Alternatives

Top 5 Clay Alternatives in 2026

Compare the best alternatives to Clay for data enrichment, prospecting automation, and personalized outreach.

4.8 rating on G2

At a glance

How Clay Alternatives Compare

Side-by-side comparison of the key capabilities that matter most.

Feature	Salesmotion	Apollo.io	ZoomInfo	UserGems	Cognism
Data Enrichment	AI research from 1,000+ sources	Built-in database + enrichment	Proprietary database + enrichment	Job change tracking + enrichment	Phone-verified contacts + Bombora intent
Workflow Flexibility	Pre-built AI workflows, minimal setup	Template-based sequences	Structured search & list building	Automated job change alerts	Structured search & list building
Data Sources	1,000+ sources aggregated automatically	Single proprietary database	Single proprietary database	LinkedIn + proprietary job tracking	Single proprietary database
AI Capabilities	Full AI research briefs & talking points	AI email writing assistant	AI-powered recommendations	Limited AI features	AI search and recommendations
Ease of Use	Intuitive — no workflow building needed	Easy to start, moderate at scale	Moderate learning curve	Simple, focused interface	Moderate learning curve
Pricing Model	From $85/mo (account-based, unlimited users on team plans)	Free tier + from $49/user/month	Custom from ~$15,000/year per user	Custom pricing (per tracked contact)	Custom pricing (per seat)
Best For	Account intelligence for sales teams	All-in-one prospecting & outreach	Enterprise contact data at scale	Capitalizing on job change signals	GDPR-compliant European data

Why teams switch from Clay

Clay has become the darling of the growth hacking community with its spreadsheet-like interface that lets you waterfall across 150+ data enrichment providers. Its flexibility is unmatched: you can build custom enrichment workflows, combine multiple data sources, and create highly personalized outreach at scale. For technically-savvy growth teams, Clay feels like a superpower.

But that flexibility comes with real trade-offs. The most common reasons teams look for Clay alternatives include the steep learning curve (building effective workflows requires significant time investment), credit-based pricing that gets expensive quickly at scale, and the operational overhead of maintaining and debugging complex enrichment chains. Many sales leaders also find that Clay is too technical for their average rep to use independently.

The best Clay alternatives in 2026 offer simpler paths to the same outcome: getting the right data to the right reps at the right time. Some provide this through pre-built AI intelligence, others through large proprietary databases, and others through specialized signal tracking. Here are the top five options.

Detailed Breakdown

Best Clay Alternatives

An in-depth look at each platform, including features, pricing, and limitations.

Salesmotion

Our Pick

G2: 4.8/5 (25 reviews)

Salesmotion solves the same core problem as Clay (helping reps send relevant, personalized outreach) but takes the opposite approach. Where Clay gives you a blank canvas to build custom data workflows, Salesmotion provides pre-built AI intelligence that is ready to use immediately. The platform monitors over 1,000 sources and automatically generates account research briefs, buying signals, and personalized talking points.

For sales teams that loved Clay's promise of better data but struggled with the operational complexity, Salesmotion delivers comparable (often better) account intelligence without any workflow building. Every rep gets deep account context in minutes, regardless of their technical skill level.

The trade-off is flexibility: Clay lets you build virtually any data workflow you can imagine, while Salesmotion provides a curated, opinionated intelligence experience. For most sales teams, the pre-built approach wins because it actually gets adopted across the entire org.

Best for:Sales teams that want Clay-level account intelligence without the workflow building complexity

Key Features

AI-generated account briefs from 1,000+ sources (no workflow building required)
Real-time buying signal monitoring with transparent source attribution
Personalized talking points and outreach drafts anchored to real research
Salesforce and HubSpot integration (Enterprise plan)
Account-based pricing with no per-seat or per-credit limits
Adopted across entire sales teams, not just power users

Limitations

Less flexible than Clay for custom enrichment workflows
Cannot waterfall across arbitrary third-party data providers
No free tier available

Pricing: From $85/mo — flexible account-based pricing, unlimited users on team plans

4.8 rating on G2

Apollo.io

G2: 4.8/5Visit site

Apollo.io is the most popular all-in-one alternative to Clay, combining a 275M+ contact database with built-in email sequences, a dialer, and meeting scheduling. While it lacks Clay's multi-source enrichment flexibility, Apollo provides a much simpler workflow: search for contacts, add them to a sequence, and start outreach.

For teams that used Clay primarily for prospecting and email personalization, Apollo offers a more streamlined experience with its own AI writing assistant and intent data. The generous free tier makes it accessible for teams of all sizes.

Best for:Teams that want a simple all-in-one prospecting and outreach platform without the complexity of workflow building

Key Features

275M+ contact database with email and phone data
Built-in email sequences, dialer, and meeting scheduler
AI email writing assistant for personalization
Intent data and job change alerts
Free tier with 10,000 emails/month
Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting

Limitations

Single data source means no waterfall enrichment like Clay
Contact accuracy can be inconsistent for international or niche markets
Per-seat pricing scales with team size

Pricing: Free plan available. Basic from $49/user/month. Professional from $79/user/month. Organization from $119/user/month

ZoomInfo

G2: 4.5/5Visit site

ZoomInfo is the enterprise-grade alternative to Clay, offering the most comprehensive proprietary B2B contact and company database. While Clay aggregates data from multiple third-party providers, ZoomInfo maintains its own database of 321M+ contacts with direct dials, verified emails, org charts, and technographic data.

