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Sales Intelligence & B2B Data

Clay vs Apollo.io: Which B2B Data Tool Fits Your Team in 2026?

These are not like-for-like. Clay buys data from 200+ providers and runs enrichment workflows on a per-workspace plan with unlimited seats. Apollo.io sells its own contact database plus sequencing, priced per user. Here is what each costs and which job each fits.

By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 27, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Clay logoFree; Launch from $185/mo monthly or $167/mo annual, unlimited seats

Clay

VS
Apollo.io logoFrom $49/user/mo (published)

Apollo.io

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
Clay vs Apollo.ioVerified Sep 27, 2026
Bill Belcamino
Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Should a small sales team use Clay or Apollo.io for prospect data?

It turns on one question: do you need a single database to prospect from, or a way to combine many?

Apollo.io is from $49 a user with its own 240M contacts and built-in sequences, while Clay bills per workspace with unlimited seats from $167 a month on annual billing, and its real meter is Launch's 2,500 Data Credits and 15,000 Actions a month, with extra credits at 30% more. A big database number tells you little. What matters is how many of your own target accounts come back with a contact who is still in the job, and B2B data goes stale as people move on. I'd put the same 100 target accounts through both free plans and count usable contacts and credits spent, not rows returned. One or two reps who mostly need emails should start on Apollo; four or more people who already pull data from several sources are where Clay's pricing makes sense.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 27, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

Heads up: Clay and Apollo.io do different jobs. Clay is an enrichment and workflow layer that pulls from many data providers (Apollo among them); Apollo.io is a database with its own sequencing. Many teams run both, so compare the job, not just the price.

Verified data

Clay vs Apollo.io: quick facts

At a glanceClayApollo.io
CategorySales Intelligence & B2B Data
Entry priceFree; Launch from $185/mo monthly or $167/mo annual, unlimited seatsFrom $49/user/mo (published)
Free planYes: 100 Data Credits and 500 Actions a month, unlimited seatsYes — 900 credits/seat/yr (granted monthly)

Is Clay cheaper than Apollo.io?

For one to three users Apollo.io is cheaper: $49 a user against Clay Launch at $167 a month (annual) or $185 (monthly). Because Clay charges per workspace with unlimited seats, the lines cross at four users: 4 Apollo seats are $196 a month. The catch is volume: Clay Launch includes 2,500 Data Credits and 15,000 Actions a month, and extra credits cost 30% more than plan rates. Both have free plans: Clay gives 100 Data Credits and 500 Actions a month, Apollo gives 900 credits per seat a year.

Verified data

Clay vs Apollo.io at a glance

CategoryClayApollo.io
What it isData orchestration: buy data from 200+ providers, AI research, workflowsIts own B2B database (240M contacts, 30M companies) plus sequencing
Billing unitPer workspace, unlimited seatsPer user
Entry paid priceLaunch from $185/mo monthly, $167/mo annualFrom $49/user/mo (published)
Included usageLaunch: 2,500 Data Credits and 15,000 Actions a monthSee vendor pricing page
Next tierGrowth from $495/mo monthly, $446/mo annual (6,000 credits, 40,000 Actions)See vendor pricing page
Free plan100 Data Credits and 500 Actions a month, 200 rows per table900 credits per seat a year, granted monthly
OverageBuy more at a 30% premium (Launch, Growth)Add credits any time
SequencingTable-based email campaigns on Launch and upBuilt-in sequencing platform
Trial14-day trialTrial with 50 credits

Verified September 27, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Prices in USD from clay.com/pricing and Clay’s plans-and-billing docs, checked September 27, 2026. Clay’s annual toggle says Save 10%; Launch and Growth prices are an Actions tier plus a Data Credits tier and rise if you pick bigger tiers. Apollo.io uses HelpCompare’s verified Apollo listing.

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

Apollo.io answers “who should we contact and how do we reach them” from one database. Clay answers “what do we know about this account” by querying many providers, AI agents and your own data, then sending the result somewhere else. Clay even has an Apollo.io integration that enriches people and companies from Apollo and adds contacts to Apollo sequences.

Two meters on Clay

Clay counts Data Credits (buying third-party data) and Actions (each enrichment or workflow step; every AI prompt is one Action). Launch includes 2,500 credits and 15,000 Actions a month, Growth 6,000 and 40,000. On monthly plans unused Data Credits roll over up to 2 times your monthly allowance; annual plans roll over up to 15% of the yearly credits.

Seats

Clay plans include unlimited seats on every tier, including Free. Apollo.io prices each user, so a 10-person team pays for 10 seats.

Moving between them

There is no one-click switch, and mostly you are moving lists, not a database. Export contacts from Apollo.io to CSV (saved contacts may use export credits) and import the CSV into a Clay table, or connect Apollo inside Clay. Going the other way, download a Clay table as CSV and import it in Apollo under People, Import, CSV.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

Clay

Pros

  • Unlimited seats on every plan
  • Buys data from 200+ providers in one place
  • Built-in email campaigns from Launch
  • Sends data to HubSpot, Salesforce, Sheets and more

Cons

  • Launch starts at $167 to $185 a month
  • Two usage meters to budget (credits and Actions)
  • Extra credits cost 30% more
  • Free plan caps tables at 200 rows

Apollo.io

Pros

  • From $49 a user, cheap for small teams
  • Own database of 240M contacts and 30M companies
  • Sequencing built in
  • Free plan with 900 credits per seat a year

Cons

  • Cost grows with every seat
  • One data source instead of many
  • Exporting saved contacts can use export credits
  • Not a workflow or enrichment engine
Verified data

Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?

