Clay
- Starting price: Free / $134/mo (annual)
- Free plan: Yes (limited credits)
- Founded: 2017
- HQ: New York, NY
Updated
Clay vs EmailSearch.io vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Clay vs EmailSearch.io vs Derrick: Clay is a multi-source data enrichment with ai workflows, EmailSearch.io is a email finder + verification + drip campaigns + data enrichment with api access. 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 EmailSearch.io) 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 EmailSearch.io 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 31,000+ users worldwide.
CURSOR Quick Facts
Clay vs EmailSearch.io vs Derrick at a glance
EmailSearch.io
- Starting price: No free trial · Basic $29/mo (1K searches)
- Free plan: No (paid plans only - 100% money-back guarantee)
- Founded: 2019 (estimated)
- HQ: London, UK (328 Chester Road, NW39 8YK)
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
03
Why teams pick Derrick over Clay and EmailSearch.io
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time validation without data freshness concerns
Clay struggles with real-time validation given data freshness concerns and reliance on multiple sources, which can slow deployment and introduce outdated prospects. Derrick provides real-time email validation directly inside 100% native Google Sheets, avoiding external sync delays and stale data. This translates to measurable deliverability improvements and faster campaign launches, reducing wait times by up to hours per deployment. For quick wins, teams can validate emails on the fly during list building without leaving Sheets.
02 3000+ integrations for seamless automation across tools
Clay and EmailSearch.io both struggle with seamless cross-tool automation at scale, often requiring separate tools or complex workarounds. Derrick takes a different route by offering 3000+ integrations via Zapier, Make, and n8n, enabling native-like automation across platforms. This translates to measurable gains: teams save hours weekly and accelerate workflows, with consistent data flow across tools. For example, Derrick centralizes enrichment and outreach within 100% native Google Sheets, eliminating export steps and reducing handoffs between systems.
03 No setup complexity, instant campaign value to deploy
Clay and EmailSearch.io both reveal a setup-friction gap: Clay demands significant configuration for rapid deployment, while EmailSearch.io focuses on standalone email discovery with limited enrichment. Derrick eliminates this bottleneck by offering a 100% native Google Sheets experience with zero complex setup, delivering instant campaign value. Users typically save 5-10 hours per month and can deploy targeting lists immediately, leveraging Derrick’s real-time validation and 50+ enrichment attributes without CSV exports or external integrations. In practice, teams can launch vetted campaigns in minutes, not days.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Clay, EmailSearch.io, 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 EmailSearch.io does better
- Cheapest meaningful email finder + drip campaigns bundle
- LinkedIn email extraction + 92% accuracy claim
- 100% money-back guarantee
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 | EmailSearch.io | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $134/mo (annual) | No free trial · Basic $29/mo (1K searches) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€1,608/yr | ~€348/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (limited credits) | No (paid plans only - 100% money-back guarantee) | ✓ 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 EmailSearch.io vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Clay | Derrick App | EmailSearch.io | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 29$/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 →
Email Finder + Drip Campaigns
Clay vs EmailSearch.io vs Derrick pricing breakdown
Data Enrichment Clay
Free / $134/mo (annual)
Best for: GTM ops & technical SDR teams
Clay offers entry-level plans with upfront credits and scalable paid tiers, plus real-time data enrichment across 50+ sources; details and all plan options are available on the pricing page-see full pricing breakdown for complete details.
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.
Email Finder + Drip Campaigns EmailSearch.io
No free trial · Basic $29/mo (1K searches)
Best for: Solo SDRs needing affordable email finder + drip campaigns bundle
EmailSearch.io offers affordable entry-level pricing with a paid tier starting at accessible monthly rates and a free tier for scope-limited use; see full pricing breakdown for all plan details. View complete pricing details on the dedicated Pricing EmailSearch.io page.
