Clay alternatives: workflows to build, or workflows that run

Clay is a flexible tool for building prospecting workflows yourself. AI Coworkers sets up those workflows around how you sell, and AI coworkers run them every week.

The short answerChoose Clay when someone on your team enjoys building and maintaining workflows, and has the hours to do it. Choose AI Coworkers when you want the same kind of system running without anyone building it. Our strategists set it up; AI coworkers deliver 200 leads a week, why-now plays and competitor notes. Your reps do the outreach.

Building it in Clay yourself or AI Coworkers, side by side.

Building it in Clay yourselfAI Coworkers
What it costsFree, then creditsMetered in actions and dataLess than one hireYour exact price on the call
Who builds the workflowsYour teamA RevOps lead or GTM engineerOur strategistsAround how you sell, in a week
Who keeps it runningWhoever built itBreaks when data or goals changeAI coworkersTuned monthly by us
What arrives every weekWhatever you builtOnce it's builtLeads, plays, notes200 leads, why-now plays, competitor notes
Beyond leadsMostly dataEnrichment workflowsMarketing tooSEO, AI search, LinkedIn, content
Who reaches outYour repsThrough the tools you connectYour repsWe never send; your CRM stays read-only
Risk to tryLowClay has a free planLow30-day money-back guarantee, conditions apply

Each one wins somewhere.

An honest answer is the useful one. Here is when to choose each.

Choose building it in Clay yourself

When building it in Clay yourself is the better choice

  • You have a RevOps lead or GTM engineer who wants to build every step.
  • You need very custom enrichment across many data providers.
  • You run high volumes and want to tune each workflow by hand.
Choose AI Coworkers

When AI Coworkers is

  • Nobody on your team has the hours to build and maintain workflows.
  • You want the plays, not the plumbing: researched leads with a reason to reach out.
  • You want marketing work from the same team, set up in about a week.

Credits vs the hours to build

500Actions a month on Clay's free plan, with 100 data creditsSource: clay.com/pricing, as of 16 Oct 2026
2Meters on Clay's paid plans: actions and data creditsSource: clay.com/pricing, as of 16 Oct 2026
1 weekTo set up AI Coworkers, with a strategist
1-2 hOf your team's time a week, directing and approving

Clay has a free plan with 500 actions and 100 data credits a month. Paid plans meter actions and data credits separately.

The subscription is the small part. Someone still designs, builds and repairs the workflows every month.

AI Coworkers costs less than one hire. Your team spends 1-2 hours a week approving.

What switching looks like.

Live in about a week. Your team spends 1-2 hours a week directing and approving.

Your buyers, defined

Your voice, learned

Search Console, connected

Your CRM, connected

Setup week

Our strategists set it up.

Your buyers, your voice and your data, connected and agreed.

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Leads and plays200 leads like NorthwindReady

Every week

Your AI coworkers do the work.

SEO, AI search, LinkedIn, leads and competitors, from your data.

For your yes · 3 this week

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Ask for changesApprove

Any time

Your team approves.

Nothing goes out without a yes.

The First-Month Guarantee

Try your first month. 30‑day money-back guarantee.

Expect 30 approved deliverables in your first month. If it isn't right for you, we refund the month. You approve every deliverable, so the quality bar is yours.

*Conditions apply.

Questions, answered.

What is Clay used for?

Clay is a tool for building prospecting workflows: finding companies, enriching leads from many data providers and running AI steps on each row.

What are the best Clay alternatives?

If you want another tool to build in, compare data and enrichment platforms. If you want the workflows set up and run for you, consider AI Coworkers.

Do we need Clay to use AI Coworkers?

No. Our strategists set up the workflows, and your AI coworkers run them. You don't need to buy or learn another tool.

Is Clay hard to learn?

Clay is flexible, so it rewards time spent learning it. Teams often have one person who builds and maintains the workflows.

Can AI Coworkers work alongside Clay?

Yes. If your RevOps team already builds in Clay, AI coworkers can cover the weekly research, content and competitor tracking around it.

Does AI Coworkers send outreach for us?

No. Your reps make every first contact. AI coworkers deliver the leads, the reasons and opening lines.

Is AI Coworkers an agency?

No. It's a service. Our strategists set up AI coworkers that do your lead research every week, in your own accounts. Your team approves everything.

More comparisons.

Your first month, planned on one 30-minute call.

A strategist shows you what we set up first, built from your market and your competitors. Backed by our 30-day money-back guarantee.

Book a call