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Software · head to head

AI21 Labs vs Clay

AI21 Labs logo

AI21 Labs

Software

Enterprise language AI solutions

From
Free
Rated
-
Clay logo

Clay

Software

Data platform for sales teams

From
On request
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only AI21 Labs has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AI21 Labs the free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier; Clay two separate meters run at once, actions and data credits, and a plan can exhaust either independently
  • They diverge on capability: AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Clay covers Data enrichment.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AI21 Labs and Clay actually diverge.

Attributes where AI21 Labs and Clay differ
AttributeAI21 LabsClay
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelusage-basedquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsApi, CloudWeb
Founded20172021

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AI21 Labs

  • Jamba models
  • Long context
  • RAG engine
  • Writing tools
  • REST API
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • Cloud platforms
  • Api support

Only in Clay

  • Data enrichment
  • Contact management
  • Workflow automation
  • Integration
  • API access
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Zapier

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AI21 Labs

  • Running long-context tasks on the Jamba model familynot Clay
  • Building and optimising production AI agents with Maestronot Clay
  • Routing between models to control cost and accuracynot Clay
  • Long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspacesnot Clay

Clay

  • Enriching prospect lists from multiple data providers in one tablenot AI21 Labs
  • Building automated outbound research and outreach workflowsnot AI21 Labs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AI21 Labs

  • The free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier
  • Jamba Large is $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output, so output-heavy work costs four times as much as input
  • Volume discounts, private cloud hosting and higher rate limits require a custom plan
  • Standard rate limits are not published

Clay

  • Two separate meters run at once, actions and data credits, and a plan can exhaust either independently
  • Data credit overage is sold at a 30% premium over the plan rate, so exceeding the allowance costs more per unit than planning for it
  • The free plan allows 500 actions, 100 data credits and 200 rows per table
  • The entry paid plan starts at $167 a month, and both paid prices are starting figures rather than fixed
  • The free plan cannot buy overage at all, so hitting the limit stops work rather than billing for it

Pricing, plan by plan

AI21 Labs

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Limited usage
    • API access
  • Jamba$0.2/per-million-input-tokens
    • 256K context
    • Hybrid architecture

Clay

On request
  • Pricing upon request$undefined/month
    • Data enrichment
    • Integration
    • Support

Which should you pick?

Choose AI21 Labs if

  • You need jamba models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want long context.

Choose Clay if

  • You need data enrichment.
  • You also want contact management.

Questions people ask

Is AI21 Labs or Clay better?
Neither clearly leads. AI21 Labs starts at Free and Clay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AI21 Labs or Clay?
AI21 Labs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for AI21 Labs and On request for Clay.
Does AI21 Labs or Clay run on more platforms?
AI21 Labs runs on Api, Cloud. Clay runs on Web.
Can I use AI21 Labs for free?
Yes. AI21 Labs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Clay starts at On request.
What is AI21 Labs best used for?
AI21 Labs is most often used for running long-context tasks on the jamba model family, building and optimising production ai agents with maestro, routing between models to control cost and accuracy, long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspaces. Of those, running long-context tasks on the jamba model family and building and optimising production ai agents with maestro are not what Clay is typically brought in for.
What can AI21 Labs do that Clay cannot?
AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Long context, RAG engine, Writing tools. Clay covers Data enrichment, Contact management, Workflow automation, Integration.

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