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Clay vs VanillaSoft vs AroundDeal vs CrankWheel Comparison

Last updated:

Clay

4.7(213 reviews)

Starting at Free free

  • Free Trial
  • Small Business
  • Mid-Market

Clay is a GTM data enrichment and automation platform that combines 100+ data providers into a single spreadsheet-like interface. Teams use Clay to build highly targeted prospect lists, enrich CRM records with real-time…

VanillaSoft

4.4(965 reviews)

Starting at $80 /User/Month

  • Free Trial
  • Large Enterprises
  • Medium Business

VanillaSoft is the Sales Engagement Platform for global sales organizations. Essential functions like Account, Product and Contact management are realigned with how salespeople engage with their customers and collaborate…

AroundDeal

3.5(73 reviews)

Starting at Contact for pricing

  • Large Enterprises
  • Medium Business

AroundDeal is the ultimate tool for B2B marketing initiatives. Our extension helps you quickly and accurately identify leads necessary to close deals faster. We provide you with a list of high-quality, high-value prospec…

CrankWheel

5.0(30 reviews)

Starting at $89 /Month

  • Large Enterprises
  • Medium Business

CrankWheel provides instant screen-sharing and helps you to quickly reduce your sales cycle by half. It can broadcast your visual presentation from your phone in just 10 seconds, simplifying the process of responding to…

Clay leads on user satisfaction with a 4.7-star rating across 213 reviews.

Clay vs VanillaSoft vs AroundDeal vs CrankWheel — at a glance

FeatureClayVanillaSoftAroundDealCrankWheel
Rating4.7 / 54.4 / 53.5 / 55.0 / 5
Reviews2139657330
Starting priceFree free$80 /User/MonthContact for pricing$89 /Month
Free trial Yes Yes No No
Free version No No No No
Best forSmall Business, Mid-Market, EnterpriseLarge Enterprises, Medium Business, Small BusinessLarge Enterprises, Medium Business, Small BusinessLarge Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business
CategoryLead Generation SoftwareSales Engagement SoftwareSales Intelligence SoftwareSales Engagement Software
PlatformsCloudSaaS/Web/CloudSaaS/Web/CloudSaaS/Web/Cloud, Installed - Windows, Installed - Mac
APIAvailableAvailable
Support modesEmail Support, Live Chat, Help Center, Knowledge Base, Community ForumBusiness Hours, OnlineOnline24/7 (Live rep), Business Hours, Online
Certifications
Data residencyGlobalUS

Key differences between Clay and VanillaSoft

  • Pricing: Clay starts at Free free, while VanillaSoft starts at $80 /User/Month.
  • Target audience: Clay is built for Small Business and Mid-Market, while VanillaSoft targets Large Enterprises and Medium Business.
  • User satisfaction: Clay scores higher with a 4.7-star average.
  • Deployment: Clay supports Cloud; VanillaSoft supports SaaS/Web/Cloud.

Compare Clay vs VanillaSoft vs AroundDeal vs CrankWheel — and walk away knowing which one fits.

01

Which tool fits your team best

02

Which is actually cheaper for your team size

03

Where each product wins, per real buyers

Most Lead Generation Software tools look identical on paper. This comparison cuts to the differences that matter — pricing structure, team fit, and what real buyers found after signing up.

Clay logo
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VanillaSoft - Sales Engagement Software
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Biggest differences

Start here before you go deeper into features.

Clay

Best for

Small Business, Mid-Market, Enterprise

VanillaSoft

Best for outbound sales teams needing efficient high-volume call management.

Choose if
  • You run a small to medium outbound sales or call center team.
  • You need a simple, user-friendly platform with quick setup.
  • You want integrated calendar scheduling across multiple time zones.
Consider alternatives if
  • Your organization requires extensive customization and complex integrations.
  • You need a wide variety of marketplace apps and advanced connectors.

AroundDeal

Best for

Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business

CrankWheel

Best for

Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business

Clay typically suits Small Business and Mid-Market. VanillaSoft tends to fit Large Enterprises and Medium Business better. The right choice depends on your team size, workflow, and whether a free trial matters.

