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CRM · head to head

Clay vs Salesforce

Clay logo

Clay

CRM

Data platform for sales teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Salesforce logo

Salesforce

CRM

World's #1 CRM

From
$25/month
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; Salesforce sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually
  • They diverge on capability: Clay covers Data enrichment, Salesforce covers Opportunity management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clay and Salesforce actually diverge.

Attributes where Clay and Salesforce differ
AttributeClaySalesforce
Starting priceFree$25/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded20211999

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 Clay

  • Data enrichment
  • Integration
  • API access
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Zapier
  • GDPR
  • Cloud deployment

Only in Salesforce

  • Opportunity management
  • Lead management
  • Reports & dashboards
  • Email integration
  • Mobile access
  • AppExchange
  • Microsoft 365
  • Google Workspace

Both cover

  • Contact management
  • Workflow automation
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Clay

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

Salesforce

  • Sales managementnot Clay
  • Customer servicenot Clay
  • Marketing automationnot Clay
  • Lead generationnot Clay
  • Analytics & reportingnot 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

Salesforce

  • Sales Cloud tiers as captured 2 January 2024: Starter Suite $25/user/month, Professional $80/user/month, Enterprise $165/user/month, all USD billed annually

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

Salesforce

$25/month
  • Essentials$25/month
    • Account & contact management
    • Opportunity tracking
    • Lead management
  • Professional$80/month
    • Everything in Essentials
    • Complete CRM
    • Lead scoring
  • Enterprise$165/month
    • Everything in Professional
    • Workflow automation
    • Advanced analytics
  • Unlimited$330/month
    • Everything in Enterprise
    • Unlimited customizations
    • 24/7 support

Which should you pick?

Choose Clay if

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

Choose Salesforce if

  • You need opportunity management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want lead management.
Salesforce review

Questions people ask

Is Clay or Salesforce better?
Neither clearly leads. Clay starts at Free and Salesforce at $25/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clay or Salesforce?
Clay has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Clay and $25/month for Salesforce.
Does Clay or Salesforce run on more platforms?
Clay runs on Web. Salesforce runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
Can I use Clay for free?
Yes. Clay has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Salesforce starts at $25/month.
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 Salesforce is typically brought in for.
What can Clay do that Salesforce cannot?
Clay covers Data enrichment, Integration, API access, Salesforce. Salesforce covers Opportunity management, Lead management, Reports & dashboards, Email integration. Both handle Contact management, Workflow automation, Slack.

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
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
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
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
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