Clay vs Closely: Data Enrichment Tool vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare Clay (data enrichment tool) and Closely (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Clay is a data enrichment tool built for B2B lead data and contact enrichment, listing 150+ data provider integrations and AI-powered enrichment through Claygent, priced from $185/mo. Closely is a sales engagement platform for multichannel outreach across LinkedIn and email, priced from $49/mo. Many teams run both.
Key takeaways
- Clay's entry-level Launch plan costs $185/mo and starts at 15,000 actions per month.
- Closely's entry-level Starter plan costs $49/mo and includes 1 LinkedIn account with unlimited email accounts.
- Closely offers 4 pricing tiers, Starter, Growth, Essential, and Custom, compared to Clay's 3 tiers, Launch, Growth, and Enterprise.
- Clay lists 150+ data provider integrations and AI-powered enrichment called Claygent as core features.
- Clay and Closely both list Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive as shared integrations.
Reviewed and updated September 5, 2026
Clay vs Closely: Data Enrichment Tool vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Clay is a data enrichment tool; Closely is a sales engagement platform. Whether you need one, the other, or both depends on which part of the workflow you are buying for: B2B lead data and contact enrichment on one side, multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking on the other. This guide lays out what each vendor publishes.
The Quick Answer
Clay is a data enrichment tool for B2B lead data and contact enrichment; Closely is a sales engagement platform for multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking. By each vendor's own wording, Clay lists 150+ data provider integrations and ai-powered enrichment (claygent), and Closely lists multichannel campaigns across linkedin and email and conditional sequence builder.
Closely offers a lower entry point at $49/mo compared to Clay at $185/mo.
If your priority is finding accurate contact data for target accounts, Clay is the one built for it; for coordinating outreach across email, phone, and social channels, that is Closely. Many teams run one of each.
Understanding the Core Difference
Clay is Data enrichment and workflow automation platform with 150+ integrations and AI-powered enrichment (Claygent).
Closely is Outbound platform that runs automated campaigns across LinkedIn and email from a shared sender, with a conditional sequence builder, unified inbox, contact enrichment and AI personalization agents.
The two platforms take different approaches to solving the same core challenge.
Pricing Comparison
Launch
Starter
Clay Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | $185/mo | From 15,000 actions/month |
| Growth | $495/mo | From 40,000 actions/month |
| Enterprise | Contact Sales | Custom |
Source: Clay Pricing
Closely Pricing (as of September 2026)
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $49/mo | 1 LinkedIn account, unlimited email accounts |
| Growth | $127/mo | 3 LinkedIn accounts, unlimited email accounts, 3,000 bonus credits/mo |
| Essential | $205/mo | 5 LinkedIn accounts, unlimited email accounts, 5,000 bonus credits/mo |
| Custom | Contact Sales | Unlimited seats, custom LinkedIn accounts and credits |
Source: Closely Pricing
Pricing Analysis
Closely offers the lower entry point ($49/mo vs $185/mo). Teams watching their budget will appreciate the savings, especially when starting out.
Closely offers 4 pricing tiers compared to Clay's 3, giving you more granularity as you scale.
Features Breakdown
- 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
- Multichannel campaigns across LinkedIn and email
- Conditional sequence builder
- Smart Inbox unifying LinkedIn and email replies
- LinkedIn account warmup
- Dedicated residential IP for each LinkedIn account
- OAuth Gmail and Outlook connection plus custom SMTP
- and 4 more listed below
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
Closely Key Features
- Multichannel campaigns across LinkedIn and email
- Conditional sequence builder
- Smart Inbox unifying LinkedIn and email replies
- LinkedIn account warmup
- Dedicated residential IP for each LinkedIn account
- OAuth Gmail and Outlook connection plus custom SMTP
- Email finder with a multi-step fallback process
- Phone number finder
- AI lead scoring and personalization agents
- Export from Sales Navigator, LinkedIn posts and events
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 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
Listed only by Closely
- Multichannel campaigns across LinkedIn and email
- Conditional sequence builder
- Smart Inbox unifying LinkedIn and email replies
- LinkedIn account warmup
- Dedicated residential IP for each LinkedIn account
- OAuth Gmail and Outlook connection plus custom SMTP
- Email finder with a multi-step fallback process
- Phone number finder
- AI lead scoring and personalization agents
- Export from Sales Navigator, LinkedIn posts and events
Integration Ecosystem
Clay Integrations
Clay connects with: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Close, Apollo.io, Clearbit, ZoomInfo, Lemlist, Instantly, Smartlead, OpenAI, Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion.
