Best Clay Alternatives for B2B Data Enrichment

Clay has become popular for data enrichment and GTM automation, but it's not the only option—and depending on your needs, it might not even be the best one. Clay starts at $149/month for just 2,000 credits, and those credits burn fast. Phone enrichments can cost 8+ credits per record, and if you're running high-volume campaigns, you'll blow through your allocation in days.

The bigger problem? Clay doesn't own any data. It's a workflow orchestration layer that pulls from 100+ third-party providers. That means you're trusting data quality to sources that vary wildly in accuracy, and compliance becomes a nightmare when you're dealing with multiple vendors.

If you need simpler prospecting, all-in-one sales engagement, or just want predictable pricing, there are better options. Here's what actually works.

Apollo.io: Best All-in-One Alternative

Apollo is what you pick when you want prospecting, enrichment, and outreach in one platform. It has a proprietary database of 275+ million contacts and 73+ million companies, plus built-in email sequencing and a dialer.

Unlike Clay's spreadsheet-style interface, Apollo gives you a traditional sales platform. You search for leads, enrich them, and launch sequences—all without switching tools. The database includes 65+ search filters: industry, company size, technologies used, buyer intent signals, job postings, and funding events.

Pricing:

What's good: You get everything in one login. Prospecting, enrichment, sequences, calling, and analytics. The waterfall enrichment feature (added recently) checks multiple providers when Apollo's own database misses, pushing match rates from 58% to 79% in testing.

What sucks: Pricing scales with headcount, so it gets expensive fast for larger teams. Some users report data accuracy issues, especially with phone numbers. The interface feels dated compared to newer tools. And while it has more features than Clay, it's less flexible—you're locked into Apollo's workflow.

Best for: Teams that want everything in one place and don't need the extreme customization Clay offers. If you're willing to trade flexibility for simplicity, Apollo works.

Instantly.ai: Budget-Friendly with Lead Enrichment

Instantly started as a cold email platform, but it now includes SuperSearch—a lead database with 450+ million contacts and waterfall enrichment across 5+ providers.

The standout feature is the pricing model. Outreach plans start at $37/month with unlimited email accounts and unlimited warmup. Lead enrichment uses a separate credit system: 1-2 credits to find a verified email, 0.5 credits for each enrichment like technographics or funding data.

Pricing:

What's good: Instantly has flat-fee outreach with unlimited accounts, so you don't pay per seat. Credits are cheaper than Clay's. The AI Reply Agent can handle inbound responses for 5 credits each. And unlike Clay, it includes native cold email sending—no need for a separate tool like Smartlead or Lemlist.

What sucks: The lead database is smaller than Apollo or ZoomInfo. Credits don't roll over month-to-month. The CRM features are new and still missing functionality. It's not built for complex workflow automation like Clay.

Best for: Agencies or teams running high-volume cold email who want affordable lead enrichment baked into their sending tool. If you're already using cold email software, this consolidates your stack.

Check out Instantly here.

Cognism: Best for Compliance and EMEA Coverage

Cognism is built for teams that need verified mobile numbers, especially in Europe. It owns its data (unlike Clay) and offers phone-verified contact info with GDPR-first design covering 13 Do-Not-Call registries globally.

The platform's Diamond Data delivers contact info verified by real people, not just algorithms. Match rates for mobiles in EMEA are significantly higher than US-focused alternatives. It also includes intent data and real-time updates.

Pricing: Custom pricing, typically $8,000-$15,000 annually for growing teams. Enterprise plans go higher.

What's good: Data quality is top-tier. Compliance is baked in—critical if you're prospecting internationally. The Sales Companion Chrome extension makes prospecting fast. You get verified mobiles, not just emails. And because Cognism owns the data, there's no waterfall enrichment guesswork.

What sucks: It's expensive. The pricing is opaque—you have to request a quote. Smaller teams or startups will find it prohibitive. And it's overkill if you're only prospecting in the US.

Best for: Enterprise teams or anyone doing outbound in Europe who needs accurate, compliant mobile numbers. If you're calling prospects and emails aren't enough, Cognism is worth the cost.

ZoomInfo: Enterprise-Grade Database

ZoomInfo has the largest proprietary B2B database: 321 million professionals across 104 million companies. It's the go-to for enterprises that need comprehensive coverage and advanced features like intent data, technographics, and conversation intelligence (Chorus).

