Apollo vs Clay: Pricing, Data and Which to Pick
An all in one outbound platform against the enrichment tool GTM teams build on, compared on published prices and documented limits.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Pick Apollo if you want one tool to find contacts and run outreach: $65 per seat a month buys a database, unlimited sequences, a dialer and AI research. Pick Clay if list quality is your bottleneck and someone on the team can build workflows: it queries 150+ providers and researches accounts with AI, from $185 a month with unlimited seats.
Side by side
| Spec | Apollo.io | Clay |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 4.4 | 3.9 |
| Starting price | $65 per seat per month | $185 per month |
| Pricing model | per seat plus credits | actions plus data credits, unlimited seats |
| Free trial | 14 days, 75 credits | 14 days |
| Price per seat | $65 per month (Basic, monthly) or $49 billed annually; Professional $99 or $79 | No per seat fee: unlimited seats, from $185 per month (Launch) |
| Contacts or credits | Free 900 credits per year; Basic 2,500 per month; Professional 4,000 per month. Email 1 credit, phone 8 credits | Free 100 data credits; Launch 2,500; Growth 6,000 a month, plus actions |
| Email sending | 250 emails a day on Free and Basic; unlimited daily sends on Professional and up | Clay Sequencer for email, or send through email campaign integrations |
| Data sources | Apollo's own B2B database plus waterfall enrichment from partner providers | 150+ data providers in waterfalls, plus Claygent AI web research |
| Chrome extension for prospecting on LinkedIn; no listed LinkedIn message automation | Job change and social signals; no LinkedIn message automation listed | |
| CRM sync | Salesforce, HubSpot and other CRM integrations on paid plans | Auto sync and enrichment only on Growth ($495) and Enterprise |
The short answer
These tools are less rivals than neighbors. Apollo is an all in one outbound platform: its own contact database, sequences, a dialer, a meeting scheduler and deal management behind a per seat price. Clay is a data and automation layer: it pulls contacts and company data from many providers, enriches and scores them with AI, and pushes the result to your CRM or a sender.
Searchers comparing them usually face one of two questions. Do I need a database and a sender in one place, or better data than any single database gives? And do I have someone who will build and maintain workflows?
Pricing
Monthly billing as listed in October 2026, annual in brackets.
| Item | Apollo.io | Clay |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 900 credits per seat per year, 2 sequences, 250 emails a day | 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, 200 rows per table |
| Entry paid | Basic $65 per seat ($49) | Launch $185 per month ($167) |
| Mid | Professional $99 per seat ($79) | Growth $495 per month ($446) |
| Top | Organization $119 per seat, annual, 3 seat minimum | Enterprise, custom |
| Seats | Per seat | Unlimited on every plan |
| Data allowance | 2,500 credits per seat a month on Basic, 4,000 on Professional | 2,500 data credits a month on Launch, 6,000 on Growth |
| Rollover | None; credits reset every cycle | Up to 2x the monthly amount |
| Trial | 14 days, 75 credits | 14 days |
Cost by team size
- 1 user: Apollo Basic $65 against Clay Launch $185, and Clay still needs a sender. Apollo is about $120 a month cheaper before any sender cost.
- 3 users: Apollo Professional is 3 x $99 = $297. Clay Launch stays $185, plus a sender such as Instantly ($47 to $97) or Smartlead ($39 to $94). Roughly even.
- 5 users wanting CRM sync: Apollo Professional is 5 x $99 = $495. Clay needs Growth at $495 for CRM auto sync, plus a sender. Apollo is cheaper unless data quality is costing you meetings.
The real cost comparison is per valid contact. If Apollo returns a wrong email for a meaningful share of your list, bounces hurt your domains and you pay for the miss. Clay's waterfall exists to raise the hit rate, which is why GTM teams accept the higher price and learning curve.
Features
Data. Apollo searches its own database and adds waterfall enrichment from partners on paid plans. Clay runs multi provider waterfalls across 150+ providers on every plan, and Claygent researches each company on the web to create custom fields, such as whether a prospect is hiring for a role you sell into.
Outreach. Apollo includes unlimited sequences on paid plans, A/Z testing on Professional, a US dialer and call recording. Clay has a basic Sequencer and integrations with outside sequencers; it is not built to run multi step, multichannel cadences.
Signals. Apollo includes 6 intent topics on Basic and Professional and 12 on Organization, plus website visitor identification. Clay tracks job changes, promotions, new hires, company news and, on Growth, web intent signals.
CRM. Apollo lists Salesforce and HubSpot integrations on paid plans. Clay's CRM auto sync starts on Growth at $495.
AI. Apollo offers an AI assistant, AI research credits and AI lead scoring on Professional. Clay's Claygent is a more flexible research agent, but you design the prompts and workflow yourself.
Who wins for each scenario
Founder or small team starting outbound: Apollo. One tool, one bill, a free plan to try it.
RevOps or GTM engineer building signal based plays: Clay. Waterfalls, AI research and webhooks give the most control.
Team with high bounce rates from one database: Clay for list building, then send through your current tool.
Team that also cold calls: Apollo, for its built in dialer and phone data at 8 credits per number.
Verdict
Apollo is the better buy for most small and mid size teams because it covers data, sequences and calling at a lower price for one to three users. Clay is the better buy when data quality is the constraint and you have someone to run it. Many teams end up with both: Clay to build and enrich the list, Apollo or a dedicated sender to work it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Clay better than Apollo?
For data quality and custom research, usually yes, because Clay queries 150+ providers in sequence and adds AI web research. For running outbound end to end, no: Apollo includes a database, unlimited sequences, a dialer and a meeting scheduler in one seat. Many teams use Clay to build lists and Apollo or a cold email tool to send.
Is Apollo cheaper than Clay?
For one or two users, yes. Apollo Basic is $65 per seat a month, or $49 billed annually, while Clay Launch starts at $185 a month. Clay includes unlimited seats, so at four or more users on Apollo Professional ($99 each) Clay's flat price becomes competitive, though you still need a sender.
Can Clay send emails?
Yes. Every Clay plan, including Free, includes the Clay Sequencer for email, and Launch adds email campaign integrations with outside sequencers. Growth adds buying domains and mailboxes for the Sequencer. Most teams still pair Clay with a dedicated sender.
What are Apollo credits?
Credits are how Apollo charges for data. An email costs 1 credit, a phone number 8 credits, enrichment 1 to 8 credits and the US dialer 1 credit per 30 seconds. Basic includes 2,500 credits per seat a month on monthly billing. Credits do not roll over.
What are Clay actions and data credits?
Clay meters two things: actions (workflow steps such as running an enrichment or AI prompt) and data credits (paid data from providers). Launch includes 15,000 actions and 2,500 data credits a month on monthly billing. Unused credits can accumulate up to 2x the monthly amount, and top ups cost 30% more.
Is Apollo data accurate?
Apollo's Trustpilot reviewers (3.1 from 1,369 reviews) frequently report incomplete or wrong contact details that need cross checking. Verify emails before sending, whichever tool you use, to protect your sending domains.
Which is easier to learn?
Apollo. It works like a standard sales tool: search, save, add to a sequence. Clay is a spreadsheet style workflow builder, and its Trustpilot reviewers, including fans, describe a steep learning curve.