Clay vs Apollo vs ZoomInfo: Pricing and Which to Pick (2026)

Who is this comparison for?

This page is for founders and first sales hires at startups that need a list of people to sell to. It compares three tools that do that job. They are the lead data and enrichment group in our roundup of AI SDR tools for startups, which covers 16 tools.

A lead data tool finds the people. A startup usually pairs it with a tool that sends the messages. Apollo and Clay can send email themselves, so you may not need a second tool at first.

Seven terms, in plain words:

• Lead data: the names, job titles, company details and contact details of people you could sell to.
• Enrichment: adding missing facts to a list you already have, such as an email address, phone number, job title and company size.
• Seat: one person's license to use the tool.
• Credits and actions: the units a tool uses up when it works. Each plan includes a set amount every month.
• Waterfall enrichment: trying one data provider after another until one finds a result.
• Buying signals: clues that a company may be ready to buy.
• CRM: the app where you keep customers and deals, such as HubSpot or Salesforce.

How much do Clay, Apollo and ZoomInfo cost?

Apollo charges per person. Clay charges one price for the whole team. ZoomInfo gives a price only after you ask for a quote.

Prices are in US dollars as of 19 October 2026. The Apollo Organization plan is yearly only and needs at least 3 seats.

What does a team of 1, 3 or 5 people pay?

Apollo's bill grows with each person. Clay's does not, because every plan has unlimited seats. The two tools do different jobs, so the lower number is not always the better fit. Here is the entry plan of each, for three team sizes.

The maths: Apollo is the price per person times the number of people, so Basic on monthly billing for 3 people is $65 x 3 = $195 a month. Clay Launch is one price for any number of people.

What does each tool do?

All three find people and fill in contact details. The table below covers where each one gets its data and what else it does.

"Not listed" means it is not a named feature of the tool. It does not mean the tool cannot do it. Ask the company before you buy. Deliverability means whether your email reaches the inbox instead of the spam folder. Warm-up means slowly raising your sending volume so email providers learn to trust a new mailbox.

How does each tool find its data?

Clay pulls from many providers. You build the list step by step in a spreadsheet-style table. Clay pulls data from more than 150 providers and can try them one after another until one finds a result. An AI agent called Claygent researches each row. You can also bring your own API key, which is a code that connects Clay to a data provider you already use.

Apollo gives you a contact database inside the app. You search a B2B contact database, pick the people you want and send to them from the same app. Each person gets credits every month: 75 on Free, 2,500 on Basic, 4,000 on Professional and 6,000 on Organization.

ZoomInfo is a large database with buying signals. It holds B2B contact and company data, buying-intent signals and an AI copilot. Professional covers contact and company data, mobile numbers, CRM integrations, AI email writing and calling. Copilot Advanced adds account priority based on buyer signals. Copilot Enterprise adds real-time intent, custom signals and a dedicated manager.

Who does each tool fit?

The three tools do different jobs, so read the Fits line on each card. Longer bars mean a stronger fit on that point. The five bars are Research, Deliverability, Automation, Setup and control, and Price clarity.

Clay

Lead data and enrichment

Appscribed App Score for Clay: 7.9 out of 10

Clay is a spreadsheet-style workbench that pulls data from more than 150 providers, researches each row with an AI agent called Claygent, and can send the outreach.

Fits: If you are happy to build your own lead data step by step and want it as rich as possible, this fits.

Starts at: Free (500 actions and 100 data credits a month). Launch is $185 a month and Growth is $495 a month on monthly billing. On yearly billing, Launch is $167 and Growth is $446. Enterprise is custom.

Research

Research: 9.0 out of 10

Deliverability

Deliverability: 7.0 out of 10

Automation

Automation: 9.0 out of 10

Setup and control

Setup and control: 6.0 out of 10

Price clarity

Price clarity: 7.0 out of 10

What it automates: Finding and filling in data from many providers, and researching each row. Sending email from Clay starts on Launch, and CRM sync starts on Growth. Booking is not listed.

Good to know:

• There are two meters: actions and data credits.
• All plans have unlimited seats and tables.

Visit Clay

Compare: Clay alternatives

Apollo

Lead data and enrichment

Appscribed App Score for Apollo: 7.9 out of 10

Apollo is a B2B contact database with email sequences (a planned series of emails), a dialer (a tool that places calls) and pipeline tracking in one app.

Fits: If you are a founder who wants a contact database and sending in one app at a low per-seat price, this fits.

Starts at: Free (75 credits a month, 900 a year). On monthly billing: Basic $65 and Professional $99, per seat a month. Organization is sold on yearly billing only, from $119 per seat per month, 3-seat minimum. On yearly billing: $49, $79 and $119.

