Free Clay alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

5 of the 9 Clay alternatives we track can be used for free (free, open source, or with a free plan). Apollo.io, Lusha and Hunter rank highest, with facts last verified Nov 8, 2026.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Verified price	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Apollo.io	Free plan + paid	—	No	Web, Browser extension	4 of 4	68.8
2	Lusha	Free plan + paid	—	No	Web, Browser extension	4 of 4	61.8
3	Hunter	Free plan + paid	$49/month (Starter, monthly)	No	Web, Browser extension	8 of 8	57.5
4	Bardeen	Free plan + paid	$10/month (Basic)	No	Web, Browser extension	5 of 5	42.3
5	PhantomBuster	Free plan + paid	$69/month ($56 billed annually)	No	Web, Browser extension	4 of 4	42.3

1. Apollo.ioTop pick
Best for: Startups and small sales teams that want contact data and outreach sequencing in one affordable tool
Free plan + paidWeb, Browser extension
68.8
score / 100
Why switch from Clay
Own contact database plus sequences in one cheaper tool, without building enrichment workflows yourself.
Pros
Free plan with no time limit for light prospecting
Data, email sequences and dialer in one product
Chrome extension reveals contacts while browsing
Syncs with Salesforce, HubSpot and other common tools
Cons
Credit system: unused credits expire each billing cycle
Free plan can only connect Gmail inboxes
API access is limited to custom plans
Visit Apollo.io Compare with Clay Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.3100
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Apollo.io a good Clay alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Free plan
Yes, no time limit
Checked Nov 8, 2026apollo.io(opens source in a new tab)
Database
240M+ contacts, 30M+ accounts
Checked Nov 8, 2026apollo.io(opens source in a new tab)
Integrations
Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach and more
Checked Nov 8, 2026apollo.io(opens source in a new tab)
Credit rollover
No
Checked Nov 8, 2026apollo.io(opens source in a new tab)
2. Lusha
Best for: SDRs, recruiters and small sales teams who mainly need emails and phone numbers fast
Free plan + paidWeb, Browser extension
61.8
score / 100
Why switch from Clay
Much simpler: look up emails and phone numbers from a browser extension, with a free plan.
Pros
Free plan with monthly credits
Clear credit costs per email and per phone number
Chrome extension, API and MCP access to the same data
Paid plans can be cancelled at any time
Cons
Phone numbers cost five times as many credits as emails
Free plan's 40 credits run out quickly
No built-in email sequencing like Apollo
Visit Lusha Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.377
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Lusha a good Clay alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Free plan
40 credits per month
Checked Nov 8, 2026lusha.com(opens source in a new tab)
Email reveal
1 credit
Checked Nov 8, 2026lusha.com(opens source in a new tab)
Phone reveal
5 credits
Checked Nov 8, 2026lusha.com(opens source in a new tab)
Cancellation
Any time
Checked Nov 8, 2026lusha.com(opens source in a new tab)
3. Hunter
Best for: Small teams, marketers and link builders who need accurate work email addresses and simple cold email
Free plan + paidWeb, Browser extension
57.5
score / 100
Why switch from Clay
Focused email finding and verification at a lower, more predictable price.
Pros
Free plan with 50 credits a month and no credit card
Unlimited users on every plan
Finder, verifier and outreach sequences in one place
Browser extensions, Google Sheets add-on, API and MCP server
Cons
Email-focused: no phone number data like Lusha or Cognism
Monthly credits reset and don't roll over
Sequences are basic compared with dedicated sales engagement tools
Visit Hunter Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.363
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Hunter a good Clay alternative?
Verified facts
8 of 8 verified
Free plan
Yes, 50 credits a month
Checked Nov 8, 2026hunter.io(opens source in a new tab)
Users
Unlimited on all plans
Checked Nov 8, 2026hunter.io(opens source in a new tab)
Credit rollover
No
Checked Nov 8, 2026hunter.io(opens source in a new tab)
Starting paid price
$49/month (Starter, monthly)
Checked Nov 8, 2026hunter.io(opens source in a new tab)
Compliance
GDPR & CCPA
Checked Nov 8, 2026hunter.io(opens source in a new tab)
Starting price
$49 a month, or $34 a month billed yearly (Starter)
Checked Nov 8, 2026hunter.io(opens source in a new tab)
Growth plan
$149 a month, or $104 a month billed yearly
Checked Nov 8, 2026hunter.io(opens source in a new tab)
Scale plan
$299 a month, or $209 a month billed yearly
Checked Nov 8, 2026hunter.io(opens source in a new tab)
4. Bardeen
Best for: Small sales, recruiting and growth teams building lead lists from the web on a modest budget
Free plan + paidWeb, Browser extension
42.3
score / 100
Why switch from Clay
Cheaper credit-based lead scraping and enrichment for small teams that don't need Clay's full data waterfall.
Pros
Scraping, enrichment and AI qualification in one workflow
Free monthly credit allowance to try it
Exports straight to Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion or CSV
SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance claims for business use
Cons
Credit pricing makes costs hard to predict for large lists
Enrichment rows cost three times a normal row
Scrapers can break when the target site changes its layout
Visit Bardeen Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.312
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Bardeen a good Clay alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
Starting price
$10/month (Basic)
Checked Nov 8, 2026bardeen.ai(opens source in a new tab)
Free plan
100 credits every month
Checked Nov 8, 2026bardeen.ai(opens source in a new tab)
Credit cost
1 credit per row, 3 for enrichment
Checked Nov 8, 2026bardeen.ai(opens source in a new tab)
Exports
CSV, Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion
Checked Nov 8, 2026bardeen.ai(opens source in a new tab)
Security
SOC 2 Type II, GDPR
Checked Nov 8, 2026bardeen.ai(opens source in a new tab)
5. PhantomBuster
Best for: Growth marketers and sales ops who build LinkedIn and web lead lists with scheduled automations
Free plan + paidWeb, Browser extension
42.3
score / 100
Why switch from Clay
Scheduled automations that extract and enrich leads from LinkedIn and the web.
Pros
Large library of ready-made extraction and enrichment automations
Chains automations into scheduled multi-step workflows
Free plan and 14-day trial without a credit card
Pricing per workspace rather than per seat
Cons
Execution hours, slots and credits make costs hard to predict
Free plan limits exports to 10 rows
LinkedIn automation can get accounts restricted
Visit PhantomBuster Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.312
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is PhantomBuster a good Clay alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Free plan
30 min execution time/month, 1 slot
Checked Nov 8, 2026phantombuster.com(opens source in a new tab)
Starting price
$69/month ($56 billed annually)
Checked Nov 8, 2026phantombuster.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free trial
14 days, no card
Checked Nov 8, 2026phantombuster.com(opens source in a new tab)
Start plan limits
20 hours, 5 slots per month
Checked Nov 8, 2026phantombuster.com(opens source in a new tab)

Quick comparison

1. Apollo.ioTop pick

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

2. Lusha

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

3. Hunter

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

4. Bardeen

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

5. PhantomBuster

Pros

Cons

Verified facts