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Close vs Clay Comparison

Last updated:

Close

4.9(573 reviews)

Starting at $9 /user/month

  • Free Trial
  • Individuals
  • Freelancers / Consultants

Close is a sales engagement CRM built for SMBs that lets teams email, call, and text leads directly from the platform without additional add-ons. It includes Sequences, task reminders, and a Power Dialer, with all activi…

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…

Close leads on user satisfaction with a 4.9-star rating across 573 reviews.

Close vs Clay — at a glance

FeatureCloseClay
Rating4.9 / 54.7 / 5
Reviews573213
Starting price$9 /user/monthFree free
Free trial Yes Yes
Free version No No
Best forIndividuals, Freelancers / Consultants, Medium BusinessSmall Business, Mid-Market, Enterprise
CategoryCRM SoftwareLead Generation Software
Integrations1+ apps
PlatformsSaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOSCloud
APIAvailableAvailable
Support modesBusiness Hours, OnlineEmail Support, Live Chat, Help Center, Knowledge Base, Community Forum
CertificationsSOC 2, GDPR
Data residencyUS

Key differences between Close and Clay

  • Pricing: Close starts at $9 /user/month, while Clay starts at Free free.
  • Target audience: Close is built for Individuals and Freelancers / Consultants, while Clay targets Small Business and Mid-Market.
  • User satisfaction: Close scores higher with a 4.9-star average.
  • Deployment: Close supports SaaS/Web/Cloud, Mobile - Android, Mobile - iOS; Clay supports Cloud.

Close vs Clay — find the better fit before you commit.

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 CRM 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.

Close - CRM Software
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Biggest differences

Start here before you go deeper into features.

Close

Best for

Individuals, Freelancers / Consultants, Medium Business

Clay

Best for

Small Business, Mid-Market, Enterprise

Close typically suits Individuals and Freelancers / Consultants. Clay tends to fit Small Business and Mid-Market better. The right choice depends on your team size, workflow, and whether a free trial matters.

Description

Close is a sales engagement CRM built for SMBs that lets teams email, call, and text leads directly from the platform without additional add-ons. It includes Sequences, task reminders, and ... Read More about Close

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

Entry Level Pricing

  • Starts from $9 , yearly
  • Starts from Free

Free Trial Availability

SpotScore

What's this? ↗

8.6/10

9.4/10

User Ratings

Based on verified Spotsaas reviews

4.88

(573)

Best Company Size

5–100 employees
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

Close

  • All-in-One Communication: Hub Close integrates calling, emailing, and texting directly into the CRM, eliminating the need for third-party tools. This unified approach increases efficiency and reduces costs for growing sales teams.
  • Built for Productivity: With features like Sequences, Power Dialer, and task reminders, Close helps sales reps stay organized, automate outreach, and follow up with leads at the right time — all of which drive higher conversion rates.
  • Transparent Collaboration with Coaching Tools: The single timeline view gives complete team visibility on lead activities, and the built-in call coaching lets sales leaders mentor and improve team performance directly within the platform.

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

Close

  • 5–100 employees
  • SaaS, Marketing Agencies, E-commerce, EdTech, Consulting Services, B2B Tech, Remote-first Startups
  • Account Executives, Sales Development Representatives, Sales Managers, Founders, Revenue Operations Managers, Customer Success Managers

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
Watchouts

Reasons buyers look elsewhere

Close

  • Close is specifically built for SMBs, so larger enterprises with complex sales processes or deeper customization needs may seek platforms with more robust enterprise features.
  • While strong on sales engagement, Close doesn’t offer native marketing automation or lead nurturing workflows that other CRMs like HubSpot or ActiveCampaign may provide.
  • Users looking for highly customizable or advanced analytics and forecasting capabilities may find Close’s reporting features less extensive compared to solutions like Salesforce or Zoho CRM.

Clay

No alternatives guidance available yet.

Software Demo

Demo

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How do Close and Clay Compare on Features?

