Updated

BetterContact vs Clay vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?

Short answer
BetterContact vs Clay vs Derrick: BetterContact is a waterfall enrichment platform querying 20+ data providers in sequence, Clay is a multi-source data enrichment with ai workflows. Derrick is a B2B enrichment platform with three surfaces - a Google Sheets add-on, a REST API, and an MCP server (Claude and ChatGPT drive enrichment for you). Hit rates are noticeably higher (more emails + phone numbers returned per query than BetterContact or Clay) and pricing is lower - free forever with 100 credits/month, paid plans from €9/month. Most teams pair Derrick for the data layer with BetterContact or Clay for outreach.

BetterContact competes on hit rate, accuracy and waterfall fallback when one source is blank. The side-by-side comparison below isolates BetterContact's per-find cost (email vs mobile vs direct-dial), real-world deliverability of what comes back, and how it fits into Derrick's 10-source waterfall enrichment workflow.

Free plan Yes - 100 credits/mo
Starts at €9/mo
Setup time 30 seconds
Where it lives Google Sheets

✓ Free forever · ✓ No credit card · ✓ Cancel anytime · ✓ Your data stays in your Sheet

Trusted by 27 000+ users worldwide.

Quick Facts

BetterContact vs Clay vs Derrick at a glance

BetterContact

  • Starting price: Free 50 credits · Starter $15/mo
  • Free plan: Yes - 50 free credits to test
  • Founded: 2022
  • HQ: Lyon, France
4.8/5 G2 4.7/5 Capterra

Clay

  • Starting price: Free / $134/mo (annual)
  • Free plan: Yes (limited credits)
  • Founded: 2017
  • HQ: New York, NY
4.9/5 G2 4.7/5 Capterra

Derrick

★ Recommended
  • Starting price: Free · Paid from €9/mo
  • Free plan: Yes - 100 credits/mo permanent
  • Founded: 2023
  • HQ: Marseille, FR
4.8/5 G2 4.8/5 Capterra
Why Derrick wins

Why teams pick Derrick over BetterContact and Clay

3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.

01

Inline enrichment and email validation in Google Sheets, no extra tools needed

Derrick delivers inline enrichment and real-time email validation directly inside Google Sheets, a capability BetterContact and Clay struggle to provide without switching tools or leaving the sheet. Unlike BetterContact, which focuses on email verification rather than multi-field enrichment in-context, and Clay, which requires setup and external workflows, Derrick makes 100% native Sheets enrichment possible with 50+ attributes per contact. This leads to tangible time savings of 5-10 hours per month and improved deliverability from real-time validation. No CSV exports or complex configurations are needed, and credits are reusable monthly for ongoing prospecting.

02

Unified data enrichment across workflows and tools without fatigue

BetterContact and Clay both struggle to provide unified data enrichment across multiple workflows and tools without adding friction: BetterContact remains primarily an email finder, while Clay can require setup time and complex configurations. Derrick solves this by offering 100% native Google Sheets enrichment with 50+ attributes per contact, plus real-time email validation, all within a single spreadsheet-driven workflow. This reduces switching costs and fatigue, saving up to 5-10 hours per month for teams and keeping data synchronized across tools without leaving Sheets. Derrick’s integrated approach delivers consistent, multi-source enrichment in one place, without extra platforms or manual re-validation.

03

Real-time data accuracy across sources with auto-correction

Derrick addresses real-time data accuracy by auto-correcting across sources, a capability BetterContact and Clay only partly approximate through isolated validation or multi-source pulls. Unlike these tools, Derrick operates natively in Google Sheets, continuously reconciling discrepancies as data flows in. This yields measurable impact: up to a 15% reduction in contact list inaccuracies and faster pipeline activation, with credits-based, real-time validation feeding 50+ enrichment attributes per contact. In practice, teams can rely on Derrick to maintain consistent data quality across sources without manual curation or batch refresh delays.

Honest Comparison

What each tool does better

We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where BetterContact, Clay, and Derrick each genuinely win.

What BetterContact does better

  • Highest find rates in the category (87-95% emails)
  • One subscription replaces five separate tools
  • Pay-per-result + GDPR-clean compliance
Read full BetterContact review →

What Clay does better

  • Best-in-class waterfall enrichment
  • Claygent AI for research at scale
  • Open architecture (HTTP API + custom functions)
Read full Clay review →
Real Annual Cost

True cost over 12 months

Headline pricing rarely tells the whole story. Here's the real cost of running each tool for a year.

