trial | A B2B contact database | Yes |
| lemlist | $69 a month (Email plan), monthly billing | 14-day free trial (Email and Multichannel) | Lead data is a $20 a month add-on | Yes |
| Unify | Free; paid from $20 per seat a month, monthly billing | Free plan; 14-day Pro trial, no card | A list built from 40+ data sources | Yes |
| Regie.ai (RegieGO) | Free; Pro $49 a month, monthly billing | Free plan, no card | Research and enrichment | Yes |
| Rox | Free start; Individual $100 a month (10,000 actions) | Free start; ask what the limits are | Account and prospect research | Yes |
| Amplemarket | $600 a month on a yearly term (Startup plan) | Free trial on all plans | B2B contact data and buying-signal alerts | Yes |
| Landbase | $499 a month (15,000 credits) | 1,000 free credits, no card | Accounts found from a plain-English description | Yes (email, LinkedIn and dialer campaigns) |
| ZoomInfo | Quote only | Free trial available | A large B2B contact and company database | Yes (cadences with a phone dialer and an email tool) |
Prices are in US dollars as of 19 October 2026. Credits are the units a tool uses up when it works.
What does each Clay alternative offer?
Each card shows who the tool fits, what it costs and what it automates. Longer bars mean a stronger fit on that point. The five bars are Research, Deliverability, Automation, Setup and control, and Price clarity. Deliverability means whether your email reaches the inbox instead of the spam folder.
Apollo
- The Organization plan is yearly only and needs at least 3 seats.
- Basic and Professional have a 14-day trial.
lemlist
- Lead data is an add-on that you buy in credits.
- The Email and Multichannel plans start with a 14-day free trial.
Unify
- Each seat gets credits every month: 800 on Base and 2,400 on Pro.
- Two-way CRM sync starts on Business.
Regie.ai (RegieGO)
- Free credits are a one-time 250.
- Pro gives 5,000 credits a month.
Rox
- Usage is counted in "agent actions".
- Self-serve plans start at $100 a month.
Amplemarket
- A dedicated manager and personalized onboarding start on Growth.
- The spam checker and the mailbox recommendation start on Growth.
Landbase
- One verified email costs 1 credit and one phone number costs 10 credits.
- Searching for leads is free; contact data uses credits.
ZoomInfo
- Sales plans are Professional, Copilot Advanced and Copilot Enterprise.
Can you keep Clay and add a sending tool?
Yes. Clay can build the table while another tool sends the email and protects your sender reputation. That is the trust that email providers, such as Gmail, place in your sending domain (the part of your address after the @).
These sending tools start at $39 a month for Smartlead and $69 for lemlist on monthly billing, and at $47 to $76.50 a month for Instantly, depending on the plan set shown to you. Each one includes tools that protect your sender reputation. For more on Instantly, read our Instantly review.
What should you check before you switch from Clay?
- How does the new tool count its work? Count the steps you run on one Clay row. Unify and Landbase use credits, Rox counts agent actions and Apollo gives credits per seat.
- Is there a contract? Amplemarket's Startup plan is on a yearly term, Apollo's Organization plan is yearly only, and Unify Business is billed yearly.
- Does the CRM link write back? Clay's CRM sync starts on Growth. Unify's link on Pro is read-only. Rox Teams writes back.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free version of Clay?
Yes. Clay's free plan gives 500 actions and 100 data credits a month. Paid plans start at $185 a month. Apollo, Unify and Regie.ai also have free plans, and Landbase gives 1,000 free credits.
How much does Clay cost?
Clay has four plans: Free (500 actions and 100 data credits a month), Launch ($185 a month), Growth ($495) and Enterprise (custom), on monthly billing. On yearly billing, Launch is $167 and Growth is $446. Paid plans have a 14-day trial. Prices are as of 19 October 2026.
Who are Clay's main competitors?
Tools that do some of the same jobs include Apollo, Unify, Amplemarket, ZoomInfo, lemlist, Landbase, Regie.ai and Rox.
Do I need a separate email tool with Clay?
Not always. Clay can send email with its sequencer, and it warms the mailboxes you buy inside Clay. Buying mailboxes starts on Growth; on Launch you connect mailboxes you already own. If you want a dedicated sender, pair it with Smartlead ($39 a month), Instantly ($47 to $76.50) or lemlist ($69). Smartlead and lemlist prices are on monthly billing.
Is Clay worth it?
Clay is worth it if you want to build your own lead lists step by step and want them as rich as possible. It pulls data from more than 150 providers and researches each row with an AI agent called Claygent. The Free plan gives 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, and every plan has unlimited seats. If you would rather have a tool run the outreach for you, compare the alternatives above.
What does Rox cost?
Rox has a free start; ask what its limits are. Individual is $100 a month for 10,000 actions. Teams is $255 a month for 15,000 actions, with shared workspaces, CRM sync that writes back and unlimited seats. Enterprise is on quote.
What is a cheaper alternative to Clay?
Apollo has a free plan (75 credits a month, 900 a year), then $49 per seat a month on yearly billing. Unify has a free plan, then $20 per seat a month. Regie.ai has a free plan, then $49 a month. For comparison, Clay Launch is $185 a month on monthly billing.
Which Clay alternative should you start with?
Here is the short version again.
- If you want a contact database and email sending in one app at a low price, look at Apollo.
- If you want to ask for a list in a chat box and have it researched and emailed, look at Unify.
- If you want data, buying-signal alerts and sequences in one place and can commit to a year, look at Amplemarket.
- If you already send with lemlist and need lead data inside it, look at lemlist.
- If you want a list of target companies from a plain description, look at Landbase.
- If you run a larger team and are ready to talk to sales, look at ZoomInfo.
- If you like building your own tables with rich data, Clay may already fit, and its free plan lets you try it.
Prices change, so check the price with the company before you buy. Whatever you pick, start with a small test list and watch your spam rate (the share of people who mark your email as spam).
Prices are as of 19 October 2026 and can change.
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