Getting-started guide
A spreadsheet that fills itself in: start with a list of companies or people, and Clay looks up details from many data providers and AI research — row by row, for credits.
Current prices: $167/mo · See all plans
Last reviewed 2026-10-24 · for Clay
You build a table that looks like a spreadsheet. Rows come from a source — a company search, a CSV, your CRM. Then you add columns that enrich each row: look up a work email, a job title, company size, or ask Clay's AI agent to research something on the web. Each lookup spends Clay's usage units.
Clay is a data platform for sales and marketing teams. Its course for beginners teaches a four-step pattern it calls FETE: Find companies or people, Enrich them with more details, Transform the data with formulas or AI, and Export it to your CRM, email tool or a CSV. Clay's docs say every table begins with a source — a built-in company or people search, a CRM, a webhook or an uploaded file.
Its signature feature is the waterfall: Clay's docs describe it as several data providers run in a set order, so if the first one can't find an email, the next one tries. Clay's pricing page says it offers data from more than 150 providers through one account.
For anything a data provider can't answer, there's Claygent, which Clay's pricing page calls its AI agent with access to web research — for example, "does this company mention SOC 2 on its website?" — and AI columns that clean up or reshape data. Clay's AI docs say it uses models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others, and that row data is only sent to a model when you run that action.
Two meters, not one. Clay's credits guide splits usage into Actions (each enrichment, AI run or export) and Data Credits (paying for data from providers and AI models). A fully enriched record typically costs several Data Credits, per that guide. Exporting to CSV costs neither.
Free is for learning. As of 24 October 2026, Clay's pricing page lists a Free plan with small monthly allowances of Actions and Data Credits, a cap on rows per table, and no phone-number lookups. New accounts also get a 14-day trial with extra Data Credits, per Clay's plans guide; no credit card is needed to start.
Paid plans are expensive by beginner standards. The pricing page lists Launch at $167/mo (billed annually) and Growth at $446/mo (billed annually), more if you pay month to month, with higher tiers for more credits. Actions don't roll over; Data Credits partly do, with rules that differ for monthly and annual plans.
Using your own provider keys skips Data Credits for those lookups (the provider bills you instead), but each run still uses an Action.
Official source: Sign up at app.clay.com/signup, linked from clay.com. Connect your CRM or email tools from inside Clay only once you know what you'll send there.
Turn Auto-run off while you build. Clay's table settings guide says table-level Auto-run is on by default, so enrichments run whenever rows are added or edited. Clay recommends switching it off while building, testing on 5–10 rows, then turning it back on.
Test on 10 rows first. Clay's credit-saving guide suggests running a new column on about 10 rows before the whole table, and using "Only run if" conditions so you only enrich rows that qualify.
Confirm it works. Start from one of Clay's official templates, run it on a handful of rows, and check the credits it used in your workspace before scaling up.
Clay is full of information about real people, and what you do with it is your legal responsibility. Clay's terms say you're responsible for having the right to upload and use your content. Its email best-practices guide — which says it isn't legal advice — notes you need a lawful basis for personal data in the EU and UK, every email needs an opt-out, and you shouldn't email people's personal addresses.
Work through the first lessons of Clay 101 on Clay University ("Get Started in Clay" and the FETE intro).
Why this one: Clay's interface packs a lot in. The official course explains the pattern every table follows, which makes every later step faster.
Open Clay's template "Find Key Decision Makers at any Company with just a Website URL" and run it on three company websites you know.
Why this one: Using companies you know lets you judge the results' accuracy immediately, and a template saves you building the columns yourself.
Visit this company's website and tell me in one sentence what they sell and who their main customers are. If you can't tell, say "unclear".
Why this one: Add this as an AI research column on five rows. Asking it to say "unclear" when it can't tell keeps the column honest instead of filled with guesses.
Export your finished table to CSV.
Why this one: Clay's credits guide says CSV export uses no Actions or Data Credits — a free way to take your results elsewhere while you learn.
Want the full picture first? See the Clay overview for pricing, the free tier and related tools.