For teams that used Clay to improve data quality through waterfalling, ZoomInfo often provides comparable accuracy from a single source, especially for North American enterprise accounts. The trade-off is that ZoomInfo is significantly more expensive and less flexible for custom workflows.

Best for:Enterprise sales teams that need comprehensive, high-accuracy contact data from a single trusted source

Key Features

321M+ contacts with industry-leading data accuracy
Org charts and reporting structure data
Technographic data showing installed technologies
Intent data and company news monitoring
ZoomInfo Engage for sequencing and outreach
Advanced search filters and list building

Limitations

Much more expensive than Clay for comparable enrichment
Single data source means no multi-provider waterfall coverage
Rigid platform — cannot build custom enrichment workflows

Pricing: Custom pricing starting around $14,995/year for a single user. Enterprise plans $25,000-$60,000+/year

UserGems

G2: 4.7/5Visit site

UserGems takes a specialized approach compared to Clay's broad enrichment capabilities, focusing specifically on job change tracking and relationship intelligence. The platform monitors when your customers, champions, and prospects switch companies, creating warm pipeline opportunities that have 3x higher conversion rates than cold outreach.

For teams that built Clay workflows primarily to track job changes and trigger outreach, UserGems offers a purpose-built solution that requires no workflow maintenance. It integrates directly with your CRM to surface job change alerts and auto-create new accounts and contacts.

Best for:Sales teams that want to capitalize on job change signals and warm relationship-based pipeline generation

Key Features

Automatic tracking of customer and prospect job changes
CRM auto-updates when contacts move companies
Past customer identification at new target accounts
Champion tracking across your entire contact database
Salesforce and HubSpot native integration
Automated pipeline creation from job change signals

Limitations

Narrow focus on job changes — does not provide broad data enrichment
No general account research or buying signal monitoring
Requires a meaningful existing customer base to maximize value

Pricing: Custom pricing based on number of tracked contacts. Typically mid-market to enterprise pricing

Cognism

G2: 4.6/5Visit site

Cognism is the leading alternative to Clay for teams that need high-quality European B2B data. While Clay's waterfall enrichment can combine multiple data sources, Cognism provides a single, GDPR-compliant database with phone-verified mobile numbers (Diamond Data) that often outperforms multi-source approaches for EMEA contacts.

For teams that used Clay primarily for contact enrichment and found that combining multiple providers still yielded poor European data, Cognism is often the solution. Its phone verification process delivers 98% accuracy on mobile numbers, which is critical for teams that rely on calling.

Best for:Sales teams that need high-accuracy, phone-verified contact data with strong European coverage

Key Features

Phone-verified mobile numbers (Diamond Data) with 98% accuracy
GDPR-first data collection across EMEA and global markets
Bombora-powered intent data included in most plans
Sales trigger events for timely outreach
Chrome extension for LinkedIn prospecting
400M+ B2B profiles with strong DACH and UK coverage

Limitations

Weaker North American data compared to ZoomInfo or Apollo
No multi-source enrichment or custom workflow capabilities
Higher price point than Clay's entry-level plans

Pricing: Custom pricing per seat. Typically $15,000-$30,000/year for small teams

Customer Story

How Frontify achieved 4x self-sourced revenue and 42% faster sales velocity

self-sourced revenue

42%

faster sales velocity

35%

higher win rates

Read the full case study

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Clay better than a traditional sales intelligence tool?

Clay excels at custom data enrichment for technical users who want maximum flexibility. However, most sales reps find traditional intelligence tools easier to adopt because they provide pre-built workflows and insights. If your team has dedicated RevOps resources to build and maintain Clay workflows, it can be very powerful. If you need something the whole team will actually use, a platform like Salesmotion or Apollo is typically a better fit.

What is the cheapest Clay alternative?

Apollo.io offers the most affordable entry point with a generous free tier. Lusha also provides a free plan with 50 monthly credits. For teams that need account intelligence similar to what they built in Clay, Salesmotion with flexible account-based pricing (from $85/month) and unlimited users on team plans is often more economical than Clay's credit-based pricing at scale.

Can I replicate Clay's waterfall enrichment in other tools?

No single alternative replicates Clay's ability to waterfall across 150+ data providers through a spreadsheet interface. However, Salesmotion achieves a similar outcome (comprehensive, accurate account data) by aggregating 1,000+ sources through pre-built AI workflows. ZoomInfo and Cognism achieve high accuracy through their own large proprietary databases rather than multi-source waterfalling.

Which Clay alternative is best for outbound prospecting?

Apollo.io is the best Clay alternative for outbound prospecting because it combines a large contact database with built-in email sequences and a dialer. For more research-driven outbound, Salesmotion provides the deepest account context to personalize outreach. ZoomInfo offers the largest contact database. The right choice depends on whether you prioritize volume, intelligence, or an all-in-one workflow.

Do I need Clay if I already have ZoomInfo or Apollo?

Many teams use Clay alongside ZoomInfo or Apollo to fill data gaps. Clay's waterfall approach can supplement a primary database by pulling from additional providers. However, if data enrichment is your main use case, Salesmotion's AI research from 1,000+ sources or Cognism's phone-verified European data may address the same gaps without the operational overhead of maintaining Clay workflows.

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