Clay
- Starting price: Free / $134/mo (annual)
- Free plan: Yes (limited credits)
- Founded: 2017
- HQ: New York, NY
Updated
Clay vs BetterContact vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Clay vs BetterContact vs Derrick: Clay is a multi-source data enrichment with ai workflows, BetterContact is a waterfall enrichment platform querying 20+ data providers in sequence. 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 Clay or BetterContact) and pricing is lower - free forever with 100 credits/month, paid plans from €9/month. Most teams pair Derrick for the data layer with Clay or BetterContact for outreach.
Email + phone finders like Clay live on data freshness and source diversity. The side-by-side comparison below pits Clay's coverage by region, free-tier ceiling and credit-burn rate against Derrick's flat-credit pool that funds email + phone + LinkedIn + firmographics from one wallet.
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.
CURSOR Quick Facts
Clay vs BetterContact 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
Derrick
★ Recommended- Starting price: Free · Paid from €9/mo
- Free plan: Yes - 100 credits/mo permanent
- Founded: 2023
- HQ: Marseille, FR
Why Derrick wins 01
02
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Why teams pick Derrick over Clay and BetterContact
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time validation and native Sheets workflow without setup chaos
Clay and BetterContact struggle with real-time validation and streamlined Sheets workflows, often requiring manual setup or multi-tool workarounds that slow deployment. Derrick delivers a 100% native Google Sheets solution with real-time email validation and immediate enrichment without exporting data or configuring external pipelines. This eliminates setup chaos and saves 5-10 hours per month, directly boosting deliverability and list quality. A typical use case: validate and enrich contacts inside Sheets in real time, using Derrick’s built-in AI scoring and 50+ attributes per contact for instant, actionable insights.
02 Unified data coverage without niche gaps for scale
Clay and BetterContact struggle to deliver unified data coverage at scale, often missing niche insights or requiring multiple tools to fill gaps. Derrick provides 100% native Google Sheets enrichment with 50+ attributes per contact, seamless data fusion, and real-time validation to eliminate coverage gaps. This translates to measurable outcomes: up to 10× faster list readiness and no blind spots across accounts, with monthly credits and preserved credits you don’t use. For rapid use cases, Derrick scales from small to large datasets without complex setup, keeping coverage tight and actionable.
03 Boosted prospecting depth with richer firmographics insights
Clay and BetterContact struggle to deliver deep firmographics insight at scale, often lacking comprehensive company attributes beyond basic contact data. Derrick differentiates by enriching 50+ attributes per contact and company, all 100% native in Google Sheets, with real-time validation and AI-powered scoring to sharpen segmentation. This yields tangible gains: up to a 25% improvement in targeting accuracy and faster list expansion, while reducing manual cleansing time. With Derrick, you transform simple emails into richer, ready-to-act firmographic profiles for more effective outreach.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Clay, BetterContact, and Derrick each genuinely win.
What Clay does better
- Best-in-class waterfall enrichment
- Claygent AI for research at scale
- Open architecture (HTTP API + custom functions)
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
What Derrick does better
- Free forever - €0/mo with 100 credits permanent in Google Sheets
- 100+ data points per lead - verified emails, phones, LinkedIn, tech stack, SIRET
- Zero LinkedIn ban risk + real-time email verification built in
- Pair with any sequencer - LaGrowthMachine, Smartlead, Lemlist, HeyReach
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.
| Clay | BetterContact | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $134/mo (annual) | Free 50 credits · Starter $15/mo | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€1,608/yr | ~€600/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (limited credits) | Yes - 50 free credits to test | ✓ 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
Clay vs BetterContact vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Clay | Derrick App | BetterContact | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works natively in Google Sheets | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Requires LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($100/month) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Sales Navigator 1-click import | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Email finder with real-time validation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Phone finder from LinkedIn | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Company tech stack lookup | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| SimilarWeb & G2 insights integrated | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| AI integration (Claude & ChatGPT) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic AI Lead Scoring | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Data cleaning & normalization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-platform scraping (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Zapier, Make, n8n integrations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public API available | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Native CRM integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce) | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Entry price (paid plan) | 149$/mois | 9€/mois | 49$/mois |
| Permanent free plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rollover credits to next month | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple and transparent credit system | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Simple setup & onboarding | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Complete documentation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Pricing in a nutshell Data Enrichment derrick
best value for money
Results first.
Discover Derrick →
Waterfall Email + Phone Enrichment
Clay vs BetterContact vs Derrick pricing breakdown
Data Enrichment Clay
Free / $134/mo (annual)
Best for: GTM ops & technical SDR teams
Clay offers real-time data enrichment with flexible plans starting at accessible entry-level pricing and scalable options for growing teams; see full pricing breakdown for all tiers and features. Pricing details are available on the dedicated Clay Pricing page.
Results first.