Description

Clay is a GTM data enrichment and automation platform that combines 100+ data providers into a single spreadsheet-like interface. Teams use Clay to build highly targeted prospect lists, ... Read More about Clay

VanillaSoft is the Sales Engagement Platform for global sales organizations. Essential functions like Account, Product and Contact management are realigned with how salespeople engage with ... Read More about VanillaSoft

AroundDeal is the ultimate tool for B2B marketing initiatives. Our extension helps you quickly and accurately identify leads necessary to close deals faster. We provide you with a list of ... Read More about AroundDeal

CrankWheel provides instant screen-sharing and helps you to quickly reduce your sales cycle by half. It can broadcast your visual presentation from your phone in just 10 seconds, ... Read More about CrankWheel

Entry Level Pricing

  • Starts from Free
  • Starts from $80
  • Not Available
  • Starts from $89

Free Trial Availability

  • No free trial
  • No free trial

SpotScore

What's this? ↗

9.4/10

9.3/10

Not Available

Not Available

User Ratings

Based on verified Spotsaas reviews

3.5

(73)

Best Company Size

Small BusinessMedium Business
Get pricing help
Get pricing help
Get pricing help

Where each option fits best

See where each product is strongest, which teams it fits, and what causes buyers to keep looking — before you commit.

Based on buyer reviews and verified product data collected by Spotsaas.

Strengths

Key strengths

Clay

  • Best-in-Class Data Coverage: By routing enrichment requests through 100+ providers in priority order, Clay delivers higher email/phone match rates than any single-vendor enrichment tool.
  • Eliminates Manual Research: Claygent automates the browsing, extraction, and summarization tasks that previously required hours of manual SDR research per prospect.
  • Personalization at Scale: Clay generates unique, context-aware messaging for each prospect based on their LinkedIn activity, company news, and job postings — at list scale.
Best fit

Best fit

Clay

  • RevOps teams enriching CRM records for 5,000+ accounts
  • SDR teams building ICP prospect lists with custom signals
  • Agencies building automated outbound pipelines for clients

Software Demo

Demo

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Step 1 of 4

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We tailor recommendations to companies your size.

Trusted by teams at

How do Clay, VanillaSoft, AroundDeal and CrankWheel Compare on Features?

Total Features

8 Features

13 Features

5 Features

6 Features

Unique Features

No unique features

No unique features

No unique features

No unique features

Get Quote
Get Quote
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Compare Clay, VanillaSoft, AroundDeal and CrankWheel on pricing

Review starting price, plan structure, and free-trial access side by side so you can see which option fits your budget and buying process.

Pricing Option

          Starting From

          • Free
          • $80
          • Not Available
          • $89

          Pricing Plans

          • Not Available
          • Not Available
          • Not Available

          Pricing Page

          Pricing information not available

          VanillaSoft pricing

          Pricing information not available

          CrankWheel pricing

          Other Details

          Organization Types supported

          • Large Enterprises
          • Medium Business
          • Small Business
          • Freelancers
          • Individuals
          • Large Enterprises
          • Medium Business
          • Small Business
          • Freelancers
          • Individuals
          • Large Enterprises
          • Medium Business
          • Small Business
          • Freelancers
          • Individuals
          • Large Enterprises
          • Medium Business
          • Small Business
          • Freelancers
          • Individuals

          Platforms Supported

          • Browser Based (Cloud)
          • Installed - Windows
          • Installed - Mac
          • Mobile - Android
          • Mobile - iOS
          • Browser Based (Cloud)
          • Browser Based (Cloud)
          • Installed - Windows
          • Installed - Mac
          • Mobile - Android
          • Mobile - iOS
          • Browser Based (Cloud)
          • Browser Based (Cloud)
          • Installed - Windows
          • Installed - Mac
          • Mobile - Android
          • Mobile - iOS
          • Browser Based (Cloud)
          • Browser Based (Cloud)
          • Installed - Windows
          • Installed - Mac
          • Mobile - Android
          • Mobile - iOS
          • Browser Based (Cloud)

          Modes of support

          • 24/7 (Live rep)
          • Business Hours
          • Online
          • 24/7 (Live rep)
          • Business Hours
          • Online
          • 24/7 (Live rep)
          • Business Hours
          • Online
          • 24/7 (Live rep)
          • Business Hours
          • Online

          API Support

          • Available
          • Not Available
          • Not Available
          • Available
          Get help choosing
          Get help choosing
          Get help choosing

          Security & Compliance

          Certifications, data handling, and security controls for IT and compliance evaluators.

          HIPAA

          Data Residency

          🌐 Global

          Clay vs VanillaSoft vs AroundDeal User Reviews & Rating Comparison

          User Ratings

          4.7

          (based on 213 reviews)

          5

          (based on 30 reviews)

          Rating Distribution

          0

          0

          0

          0

          0

          425

          99

          19

          6

          2

          124

          16

          11

          0

          3

          0

          0

          0

          0

          0

          Spotsaas Editor’s POV generated by AI

          Buyer sentiment

          Buyer sentiment is very strong across 213 reviews, with consistently positive feedback.

