Moving from Clay to Apollo.io means downloading your Clay tables as CSV and importing them as Apollo contacts, then using Apollo’s own database and sequences.
For one to three users it usually is, since Apollo.io is $49 a user against Clay Launch from $167 a month on annual billing, as long as you can live without Clay's workflows.
Clay workflows, AI research columns and multi-provider enrichment have no Apollo equivalent, so you're trading them for one database and built-in sequences. The import is plain CSV: split files over 10,000 rows, keep a company name, website, LinkedIn URL or email on every row, and expect big lists to take several weeks under Apollo's weekly limits. What people forget to carry over is the do-not-contact list. Export everyone who unsubscribed, bounced, said no or is already a customer, and make sure they're excluded in Apollo before the first sequence goes out, because emailing people who opted out hurts your sender reputation and can break anti-spam rules. Leave enrichment off during the import until you've seen Apollo's credit estimate.
My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 27, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill
Most buyers only budget for the new subscription. This estimates the hidden labor, data-cleanup, and retraining cost of actually making the switch.
Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.
Apollo.io is from $49 a user, with no separate Actions meter.
240M contacts and 30M companies in one place.
Prospect and send from the same tool.
Apollo recommends splitting large CSVs rather than importing files over 10,000 rows.
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1Download Clay tables | In each table open the Actions menu, then Export, and click Download CSV. |
| 2Clean the files | Keep one row per person with at least a company name, company website, LinkedIn URL or email, which Apollo requires. |
| 3Set up Apollo.io | Start free (900 credits per seat a year) or on a paid plan from $49 a user, and invite your reps. |
| 4Import to Apollo | Go to People, Import, CSV, map columns, set owner and list, and choose whether to enrich; enrichment on import uses credits. |
| 5Rebuild sequences | Recreate your email steps as Apollo sequences. |
| 6Cancel Clay | Once lists are in Apollo, cancel Clay at the end of its term. |
What this path doesn’t do for you:
Clay workflows, AI research columns and multi-provider enrichment have no Apollo.io equivalent. Apollo’s weekly import limits depend on what you spend with Apollo, so very large lists may need to go in over several weeks.
| Plan | Clay | Apollo.io |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Per workspace, unlimited seats | Per user |
| Free plan | 100 Data Credits, 500 Actions a month | 900 credits per seat a year |
| Entry paid | Launch from $185/mo monthly, $167 annual | From $49/user/mo |
| Next tier | Growth from $495/mo monthly, $446 annual | See vendor pricing page |
US list prices checked on each vendor’s pricing page on September 27, 2026. Prices for tools HelpCompare already covers reuse their verified listings.
| Capability | Clay | Apollo.io |
|---|---|---|
| Own contact database | No; buys from 200+ providers | Yes (240M contacts) |
| Sequencing | Table-based campaigns from Launch | Built in |
| Seats | Unlimited on every plan | Per user |
Going the other direction, or want the full comparison first?
Read the Clay vs Apollo.io comparison Switching from Apollo.io to Clay instead?Security, offline and access rules that differ between Clay and Apollo.io. Rows where both tools are the same (2) are left out; the full side-by-side is on each tool’s page: Clay, Apollo.io.
| What changes | Clay (today) | Apollo.io (after) |
|---|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 27001 | Not published | Certifiedsource |
| Other certifications | Not published | CASA Tier 2source |
| Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC) | YesEnterprisesource | YesOrganizationsource |
| SCIM user provisioning | Not published | YesOrganizationsource |
| Two-factor authentication | Not published | YesEnforcement: Basic (any paid plan)source |
| Data residency choices | Not published | US onlysource |
| Encryption | Not published | Encrypted in transit and at rest (algorithms not stated publicly)source |
| Mobile apps | Not published | Nonesource |
| IP allowlisting | Not published | YesOrganizationsource |
| Device & session controls | Not published | YesOrganizationAdmin-set session timeout (1 to 30 days) and a cap on failed login attempts per 24 hours.source |
No. Download each table as CSV from Clay and import it in Apollo under People, Import, CSV.
Only if you turn on enrichment during the import; Apollo shows a credit estimate first.
For one to three users, yes: $49 a user against Clay Launch from $167 a month on annual billing.
Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.
Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.
Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.
Verified prices costed for your team size, a check against your must-have requirements, the questions to settle before you sign, and a source for every figure. Print it, or paste it into an email to whoever approves the spend.
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