ClayFree plan
Paid from
$185 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Clay vs Zoho CRM:
which should you use?
Clay and Zoho CRM, 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.
Zoho CRM a full CRM with its own in-house AI, at a price well below the American incumbents, and a free edition for up to three users.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
Zoho CRMFree plan
Paid from
$20 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 | Zoho CRM | 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. | A full CRM with its own in-house AI, at a price well below the American incumbents, and a free edition for up to three users. | 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 | Yes. Free edition, forever free for up to 3 users and no card required: contact management, follow-up reminders, workflow automation, custom email templates, tasks, meetings and calls, data import and export, and standard reports | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | $185 a month. | $20 a month. | Zoho CRM |
| 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. | The suite is enormous and the parts vary in polish. The AI agents only start at Professional, so the free edition and Standard are a CRM without them, and annual billing runs 20 to 34 per cent below month to month depending on the tier. | Tie |
| Made by | Clay — New York, US. | Zoho — Chennai, IN. | Tie |
Zoho CRM 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.
Zoho CRM
A full CRM with its own in-house AI, at a price well below the American incumbents, and a free edition for up to three users.
✓ A full CRM with its own in-house AI, at a price well below the American incumbents, and a free edition for up to three users.
✓ You want the cheaper paid plan, $20 against $185
✓ Free edition, forever free for up to 3 users and no card required: contact management, follow-up reminders, workflow automation, custom email templates, tasks, meetings and calls, data import and export, and standard reports
✓ It is aimed at working professionals
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.
| Row | Favours | Weight | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to pay | Zoho CRM | 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
Zoho CRM. Read by hand off zoho.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. zoho.com/crm/zohocrm-pricing.html
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 fitZoho CRM
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 fitZoho CRM
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Clay
Not a good fitZoho CRM
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Clay
Bad fitZoho CRM
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Clay
Good fitZoho CRM
Good fitBest choice: Tie
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Clay
Bad fitZoho CRM
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Clay
Bad fitZoho CRM
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Clay
Bad fitZoho CRM
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Clay
Not a good fitZoho CRM
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 fitZoho CRM
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.
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
A full CRM with its own in-house AI, at a price well below the American incumbents, and a free edition for up to three users.
by ZohoA full CRM with its own in-house AI, at a price well below the American incumbents, and a free edition for up to three users.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $20 against $185
Free edition, forever free for up to 3 users and no card required: contact management, follow-up reminders, workflow automation, custom email templates, tasks, meetings and calls, data import and export, and standard reports
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
Zoho CRM
Yes — Free plan availableFree edition, forever free for up to 3 users and no card required: contact management
Individual plans
Clay
Launch
$185 / month$167 / month (annual)
Growth
$495 / month$446 / month (annual)
Zoho CRM
Standard
$20 / month$14 / month (annual)
Professional
$35 / month$23 / month (annual)
Business plans
ClayNot sold to teams
Zoho CRMNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Clay
Custom pricing
Zoho CRM
From $50 / user / monthFrom $40 / user / month (annual)
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; Zoho CRM is cheaper to start paying for, $20 against $185.
6 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Clay or Zoho CRM better?
Zoho CRM 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; Zoho CRM is cheaper to start paying for, $20 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. Zoho CRM: A full CRM with its own in-house AI, at a price well below the American incumbents, and a free edition for up to three users.
Is Clay or Zoho CRM cheaper?
Zoho CRM — paid plans start at $20 a month against $185 a month.
Do Clay and Zoho CRM 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. Zoho CRM: Free edition, forever free for up to 3 users and no card required: contact management, follow-up reminders, workflow automation, custom email templates, tasks, meetings and calls, data import and export, and standard reports.
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. Zoho CRM: The suite is enormous and the parts vary in polish. The AI agents only start at Professional, so the free edition and Standard are a CRM without them, and annual billing runs 20 to 34 per cent below month to month depending on the tier.
Read more
Clay
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Zoho CRM
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.