You came from an AI answer. These are today's Clay alternative prices and free limits. See the table →Get price alerts
AI tools, scored for your job
Get paid to train AI
Updated 13 Nov 2026 · prices read on vendor pages

12 best Clay alternatives in 2027

Mehmet ElmicenniReviewed by Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai•Prices checked •How we check

The short answer

The best Clay alternatives in 2027 are Apollo.io (best overall), Hunter (best free plan: 50 credits a month) and OpenOutreach (best open source, GPL-3.0). Clay itself starts at $167/mo. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 11 Nov 2026; 9 more are compared below, including 3 with a free plan and 3 open source.

Open the Zekai Cost Finder Get price alerts
Best overallSee in table →
Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

Free plan; paid price not published · free plan

8.9
Best free planSee in table →
Hunter logo

Hunter

$34/mo billed yearly · free plan

7.7
Best open sourceSee in table →
OpenOutreach logo

OpenOutreach

Free to self-host · GPL-3.0

7.3
12alternatives compared
5with a free plan
4open source
$34/mo billed yearlycheapest paid · Hunter
$167/moClay starts at
01 · Zekai Price Ledger

Which Clay alternatives are worth it in 2027?

The Clay alternatives worth considering in 2027 are Apollo.io for a database with sequencing, Persana AI for credit-based AI prospecting, Hunter for email finding, UpLead for verified contacts, and ZoomInfo for enterprise data. Open-source options include OpenOutreach. None copy Clay's multi-provider waterfall tables exactly, so match the tool to your main task.

ToolTypeStarting priceFree plan limitBest forCost for your teamChecked
Clay logo
ClayThe tool you are replacing
 You are here
$167/moLaunch, monthly
 500 actions and 100 data credits a month Waterfall data enrichment and AI research — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Apollo.io logo
Apollo.io Zekai score 8.9Best overall
 Free
Free plan; paid price not published
 Yes Contact database with built-in sequencing $0 14 Nov 2026
Hunter logo
Hunter Zekai score 7.7Best free plan
 Free plan + paid
$34/mo billed yearlyStarter, yearly ($49 monthly)
 50 credits per month Finding and verifying work email addresses — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Persana AI logo
Persana AI Zekai score 6.8
 Free plan + paid
$151/mo billed yearlyGrowth, yearly (60k credits/yr)
 50 credits AI prospecting with credit-based enrichment — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
UpLead logo
UpLead Zekai score 8.3
$99/moEssentials, monthly, 170 credits
 No free plan Verified contact data bought by the credit — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Origami logo
Origami Zekai score 6.1Cheapest paid
$99/moStarter, monthly ($165 usage included)
 No free plan Chat-driven list building with a sequencer — 11 Nov 2026 Pricing ↗
Lusha logo
Lusha Zekai score 6.8
 Free
Free plan; paid price not published
 Up to 40 credits per month Browser-extension contact lookup with CRM sync $0 14 Nov 2026
LeadIQ logo
LeadIQ Zekai score 7.5
 Free
Free plan; paid price not published
 1 user, 50 credits Prospecting with job-change tracking $0 14 Nov 2026
ZoomInfo logo
ZoomInfo Zekai score 8.5
Not checked
 No free plan Enterprise B2B database with intent data — 14 Nov 2026
OpenOutreach logo
OpenOutreach Zekai score 7.3Best open source
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (GPL-3.0) Self-hosted lead discovery from a product description $0 14 Nov 2026 Code ↗
Prospex (business-leads-ai-automation) logo
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0) Local business leads scraped from Google Maps $0 14 Nov 2026 Code ↗
Sellbird (formerly Harvey) logo
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (AGPL-3.0) Agent that finds, verifies and emails prospects $0 14 Nov 2026 Code ↗
Google Maps Scraper logo
Google Maps Scraper Zekai score 8.3
 Open source
Free (self-hosted)
 No limit, self-hosted (MIT) Free Google Maps business data and emails $0 14 Nov 2026 Code ↗

Every price was read on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. The Cost Finder assumes one entry plan per person, so it multiplies by your team size; yearly prices are shown per month, and team or business plans can cost more per seat. "Not checked" means we could not confirm a public price.

