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CRM · head to head

Clay vs Default

Clay logo

Clay

CRM

Data platform for sales teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Default logo

Default

Sales Enablement

Inbound lead routing, enrichment and scheduling in one workflow layer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Clay has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Clay two separate meters run at once, actions and data credits, and a plan can exhaust either independently; Default pricing is not published and the reported structure is a monthly platform fee before any seats, so a small team pays a meaningful minimum regardless of volume and the tool only makes economic sense at some scale.
  • They diverge on capability: Clay covers Data enrichment, Default covers Inbound routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clay and Default actually diverge.

Attributes where Clay and Default differ
AttributeClayDefault
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
CategoryCRMSales Enablement
Founded2021Unknown

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 Clay

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

Only in Default

  • Inbound routing
  • Native scheduling
  • Waterfall enrichment
  • Lead scoring
  • CRM hygiene
  • Outbound signals
  • MCP endpoint

What people use each for

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

Clay

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

Default

  • A B2B software company losing inbound leads between form submission and a booked meeting because routing and scheduling are separate toolsnot Clay
  • A revenue operations team consolidating a scheduler, a routing tool, an enrichment vendor and an automation layer into one contractnot Clay
  • A sales organisation with complex territory rules that needs routing decisions to be auditable when a representative disputes an assignmentnot Clay
  • A team that wants enrichment and ideal customer profile scoring applied before a lead reaches a representative, rather than cleaned up afterwardsnot Clay

Where each one falls short

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

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

Default

  • Pricing is not published and the reported structure is a monthly platform fee before any seats, so a small team pays a meaningful minimum regardless of volume and the tool only makes economic sense at some scale.
  • Seats are split into user seats and routing seats at different prices, which makes headcount planning awkward and means an organisation can be surprised by which roles turn out to need the expensive kind.
  • Enrichment is credit metered, so cost rises with inbound volume exactly when the business is doing well, and a spike in form fills is also a spike in the bill.
  • Consolidating routing, enrichment, scoring and scheduling into one vendor puts a single point of failure between a demo request and a sales representative, which is the highest value path in the business.
  • The vendor offers budget to buy out incumbent contracts, which is effective marketing but tells you switching costs in this category are high in both directions, including out of Default later.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Default

On request
  • Default$undefined/month
    • Nothing published, quoted through a demo
    • Third party accounts describe a monthly platform fee before any seats are added
    • Separate user seats and routing seats rather than one seat type

Which should you pick?

Choose Clay if

  • You need data enrichment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want contact management.
Clay review

Choose Default if

  • You need inbound routing.
  • You also want native scheduling.
Default review

Questions people ask

Is Clay or Default better?
Neither clearly leads. Clay starts at Free and Default at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clay or Default?
Clay has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Clay and On request for Default.
Does Clay or Default run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Clay for free?
Yes. Clay has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Default starts at On request.
What is Clay best used for?
Clay is most often used for data enrichment and intelligence, growth campaign automation, crm workflow integration. Of those, data enrichment and intelligence and growth campaign automation are not what Default is typically brought in for.
What can Clay do that Default cannot?
Clay covers Data enrichment, Contact management, Workflow automation, Integration. Default covers Inbound routing, Native scheduling, Waterfall enrichment, Lead scoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Default: What does Default replace?

Typically a scheduler, a lead routing tool, an enrichment provider and part of a workflow automation layer.

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
Default: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted, and reported structures involve a monthly platform fee plus separate user and routing seats plus metered enrichment credits.

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
Default: Does it replace the CRM?

No. It sits in front of the CRM, routing and enriching records and keeping them clean, and it writes to Salesforce or HubSpot.

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
Default: Is it worth it for a small team?

Rarely. The platform fee before seats means the economics work when you are retiring several existing subscriptions.

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