Closely Integrations
Closely connects with: Salesforce, Pipedrive, HubSpot, GoHighLevel, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, SMTP, Webhooks.
Shared Integrations
Both tools integrate with: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive.
Integrations listed only by Clay: Close, Apollo.io, Clearbit, ZoomInfo, Lemlist, Instantly, Smartlead, OpenAI, Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion.
Integrations listed only by Closely: GoHighLevel, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, SMTP, Webhooks.
Use Case Recommendations
Best Fit for Clay
- Mid-market to enterprise teams with established B2B lead data and contact enrichment budgets
- Organizations with complex tech stacks needing broad integration support (14 integrations)
- Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support
Best Fit for Closely
- Budget-conscious teams looking for an affordable sales engagement platform
- Teams that need a wide feature set (10 capabilities listed)
- Enterprise buyers who prefer custom pricing and dedicated support
Feature Comparison Summary
| Feature | Clay | Closely |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $185/mo | $49/mo |
| Top Tier Price | Contact Sales | Contact Sales |
| Total Features Listed | 9 | 10 |
| Integrations | 14 | 8 |
Getting Started Checklist
- Define your B2B lead data and contact enrichment and multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking requirements and monthly budget
- Estimate your expected data credits or contact lookups and sequences and engagement actions to find the right tier
- List the integrations your team currently relies on
- Sign up for free trials or demos of both platforms
- Run a small test with each tool before making a commitment
- Evaluate the onboarding experience and support quality
Final Thoughts
Clay serves the B2B lead data and contact enrichment side of an outbound stack and Closely the multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking side. Closely offers a more accessible entry point at $49/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 Clay and Closely for current information.
Frequently asked questions.
Frequently asked questions- What is the main difference between Clay and Closely?
- Clay is a data enrichment tool focused on B2B lead data and contact enrichment, while Closely is a sales engagement platform focused on multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking. Clay lists 150+ data provider integrations and AI-powered enrichment via Claygent, while Closely lists multichannel campaigns across LinkedIn and email plus a conditional sequence builder.
- Which is cheaper, Clay or Closely?
- Closely has the lower entry price at $49/mo for its Starter plan, compared to Clay's Launch plan at $185/mo. Closely also offers 4 pricing tiers overall, versus Clay's 3, giving more granularity as a team scales up.
- Do Clay and Closely integrate with the same tools?
- They share three integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive. Beyond that, Clay lists integrations such as Close, Apollo.io, Clearbit, ZoomInfo, Lemlist, Instantly, Smartlead, OpenAI, Google Sheets, Airtable, and Notion, while Closely lists GoHighLevel, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, SMTP, and Webhooks.
- Can I use Clay and Closely together?
- Yes, the article notes that many teams run one of each since they serve different parts of the workflow. Clay handles B2B lead data and contact enrichment, while Closely handles multi-channel sales outreach and engagement tracking, so the two tools address separate stages rather than competing directly.
- What features does Closely offer that Clay doesn't list?
- Closely lists features including multichannel campaigns across LinkedIn and email, a conditional sequence builder, a Smart Inbox unifying LinkedIn and email replies, LinkedIn account warmup, a dedicated residential IP for each LinkedIn account, an email finder with a multi-step fallback process, a phone number finder, and AI lead scoring and personalization agents, none of which appear on Clay's own feature list.
About the author.
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 →Explore more.
Ready to scale your outreach?
We build GTM engines that book real meetings. See the receipts.
Related articles.
AroundDeal vs Leadspicker: Data Enrichment Tool vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare AroundDeal (data enrichment tool) and Leadspicker (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Gong vs NeverBounce: Sales Engagement Platform vs Data Enrichment Tool Comparison
Gong vs NeverBounce: what Gong's own pages say about enrichment, what NeverBounce's API returns about an address, and how each vendor prices.
ContactOut vs Luru: Data Enrichment Tool vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare ContactOut (data enrichment tool) and Luru (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Enrich Layer vs La Growth Machine: Data Enrichment Tool vs Sales Engagement Platform Comparison
Compare Enrich Layer (data enrichment tool) and La Growth Machine (sales engagement platform) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
Leadspicker vs NeverBounce: Sales Engagement Platform vs Data Enrichment Tool Comparison
Compare Leadspicker (sales engagement platform) and NeverBounce (data enrichment tool) side by side. See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.
11x vs Adapt.io: Sales Engagement Platform vs Data Enrichment Tool Comparison
Compare 11x (sales engagement platform) and Adapt.io (data enrichment tool). See pricing, features, and integrations to decide which one, or both, your stack needs.