ClayFree plan
Paid from
$185 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Clay vs Pipedrive:
which should you use?
Clay and Pipedrive, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 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.
Pipedrive deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
PipedrivePaid only
Paid from
$24 a month
View plans and limitsThe 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.
| Category | Clay | Pipedrive | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | A spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon. | Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does. | Tie |
| Free plan | Yes. 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 | No. No free plan — a 14-day trial only, though it takes no credit card | Clay |
| Cheapest way to pay | $185 a month. | $24 a month. | Pipedrive |
| What the paid tiers cost |
|
| Tie |
| What to watch out for | 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. | No free plan, only a 14-day trial, though it asks for no card. Its pricing page refuses automated reading, so these figures were transcribed by hand. Annual billing takes 42 per cent off Lite but only about 20 off Growth and Ultimate, so the headline discount does not hold as you go up the ladder. | Tie |
| Made by | Clay — New York, US. | Pipedrive — Tallinn, EE. | Tie |
Neither leads on the 6 rows above: 1 each. The job decides it, not the table.
Clay or Pipedrive
Neither leads on the rows above — the job decides it.
✓ A spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon.
✓ You want to start without paying anything
✓ 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
Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.
Pipedrive 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.
✓ You want to start without paying anything
✓ 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
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.
| Row | Favours | Weight | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Clay | How well it does the job | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
| Cheapest way to pay | Pipedrive | Everything else | From 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
Pipedrive. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because Pipedrive cannot be read automatically: pipedrive.com refuses automation (403) and the support-article alternate carries no prices. Priced by hand from the Lite, Growth, Premium and Ultimate cards on both billing terms. pipedrive.com/en/pricing
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 fitPipedrive
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
Clay
Not a good fitPipedrive
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Clay
Not a good fitPipedrive
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Clay
Bad fitPipedrive
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Clay
Good fitPipedrive
Good fitBest choice: Tie
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Clay
Bad fitPipedrive
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Clay
Bad fitPipedrive
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Clay
Bad fitPipedrive
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Clay
Not a good fitPipedrive
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
Clay
Not a good fitPipedrive
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
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, USA spreadsheet where each row can call data providers and models, which makes research that used to take a week into an afternoon.
You want to start without paying anything
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
Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.
Tallinn, EEDeliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $24 against $185
No free plan — a 14-day trial only, though it takes no credit card
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.
Free version
Clay
Yes — Free plan availableFree plan with no strings attached: 500 actions and 100 data credits a month, unlimited seats
Pipedrive
No — paid from the startNo usable free tier
Individual plans
Clay
Launch
$185 / month$167 / month (annual)
Growth
$495 / month$446 / month (annual)
Pipedrive
Lite
$24 / month$14 / month (annual)
Growth
$49 / month$39 / month (annual)
Premium
$79 / month$59 / month (annual)
Ultimate
$99 / month$79 / month (annual)
Business plans
ClayNot sold to teams
PipedriveNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Clay
Custom pricing
PipedriveNot published
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; only Clay has a free plan; Pipedrive is cheaper to start paying for, $24 against $185.
6 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Clay or Pipedrive better?
Neither leads on the 6 rows above: 1 each. The job decides it, not the table. only Clay has a free plan; Pipedrive is cheaper to start paying for, $24 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. Pipedrive: Deliberately narrow — a pipeline, and the AI works on moving deals along it rather than on everything a company does.
Is Clay or Pipedrive cheaper?
Pipedrive — paid plans start at $24 a month against $185 a month.
Do Clay and Pipedrive both have free plans?
Clay does — 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. Pipedrive does not.
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. Pipedrive: No free plan, only a 14-day trial, though it asks for no card. Its pricing page refuses automated reading, so these figures were transcribed by hand. Annual billing takes 42 per cent off Lite but only about 20 off Growth and Ultimate, so the headline discount does not hold as you go up the ladder.
Read more
Clay
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Pipedrive
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.