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CRM · head to head

Capsule vs Clay

Capsule logo

Capsule

CRM

Visual CRM for small teams

From
$19/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Clay logo

Clay

CRM

Data platform for sales teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Clay has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Capsule the free plan is capped at 2 users, 250 contacts, 5 custom fields and a single pipeline; Clay two separate meters run at once, actions and data credits, and a plan can exhaust either independently
  • They diverge on capability: Capsule covers Deal tracking, Clay covers Data enrichment.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Capsule and Clay actually diverge.

Attributes where Capsule and Clay differ
AttributeCapsuleClay
Starting price$19/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20082021

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (CRM).

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 Capsule

  • Deal tracking
  • Task management
  • Email sync
  • Activity timeline
  • Google Apps
  • Ios support
  • Android support

Only in Clay

  • Data enrichment
  • Workflow automation
  • Integration
  • API access
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot

Both cover

  • Contact management
  • Slack
  • Zapier
  • GDPR
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • English language support

What people use each for

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

Capsule

  • Simple contact and pipeline CRM for a small teamnot Clay
  • Tracking deals and follow-up tasksnot Clay
  • Linking emails and notes to contact recordsnot Clay
  • Multiple sales pipelines on the paid tiersnot Clay

Clay

  • Data enrichment and intelligencenot Capsule
  • Growth campaign automationnot Capsule
  • CRM workflow integrationnot Capsule

Where each one falls short

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

Capsule

  • The free plan is capped at 2 users, 250 contacts, 5 custom fields and a single pipeline
  • Contact ceilings gate every tier, from 30,000 on Starter to 120,000 on Advanced
  • Per-user prices are not shown as figures on the pricing page, only as tier names
  • Ultimate is quote-only

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

Capsule

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Contact management
    • Task tracking
  • Professional$39/month
    • Everything in Starter
    • Pipeline management
    • Reporting
  • Enterprise$99/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Custom fields
    • API access

Clay

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 500 actions per month
    • 100 data credits per month
    • Unlimited seats
  • Launch$167/month
    • 15000 actions per month
    • 3000 data credits per month
    • Phone enrichment
  • Growth$446/month
    • 40000 actions per month
    • 6000 data credits per month
    • CRM sync
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Unlimited capabilities across most features
    • SSO
    • Role-based access control

Which should you pick?

Choose Capsule if

  • You need deal tracking.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want task management.
Capsule review

Choose Clay if

  • You need data enrichment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want workflow automation.
Clay review

Questions people ask

Is Capsule or Clay better?
Neither clearly leads. Capsule starts at $19/month and Clay at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Capsule or Clay?
Clay has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $19/month for Capsule and Free for Clay.
Does Capsule or Clay run on more platforms?
Capsule runs on Web, Ios, Android. Clay runs on Web.
Can I use Clay for free?
Yes. Clay has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Capsule starts at $19/month.
What is Capsule best used for?
Capsule is most often used for simple contact and pipeline crm for a small team, tracking deals and follow-up tasks, linking emails and notes to contact records, multiple sales pipelines on the paid tiers. Of those, simple contact and pipeline crm for a small team and tracking deals and follow-up tasks are not what Clay is typically brought in for.
What can Capsule do that Clay cannot?
Capsule covers Deal tracking, Task management, Email sync, Activity timeline. Clay covers Data enrichment, Workflow automation, Integration, API access. Both handle Contact management, Slack, Zapier, GDPR.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Capsule: How long is the free trial for Capsule CRM paid plans?

Capsule CRM offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. None of the paid plan features are limited during the trial period.

Source
Clay: Can I use Clay for free?

Yes, Clay's free plan includes 500 actions and 100 data credits per month with unlimited seats and tables (200 rows max per table).

Source
Capsule: What is the maximum number of contacts included in Capsule's free plan?

The free plan allows up to 250 contacts and supports a maximum of 2 users with 1 sales pipeline.

Source
Clay: How much can I save with Clay's annual billing?

Clay offers significant annual discounts: Launch tier drops from $167/month to $54/month, and Growth tier drops from $446/month to $185/month when billed yearly.

Source
Capsule: Does Capsule CRM offer annual billing discounts?

Yes, when you choose annual billing instead of monthly, Capsule CRM offers up to 15% discount on your subscription.

Source
Clay: What happens when I exceed my monthly actions or data credits on Clay?

Actions and data credits cost less than $0.01 each when purchased at scale, with unused data credits rolling over up to 2x monthly allocation on paid plans. Customers can bring their own API keys to avoid data credit costs.

Source
Capsule: Can I cancel my Capsule CRM account anytime or are there long-term commitments?

You can cancel your Capsule account at any time, and there are zero setup fees when opening an account.

Source
Clay: Does the Growth plan limit the number of users or team members?

No, Clay's Growth plan supports unlimited seats with 40000 monthly actions, 6000 data credits, and CRM sync, designed for teams with CRM-based workflows and growth campaigns.

Source
Capsule: Does Capsule CRM support importing data from spreadsheets or other tools?

Yes, Capsule CRM supports data migration from spreadsheets and select integrations like Xero and Zendesk.

Source
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