          What buyers like

          • Waterfall enrichment across 100+ providers means the best available data — email, phone, firmographics — without manually juggling multiple vendor subscriptions.
          • Claygent AI agent can browse websites, extract custom signals, and write personalized email copy, removing the most time-consuming parts of manual prospecting.
          • Deep CRM integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot keep enriched data in sync without manual exports.

          Common complaints

          • Credit-based pricing can become expensive quickly at volume — users report costs escalating unexpectedly as teams scale their enrichment workflows.
          • The learning curve is steep for non-technical users; building effective Clay tables often requires understanding of APIs, webhooks, and data modeling concepts.

          Buyer sentiment

          Overall positive sentiment highlights ease of use and outbound call efficiency, tempered by concerns over limited customization and occasional bugs.

          What buyers like

          • Ease of use
          • Outbound call efficiency
          • Calendar integration

          Common complaints

          • Limited customization
          • Minor bugs

          Buyer sentiment

          Buyer sentiment is mixed to positive across 154 reviews, with clear strengths and a few common watchouts.

          What buyers like

          • Identifies high-quality leads
          • Access to LinkedIn data
          • Deep insights

          Common complaints

          • Limited to B2B
          • Pricing can be high
          • Data accuracy issues

          Buyer sentiment

          Buyer sentiment is very strong across 30 reviews, with consistently positive feedback.

          What buyers like

          • Instant screen-sharing
          • Reduces sales cycle
          • Easy customer invitations

          Common complaints

          • Limited to screen-sharing
          • May require internet connection
          • Not suitable for large presentations

          Pros and Cons

          • Waterfall enrichment across 100+ providers means the best available data — email, phone, firmographics — without manually juggling multiple vendor subscriptions.

          • Claygent AI agent can browse websites, extract custom signals, and write personalized email copy, removing the most time-consuming parts of manual prospecting.

          • Deep CRM integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot keep enriched data in sync without manual exports.

          • Credit-based pricing can become expensive quickly at volume — users report costs escalating unexpectedly as teams scale their enrichment workflows.

          • The learning curve is steep for non-technical users; building effective Clay tables often requires understanding of APIs, webhooks, and data modeling concepts.

          • Efficient handling of volume outbound calls

          • User-friendly interface with easy implementation

          • Calendar integration for scheduling leads across time zones

          • Limited customization options

          • Marketplace lacks variety of apps and connectors

          • Access to extensive LinkedIn data for lead generation.

          • User-friendly interface for quick navigation.

          • Deep insights help in decision-making.

          • Limited to B2B applications.

          • Pricing may be high for smaller businesses.

          • Quick and easy screen-sharing capabilities

          • Reduces sales cycle time significantly

          • Real-time engagement enhances customer experience

          • Limited features beyond screen-sharing

          • Requires stable internet connection

          Positive Reviews

          No reviews available for the product

          No reviews available for the product

          No reviews available for the product

          No reviews available for the product

          Negative Reviews

          No reviews available for the product

          No reviews available for the product

          No reviews available for the product

          No reviews available for the product

          Used Clay, VanillaSoft, AroundDeal, or CrankWheel? Tell buyers what actually differs.

          List of Customers

          Customers

          No Customers information available.

          The SALT Group

          The SALT Group

          SalesRoads

          SalesRoads

          Education Affiliates

          Education Affiliates

          No Customers information available.

          CrankWheel_customers_0

          CrankWheel_customers_0

          CrankWheel_customers_1

          CrankWheel_customers_1

          CrankWheel_customers_2

          CrankWheel_customers_2

          Media and Screenshots

          Screenshots

          No screenshots available.

          Lead routing integration

          7 Screenshots

          Videos

          No videos available.

          video-0

          5 Videos

          Alternatives

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          Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].

          Frequently asked questions

          Which is better, Clay or VanillaSoft?
          Clay edges out the other on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.4). That said, the best pick depends on your use case — use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
          Do Clay and VanillaSoft offer a free trial?
          Yes, both Clay and VanillaSoft offer a free trial.
          What is the starting price of Clay vs VanillaSoft?
          Clay starts at Free free. VanillaSoft starts at $80 /User/Month.
          What are the top alternatives to VanillaSoft?
          Top alternatives to VanillaSoft include AroundDeal, CrankWheel, ZoomInfo Engage, EngageBay, Sales Desk.