Research

Research: 7.0 out of 10

Deliverability

Deliverability: 7.5 out of 10

Automation

Automation: 8.0 out of 10

Setup and control

Setup and control: 8.0 out of 10

Price clarity

Price clarity: 9.0 out of 10

What it automates: Finding contacts, sequencing, a shared inbox for replies and a meeting scheduler (both on every plan, including Free), calling and pipeline tracking.

Good to know:

• The Organization plan is yearly only and needs at least 3 seats.
• Basic and Professional have a 14-day trial.

Visit Apollo

ZoomInfo

Lead data and enrichment

Appscribed App Score for ZoomInfo: 5.9 out of 10

ZoomInfo is a large B2B contact and company database with buying-intent signals, an AI copilot and sales tools, sold mostly by quote.

Fits: If you run a larger team that is ready to talk to sales and wants a big database with buying signals, this fits.

Starts at: Quote only. A free trial is available.

Research

Research: 8.0 out of 10

Deliverability

Deliverability: 6.0 out of 10

Automation

Automation: 7.0 out of 10

Setup and control

Setup and control: 5.5 out of 10

Price clarity

Price clarity: 2.5 out of 10

What it automates: Contact and company data, AI email writing and calling on the Professional plan, plus buyer-signal tools on the Copilot plans. It also has multi-touch cadences (a planned series of emails and calls) with a phone dialer and an email tool, and Copilot Advanced also exports emails to Outreach or Salesloft.

Good to know:

• Sales plans are Professional, Copilot Advanced and Copilot Enterprise.

Visit ZoomInfo

Compare: ZoomInfo alternatives

What does each tool cost beyond the plan?

The plan price is rarely the whole bill. Look for these extra costs.

• Clay: actions and data credits. Clay counts use in two meters. Launch includes 15,000 actions and 2,500 data credits a month. Growth includes 40,000 actions and 6,000 data credits. The more steps you run on each row, the more you use. Finding phone numbers and sending email start on Launch. CRM sync starts on Growth, which is $495 a month on monthly billing.
• Apollo: each person and each plan level. The price is per person, so five people on Basic cost five times the price. Every seat on one account must be on the same plan level, so you cannot mix cheaper and dearer plans. Organization is yearly only and needs at least 3 seats, so its lowest bill is $119 x 3 seats = $357 a month on a yearly term.
• ZoomInfo: the quote. You cannot see a price before you talk to sales. Each of the three sales plans adds more signals and automation, and the marketing plans are quote only too. Ask what each plan includes before you agree.
• A sending tool, if you add one. Smartlead starts at $39 a month and lemlist at $69, both on monthly billing, and Instantly at $47 to $76.50 a month depending on the plan set shown to you. Clay and Apollo can send email themselves, so a second tool is optional at first.

Which one should you pick for your startup?

• If you are a solo founder and want to test for free: pick Apollo. The free plan has 75 credits a month (900 a year), and the shared inbox and meeting scheduler are on every plan, including Free. Clay also has a free plan, with 500 actions and 100 data credits a month.
• If you want data, email, replies and booking in one app: pick Apollo. It has a shared inbox for replies and a meeting scheduler. Clay and ZoomInfo do not list a meeting scheduler.
• If you want to research each person in depth and build your own list step by step: pick Clay. It pulls from more than 150 providers and researches each row.
• If your whole team of five will search for contacts: compare the bills. Five Apollo Basic seats cost $325 a month on monthly billing. Clay Launch costs $185 for any number of people. The two do different jobs, so compare what you get, not only the price.
• If you run a larger sales team and want buying signals: pick ZoomInfo. You will talk to sales first, because the price is quote only.
• If you want a price today, without calling anyone: pick Apollo or Clay. Both have a free plan and set prices. ZoomInfo is quote only.
• If you want the software to write and send the messages too: a data tool is only half the job. Look at an AI SDR agent such as Unify (a free plan, then $20 or $60 per seat a month) or AiSDR ($1.50 per person prospected). See the agents in our AI SDR tool comparison.

If Clay's two meters do not suit you, see Clay alternatives for startups.

If ZoomInfo's quote-only price is the problem, see ZoomInfo alternatives for startups.

Frequently asked questions

Which one should you start with?

Here is the short version again.

• If you want to start free, with data and email in one app, look at Apollo.
• If you want to build custom lead data step by step, for one to three people, look at Clay.
• If you run a larger sales team that is ready to talk to sales, look at ZoomInfo.

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.