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Basecamp vs Clay

Basecamp logo

Basecamp

All industries

Project management & team collaboration software

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Clay logo

Clay

CRM & Sales

Data platform for sales teams

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Basecamp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Basecamp the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage; Clay two separate meters run at once, actions and data credits, and a plan can exhaust either independently
  • They diverge on capability: Basecamp covers Message boards, Clay covers Data enrichment.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Clay actually diverge.

Attributes where Basecamp and Clay differ
AttributeBasecampClay
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
CategoryAll industriesCRM & Sales
Founded20042021

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Basecamp

  • Message boards
  • To-do lists
  • Schedules
  • Documents & files
  • Group chat
  • Check-in questions
  • Hill Charts
  • Email forwards

Only in Clay

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

Both cover

  • Slack
  • Zapier
  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Basecamp

  • Project management for a small team in one placenot Clay
  • Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Clay
  • Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Clay
  • Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Clay

Clay

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

Where each one falls short

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

Basecamp

  • The free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage
  • Pro is $15 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount unlike the flat Pro Unlimited at $299 a month billed annually
  • Storage beyond the plan costs $50 a month per additional terabyte
  • Timesheet and the Admin Pro Pack are paid upgrades on Pro and only bundled with Pro Unlimited

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

Basecamp

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Basecamp review.

Clay

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Basecamp if

  • You need message boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want to-do lists.
Basecamp review

Choose Clay if

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

Questions people ask

Is Basecamp or Clay better?
Neither clearly leads. Basecamp 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, Basecamp or Clay?
Basecamp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Basecamp and On request for Clay.
Does Basecamp or Clay run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Basecamp for free?
Yes. Basecamp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Clay starts at On request.
What is Basecamp best used for?
Basecamp is most often used for project management for a small team in one place, message boards and chat alongside to-dos, client collaboration, since guests are not charged, flat-rate project management for a larger team on pro unlimited. Of those, project management for a small team in one place and message boards and chat alongside to-dos are not what Clay is typically brought in for.
What can Basecamp do that Clay cannot?
Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Clay covers Data enrichment, Contact management, Workflow automation, Integration. Both handle Slack, Zapier, GDPR.
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