Tool Comparisons

    Act! vs Clay: CRM Platform vs Data Enrichment Tool Comparison

    Compare Act! (CRM platform) and Clay (data enrichment tool) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.

    Side-by-side panels: Act! vs Clay (CRM Platform, Data Enrichment Tool)
    September 2, 2026Updated September 4, 20266 min read
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    The short answer

    Act! is a CRM platform for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking, priced from $30/mo, while Clay is a data enrichment tool for B2B lead data and contact enrichment, priced from $185/mo. Act! suits budget-conscious teams organizing contacts and tracking deals, while Clay suits teams finding accurate contact data for target accounts. Many teams run both.

    Key takeaways

    • Act! Advantage Standard starts at $30/mo and includes Basic Email Marketing with 2,500 sends per month.
    • Clay's Launch plan starts at $185/mo and includes actions from 15,000 per month.
    • Act! offers 5 pricing tiers while Clay offers 3 pricing tiers.
    • Clay lists 150+ data provider integrations and AI-powered enrichment called Claygent as key features.
    • Act! integrates with Outlook, Slack, Shopify, and QuickBooks Online, while Clay integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Apollo.io, and ZoomInfo.

    Reviewed and updated September 4, 2026

    Act! vs Clay: CRM Platform vs Data Enrichment Tool Comparison

    Act! (CRM platform) and Clay (data enrichment tool) sit next to each other in many outbound stacks. They are not substitutes for each other on every job, so this comparison covers pricing, features, and integrations for each and points out where the two meet.

    The Quick Answer

    Act! is a CRM platform for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking; Clay is a data enrichment tool for B2B lead data and contact enrichment. By each vendor's own wording, Act! lists full-featured crm and mobile app and email marketing, and Clay lists 150+ data provider integrations and ai-powered enrichment (claygent).

    Act! offers a lower entry point at $30/mo compared to Clay at $185/mo.

    If your priority is organizing contacts, tracking deals, and forecasting revenue, Act! is the one built for it; for finding accurate contact data for target accounts, that is Clay. Many teams run one of each.

    Understanding the Core Difference

    Act! is Act! is a CRM and marketing automation platform for small and midsize businesses that unites sales, marketing and customer management in one platform. It is sold as Act! Advantage cloud plans and an Act! Premium Desktop on-premises edition.

    Clay is Data enrichment and workflow automation platform with 150+ integrations and AI-powered enrichment (Claygent).

    The two platforms take different approaches to solving the same core challenge.

    Pricing Comparison

    Pricing table: Pricing Comparison (Act, Clay, Act Advantage Standard, Launch)

    $30/moAct! entry plan

    Act! Advantage Standard

    $185/moClay entry plan

    Launch

    Entry pricing for Act! and Clay, as published on each vendor's own pricing page.

    Act! Pricing (as of September 2026)

    PlanPriceEmails
    Act! Advantage Standard$30/moBasic Email Marketing (includes 2,500 sends/mo)
    Act! Advantage Professional$45/moEmail Marketing Plus (includes 25,000 sends/mo)
    Act! Advantage Ultimate$60/moMarketing Automation (includes 50,000 sends/mo)
    Act! Premium Desktop$40/mo-
    Enterprise EngagementContact Sales-

    Source: Act! Pricing

    Clay Pricing (as of September 2026)

    PlanPriceContacts
    Launch$185/moFrom 15,000 actions/month
    Growth$495/moFrom 40,000 actions/month
    EnterpriseContact SalesCustom

    Source: Clay Pricing

    Pricing Analysis

    Act! is more affordable at the entry level ($30/mo vs $185/mo). For teams with tight budgets or those just getting started with customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking and B2B lead data and contact enrichment, this price difference matters.

    Act! offers 5 pricing tiers compared to Clay's 3, giving you more granularity as you scale.

    Features Breakdown

    Act! lists
    • Full-featured CRM and mobile app
    • Email marketing
    • Interactive quotes and payments
    • Online appointment scheduling
    • Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
    • Reports and interactive dashboards
    • and 4 more listed below
    Clay lists
    • 150+ data provider integrations
    • AI-powered enrichment (Claygent)
    • Unlimited users on all plans
    • Credit rollover
    • Workflow automation
    • Data waterfall enrichment
    • and 3 more listed below
    What Act! and Clay each list on their own pages. The split is by exact wording, so a capability both offer can appear on both sides under different names.

    Act! Key Features

    • Full-featured CRM and mobile app
    • Email marketing
    • Interactive quotes and payments
    • Online appointment scheduling
    • Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
    • Reports and interactive dashboards
    • Marketing automation
    • Lead scoring
    • Project management
    • Accounting integration

    Clay Key Features

    • 150+ data provider integrations
    • AI-powered enrichment (Claygent)
    • Unlimited users on all plans
    • Credit rollover
    • Workflow automation
    • Data waterfall enrichment
    • Custom API key support
    • HTTP API integration
    • Webhooks

    The two lists below are a diff of each vendor's own feature list by exact wording, so a capability both tools offer can appear on either side under a different name.

