Clay
Close
| Feature | Clay | Close |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $149/mo | From $49/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | sales-teams, growth-teams, agencies, outbound-heavy-companies | inside-sales-teams, startups, smbs, call-heavy-teams |
| Founded | 2017 | 2013 |
| Data Enrichment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Research | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterfall Enrichment | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outreach Personalization | ✓ | ✗ |
| Crm Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| List Building | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Messaging | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Email Sequences | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pipeline | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sms | ✗ | ✓ |
| Predictive Dialer | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reporting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Clay Pros
- Aggregates 75+ data sources in one waterfall enrichment
- AI research agent writes personalized outreach copy
- Flexible spreadsheet-like interface for data manipulation
- Integrates with all major CRMs and sequencing tools
✗ Clay Cons
- Expensive for small teams (starter at $149/mo)
- Learning curve for advanced data workflows
- Credit system can be confusing to predict costs
✓ Close Pros
- Built-in VoIP calling and SMS
- Powerful email sequences with tracking
- Designed specifically for inside sales workflow
- Fast setup — productive in minutes not weeks
✗ Close Cons
- No free tier available
- Limited marketing automation
- Fewer integrations than HubSpot or Salesforce
The Verdict
Clay is built for sales teams and growth teams, with a focus on data-enrichment and ai-research. Close targets inside sales teams and startups and leads with calling and email-sequences.
On pricing, Close is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $49/mo compared to $149/mo for Clay. That $100/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Clay has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Close requires a paid subscription from day one.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.