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Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

Clay vs HubSpot:
which should you use?

Clay and HubSpot, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.

Find your best fit

The 30-second answer

Clay a spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon. HubSpot the free CRM is genuinely usable rather than a demo, and the AI reaches across contacts, email and content once you pay.

Pricing, simplified

Start free. Upgrade when you need more.

2 of 2 have a free plan 0 of 2 prices re-read automatically · how we know No paid placement

The 30-second comparison

If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.

Clay and HubSpot side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryClayHubSpotBetter fit
What it's built forA spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon.The free CRM is genuinely usable rather than a demo, and the AI reaches across contacts, email and content once you pay.Tie
Free planYes. Free plan with no strings attached: 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, unlimited seats and tables, up to 200 rows a table, multi-provider waterfalls, Claygent enrichment and your own API keysYes. Free plan at $0/month for up to 2 users, free indefinitely rather than a trial and no card requiredTie
Cheapest way to pay$185 a month.$10 a month.HubSpot
What the paid tiers cost
  • One person, from $185/month
  • Enterprise, priced on request
  • One person, from $10/month
  • Enterprise, from $3600/month
Tie
What to watch out forCredits, not seats, so the bill tracks how much you run rather than how many people use it. The paid rates are starting points that the action and data-credit selectors push upward. Easy to spend a lot without noticing.The free tier is the on-ramp and the jump to paid is steep. The listed prices cover Marketing Hub; the Sales, Service, Content and Data hubs are each priced separately.Tie
Made byClay — New York, US.HubSpot — Cambridge, US.Tie

HubSpot is ahead on 1 of the 6 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Clay are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation.

Ahead on the small print

HubSpot

The free CRM is genuinely usable rather than a demo, and the AI reaches across contacts, email and content once you pay.

✓ The free CRM is genuinely usable rather than a demo, and the AI reaches across contacts, email and content once you pay. ✓ You want the cheaper paid plan, $10 against $185 ✓ Free plan at $0/month for up to 2 users, free indefinitely rather than a trial and no card required ✓ It is aimed at working professionals
Choose Clay instead if…

A spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon.

Clay is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.

✓ A spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon. ✓ Free plan with no strings attached: 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, unlimited seats and tables, up to 200 rows a table, multi-provider waterfalls, Claygent enrichment and your own API keys ✓ It is aimed at working professionals ✓ Paid plans start at $185 a month

How we know

Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.

The 1 row that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
Cheapest way to payHubSpotEverything elseFrom each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below.

The prices

Clay. Read by hand off clay.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. clay.com/pricing

HubSpot. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because HubSpot cannot be read automatically: hubspot.com returns 200 with the plans drawn in JavaScript; the browser step found no amounts either. Priced by hand from the Marketing Hub tab, which has its own monthly/annual toggle. hubspot.com/pricing/marketing

The ratings

The category these two share. Business, Finance & Professional Work — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.

The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.

What this is not

Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.

To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.

Choose based on what you’re doing

All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.

01

General-Purpose AI Assistants

Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.

Clay
Not a good fit
HubSpot
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
02

Search, Research & Academics

Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.

Clay
Not a good fit
HubSpot
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
03

Writing, Communication & Language

Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.

Clay
Not a good fit
HubSpot
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.

Clay
Bad fit
HubSpot
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

Clay
Good fit
HubSpot
Good fit
Best choice: Tie
06

Image & Design

Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.

Clay
Bad fit
HubSpot
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
07

Video

Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.

Clay
Bad fit
HubSpot
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
08

Audio, Voice & Music

Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.

Clay
Bad fit
HubSpot
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
09

Marketing & Content Creation

Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.

Clay
Not a good fit
HubSpot
Good fit
Best choice: HubSpot
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.

Clay
Not a good fit
HubSpot
Not a good fit
Best choice: Neither
Pick Clay if

A spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon.

New York, US
A spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon.
Free plan with no strings attached: 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, unlimited seats and tables, up to 200 rows a table, multi-provider waterfalls, Claygent enrichment and your own API keys
It is aimed at working professionals
Paid plans start at $185 a month
Pick HubSpot if

The free CRM is genuinely usable rather than a demo, and the AI reaches across contacts, email and content once you pay.

Cambridge, US
The free CRM is genuinely usable rather than a demo, and the AI reaches across contacts, email and content once you pay.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $10 against $185
Free plan at $0/month for up to 2 users, free indefinitely rather than a trial and no card required
It is aimed at working professionals

Pricing, simplified

The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Clayby Clay
HubSpotby HubSpot
Free version
Clay
Yes — Free plan availableFree plan with no strings attached: 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, unlimited seats
HubSpot
Yes — Free plan availableFree plan at $0/month for up to 2 users, free indefinitely rather than a trial and no card
Individual plans
Clay
Launch $185 / month$167 / month (annual)
Growth $495 / month$446 / month (annual)
HubSpot
Marketing Hub Starter $10 / month$7 / month (annual)
Marketing Hub Professional $890 / month$800 / month (annual)
Business plans
ClayNot sold to teams
HubSpotNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Clay
Custom pricing
HubSpot
From $3600 / user / monthMarketing Hub Enterprise
View full details
ClayView Clay pricing
HubSpotView HubSpot pricing
Interactive

Tell us what you use AI for

Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.

The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Close call. Both cover business, finance & professional work at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on; HubSpot is cheaper to start paying for, $10 against $185.
6 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is Clay or HubSpot better?

HubSpot is ahead on 1 of the 6 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Clay are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation. both have a free plan you can start on; HubSpot is cheaper to start paying for, $10 against $185. Clay: A spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon. HubSpot: The free CRM is genuinely usable rather than a demo, and the AI reaches across contacts, email and content once you pay.

Is Clay or HubSpot cheaper?

HubSpot — paid plans start at $10 a month against $185 a month.

Do Clay and HubSpot both have free plans?

Yes. Clay: Free plan with no strings attached: 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, unlimited seats and tables, up to 200 rows a table, multi-provider waterfalls, Claygent enrichment and your own API keys. HubSpot: Free plan at $0/month for up to 2 users, free indefinitely rather than a trial and no card required.

What should I watch out for?

Clay: Credits, not seats, so the bill tracks how much you run rather than how many people use it. The paid rates are starting points that the action and data-credit selectors push upward. Easy to spend a lot without noticing. HubSpot: The free tier is the on-ramp and the jump to paid is steep. The listed prices cover Marketing Hub; the Sales, Service, Content and Data hubs are each priced separately.

Read more

Clay

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

HubSpot

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Best AI for Business

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

How we compare AI tools
Every row is generated from the same record the rest of the site is built on, so this page cannot drift from what we say elsewhere. We separate winner, tie and depends rather than forcing each category into a ranking, and we drop rows where both sides say the same thing. A pick is only called an overall pick when it leads on rows about how well the tool does the job; a lead that rests on price or audience alone is labelled as one. Nothing here is a hands-on test — how we know lists the source and date behind every deciding row.