Price alert

Know first when Clay or an alternative changes price

One email when a price or free plan on this page changes, plus The AI Briefing. Unsubscribe any time.

Alternatives Spotlight

Your tool here

One labelled card beside this table, outside the ranking.

Advertise here
For vendors

Is one of these tools yours?

Claim your listing to correct prices and free-plan limits.

Claim your tool
02 · Free plan

Is there a free version of Clay?

Yes. Clay's Free plan includes 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, unlimited seats and tables, multi-provider waterfalls, Claygent web research with your own API key, and up to 200 rows per table. Phone enrichment and job-change signals need the paid Launch plan at $167 a month.

Source: Clay pricing page, read 11 Nov 2026.

Free$0

500 actions and 100 data credits a month

Paid from$167/mo

Launch, monthly

03 · Free alternatives

What are the best free Clay alternatives?

Free plans exist at Hunter (50 credits a month), Lusha (up to 40 credits a month), LeadIQ (1 user, 50 credits) and Persana AI (50 credits). Apollo.io also has a Free plan. Clay's own Free plan includes 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, with tables limited to 200 rows.

Apollo.io logo

Apollo.io

Best overallFree
Free plan available
vs Clay →Zekai review
Hunter logo

Hunter

Best free planFree plan + paid
50 credits per month
Paid from $34/mo billed yearly
vs Clay →Zekai review
Persana AI logo

Persana AI

Free plan + paid
50 credits
Paid from $151/mo billed yearly
vs Clay →Zekai review
Lusha logo

Lusha

Free
Up to 40 credits per month
vs Clay →Zekai review
LeadIQ logo

LeadIQ

Free
1 user, 50 credits
vs Clay →Zekai review
04 · Open source

What are the best open-source Clay alternatives?

Open-source Clay alternatives are OpenOutreach (GPL-3.0), Sellbird (AGPL-3.0), Prospex (AGPL-3.0) and Google Maps Scraper (MIT). None is a spreadsheet-style waterfall table with many providers; each is a self-run agent or scraper that needs your own LLM or lookup keys and a machine to run on.

OpenOutreach logo

OpenOutreach

GPL-3.0★ 3.7k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Python command-line tool installed with uv; needs an LLM API key, a BetterContact key (free account has 40 credits) for lead and email lookup, and a mailbox app password.
Commercial use
Yes; GPL-3.0 means sharing source if you distribute a modified version.
Runs on
Any machine that runs Python with uv; a Docker image exists for servers.
Setup
Moderate · Needs an LLM key, a BetterContact key and a mailbox app password.
Last commit
13 Nov 2026
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
Prospex (business-leads-ai-automation) logo

Prospex (business-leads-ai-automation)

AGPL-3.0★ 244 GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Docker Compose for PostgreSQL 16 and Redis 7, Node.js 20 and pnpm 9 for development, and an OpenAI-compatible LLM (OpenAI, OpenRouter or local Ollama).
Commercial use
Yes; AGPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you run it as a service.
Runs on
Docker host for PostgreSQL 16 and Redis 7; an OpenAI-compatible LLM.
Setup
Moderate · Docker Compose for the databases, Node.js 20 and pnpm 9 to develop.
Last commit
5 Nov 2026
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
Sellbird (formerly Harvey) logo

Sellbird (formerly Harvey)

AGPL-3.0★ 5.4k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Python 3.11+ app on your own machine; thinks through the Claude Code or Codex CLI on your existing plan, and sends from a Gmail, Microsoft 365 or SMTP mailbox.
Commercial use
Yes; AGPL-3.0 means sharing changes if you run it as a service.
Runs on
Your own computer with Python 3.11 or newer; no GPU needed.
Setup
Moderate · Python install, a signed-in Claude or Codex CLI, and a sending mailbox.
Last commit
10 Nov 2026
Last release 6 Nov 2026
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
Google Maps Scraper logo

Google Maps Scraper

MIT★ 8k GitHub stars · 13 Nov 2026
To self-host: Run it with one Docker command or a downloaded binary; large crawls need more CPU and RAM and usually your own proxies to avoid blocks.
Commercial use
Yes (MIT).
Runs on
Docker or a prebuilt binary on Windows, macOS or Linux.
Setup
Easy · One docker run command, or download the binary and run it.
Last commit
8 Nov 2026
Last release 8 Nov 2026
Zekai open-source pageSource code ↗Managed hosting slot
05 · Side by side

How does Clay compare with each alternative?

