Cold email outreach platform with unlimited sending accounts, warmup and B2B lead database.
Apollo.io vs Clay
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Apollo.io is best for sales teams that want a B2B contact database and outreach sequences in one platform, while Clay is best for gTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound. Only Apollo.io offers built-in CRM. Apollo.io has a medium learning curve, compared with high for Clay. Both Apollo.io and Clay offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
Choose Apollo.io if…
- You need sales teams that want a B2B contact database and outreach sequences in one platform
- Built-in CRM matters to you
- You're one of: sdr and bdr teams, startup founders doing outbound, small sales teams without a data vendor
- You want something quicker to learn
Choose Clay if…
- You need gTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound
- You're one of: revops and growth teams, outbound agencies, technical founders building lead lists
- Higher match rates by combining many data sources
At a glance
| Apollo.io | Clay | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sales teams that want a B2B contact database and outreach sequences in one platform | GTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $49/user/mo | From $149/mo |
| Learning curve | Medium | High |
| Platforms | Web, Chrome extension, iOS, Android, API | Web, Chrome extension, API |
| Ideal for | SDR and BDR teams, Startup founders doing outbound, Small sales teams without a data vendor | RevOps and growth teams, Outbound agencies, Technical founders building lead lists |
Feature comparison
| Apollo.io | Clay | |
|---|---|---|
| B2B contact database | 200M+ contacts | Via 100+ data providers |
| Email sequences | Yes | Yes |
| Email warm-up | No | — |
| Unlimited sending accounts | No | — |
| LinkedIn steps | Manual task steps | — |
| Built-in CRM | Yes | No |
| AI personalization | Yes | Yes |
| Dialer / calling | Professional plan and above | No |
| Email verification | Yes | Via integrated providers |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Apollo.io | Clay | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Organization plan | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | — | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | Yes | Enterprise plan |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Apollo.io
Apollo.io combines a large B2B contact and company database with multichannel sequences, a dialer, deal tracking and AI research tools. Reps search and filter prospects, enrich records, and run email, call and LinkedIn task steps from the same account. It is widely used by startups, SDR teams and small sales organizations as an all-in-one prospecting tool.
Key features- B2B database of 200M+ contacts with 65+ search filters
- Multichannel sequences with email, call and LinkedIn task steps
- Built-in dialer with recording and local presence (Professional and up)
- AI research, AI email writing and lead scoring
- Deals, pipeline and CRM enrichment
- Chrome extension for LinkedIn and Gmail
Clay
Clay is a spreadsheet-style data enrichment platform that pulls from 100+ data providers using waterfall enrichment and uses its Claygent AI agent to research companies and leads on the web. Enriched data can be scored, used to write personalized messages, and pushed to CRMs or sending tools, or sent through Clay's own Sequencer. It is used by growth teams, RevOps and outbound agencies.
Key features- Waterfall enrichment across 100+ data providers
- Claygent AI agent for web research and data extraction
- Spreadsheet-style tables with formulas and AI columns
- Built-in Sequencer for multi-step email campaigns
- Native pushes to Smartlead, Instantly, Outreach and HubSpot
- CRM sync back to Salesforce and HubSpot on Growth plan and up
Pricing
Apollo.io
Free forever plan; paid from $49/user/mo annual ($59 monthly) Basic
Clay
Free plan: yes (limited credits). Paid from ~$149/mo
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Apollo.io
Strengths- Database, sequencing and dialer in one tool
- Useful free plan for light prospecting
- Syncs with Salesforce and HubSpot
- AI research speeds up personalization
- No true email warm-up; its ramp-up only paces sending volume
- Credit limits restrict exports and mobile numbers
- Data accuracy varies by region and industry
- Dialer is limited to Professional plan and above
Not ideal for: Agencies sending high-volume cold email across many domains will get better deliverability tooling from Instantly or Smartlead.
Clay
Strengths- Higher match rates by combining many data sources
- Very flexible for custom research and scoring
- Connects to most sending tools and CRMs
- Free plan to learn the product
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- Credit-based usage can become expensive at scale
- No built-in dialer or CRM
- Deliverability tooling is lighter than dedicated cold email senders
Not ideal for: Reps who want a simple point-and-click prospecting database should start with Apollo.io or Hunter.io.
Integrations
Apollo.io
Clay
FAQ
What is the main difference between Apollo.io and Clay?
Apollo.io is built for sales teams that want a B2B contact database and outreach sequences in one platform; Clay is built for gTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound. Key differences: Apollo.io offers built-in CRM.
Is Apollo.io or Clay cheaper?
Apollo.io starts from $49/user/mo and Clay starts from $149/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Apollo.io is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Apollo.io and Clay have free plans?
Both Apollo.io and Clay offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Apollo.io or Clay?
Apollo.io is generally quicker to learn (Apollo.io: medium, Clay: high learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Apollo.io and Clay?
Other sales & outreach tools worth comparing include Instantly.ai, HubSpot and lemlist.
