B2B contact database plus sales engagement and AI prospecting platform.
Clay vs Instantly.ai
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 Instantly.ai is best for agencies and founders scaling cold email across many sending accounts. Only Instantly.ai offers built-in CRM. Clay has a high learning curve, compared with low for Instantly.ai. Clay has a free plan, while Instantly.ai has no free plan.
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
- You want a free plan (Instantly.ai doesn't have one)
- Higher match rates by combining many data sources
Choose Instantly.ai if…
- You need agencies and founders scaling cold email across many sending accounts
- Built-in CRM matters to you
- You're one of: lead generation agencies, startup founders doing outbound, sdr teams sending high-volume cold email
- You want something quicker to learn
At a glance
| Clay | Instantly.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | GTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound | Agencies and founders scaling cold email across many sending accounts |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Starting price | From $149/mo | From $47/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 | Lead generation agencies, Startup founders doing outbound, SDR teams sending high-volume cold email |
Feature comparison
| Clay | Instantly.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| B2B contact database | Via 100+ data providers | 450M+ contacts |
| Email sequences | Yes | Yes |
| Email warm-up | — | Yes |
| Unlimited sending accounts | — | Yes |
| LinkedIn steps | — | No |
| Built-in CRM | No | Yes |
| AI personalization | Yes | Yes |
| Dialer / calling | No | Via Instantly CRM |
| Email verification | Via integrated providers | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Clay | Instantly.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | — |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type I |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | US (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
Instantly.ai
Instantly.ai is a cold email platform built around unlimited sending accounts, automatic warm-up and deliverability tooling. It adds a large B2B lead database, a built-in CRM with calling and SMS, and AI agents for writing, research and reply handling. It is used heavily by lead-gen agencies, startups and outbound teams sending at volume.
Key features- Unlimited email accounts and warm-up on all Outreach plans
- Inbox rotation and deliverability protection
- 450M+ B2B lead database with enrichment and verification
- Built-in CRM with calling, SMS and unified inbox
- AI agents for email writing, web research and replies
- Server and IP sharding on higher plans
Pricing
Clay
Free plan: yes (limited credits). Paid from ~$149/mo
Instantly.ai
No free plan listed; paid from $47/mo (Growth Outreach), 10% off yearly
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.
Instantly.ai
Strengths- Flat pricing that does not charge per mailbox
- Warm-up network included
- Fast campaign setup with a clean interface
- CRM and lead database available in the same ecosystem
- No native LinkedIn steps inside sequences
- Lead database, CRM and outreach are billed as separate products
- Contact upload limits on lower plans
- Entry plan has a low monthly email cap
Not ideal for: Teams that rely on LinkedIn touches in the same sequence should consider lemlist or Reply.io.
Integrations
Clay
Instantly.ai
FAQ
What is the main difference between Clay and Instantly.ai?
Clay is built for gTM and RevOps teams building custom enrichment and research workflows for outbound; Instantly.ai is built for agencies and founders scaling cold email across many sending accounts. Key differences: Instantly.ai offers built-in CRM.
Is Clay or Instantly.ai cheaper?
Clay starts from $149/mo and Instantly.ai starts from $47/mo (as of September 2026). On entry price, Instantly.ai is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Clay and Instantly.ai have free plans?
Clay has a free plan, while Instantly.ai has no free plan.
Which is easier to use, Clay or Instantly.ai?
Instantly.ai is generally quicker to learn (Clay: high, Instantly.ai: low learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Clay and Instantly.ai?
Other sales & outreach tools worth comparing include Apollo.io, HubSpot and lemlist.
