Bardeen vs Clay: AI Workflow Agent Comparison
Bardeen and Clay automate prospect research and enrichment for go-to-market teams.
- Verified 13 Nov 2026Sources are dated on this page
- 8 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- No winner declaredFit depends on your criteria
- Not tested by Stack18Editorial summary of documented facts
Bardeen vs Clay: the short answer
Bardeen and Clay automate prospect research and enrichment for go-to-market teams. Bardeen has a free tier of 100 credits a month with Basic at $10 and Premium at $50, while Clay ranges from free to $495 a month.
Bardeen runs in the browser and automates web tasks; Clay is a data enrichment platform with many providers. We compare what documentation supports and mark everything else Unknown. We declare no overall winner, because the better choice depends on channels, integrations, oversight needs, pricing model and budget.
Choose Bardeen if you- GTM teams scraping and enriching leads
- Individuals wanting cheap browser automation
- Recruiters building candidate lists
Choose Clay if you- GTM engineers and RevOps teams
- Teams building signal-based outbound
- Companies combining several data providers
Bardeen and Clay at a glance.
One card per product, drawn from each full profile. Open a profile for features, pricing plans, limits and sources.
Bardeen
Bardeen · Workflow Automation Software
Bardeen is an AI automation tool, delivered largely through a Chrome extension, that uses AI agents to scrape websites, source and enrich leads, qualify them with AI and move results into spreadsheets and CRMs. It is priced in credits, where action rows and enrichment rows consume different amounts.
Agentic tool- Pricing
- Free 100 credits a month; Basic $10 and Premium $50 a month; Enterprise custom.
- Best for
- GTM teams scraping and enriching leads
Clay
Clay Labs · Workflow Automation Software
Clay is a go-to-market data platform where teams build tables of companies and contacts, enrich them from 150+ data providers through waterfalls, and use Claygent, its AI research agent, to browse the web and answer questions about each row. Results feed sequences, CRMs and other tools.
Agentic tool- Pricing
- Free; Launch $185 and Growth $495 a month (less annually); Enterprise custom.
- Best for
- GTM engineers and RevOps teams
Bardeen vs Clay: feature-by-feature comparison.
Every row is drawn from the sources listed below. Rows that differ are marked, and you can filter the table to show only those.
- YesDocumented
- PartialAvailable with limits or on some plans
- NoDocumented as unavailable
- UnknownNot documented in the sources reviewed
| Dimension |  Bardeen |  Clay |
|---|---|---|
| Product | ||
| Channels and interface | YesChrome extension and web app. | YesWeb tables; outputs to CRM and sequencers. |
| AI models | YesIntegrated GPT models. | YesLLMs inside Claygent (not specified). |
| Open-source or self-hosting | NoProprietary. | NoProprietary. |
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | YesYes (100 credits a month). | YesYes (100 Data Credits, 500 Actions). |
| Pricing model | YesCredits; Basic $10, Premium $50. | YesPlans with Data Credits and Actions. |
| Published plan prices reviewed | YesFree, Basic $10 and Premium $50. | YesFree, Launch $185 and Growth $495 published. |
| Agent actions | ||
| Actions in business systemsDiffers | YesWrites results to apps. | PartialWrites data and triggers sends; actions are mostly data operations. |
| Extensibility | ||
| Integrations, API and MCP | PartialApp integrations; MCP not reviewed. | PartialHTTP API, webhooks and 150+ providers; MCP not documented. |
| Control | ||
| Human handoff and approval controls | YesUser runs and reviews playbooks. | YesUsers review tables before syncing or sending. |
| Administration | ||
| Security, compliance and adminDiffers | UnknownNot documented in the sources reviewed. | PartialEnterprise controls; details not reviewed. |
Bardeen vs Clay pricing.
Bardeen pricing
Credits: free monthly allowance plus Basic and Premium plans; Enterprise custom.
- FreeFree
- Basic$10 per month
- Premium$50 per month
- EnterpriseCustom
Figures reported consistently by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 13 Nov 2026.
All Bardeen plans and sources
Clay pricing
Plans with Data Credits and Actions; unlimited seats; Enterprise custom.
- FreeFree
- Launch$185 per month
- Growth$495 per month
- EnterpriseCustom
Prices from a vendor-published source. Checked 13 Nov 2026.