Hunter ($34 a month billed yearly), Origami ($99) and UpLead ($99) undercut Clay's Launch plan at $167 a month; Persana's Growth plan is $151 billed yearly. Apollo.io, Lusha, LeadIQ and ZoomInfo did not show readable paid prices on their pages. Clay differs by chaining many providers per row.

01
Apollo.io logo

Clay vs Apollo.io

Best overallFreeFree plan; paid price not published8.9
The differenceApollo holds its own contact database and its Basic plan adds email sequencing; plans are Free, Basic, Professional and Custom, all applied account-wide rather than per user.
Switch to Apollo.io ifyou want one tool holding the contact database and the outreach sequences, without wiring data providers
Stay with Clay ifyou need to chain many data providers and AI research steps into custom enrichment tables
Pros
  • Consolidates up to five sales tools (data, outreach, dialer, etc.), saving significant cost.
  • Powerful AI-driven automation for prospecting, outreach, and deal management.
Cons
  • The all-in-one platform can be overwhelming for new users.
  • Credit limits on data and emails can be restrictive on lower-tier plans.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Apollo.io · Verdict: Unified Sales Intelligence Powerhouse

Visit Apollo.ioRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
02
Hunter logo

Clay vs Hunter

Best free planFree plan + paid$34/mo billed yearly · checked 11 Nov 20267.7
The differenceHunter charges one credit per email found and half a credit per email verified, and credits reset monthly without rolling over, unlike Clay's yearly data-credit pools.
Switch to Hunter ifyour main need is finding and verifying email addresses at low cost, without building workflows
Stay with Clay ifyou need phone numbers, AI web research and multi-provider waterfalls in the same table
Pros
  • All-in-one platform for finding, verifying, and outreach
  • High accuracy in email finding and verification
Cons
  • Credit-based system can become costly for high-volume teams
  • Free plan has tight limits (50 credits/month)

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Hunter · Verdict: Find emails, send outreach.

Visit HunterRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
03
Persana AI logo

Clay vs Persana AI

Free plan + paid$151/mo billed yearly · checked 11 Nov 20266.8
The differencePersana sells credit tiers: Free has 50 credits, Starter is $85 monthly for 2000 credits, and Growth is $151 a month billed annually for 60k credits a year.
Switch to Persana AI ifyou want a Clay-style AI prospecting tool with simpler credit tiers and a lower entry price
Stay with Clay ifyou want action-based workflows with Claygent research and more provider coverage per table
Pros
  • Unifies data, enrichment, and outreach into a single platform.
  • Accesses over 100 data sources with one subscription, reducing costs.
Cons
  • Pricing is public and starts at $68/mo with a free plan available.
  • As an all-in-one platform, it may lack the niche depth of specialized point solutions.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Persana AI · Verdict: Full-Stack Prospecting Automation

Visit Persana AIRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
04
UpLead logo

Clay vs UpLead

$99/mo · checked 11 Nov 20268.3
The differenceUpLead sells verified contacts by the credit: Essentials is $99 a month for 170 credits, and each credit unlocks one contact with email and mobile direct dial.
Switch to UpLead ifyou just need verified contacts bought in fixed monthly credit packs, not an enrichment workflow builder
Stay with Clay ifyou want to enrich your own lists across several providers and automate research with AI
Pros
  • Industry-leading 95% data accuracy guarantee reduces bounce rates.
  • Real-time verification ensures contact data is fresh when you need it.
Cons
  • Credit-based system can become costly for very high-volume prospecting.
  • Advanced features like Intent Data and API access are locked in the top-tier plan.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of UpLead · Verdict: High-Accuracy B2B Prospecting

Visit UpLeadRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
05
Origami logo

Clay vs Origami

Cheapest paid$99/mo · checked 11 Nov 20266.1
The differenceOrigami's Starter is $99 a month including $165 of usage, with an unlimited sequencer and five email plus three LinkedIn senders included, built around a chat interface.
Switch to Origami ifyou prefer describing a lead list in chat and sending sequences from the same product
Stay with Clay ifyou want table-based control over each enrichment step, provider order and row-level logic
Pros
  • Finds unique leads in niche markets missed by static databases
  • Unlimited team members on paid plans avoids expensive per-seat costs
Cons
  • Credit-based pricing can be unpredictable for large-scale prospecting
  • Relies on public web data, which may be less structured for some industries