Total Features

15 Features

8 Features

Unique Features

No unique features

No unique features

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Compare Close and Clay 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

      • $9 , yearly
      • Free

      Pricing Plans

      • Solo

        $19

        /user/month

        • Everything in Essential but:

        • Limited to 1 user

        • Limited to 10k leads

      • Essentials

        $49

        /user/month

        • Unlimited contacts & leads

        • Multiple pipelines

        • Advanced lead & activity filters

        Show more +

      • Growth

        $109

        /user/month

        • Everything in Essentials plus:

        • Automated workflows

        • Power Dialer

        Show more +

      • Browse all pricing plans

      Pricing Page

      Close pricing

      Pricing information not available

      Other Details

      Organization Types supported

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

      Platforms Supported

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

      Modes of support

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

      API Support

      • Available
      • Available
      Get help choosing
      Get help choosing

      Security & Compliance

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

      SOC 2

      ✓ Yes

      HIPAA

      ✗ No

      GDPR

      ✓ Yes

      ISO 27001

      ✗ No

      Single Sign-On (SSO)

      ✓ Yes

      Multi-Factor Auth (MFA)

      ✓ Yes

      Data Encryption

      ✓ Yes

      Audit Logs

      ✓ Yes

      Data Residency

      🇺🇸 US

      Close User Reviews & Rating Comparison

      User Ratings

      4.7

      (based on 213 reviews)

      Rating Distribution

      604

      31

      1

      2

      1

      0

      0

      0

      0

      0

      Spotsaas Editor’s POV generated by AI

      Buyer sentiment

      Buyer sentiment is very strong across 639 reviews, with consistently positive feedback.

      What buyers like

      • Provides a centralized CRM platform for managing leads, calls, emails, and workflows in one place.
      • Interface is easy to navigate, with straightforward setup and strong support for onboarding and troubleshooting.
      • Automation features including smart views, predictive dialing, and workflows reduce manual effort in sales processes.

      Common complaints

      • Reporting features are limited and could be more in-depth, especially for tracking lead lists and success rates by category.
      • Some users find the cost of calling features and overall pricing high, although they believe the value justifies it.
      • Occasional technical glitches like software crashes and dialer issues with integrations such as JustCall.

      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.

      Pros and Cons

      • Provides a centralized, all-in-one CRM platform for managing leads, calls, emails, and workflows seamlessly, saving time and boosting productivity.

      • Intuitive and user-friendly interface with easy setup and excellent support for onboarding and troubleshooting.

      • Highly efficient automation features like smart views, predictive dialing, and workflows that reduce manual effort and streamline sales processes.

      • Reporting features are limited and could be more in-depth, especially for tracking lead lists and success rates by category.

      • Some users find the cost of calling features and overall pricing high, although they believe the value justifies it.

      • 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.

      Positive Reviews

      No reviews available for the product

      No reviews available for the product

      Used Close or Clay? Tell buyers what actually differs.

      Integrations

      Integration with other apps

      No Integration information available.

      List of Customers

      Customers

      Toggl

      Toggl

      Bench

      Bench

      Freightview

      Freightview

      No Customers information available.

      Media and Screenshots

      Screenshots

      All Leads

      12 Screenshots

      No screenshots available.

      Videos

      video-0

      1 Videos

      No videos available.

      Top Alternatives to Close and Clay in 2026

      Alternatives

      No Alternative products available.

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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, Close or Clay?
      Close edges out the other on user ratings (4.9 vs 4.7). That said, the best pick depends on your use case — use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
      Do Close and Clay offer a free trial?
      Yes, both Close and Clay offer a free trial.
      What is the starting price of Close vs Clay?
      Close starts at $9 /user/month. Clay starts at Free free.
      What are the top alternatives to Close?
      Top alternatives to Close include Bigin by Zoho CRM, Creatio CRM, ClickUp, Zoho CRM, Freshsales.