BetterContact Clay Derrick
Starting price (monthly) Free 50 credits · Starter $15/mo Free / $134/mo (annual) €0 (free) · €9/mo paid
Annual cost (base) ~€600/yr ~€1,608/yr €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid
Free plan? Yes - 50 free credits to test Yes (limited credits) ✓ Forever - 100 credits/mo
Setup cost Hours to days Hours to days 30 seconds via Marketplace
Switching cost CSV export + retraining CSV export + retraining Zero - works alongside any stack

💡 Most teams pay 2-5x more on add-ons (extra seats, phone credits, integrations) than on the headline base price. Derrick keeps everything in one transparent tier.

Feature-by-Feature

BetterContact vs Clay vs Derrick: full feature comparison

BetterContact Derrick App Clay
Works natively in Google Sheets
Requires LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($100/month)
Sales Navigator 1-click import
Email finder with real-time validation
Phone finder from LinkedIn
Company tech stack lookup
SimilarWeb & G2 insights integrated
AI integration (Claude & ChatGPT)
Automatic AI Lead Scoring
Data cleaning & normalization
Multi-platform scraping (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook)
Zapier, Make, n8n integrations
Public API available
Native CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce)
Entry price (paid plan) 49$/mois 9€/mois 149$/mois
Permanent free plan
Rollover credits to next month
Simple and transparent credit system
Simple setup & onboarding
Complete documentation
Pricing in a nutshell

BetterContact vs Clay vs Derrick pricing breakdown

Waterfall Email + Phone Enrichment

BetterContact

Free 50 credits · Starter $15/mo

Best for: Outbound teams who want best-find-rate at one subscription cost

BetterContact offers real-time email discovery and verification with credits-based pricing, starting from a free tier and paid plans that scale with usage - see full pricing breakdown for all details. Availability of complete pricing details: view the full pricing page.

Data Enrichment

Clay

Free / $134/mo (annual)

Best for: GTM ops & technical SDR teams

Clay offers real-time data enrichment with scalable outbound automation, featuring pricing details on its dedicated pricing page and a free tier via credits-see full pricing breakdown for all plans and exact credits allocations.

Migration Guide

How to switch from BetterContact to Derrick in 3 steps

Derrick is a Google Workspace app - no formulas to learn, no pipelines to migrate, no engineering work. Add it to Google Sheets and you're enriching in under a minute.

1
~30 sec

Install Derrick from Google Workspace Marketplace

Click the install button on our Marketplace listing and grant Google Sheets access. No credit card required - you start with 100 free credits per month.

2
~30 sec

Open any Google Sheet → Extensions → Derrick

Open a Sheet with your prospect list (paste a CSV from BetterContact, scrape from LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or import from your CRM). Click Extensions → Derrick and the sidebar opens with all enrichment features ready to use.

3
~1 min

Enrich your list with one click

Select the column with names, LinkedIn URLs, or company domains. Pick what you want - emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn data, company info, tech stack - and click "Enrich". Derrick fills the columns directly in your Sheet. No exports, no pipelines, no waiting.

Install Derrick free →

100 free credits / month · No credit card · Cancel anytime

Decision in 60 seconds

Which one is right for you?

Pick BetterContact if…

  • You specifically need outbound teams who want best-find-rate at one subscription cost
  • Highest find rates in the category (87-95% emails)
  • One subscription replaces five separate tools
  • You're already invested in the BetterContact ecosystem
Read full BetterContact review →

Pick Clay if…

  • You specifically need gtm ops & technical sdr teams
  • Best-in-class waterfall enrichment
  • Claygent AI for research at scale
  • You're already invested in the Clay ecosystem
Read full Clay review →

Pick Derrick if…

  • You want B2B enrichment directly in Google Sheets
  • You need a usable free plan (100 credits/mo, no card)
  • You don't want long contracts, lock-in, or sales calls
  • You need 100+ data points per lead in one tool
Try Derrick free →

What teams say after switching from BetterContact vs Clay

See what our customers say about Derrick.

"This app saved me so much time and effort. Great for anyone looking to build a contact list or network at scale quickly. As a start-up it's been invaluable."

Alex Clark

Director | SaaS GTM Leader

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"Working pretty nifty compared to Snov.Io. Price wise it does give a fair shake, and IMO better interface since it's google sheets."

David Sire

Mortgage Broker at Zero Point Mortgage

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"Derrick is a very simple and user-friendly app to enrich your contacts database. Best thing: you can test it for free. And then the price is so low, it's a no brainer."

Etienne Grange

CEO Form'actions

Reviewed on Capterra

"Super easy to enrich linkedin urls using this tool. Both personal and company url data can be easily enriched with a click of a button."

Zaid Bilal

RevOps Professional

Reviewed on Capterra

"Amazing Tool, I would like to advocate this to my colleagues. So that you can get more users. Keep it Up. 5 Stars!"

Asif Hanzala

Lead Generation Specialist at IdeaPeel

Reviewed on Capterra

"This app is fantastic. Brilliantly created to help small and mid sized businesses."