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Origami · Verdict: Live-Source AI Prospecting

Visit OrigamiRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
06
Lusha logo

Clay vs Lusha

FreeFree plan; paid price not published6.8
The differenceLusha's Free plan gives up to 40 credits a month, with one credit per verified email and five per phone number, plus a browser extension and CRM integrations.
Switch to Lusha ifreps need quick email and phone lookups from a browser extension while browsing profiles and sites
Stay with Clay ifyou are building automated enrichment pipelines that call many data sources per row
Pros
  • Provides verified B2B contact and company data.
  • Enriches CRM data and identifies buying signals.
Cons
  • No clear pricing information available on the pricing page.
  • Primarily focused on B2B data, may not suit other needs.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Lusha · Verdict: Contact vendor for info

Visit LushaRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
07
LeadIQ logo

Clay vs LeadIQ

FreeFree plan; paid price not published7.5
The differenceLeadIQ's Free plan covers 1 user and 50 credits with job-change tracking and a Chrome extension, and Pro is billed per credit volume with a monthly or annual toggle.
Switch to LeadIQ ifyou want job-change alerts and a prospecting Chrome extension feeding your CRM for one or few reps
Stay with Clay ifyou need a custom-built waterfall across many providers instead of one database
Pros
  • Saves hundreds of hours per quarter on manual prospecting
  • Proven ROI with case studies showing millions in generated pipeline
Cons
  • Pricing is transparent with clear plans available on the website.
  • Contact data accuracy is high but not always 100% perfect

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of LeadIQ · Verdict: Efficient Prospecting, Integrated Workflow

Visit LeadIQRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
08
ZoomInfo logo

Clay vs ZoomInfo

Not checked8.5
The differenceZoomInfo sells packages across contact data and GTM applications and publishes no list prices; pricing is requested through a contact form.
Switch to ZoomInfo ifyou want a single large enterprise database with sales and marketing applications under one contract
Stay with Clay ifyou want transparent self-serve plans and need to mix several data sources in one table
Pros
  • Extensive and highly accurate B2B contact and company database.
  • AI surfaces high-value intent signals like tech changes and hiring surges.
Cons
  • Pricing is not public and is considered a premium investment.
  • The sheer volume of data and features can present a steep learning curve.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of ZoomInfo · Verdict: Premium B2B Intelligence Leader

Visit ZoomInfoRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
09
OpenOutreach logo

Clay vs OpenOutreach

Best open sourceOpen sourceFree (self-hosted)7.3
The differenceBuilds a list from your product description and has an LLM judge each candidate against your ideal customer profile with written reasons; it holds no database and relies on BetterContact for lookups.
Switch to OpenOutreach ifyou want one self-hosted agent that finds, qualifies and emails leads without a table of providers
Stay with Clay ifyou want to design each enrichment step yourself across many data sources
Visit OpenOutreachRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
10
Prospex (business-leads-ai-automation) logo

Clay vs Prospex (business-leads-ai-automation)

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)6.6
The differenceScrapes Google Maps for local businesses, scores leads with an LLM and drafts outreach for email, WhatsApp, Instagram and LinkedIn, so it suits local-business lists rather than B2B job titles.
Switch to Prospex (business-leads-ai-automation) ifyou want Google Maps lead lists and drafted outreach generated on your own infrastructure
Stay with Clay ifyou want waterfall enrichment across many providers with your own API keys in one table
Visit Prospex (business-leads-ai-automation)Read the Zekai reviewPrice alert
11
Sellbird (formerly Harvey) logo

Clay vs Sellbird (formerly Harvey)

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)7.5
The differenceFinds local businesses free on OpenStreetMap, reads each company's own website for buying signals, verifies one email per contact and only sends to deliverable addresses after your approval.
Switch to Sellbird (formerly Harvey) ifyou want an agent that runs discovery, verification and sending itself on your own computer
Stay with Clay ifyou want to inspect and tune every enrichment column in a spreadsheet-style table
Visit Sellbird (formerly Harvey)Read the Zekai reviewPrice alert
12
Google Maps Scraper logo