Complexity removed.
Free · Paid plans from €9/mo
While other tools pile on features, complex setups, and pricing tiers that grow faster than your results, Derrick focuses on what actually matters:
getting usable leads, directly in Google Sheets.
No heavy workflows, No endless configuration. No learning curve.
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 with a pricing ladder that typically starts with a free tier or low-cost entry plan, then scaled credits for higher usage. See full pricing breakdown for complete details and tiered options.
Migration Guide
How to switch from Clay 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 Clay, 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 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
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
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
What teams say after switching from Clay vs BetterContact
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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"This app is fantastic. Brilliantly created to help small and mid sized businesses."
Dan Hughes
Founder/CEO, AlmanacIO
"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
"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
"Have tested over 10+ LI scraper apps, Derrick beats them all. Simple to use, accurate data, and affordable price."
AJ Alexander
Opportunity Prospector
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the main difference Derrick vs Clay for outreach workflows?
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The main difference lies in workflow design and platform approach. Clay excels at building complex, multi-step automation sequences with extensive data sourcing flexibility, making it ideal for teams managing high-volume campaigns requiring sophisticated integrations. Derrick, however, operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating setup complexity and export friction while delivering real-time email validation and AI-powered enrichment directly in your spreadsheet. For teams prioritizing speed, simplicity, and lower operational overhead without sacrificing data quality, Derrick streamlines outreach workflows significantly faster than Clay's configuration-heavy approach.
Is Derrick a viable alternative to Clay for data enrichment?
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Yes, Derrick is a highly viable alternative to Clay for data enrichment, especially if you prioritize simplicity and speed. While Clay excels at workflow automation and requires significant setup time, Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets with no complex configuration needed, saving five to ten hours monthly. Both platforms offer real-time email validation and 50+ enrichment attributes, but Derrick's rollover credits, integrated AI capabilities with Claude and ChatGPT, and zero credit card requirement for the free tier make it more accessible for teams seeking straightforward enrichment without the learning curve Clay demands.
Derrick vs Clay vs BetterContact: which is best for pricing?
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Derrick offers the most flexible pricing structure with rollover credits that don't expire monthly, eliminating waste from unused allocations. Clay requires significant setup investment and ongoing technical configuration, making it costlier for smaller teams, while BetterContact specializes narrowly in email verification with limited enrichment depth. Derrick's pricing starts free with no credit card required, scales affordably from nine dollars monthly, and integrates natively within Google Sheets without CSV exports or platform switching. For budget-conscious teams prioritizing simplicity and data preservation, Derrick delivers better value than both competitors.
How does Derrick compare to BetterContact on pricing and features?
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Derrick offers a simpler, more cost-conscious approach than BetterContact for teams needing broader prospecting beyond email only. Compared to BetterContact’s strong emphasis on high-accuracy email discovery, Derrick combines 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation, and AI-powered scoring within a 100% native Google Sheets workflow, plus extensive integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n. Pricing is flexible with rolling credits and a free tier, which can be more economical for ongoing, multi-attribute prospecting workflows. BetterContact remains strong on email validity, but Derrick provides a fuller data enrichment and automation stack at a comparable price point.
Can Clay replace BetterContact for email verification and enrichment?
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Clay can partially replace BetterContact for email verification, as it offers real-time email validation and enrichment capabilities across multiple data sources. However, Clay's effectiveness depends on careful configuration and data quality varies by source, whereas BetterContact specializes specifically in email accuracy with higher consistency rates. For teams needing both email verification and broader enrichment, Derrick offers a streamlined alternative native to Google Sheets with real-time email validation, 50+ enrichment attributes, and rollover credits-eliminating the need for complex setup while delivering reliable deliverability without external platform switching.
What do Derrick reviews say about ease of use and integration?
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Derrick reviews consistently highlight ease of use as a standout advantage, thanks to its 100% native Google Sheets integration-no CSV exports, no complex setup, and a frictionless onboarding that saves teams 5-10 hours per month. Users also appreciate the straightforward workflow, with real-time email validation improving deliverability without heavy technical know-how. In terms of integration, Derrick shines through its massive ecosystem: 3000+ integrations via Zapier, Make, and n8n, plus AI features (Claude and ChatGPT) that streamline scoring and segmentation within the same familiar sheet-based environment. Compared to Clay and BetterContact, Derrick offers a simpler, faster path to multi-step prospecting without leaving Google Sheets, while still delivering robust data enrichment across 50+ attributes and flexible monthly credits.
One-on-one
Clay vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how Clay compares to Derrick alone.
Open the head-to-head → One-on-oneBetterContact vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how BetterContact compares to Derrick alone.
Open the head-to-head → Curated stackAll B2B sales tools we reviewed in depth
Step back from the duel - see our hand-picked sales-tool selection and how every category fits together.
See the full curation → Keep Exploring