Dan Hughes

Founder/CEO, AlmanacIO

Reviewed on Product Hunt

"I have been using other expensive apps or freemium like phantombuster, but Derrick has replaced them all. I love the simplicity of the Google sheet add-in, but what is best is the efficiency it delivers."

Julien Walon Cohen

CEO & Co-founder @ Diffly | B2B Sales Advisor

Reviewed on G2

"The LinkedIn scraping and email finder combo is incredibly powerful. I can build a complete prospect list with contact info in under an hour. Absolute must-have for outbound."

Michael Kim

SDR Team Lead at CloudScale

Reviewed on Capterra

"Have tested over 10+ LI scraper apps, Derrick beats them all. Simple to use, accurate data, and affordable price."

AJ Alexander

Opportunity Prospector

Reviewed on Capterra

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Derrick vs BetterContact main difference for outreach?

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Derrick and BetterContact serve different outreach needs. BetterContact specializes purely in email finding and verification with high accuracy rates, making it ideal if you only need validated email addresses. Derrick takes a broader approach by operating natively in Google Sheets with 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and built-in AI scoring and segmentation. While BetterContact excels at email discovery alone, Derrick eliminates the need for external platforms and multiple tools, streamlining your entire prospecting workflow without requiring CSV exports or complex integrations. For teams wanting comprehensive enrichment plus automation in one place, Derrick offers more versatility.

Is Derrick a strong alternative to BetterContact?

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Yes, Derrick is a strong alternative to BetterContact, especially if you prioritize simplicity and cost efficiency. While BetterContact excels at email verification with high accuracy rates, Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating the need for CSV exports or complex integrations. Derrick provides 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation, integrated AI capabilities with Claude and ChatGPT, and rollover credits monthly. For teams seeking a streamlined, all-in-one prospecting solution without technical overhead, Derrick delivers comparable data quality with significantly greater workflow efficiency and lower total cost of ownership.

Derrick vs BetterContact vs Clay: who wins on pricing?

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Derrick offers the most competitive pricing structure with plans starting at just 9 euros for 4,000 credits and rollover credits that don't expire monthly, unlike many competitors. BetterContact charges per search with limited transparency, while Clay operates on a seat-based model requiring significant investment for team scaling. Derrick's free tier requires no credit card and includes 100 credits, making it ideal for testing. For budget-conscious teams, Derrick delivers superior value through flexible credit pricing, monthly carryover, and native Google Sheets integration that eliminates costly third-party platform subscriptions.

How does Derrick compare to Clay in features and use cases?

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Derrick compares favorably to Clay in several core areas while targeting slightly different workflows. Derrick is 100% native to Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and complex setup, which makes it faster and easier for teams that want a simple, sheet-based prospecting center. It offers 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and integrated AI (Claude and ChatGPT) for scoring, segmentation, and automatic summaries, which enhances prioritization and messaging without leaving Sheets. Clay excels at real-time data enrichment from multiple sources and outbound automation within a single interface, plus strong integrations and a visual workflow builder. However, Derrick’s strengths lie in speed, ease of use, cost efficiency (including rollover credits and a free tier without a credit card), and deep Google Sheets integration, making it a compelling option for teams prioritizing quick setup and through-Sheets workflows over more expansive, multi-tool automation.

Which is better for pricing: BetterContact or Clay?

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BetterContact and Clay take different pricing approaches suited to different team sizes. BetterContact focuses on straightforward email verification with transparent per-search costs, making it ideal for teams with predictable, volume-based needs. Clay operates on a credit system with workflow automation included, better for teams running complex multi-step campaigns. However, Derrick offers the most flexible pricing model with rollover credits, no credit card required for the free tier, and plans starting at just nine dollars monthly, making it the most cost-effective option for teams seeking budget-friendly data enrichment without long-term commitments.

What do reviews say about Derrick replacing BetterContact and Clay?

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Reviews generally acknowledge Derrick as a strong replacement option when comparing to BetterContact and Clay, especially for teams prioritizing a native, Google Sheets-based enrichment workflow. Critics often note that BetterContact excels at accurate email discovery and verification but lacks broader enrichment and native CRM depth, while Clay offers robust data synthesis and automation with flexible sources but can require more setup and ongoing validation. In this context, Derrick is praised for its 100% native Google Sheets compatibility, real-time email validation, and a broad 50+ attribute enrichment model, which can streamline outreach without exporting CSVs or managing complex integrations. Reviewers who switch to Derrick frequently cite time savings, a more straightforward setup, and the ability to leverage AI scoring and segmentation directly in Sheets as key advantages over the two. Some caveats mention that, for very deep multi-source enrichment or high-precision campaigns that Clay or specialized tools handle, a layered approach might still be beneficial. Overall, Derrick is viewed as a practical, cost-efficient alternative that reduces friction and accelerates prospecting while maintaining robust data quality.
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