By Floris Jansen, founder of Vectify
Short answer: For most teams building and enriching prospect lists today, I recommend Claude Code. It's easier to work with than people expect, and it's far more flexible. Clay is still a great tool if you have a legacy account. On the new plans, with Actions billed on top of data, I don't find it very useful for list building at volume. At Vectify we only use Clay for small, fast tests, and even that rarely happens in practice. Everything else runs through Claude and the systems we've built with it.
This comparison is for heads of sales, outbound leads and the ops people who decide how prospect lists get built. Clay changes its plans regularly, so check its site for the current limits before you decide.
What changed at Clay
In March 2026, Clay changed how it charges. It used to run on credits alone. Now there are two meters:
- Data Credits pay for the data you buy from Clay's marketplace, like emails, phone numbers and company details.
- Actions measure the platform work: running an enrichment, calling an AI model, sending data to another tool or exporting it.
Every enrichment uses an Action, even when you bring your own API key for the data. Customers on legacy plans (Starter, Explorer, Pro) can stay on them. Those plans keep credit-only billing, with no Action charges.
That's why I say Clay is great if you have a legacy account. The new model is cleaner on paper. But if you build lists at volume, you now pay for the platform work on every row as well as the data.
Plans also cap the rows per table, with higher limits only on enterprise. In my experience, row and rate limits are what stop Clay being practical for large lists. That's my experience, not a published spec, so check the limits on the plan you're considering.
What Clay does well
- No code needed. It's a spreadsheet-style interface, so anyone on an ops team can build a workflow.
- Many data providers in one place. Clay connects to a large marketplace of data partners and can run waterfalls across several providers for one field.
- Built-in AI research. Its agent, Claygent, can research custom data points on the web.
- Fast to test an idea. For a few hundred rows and a quick question, it's hard to beat.
What Claude Code does well
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool. It runs in your terminal (and in IDEs, a desktop app and the browser). It can write and run scripts, work with files and call external tools through MCP, the open standard for connecting AI to other systems.
For list building, that means you describe what you want in plain language. Claude writes the code that calls your data providers' APIs, runs it, and fixes it when something breaks.
- Flexible. You're not limited to the columns and integrations a platform offers. If a provider has an API or an MCP server, you can use it.
- No row limits set by a tool. Your limits are your data providers' limits and your own setup.
- You keep the workflow. The scripts and data live in your own systems, so you can rerun, schedule and improve them.
- Easier than it sounds. You don't need to be an engineer to start. You do need someone comfortable reading what it built and checking the output.
Where each falls short
Clay: On the new plans, Actions add up for high-volume list building. Row and rate limits, in my experience, get in the way on big lists. And your workflows live inside Clay.
Claude Code: You need someone to own it. Scripts need maintaining when a provider changes its API, and someone has to check that the output is right. There's no ready-made marketplace, so you bring your own data provider accounts.
Clay vs Claude Code at a glance
| Clay | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | No-code data enrichment and workflow platform | Agentic coding tool that writes and runs scripts |
| Billing model | Data Credits plus Actions on current plans; credit-only on legacy plans | Claude subscription or API, plus your own data provider accounts |
| Data sources | Built-in marketplace of data partners | Any provider with an API or MCP server |
| Limits | Rows per table capped by plan | Set by your providers and your own setup |
| Skills needed | Low: spreadsheet-style interface | Medium: someone to maintain and check it |
| Best for | Legacy accounts, small fast tests, non-technical teams | Flexible list building at volume |
How the workflow looks with Claude
At a conceptual level, a list-building run with Claude Code looks like this:
- Define the ideal customer profile. Write down industry, company size, region, roles and any signals that matter, in plain language.
- Pull the list. Claude calls your data providers via API or MCP and collects companies and contacts that match.
- Enrich. It adds the fields you need, like role details, company data or recent news.
- Verify emails. Every address goes through a verification step before it gets near a sending tool.
- Dedupe. It removes duplicates across sources and against your CRM and existing customers.
- Score fit. Claude scores each account against the profile, so the best fits go out first.
The result is a file or a table in your own systems, and a set of scripts you can run again next month.
Who should pick which
Pick Clay if you already have a legacy account, if you're running small, fast tests, or if your team isn't technical and needs a visual tool.
Pick Claude Code with your own scripts and data providers if you want flexibility and no tool-imposed row limits. Do it only if someone is comfortable maintaining it, either in-house or a partner who does this every day.
A great list only pays off if the market behind it is big enough. Our free Untapped Market Report estimates how many potential buyers you're not reaching yet, built for your company.
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FAQ
Is Claude Code better than Clay for list building?
For flexibility and volume, I think so, as long as someone maintains it. For small tests or non-technical teams, Clay is easier to start with.
What are Clay Actions and Data Credits?
Since March 2026, Clay bills Data Credits for data bought from its marketplace and Actions for platform work, like running enrichments. Legacy plans keep credit-only billing.
Does Clay have row limits?
Yes. Clay caps the rows per table, and the cap depends on the plan. Check the current limits on Clay's site.
Do I need to code to use Claude Code for enrichment?
Not much. Claude writes and runs the code. But someone has to understand the workflow, check the output and maintain it when a provider changes.
Can I use Clay and Claude Code together?
Yes. Some teams test an idea in Clay on a small list, then rebuild the workflow with Claude Code to run it at volume.