    Listed only by Act!

    • Full-featured CRM and mobile app
    • Email marketing
    • Interactive quotes and payments
    • Online appointment scheduling
    • Forms, surveys, website chat and event management
    • Reports and interactive dashboards
    • Marketing automation
    • Lead scoring
    • Project management
    • Accounting integration

    Listed only by Clay

    • 150+ data provider integrations
    • AI-powered enrichment (Claygent)
    • Unlimited users on all plans
    • Credit rollover
    • Workflow automation
    • Data waterfall enrichment
    • Custom API key support
    • HTTP API integration
    • Webhooks

    Integration Ecosystem

    Integration schematic: Integration Ecosystem (Act, Clay, Salesforce, HubSpot)

    Act! Integrations

    Act! connects with: Outlook, Google Contacts, Slack, Eventbrite, SurveyMonkey, Wufoo, BigCommerce, Ecwid, Shopify, Volusion, Facebook, Freshdesk, Zendesk, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Xero.

    Clay Integrations

    Clay connects with: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Close, Apollo.io, Clearbit, ZoomInfo, Lemlist, Instantly, Smartlead, OpenAI, Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion.

    Integrations listed only by Act!: Outlook, Google Contacts, Slack, Eventbrite, SurveyMonkey, Wufoo, BigCommerce, Ecwid, Shopify, Volusion, Facebook, Freshdesk, Zendesk, FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Xero.

    Integrations listed only by Clay: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Close, Apollo.io, Clearbit, ZoomInfo, Lemlist, Instantly, Smartlead, OpenAI, Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion.

    Use Case Recommendations

    Best Fit for Act!

    • Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable CRM platform
    • Teams that need a wide feature set (10 capabilities listed)
    • Organizations with complex tech stacks needing broad integration support (16 integrations)
    • Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support

    Best Fit for Clay

    • Mid-market to enterprise teams with established B2B lead data and contact enrichment budgets
    • Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support
    • Revenue operations teams building targeted prospect lists
    • Marketing teams enriching CRM data for segmentation

    Feature Comparison Summary

    FeatureAct!Clay
    Starting Price$30/mo$185/mo
    Top Tier PriceContact SalesContact Sales
    Total Features Listed109
    Integrations1614

    Getting Started Checklist

    Before-and-after steps: Getting Started Checklist (Define customer relationship, Estimate expected contacts, List integrations, Sign up)

    1. Define your customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking and B2B lead data and contact enrichment requirements and monthly budget
    2. Estimate your expected contacts and deals and data credits or contact lookups to find the right tier
    3. List the integrations your team currently relies on
    4. Sign up for free trials or demos of both platforms
    5. Run a small test with each tool before making a commitment
    6. Evaluate the onboarding experience and support quality

    Final Thoughts

    Act! serves the customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking side of an outbound stack and Clay the B2B lead data and contact enrichment side. Act! offers a more accessible entry point at $30/mo, while Clay starts at $185/mo. Your decision should weigh pricing against the specific features that matter most for your workflow.

    Start with a trial of each to see which platform fits your team's daily process. The best tool is the one your team actually uses consistently.

    Pricing and features verified as of September 2026. Visit Act! and Clay for current information.

    Questions

    Frequently asked questions.

    Frequently asked questions
    What is the main difference between Act! and Clay?
    Act! is a CRM platform for customer relationship management and sales pipeline tracking, while Clay is a data enrichment tool for B2B lead data and contact enrichment. Act! lists a full-featured CRM and mobile app and email marketing, while Clay lists 150+ data provider integrations and AI-powered enrichment called Claygent.
    Which is cheaper, Act! or Clay?
    Act! is cheaper at the entry level, starting at $30/mo compared to Clay's $185/mo starting price. Act! also offers 5 pricing tiers versus Clay's 3, giving more granularity for teams as they scale their usage.
    Can Act! and Clay be used together?
    Yes, many teams run one of each since they solve different problems in an outbound stack. Act! organizes contacts, tracks deals, and forecasts revenue, while Clay finds accurate contact data for target accounts, so the two tools complement rather than replace each other.
    What integrations does Clay support?
    Clay connects with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Close, Apollo.io, Clearbit, ZoomInfo, Lemlist, Instantly, Smartlead, OpenAI, Google Sheets, Airtable, and Notion. This integration set is focused on sales tools, enrichment providers, outbound platforms, and productivity apps.
    Who should choose Act! over Clay?
    Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable CRM platform, teams that need a wide feature set with 10 listed capabilities, and organizations with complex tech stacks needing broad integrations are the best fit for Act! according to the article's use case recommendations.
    Act!ClayCRM PlatformData Enrichment ToolComparisoncrmdata-enrichment
    Byline

    About the author.

    Tim Carden

    Tim Carden is CMO / CTO at RevenueFlow, which builds and operates outbound revenue engines for B2B companies. Studied at McGill University.

    Tim Carden · CMO / CTO

    Connect on LinkedIn →
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