All Clay plans and sourcesBardeen: Free 100 credits a month; Basic $10 and Premium $50 a month; Enterprise custom.
Clay: Free; Launch $185 and Growth $495 a month (less annually); Enterprise custom. Prices and allowances change often, so confirm on each vendor's live page.
Prices and plans change. Confirm current terms with each vendor before you decide.
Bardeen vs Clay: implementation, ecosystem, AI and security.
Ease of implementation and usability
We did not test setup or onboarding effort. Pilot both on a real, bounded process from your business, with your own data, policies and escalation rules.
Integrations and ecosystem
Bardeen: Google Sheets, HubSpot, Salesforce, LinkedIn, Notion, Airtable. Clay: Salesforce, HubSpot, Apollo, Clearbit, Hunter, Outreach.
AI capabilities
AI models: Bardeen - Integrated GPT models. Clay - LLMs inside Claygent (not specified).
Security, deployment and administration
Security and admin controls: Bardeen - Not documented in the sources reviewed. Clay - Enterprise controls; details not reviewed. Check each vendor's security documentation for certifications and data-retention terms.
Bardeen and Clay: each option, in balance.
Bardeen
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- Very low entry price and free allowance.
- Strong for browser scraping and enrichment.
- Templates and natural-language building.
- Pricing has changed many times since 2023.
- Browser-centric; less suited to back-end automation.
- Per-row credit costs add up at scale.
Clay
Strengths and limitations from the profile
- Huge choice of data providers in one place.
- Free plan and unlimited seats.
- Data costs cut 50 to 90% in March 2026.
- Credit consumption is hard to predict.
- Steep learning curve for complex tables.
- Some teams pay far more than the headline price.
Bardeen or Clay: which fits which situation?
No overall winner is declared. The better choice depends on the criteria that matter most to you, so test both against your own requirements.
Choose Bardeen if you…
- GTM teams scraping and enriching leads
- Individuals wanting cheap browser automation
- Recruiters building candidate lists
Choose Clay if you…
- GTM engineers and RevOps teams
- Teams building signal-based outbound
- Companies combining several data providers
Switching between Bardeen and Clay.
Moving between Bardeen and Clay means rebuilding enrichment workflows, signals and scoring, reconnecting the CRM and data providers, and re-validating data quality on a sample of accounts before switching.
- Export a sample of your data and test an import into the other product.
- List the automations, integrations and permissions you would need to rebuild.
- Pilot with one team before a full cut-over.
- Check contract terms and notice periods with both vendors.
General guidance, not specific to either vendor. Confirm migration options with the vendors.
Bardeen vs Clay: questions and answers
Is Bardeen or Clay better?
The sources reviewed do not support a single ranking. Bardeen has a free tier of 100 credits a month with Basic at $10 and Premium at $50, while Clay ranges from free to $495 a month. Pilot both on a sample of your own conversations, leads or workflows before choosing.
Does Bardeen have a free plan?
Yes. Every account gets 100 free credits a month; unused credits expire.
Does Clay have a free plan?
Yes. Free includes 100 Data Credits and 500 Actions a month, Claygent and up to 200 rows per table.
Which is cheaper, Bardeen or Clay?
Bardeen: Free 100 credits a month; Basic $10 and Premium $50 a month; Enterprise custom. Clay: Free; Launch $185 and Growth $495 a month (less annually); Enterprise custom. The cheaper option depends on seats, usage and which plan features you need.
How do Bardeen and Clay differ on integrations?
Bardeen: App integrations; MCP not reviewed. Clay: HTTP API, webhooks and 150+ providers; MCP not documented.
Where this comparison comes from.
- Bardeen pricing blueprint UsagePricing Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Bardeen Automation Atlas Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Bardeen AI in 2026 Voiceflow Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Bardeen The AI Agent Index Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Introducing Clay's new pricing Clay Official Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Clay pricing in 2026 Crustdata Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Clay pricing 2026 Landbase Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
- Clay pricing 2026: plans, credits and total cost Salesmotion Third-party Accessed 13 Nov 2026
Comparison rows summarise the sources listed and the two profiles. Confirm current details with each vendor. Stack18 has not tested either product.
Ready to test Bardeen and Clay?
Check each vendor's current pricing and terms, run both against a real scenario from your business, or talk to Stack18 if off-the-shelf software is not the answer.
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