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CRM · head to head

Clay vs Twain

Clay logo

Clay

CRM

Data platform for sales teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Twain logo

Twain

Sales Enablement

A go-to-market research agent that writes signal-based outreach, priced per lead researched

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Clay two separate meters run at once, actions and data credits, and a plan can exhaust either independently; Twain twain researches and writes but does not send, so a sequencer subscription and, in most cases, a data vendor sit on top of the reported $185 a month, and the total stack cost is what you should be comparing.
  • They diverge on capability: Clay covers Data enrichment, Twain covers Live prospect research.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Clay and Twain actually diverge.

Attributes where Clay and Twain differ
AttributeClayTwain
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
CategoryCRMSales Enablement
Founded2021Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Twain

  • Live prospect research
  • Signal-based copywriting
  • Persona matching
  • Bulk generation
  • API-first access
  • CRM sync
  • Campaign and persona library
  • Credit metering

What people use each for

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

Clay

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

Twain

  • A team running lemlist or Outreach that wants each prospect researched and the first line written without adding another interface to the rep workflow.not Clay
  • An agency generating outbound copy for several clients that needs research and drafting metered by volume rather than by seat.not Clay
  • A revenue operations team wanting to embed personalised copy generation into an existing sequence via API rather than buying a full replacement platform.not Clay
  • A founder-led sales motion sending low volume but high-effort outreach, where researching each account manually is the actual bottleneck.not 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

Twain

  • Twain researches and writes but does not send, so a sequencer subscription and, in most cases, a data vendor sit on top of the reported $185 a month, and the total stack cost is what you should be comparing.
  • Credits are consumed per lead researched rather than per usable email produced, so a poor list burns credits and returns nothing, transferring the cost of list hygiene entirely to you.
  • Reviewers report generic and insufficiently industry-specific output, along with generated wording they would never use, and there is no blanket blocklist or banned-words control, which is a blocker for brand-sensitive or regulated senders.
  • Persona management scales badly: reviewers report having to re-import all company data every time a new persona is added, which is painful for agencies and multi-product teams.
  • The company has publicly disclosed only a 2.5 million euro pre-seed from May 2022 and has since executed a full product pivot, so the risk of another pivot or a shutdown mid-contract is elevated; avoid annual prepayment and deep API coupling without an export route.
  • Integration and documentation surface is thin after the pivot: the legacy connector list is not confirmed on the current site, and for a product marketed as API-first the developer documentation is a genuine gap.
  • Pricing figures load client-side and are largely third-party sourced, and there is effectively one paid plan rather than a tier ladder, so budgeting requires an in-app check rather than a published page.

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

Twain

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 500 contacts researched
    • No card required
    • Shared credit pool
  • Subscription$undefined/month
    • Credits sized to expected lead volume, reported from around $185 for 1,000 leads
    • Team seats included at no extra cost
    • Credits roll over for two months on an active subscription
  • Pay as you go$undefined/month
    • Credit packs bought without subscription, reported from around $30 for 100 credits
    • No monthly commitment
    • Same research and generation features

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 Twain if

  • You need live prospect research.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want signal-based copywriting.
Twain review

Questions people ask

Is Clay or Twain better?
Neither clearly leads. Clay starts at Free and Twain at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Clay or Twain?
Clay starts at Free and Twain at Free.
Does Clay or Twain run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Clay for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Twain is typically brought in for.
What can Clay do that Twain cannot?
Clay covers Data enrichment, Contact management, Workflow automation, Integration. Twain covers Live prospect research, Signal-based copywriting, Persona matching, Bulk generation.

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
Twain: Is this the email critique tool from a few years ago?

No. Twain pivoted. The $19 a month email scoring assistant is gone. The current product is a research agent that generates outreach, priced per lead researched.

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
Twain: Does Twain send the emails?

No. It researches and writes. You still need a sequencer, and Twain is designed to plug into one via API.

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
Twain: Can I try it without paying?

Yes. The free tier covers 500 contacts with no card required.

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
Twain: Who does it compete with now?

Clay, Coldreach and Unify, not Lavender or Regie. The pivot moved it into a different category and a different budget line.

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