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 EmailSearch.io if…
- You specifically need solo sdrs needing affordable email finder + drip campaigns bundle
- Cheapest meaningful email finder + drip campaigns bundle
- LinkedIn email extraction + 92% accuracy claim
- You're already invested in the EmailSearch.io 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 EmailSearch.io
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 Derrick vs Clay difference for data enrichment?
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Derrick and Clay take fundamentally different approaches to data enrichment. Clay is a comprehensive workflow automation platform that combines data sourcing, email finding, and outbound sequences in one interface, requiring significant setup and technical configuration. Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating complex workflows and CSV exports while delivering fifty-plus enrichment attributes per contact. Derrick's real-time email validation, integrated AI capabilities with Claude and ChatGPT, and rollover credits provide streamlined enrichment without the learning curve Clay demands. For teams prioritizing speed and simplicity over extensive automation features, Derrick offers faster deployment and lower total cost of ownership.
Is Derrick a better alternative to Clay for speed?
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Derrick delivers superior speed for Google Sheets-based workflows since it's 100% native to the platform with zero CSV exports or complex setup required, saving teams 5-10 hours monthly compared to Clay's manual configuration demands. While Clay excels at multi-source data aggregation, it requires external setup and technical expertise, slowing initial deployment. Derrick's real-time email validation combined with integrated AI scoring means faster list qualification without leaving Sheets, making it the streamlined choice for teams prioritizing speed and simplicity over Clay's feature complexity.
Derrick vs Clay vs EmailSearch.io: which is overall best?
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The best choice depends on your team's priorities. Clay excels at workflow automation and data aggregation across multiple sources, making it ideal for high-volume campaigns requiring sophisticated sequences. EmailSearch.io offers simplicity and affordability for basic email discovery but lacks advanced enrichment features. Derrick stands out for teams already using Google Sheets, providing 100% native integration without CSV exports, real-time email validation, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, and rollover credits with no credit card required for the free tier. If you prioritize speed, simplicity, and avoiding external platforms, Derrick delivers the most streamlined experience while maintaining powerful enrichment capabilities directly within your existing workflow.
Which has better pricing, Derrick or EmailSearch.io?
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Based on the available pricing details, Derrick offers a clear, scalable credit-based model with a free tier and monthly rollover, starting at 0€ for the free tier and affordable paid options that scale with credit bundles. EmailSearch.io pricing centers on simple plans for email discovery and verification, which tends to be cheaper upfront but lacks Derrick’s broader data enrichment and automation capabilities. If you mainly need affordable email discovery, EmailSearch.io may win on price for that narrow use case; however, for a fuller, all-in-one outreach solution with 100% native Google Sheets, real-time email validation, AI scoring, and large credit allowances, Derrick provides more value per cost, especially for teams seeking speed, integration breadth, and long-term predictability.
What are Derrick’s top features versus EmailSearch.io?
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Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating the need for external platforms or CSV exports that EmailSearch.io requires, saving teams five to ten hours monthly. While EmailSearch.io excels primarily at email discovery and verification, Derrick provides fifty plus enrichment attributes per contact alongside real-time email validation, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, and three thousand plus third-party integrations via Zapier and Make. Derrick's rollover credits and no credit card requirement for the free tier offer greater flexibility than EmailSearch.io's standard approach, making it ideal for teams prioritizing comprehensive data enrichment alongside streamlined workflows.
Can Derrick replace both Clay and EmailSearch.io?
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Derrick cannot fully replace both Clay and EmailSearch.io in every scenario, but it can cover core needs more efficiently for many teams. Derrick excels as a 100% native Google Sheets enrichment platform with real-time email validation, AI scoring, and 50+ attributes per contact, plus extensive integrations and a flexible credit system. Clay offers deep multi-source enrichment and automated workflows, while EmailSearch.io specializes in rapid email discovery. If your priority is streamlined prospecting inside Sheets with strong delivery and AI-driven insights, Derrick can replace both for many use cases, though some complex enrichment or pure email discovery tasks may still benefit from the dedicated tools.
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-oneEmailSearch.io vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how EmailSearch.io 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
