Head to head
Clay vs ContactOut
As a data enrichment API, Clay rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 66.9 to 55, a 11.9-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Clay | ContactOut |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 66.9 | 55.0 |
Specifications
| Clay | ContactOut | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Multi-provider enrichment orchestration | LinkedIn-based email and phone lookup for recruiters and sales |
| Free tier | Free plan with limited credits (no card) | 5 emails, 5 phones, 5 exports/day in the app; API not included |
| Pricing | Data Credits + Actions | Credits (search, email, phone) on a quoted API plan |
| Official SDKs | 1 languages | 4 languages |
Is Clay better than ContactOut?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Clay rates higher (66.9 vs 55). It leads on the four weighted criteria, but price is reported separately, so the best choice still depends on your budget.
Verdict in one line
Clay leads by 11.9 points (66.9 vs 55) and wins 3 of 4 criteria; ContactOut wins 1.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 65 | 70 | |
| Reliability | 75 | 58 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 60 | 50 | |
| Accessibility | 68 | 35 |
Choose Clay if… / choose ContactOut if…
- →reliability matters most to you (75 vs 58)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (60 vs 50)
- →accessibility matters most to you (68 vs 35)
- →your use case matches its focus: multi-provider enrichment orchestration
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (70 vs 65)
- →you need broad SDK coverage (4 official SDKs vs 1)
- →your use case matches its focus: linkedin-based email and phone lookup for recruiters and sales
Pricing side by side
- Model
- Data Credits + Actions
- Free tier
- Free plan with limited credits (no card)
- Free$0/mo
- Launchfrom ~$167–185/mo (annual)
- Growthfrom ~$446–495/mo (annual)
- EnterpriseCustom (annual commitment, ~$30k/yr+ typical)
- Model
- Credits (search, email, phone) on a quoted API plan
- Free tier
- 5 emails, 5 phones, 5 exports/day in the app; API not included
- Free$0
- Email~$49-$99/mo (sources conflict)
- Email + Phone~$99-$199/mo (sources conflict)
- Team / APICustom quote
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Clay) and 2026-10-07 (ContactOut).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 0
None
Only Clay · 1
No official client SDK libraries published; integration is via HTTP API node, webhooks, and native CRM connectors
Only ContactOut · 4
REST API (token header auth)Webhooks for async bulk v2Third-party MCP via Composio and viaSocketNo official SDKs or OpenAPI spec found
Strengths and weaknesses
- +Waterfall enrichment chains 150+ data providers under one subscription, materially raising email/firmographic match rates versus any single source
- +Combines enrichment, AI web research (Claygent), and signal monitoring (funding, hiring, job changes, tech installs) in one platform
- +Spreadsheet-style table UI plus Clay University make complex multi-step enrichment accessible without code
- –Dual credit/action model causes fast, hard-to-predict credit burn; auto-recharge billing reportedly fires without advance warning
- –Steep learning curve, reviewers cite hours in week one and 2–3 weeks before workflows are reliable
- –Phone/mobile number coverage is weak (~30–35% match rate)
- +Public API reference with auth, endpoint credit rules and per-endpoint rate limits
- +Bulk enrichment up to 1,000 profiles per v2 job with webhook delivery
- +Boolean search, decision-maker and company endpoints plus email and phone verification
- –API is not on self-serve plans; Team/API requires a custom quote
- –Free app plan (5/5/5 per day) does not include API access
- –962 outages tracked by StatusGator over the past year, with a minor outage on the verification date
Clay vs ContactOut: questions
- Which has better documentation, Clay or ContactOut?
- ContactOut scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 70 vs 65 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Clay or ContactOut?
- Clay scores higher on reliability: 75 vs 58 out of 100.
- Do Clay and ContactOut have a free tier?
- Clay: yes (Free plan with limited credits (no card)). ContactOut: yes (5 emails, 5 phones, 5 exports/day in the app; API not included).
- How are Clay and ContactOut priced?
- Clay: Data Credits + Actions. ContactOut: Credits (search, email, phone) on a quoted API plan.
- Which has more official SDKs?
- ContactOut lists 4 official SDKs, Clay lists 1.