Clay

 
$0/mo

Apollo.io

 
$0/mo
 

List prices checked September 27, 2026. Clay bills per workspace with unlimited seats; the Launch and Growth prices shown are the entry Actions and Data Credits tiers, and heavier usage costs more. Apollo.io is per user. This compares seats only, not data volume. Taxes not included.

Choose Clay if…

You combine several data sources, research accounts with AI, or feed a CRM and sequencer with enriched data, and you have four or more people who need access.

Choose Apollo.io if…

You are a small team that wants one database, built-in sequences and a simple per-seat bill starting at $49.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to pick your B2B data tool?

Both have free plans. Run the same 100 target accounts through each: count Clay credits and Actions used, and Apollo credits used, then price a month at your real volume.

See Clay pricing See Apollo.io pricing
Verified data

Clay vs Apollo.io: security, offline & remote work

How Clay and Apollo.io compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedClayApollo.io
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001Not publishedCertifiedsource
Other certificationsNot publishedCASA Tier 2source
HIPAA (BAA)Not publishedNot published
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesEnterprisesourceYesOrganizationsource
SCIM user provisioningNot publishedYesOrganizationsource
Two-factor authenticationNot publishedYesEnforcement: Basic (any paid plan)source
Admin audit logNot publishedNot published
Data residency choicesNot publishedUS onlysource
EncryptionNot publishedEncrypted in transit and at rest (algorithms not stated publicly)source
Self-hosting optionNot publishedNot published
Offline access
Offline modeNot documentedNot documented
Desktop appsNot publishedNot published
Mobile appsNot publishedNonesource
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedYesOrganizationsource
Device & session controlsNot publishedYesOrganizationAdmin-set session timeout (1 to 30 days) and a cap on failed login attempts per 24 hours.source
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: both publish a SOC 2 report, and Apollo.io also holds ISO/IEC 27001. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
  • Single sign-on: Clay includes it on Enterprise; Apollo.io includes it on Organization. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Working offline: Clay and Apollo.io don’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • Office-only access: Apollo.io can restrict sign-ins to approved IP ranges on Organization. That suits an office network or a company VPN; fully remote teams need a VPN for it to work.

Clay: worth knowing

  • NoteEvery Clay plan, including Free, includes unlimited seats. source
  • NoteClay tables download as CSV from the Actions menu, Export. source

Apollo.io: worth knowing

  • RemoteSince August 28, 2026 Apollo has no mobile app; reps on phones must use app.apollo.io in a mobile browser. source
  • SecurityApollo's SCIM provisioning only works with Okta or Microsoft Entra ID SAML, not with Google or Microsoft OAuth sign-in. source
  • SecurityAdvanced security settings (IP allowlisting, SSO, login controls) are listed on Apollo's Organization plan. source

Checked September 27, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Clay cheaper than Apollo.io?

For small teams, no: Apollo.io is from $49 a user, Clay Launch is from $167 a month on annual billing or $185 monthly. Clay includes unlimited seats, so at four or more users it can cost less, depending on your data volume. Prices checked September 27, 2026.

Is Clay a replacement for Apollo.io?

Not directly. Apollo.io is a contact database with sequencing; Clay pulls data from many providers, including Apollo through its integration, and runs enrichment workflows. Many teams use Clay on top of a database.

What are Clay Data Credits and Actions?

Data Credits pay for third-party data; Actions count each enrichment or workflow step, and every AI prompt is one Action. Launch includes 2,500 credits and 15,000 Actions a month.

Does Clay charge per seat?

No. Every Clay plan, including Free, lists unlimited seats.

Migration Guides

Already decided? Here’s how to actually switch.

Step-by-step migration guides covering what transfers automatically, what doesn’t, and how to handle the gap — in both directions.

Switching from Clay to Apollo.io Switching from Apollo.io to Clay
Editorial assessment

When to Buy — and When to Walk Away

Every “best sales intelligence tool” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which Clay or Apollo.io is the wrong purchase for your team.

Clay

Buy Clay if:

  • You combine several data providers
  • Several people need access without per-seat cost
  • You enrich and route data into a CRM

Do NOT buy Clay if:

  • You are one or two reps who just need emails
  • You cannot predict monthly data volume
  • You want a single database with sequences

Apollo.io

Buy Apollo.io if:

  • You want one database plus sequences
  • You are a small team on a tight budget
  • You want a simple per-seat bill

Do NOT buy Apollo.io if:

  • You need data from many providers
  • Your team is large and seat costs add up
  • You need custom enrichment workflows

Canonical data for the tools on this page

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.

ClayPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›Apollo.ioPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Lusha vs Apollo.ioHead-to-head comparisonApollo.io vs ZoomInfoHead-to-head comparisonLusha vs ZoomInfoHead-to-head comparison

Sources

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.

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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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Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.

01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.116 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent nine years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 27, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

Read Bill’s story How we verify pricingSpot an error? Tell Bill