Enriching, verifying, and qualifying 1,000 B2B leads in Clay requires stacking a monthly base plan (Launch at $185/mo or Growth at $495/mo) alongside two separate usage meters: Actions and Data Credits (Clay documentation). By contrast, Sorzio publishes flat per-success rates starting with up to $20 free credit and $0 charged on failed rows.
How Clay's 2026 Actions and Data Credits pricing actually works
Clay moved away from its historical single-credit tiers (Starter at $149/mo, Explorer at $349/mo, and Pro at $800/mo in older guides) to an Actions plus Data Credits pricing model across Free (100 Data Credits and 500 Actions/mo), Launch ($185/mo monthly or $167/mo billed annually), Growth ($495/mo monthly or $446/mo annual), and custom Enterprise tiers.
In day-to-day GTM workflows, your true bill depends on three compounding multipliers rather than list price alone:
- Multi-step waterfalls burn multiple charges per row: A single qualified contact rarely costs one action. Scraping a company website, pulling a company LinkedIn page, running a contact email lookup across two providers, validating catch-all status, and drafting an AI line triggers 5 to 7 actions or credit events per lead.
- Monthly floor before row one: Even on low-volume months, Launch requires $185/mo before overages or external API bills, while Growth raises the baseline to $495/mo.
- Interactive estimation gap: Use our interactive Clay Cost Calculator to plug in your exact monthly volume, action count per row, and fallback rate.
Line-by-line cost for a real 1,000-lead GTM workflow
To compare apples to apples without vague estimates, model a standard outbound build on 1,000 target accounts that runs 6-page website research, filters down to 400 ICP matches, enriches Company LinkedIn + Personal LinkedIn, verifies work emails in real time, and generates personalized outreach copy.
| Pipeline Step | Volume | Sorzio Managed | Sorzio Pro ($39/mo) + BYOK | Clay Cost Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-page company website read | 1,000 domains | $6.00 ($0.006/URL) | $6.00 | Claygent / scraper Actions + Credits |
| Calibrated Decision Mode filter | 1,000 accounts | ~$1.05 ($1/1k + 1.25x input) | ~$1.05 | AI column Actions + LLM key/credits |
| Company LinkedIn enrichment | 400 kept rows | $3.00 ($0.0075/row) | $3.00 | Company enrich Data Credits |
| Personal LinkedIn + Email Verify | 400 contacts | $8.00 ($0.01 + $0.01/row) | $8.00 | Waterfall + verify Data Credits |
| AI personalization copy | 400 kept rows | ~$1.56 (1.65x + $0.0035) | Raw LLM API ($0 Sorzio fee) | AI Actions (+ BYOK fee structure) |
| Monthly platform minimum | Included | $0/mo Free starter tier | $39/mo (0% AI BYOK markup) | $185/mo Launch or $495/mo Growth |
Across the entire 1,000-account workflow, variable execution spend on Sorzio totals roughly $19.61 on Free or $18.05 plus raw OpenRouter/OpenAI pennies on Pro ($39/mo). Even if you run full LinkedIn enrichment and email verification on every single row instead of filtering first with Decision Mode, exact predictable usage still comes out cleanly ahead of stacking Actions, Data Credits, and high monthly seat floors.
When Clay makes sense vs when Sorzio wins on cost and speed
If you need a visual canvas chaining 50+ specialized data vendors inside one browser workspace and already absorb $185 to $495+ per month in fixed table seats, Clay gives you deep flexibility. See our detailed feature matrix on Sorzio vs Clay and our full Clay alternatives roundup.
For teams building pipelines directly inside Google Sheets, Claude (https://www.sorzio.com/api/mcp), or ChatGPT Connectors, Sorzio cuts two major sources of credit burn:
- Pay strictly on success: Failed website scrapes, empty cells, and
#not_foundLinkedIn lookups cost $0 automatically. - Filter before enriching expensive rows: Running Calibrated Decision Mode (
typesafe-ai/jev-1.14.0at $1.00 per 1,000 rows base fee) right after 6-page website enrichment eliminates 50% to 70% of downstream LinkedIn, email verification, and copy spend. - Keep AI prompts at 0% markup: Pro workspaces ($39/mo) attach your own OpenRouter, OpenAI, or Anthropic key with zero per-row AI fees, plus full Hosted Links publishing at $0 upfront ($0.15 only on verified first human open).
Model your monthly lead counts directly inside the Clay Pricing and Cost Calculator or inspect every published rate on Sorzio Pricing. Every new workspace opens with $5 instant signup credit plus $15 upon Auto-Reload verification ($20 total).
Common questions
How much does Clay cost per month in 2026?
Clay currently structures self-serve pricing around Free (100 Data Credits and 500 Actions/mo), Launch starting at $185/mo ($167/mo annual), and Growth starting at $495/mo ($446/mo annual), alongside custom Enterprise agreements. Earlier tiers like Starter ($149/mo), Explorer ($349/mo), and Pro ($800/mo) belong to Clay's previous pricing structure.
What are Clay Actions vs Data Credits?
Clay separates workflow step execution from external provider charges: Actions meter workflow steps and operations run across your table, while Data Credits pay for enrichment and data-provider lookups inside those steps.
How can I test enriching 1,000 leads without committing to a $185 monthly plan?
Sign up for Sorzio to receive $5 instant credit ($20 total with Auto-Reload verified), connect Google Sheets or Claude MCP, run a gated 3-row or 10-row sample preview, and pay only per succeeded row without a high monthly platform minimum.
Does Sorzio charge if a website fails to load or an email lookup misses?
No. Website enrichment ($0.006/URL), Company LinkedIn ($0.0075/row), Personal LinkedIn ($0.01/row), and Email Verify ($0.01/email) charge strictly on succeeded rows, while blank cells and #not_found misses cost $0.