The platform includes Websights (identifies anonymous website visitors), FormComplete (enriches web forms), and SalesOS for prospecting with real-time buyer intent signals.

Pricing: Custom pricing. Expect to pay significantly more than Clay—often $15,000+ annually depending on seats and features.

What's good: The database is massive and regularly updated. Advanced features like intent data and conversation intelligence are built-in. Integration with Salesforce and other CRMs is seamless. Data accuracy is generally high.

What sucks: It's expensive and overkill for small teams. Contracts are typically annual with no month-to-month option. The interface is complex, with a steep learning curve. And smaller companies report being locked into long-term agreements with hefty penalties for canceling.

Best for: Large sales orgs with budget and the need for the most comprehensive data available. If you're a startup or SMB, this is probably too much tool (and too much money).

Smartlead: Cold Email Platform with Clay Integration

Smartlead is primarily a cold email sending platform, but it integrates natively with Clay for lead enrichment. It also launched SmartProspect, a built-in lead finder with 300+ million verified profiles and a flat $59/month maintenance fee (plus credits for unlocked leads).

The main draw is unlimited mailboxes on all plans and advanced deliverability features like AI-powered warmups, inbox placement testing, and sender reputation protection.

Pricing: Starts at $39/month for cold email outreach. SmartProspect adds $59/month for maintenance plus 1 credit per verified contact (using your existing plan's credit allowance).

What's good: Unlimited mailboxes mean you can scale sending without seat-based pricing penalties. The Clay integration is native, so enriched data flows directly into campaigns. Deliverability features are strong—better than most alternatives. And the SmartProspect addition removes the need for a separate prospecting tool.

What sucks: SmartProspect is new, so the database and feature set are still maturing. It's not as robust as Apollo or ZoomInfo for pure prospecting. And if you don't need cold email sending, you're paying for features you won't use.

Best for: Teams that prioritize email deliverability and want enrichment integrated into their sending workflow. If you're already using Clay, Smartlead is the best execution layer.

Try Smartlead here.

UpLead: Simple and Affordable

UpLead focuses on one thing: providing accurate B2B contact data without the complexity of Clay or Apollo. It has 155+ million contacts, real-time email verification, and a straightforward interface.

Pricing is transparent and credit-based. You pay for what you download, and there's a 95% data accuracy guarantee—if the email bounces, you get the credit back.

Pricing: Essentials at $99/month (170 credits), Plus at $199/month (400 credits), Professional starting at $399/month (1,000 credits). Credits don't expire as long as your subscription is active.

What's good: It's simple to use. Real-time email verification means fewer bounces. The data accuracy guarantee removes risk. Advanced filters let you search by technologies used, company size, revenue, and more. Chrome extension makes prospecting from LinkedIn easy.

What sucks: No outreach features—you'll need a separate tool for sequences. The database is smaller than Apollo or ZoomInfo. And while it's cheaper than Clay per contact, it's not as flexible for complex workflows.

Best for: Small teams or solopreneurs who need clean contact data without the bloat. If you just want emails and don't need automation, this works.

Lusha: Quick Contact Lookup

Lusha specializes in fast contact data retrieval with a Chrome extension that pulls emails and phone numbers directly from LinkedIn, Salesforce, or company websites. It's designed for reps who need data on-the-fly, not bulk enrichment.

Pricing: Free plan with 5 credits/month. Pro at $39/user/month (480 credits/year), Premium at $69/user/month (960 credits/year), Scale (custom pricing).

What's good: The Chrome extension is fast and works on LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Data quality is decent, especially for North American contacts. CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and others are native. Intent data helps prioritize outreach.

What sucks: Credit limits are tight on lower plans. International coverage is weaker. Pricing adds up quickly for teams. And it's not built for bulk enrichment—it's designed for one-off lookups.

Best for: Sales reps who need quick contact info while prospecting on LinkedIn. Not ideal for bulk enrichment or automated workflows.

Which Clay Alternative Should You Pick?

Here's the short version:

Clay is powerful, but it's not the best fit for everyone. If you're spending hours building waterfalls and managing credit budgets, you're probably overcomplicating it. Most teams just need good data and a way to reach prospects—these alternatives do that without the overhead.

For more tools, check out our guides on best sales intelligence tools and best cold email software.