Clay vs Google Maps Scraper

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)8.3
The differenceExtracts name, address, phone, website, rating, reviews and emails for Google Maps places into CSV or JSON through a CLI, web UI or REST API; it is a scraper, not a contact database.
Switch to Google Maps Scraper ifyou want a free scraper feeding local-business rows into your own spreadsheets or scripts
Stay with Clay ifyou want built-in provider lookups, AI columns and CRM sync without writing glue code
Visit Google Maps ScraperRead the Zekai reviewPrice alert
06 · What changed

Why do people leave Clay?

  • On 11 March 2026 Clay introduced new pricing that split credits into Data Credits and Actions; Actions reset each billing cycle and do not roll over, and new customers go to Launch, Growth or Enterprise plans. (source)

  • Clay's pricing page shows phone-number enrichment, job-change signals and its email sequencer only from the Launch plan; the Free plan caps tables at 200 rows and 500 actions a month. (source)

08 · FAQ

Questions people ask about Clay alternatives

What is the best alternative to Clay in 2027?

Apollo.io is the best overall Clay alternative on this page (Free plan; paid price not published). For no cost, Hunter has a free plan (50 credits per month). To self-host, OpenOutreach is open source (GPL-3.0).

Is there a free version of Clay?

Yes. Clay has a free plan: 500 actions and 100 data credits a month. Paid plans start at $167/mo, checked on 11 Nov 2026.

Is there a 100% free alternative to Clay?

Yes. OpenOutreach, Prospex (business-leads-ai-automation), Sellbird (formerly Harvey), Google Maps Scraper are open source and free to self-host. Apollo.io, Hunter, Persana AI, Lusha, LeadIQ have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

What is cheaper than Clay?

Origami starts at $99/mo, against $167/mo for Clay, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 11 Nov 2026.

How much do Clay alternatives cost for a team of 5?

If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 11 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is Hunter $170/mo, UpLead $495/mo, Origami $495/mo, against Clay $835/mo for Clay. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

Which is better, Apollo.io or Clay?

Apollo holds its own contact database and its Basic plan adds email sequencing; plans are Free, Basic, Professional and Custom, all applied account-wide rather than per user. Choose Apollo.io if you want one tool holding the contact database and the outreach sequences, without wiring data providers. Stay with Clay if you need to chain many data providers and AI research steps into custom enrichment tables.

Why are people leaving Clay?

The documented reasons are: On 11 March 2026 Clay introduced new pricing that split credits into Data Credits and Actions; Actions reset each billing cycle and do not roll over, and new customers go to Launch, Growth or Enterprise plans (11 Mar 2026); Clay's pricing page shows phone-number enrichment, job-change signals and its email sequencer only from the Launch plan; the Free plan caps tables at 200 rows and 500 actions a month (11 Nov 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

What is better than Clay?

It depends on the job. Apollo.io suits teams wanting a database plus sequencing, Hunter suits email finding, and ZoomInfo suits enterprise data. Clay is stronger when you combine many data providers and AI research in one table.

09 · Method

How did Zekai check this page?

Zekai independently reviews AI tools. For this page we read each vendor's own pricing and product pages and recorded the starting price, the free-plan limit and the date of the check. Only tools that do the same job as Clay are listed, and sponsors never change the order or the scores.

Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai
Mehmet Elmicenni

Founder of Zekai. Reviews the alternatives pages and the price checks behind them.

About the founder · How Zekai scores tools

JSON copyMarkdown copy
1 · Same job onlyEvery alternative does the same task as Clay; tools for other jobs are left out.
2 · Vendor pages onlyPrices and free limits come from each vendor's own pricing page, never from blogs.
Zekai score0–10, from four published weights: ease 25%, output quality 30%, value 20%, time saved 25%. How we score
3 · Re-checkedA price older than 35 days is re-read or the page falls back to an older version.
Change log

  • Page rebuilt on v6; all prices re-read on vendor pages.

  • Open-source options expanded; each now shows licence, commercial use, hardware and setup.

Get paid to train AI →

See Zekai first in Google

Get paid to train AI →