B2B contact database plus sales engagement and AI prospecting platform.
Clay vs Hunter.io
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Clay is best for gTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound, while Hunter.io is best for finding and verifying professional email addresses, with simple cold email campaigns. Clay has a high learning curve, compared with low for Hunter.io. Both Clay and Hunter.io offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
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
Choose Hunter.io if…
- You need finding and verifying professional email addresses, with simple cold email campaigns
- You're one of: marketers and link builders, recruiters, sdrs running low-volume targeted outreach
- You want something quicker to learn
- Accurate email finding and verification
At a glance
| Clay | Hunter.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | GTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound | Finding and verifying professional email addresses, with simple cold email campaigns |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $149/mo | From $34/mo |
| Learning curve | High | Low |
| Platforms | Web, Chrome extension, API | Web, Chrome extension, API |
| Ideal for | RevOps and growth teams, Outbound agencies, Technical founders building lead lists | Marketers and link builders, Recruiters, SDRs running low-volume targeted outreach |
Feature comparison
| Clay | Hunter.io | |
|---|---|---|
| B2B contact database | Via 100+ data providers | Yes |
| Email sequences | Yes | Yes |
| Email warm-up | — | No |
| Unlimited sending accounts | — | No |
| LinkedIn steps | — | No |
| Built-in CRM | No | Lead lists only |
| AI personalization | Yes | Yes |
| Dialer / calling | No | No |
| Email verification | Via integrated providers | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Clay | Hunter.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | — |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | — |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | Type II | — |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | EU (default) |
| No training on your data | — | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | Enterprise plan | — |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
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
Hunter.io
Hunter.io is an email finding and verification tool that searches by domain or person and returns addresses with confidence scores. It also includes a B2B lead database (Discover), lead lists, and Campaigns for sending sequences from Gmail, Outlook or SMTP accounts. It is used by marketers, recruiters, SDRs and link builders.
Key features- Domain Search and Email Finder
- Email Verifier with bulk verification
- Discover B2B lead database with intent signals
- Campaigns with automated follow-ups from connected inboxes
- AI Writing Assistant for cold emails
- Chrome extension and Google Sheets add-on
Pricing
Clay
Free plan: yes (limited credits). Paid from ~$149/mo
Hunter.io
Free plan (50 credits/mo); paid from $34/mo billed yearly ($49 monthly) Starter
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
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.
Hunter.io
Strengths- Accurate email finding and verification
- Free plan with monthly credits
- Unlimited team members on all plans
- Simple to learn
- No email warm-up or inbox rotation
- No phone numbers and no LinkedIn steps
- Connected email accounts capped per plan
- Campaign features are basic compared with dedicated senders
Not ideal for: Teams running multichannel or high-volume cold outreach should look at lemlist, Instantly or Smartlead.
Integrations
Clay
Hunter.io
FAQ
What is the main difference between Clay and Hunter.io?
Clay is built for gTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound; Hunter.io is built for finding and verifying professional email addresses, with simple cold email campaigns.
Is Clay or Hunter.io cheaper?
Clay starts from $149/mo and Hunter.io starts from $34/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Hunter.io is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Clay and Hunter.io have free plans?
Both Clay and Hunter.io offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Clay or Hunter.io?
Hunter.io is generally quicker to learn (Clay: high, Hunter.io: low learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Clay and Hunter.io?
Other sales & outreach tools worth comparing include Apollo.io, Instantly.ai and HubSpot.
