Clay
- Starting price: Free / $134/mo (annual)
- Free plan: Yes (limited credits)
- Founded: 2017
- HQ: New York, NY
Updated
Clay vs LinkFinder vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Clay vs LinkFinder vs Derrick: Clay is a multi-source data enrichment with ai workflows, LinkFinder is a ai-powered linkedin email finder with multi-source data aggregation and zero linkedin account dependency. 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 LinkFinder) 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 LinkFinder 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 LinkFinder vs Derrick at a glance
LinkFinder
- Starting price: $49/month (Starter) · 25-credit free trial
- Free plan: No (paid plans only - credit-based pricing)
- Founded: 2024 (estimated)
- HQ: Not publicly disclosed
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 LinkFinder
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time validation without data quality tradeoffs
Clay and LinkFinder struggle with real-time validation when data freshness and accuracy vary across sources, often delaying outreach decisions. Derrick delivers real-time validation directly within 100% native Google Sheets, avoiding the data quality tradeoffs inherent to external enrichment flows. With Derrick, you get immediate feedback on contact and company data as you work, reducing mis deliverables and speeding up campaigns by up to 5-10 hours per month. No complex setup or LinkedIn dependency is needed, so you can validate on the fly and keep lists ready for deployment.
02 Flexible automation depth without complex setup for teams
Clay and LinkFinder require separate, often complex setups to achieve scalable enrichment and automation, which slows team onboarding. Derrick delivers flexible automation depth with a 100% native Google Sheets experience, eliminating CSV exports and heavy config. Teams save time and reduce setup friction, with measurable gains like 5-10 hours saved per month and seamless multi-step workflows. Derrick scales to 50+ enrichment attributes per contact and integrates directly into familiar Sheets, enabling rapid, collaborative prospect research without switching tools.
03 Native Google Sheets efficiency with integrated data quality controls
Clay and LinkFinder struggle to deliver native Google Sheets workflows with seamless, in-spreadsheet data quality controls. Derrick differentiates by enabling 100% native Google Sheets efficiency, eliminating CSV exports and complex setup. Real-time validation and multi-attribute enrichment feed directly into Sheets, reducing data hygiene costs and boosting deliverability, with up to 50+ attributes per contact. Derrick also preserves credits monthly and requires no credit card for free tier, making ongoing quality-driven prospecting practical at scale.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Clay, LinkFinder, 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 LinkFinder does better
- Zero LinkedIn account ban risk (private network architecture)
- No Sales Navigator dependency
- Feature-flat pricing across all tiers
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 | LinkFinder | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $134/mo (annual) | $49/month (Starter) · 25-credit free trial | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€1,608/yr | ~€588/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (limited credits) | No (paid plans only - credit-based pricing) | ✓ 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 LinkFinder vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Clay | Derrick App | LinkFinder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | lifetime deal |
| 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 →
AI LinkedIn Email Finder + Multi-Source Enrichment
Clay vs LinkFinder 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 pricing that starts with a free tier and scalable paid plans; detailed pricing is available on the Pricing Clay 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.
AI LinkedIn Email Finder + Multi-Source Enrichment LinkFinder
$49/month (Starter) · 25-credit free trial
Best for: Solo SDRs wanting LinkedIn email finder without Sales Nav dependency
LinkFinder offers a scalable pricing ladder with a free tier and paid plans starting at a modest monthly rate; all plans include API access and bulk enrichment capabilities. See full pricing breakdown for complete details and tiers.
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 LinkFinder if…
- You specifically need solo sdrs wanting linkedin email finder without sales nav dependency
- Zero LinkedIn account ban risk (private network architecture)
- No Sales Navigator dependency
- You're already invested in the LinkFinder 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 LinkFinder
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
Derrick vs Clay: which is better for speed and simplicity?
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Derrick edges ahead for speed and simplicity with its native Google Sheets integration, eliminating the CSV export friction that slows down both Clay and LinkFinder workflows. Clay excels at complex automation but demands significant setup time and technical knowledge, making it slower for beginners. LinkFinder offers quick bulk enrichment but requires constant import-export cycles. Derrick's browser-native approach means you enrich data directly in your spreadsheet without leaving the platform, saving five to ten hours monthly while requiring zero technical expertise or external tool juggling.
Is Derrick a strong alternative to Clay for Google Sheets users?
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Yes, Derrick is a strong alternative to Clay for Google Sheets users, particularly if you prioritize simplicity and speed. While Clay excels at complex workflow automation and multi-source data aggregation, it requires external setup and CSV exports that disrupt your spreadsheet workflow. Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating manual import-export cycles and saving five to ten hours monthly. For teams seeking streamlined enrichment without Clay's learning curve, Derrick delivers faster deployment with built-in AI capabilities, rollover credits, and no credit card required for the free tier, making it ideal for Google Sheets-first prospecting workflows.
Derrick vs Clay vs LinkFinder: which offers better pricing?
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Derrick offers the most flexible pricing structure with rollover credits that don't expire monthly, starting at a free tier requiring no credit card. Clay's pricing centers on workflow automation and data enrichment volume, making it costlier for teams with variable needs. LinkFinder AI provides affordable bulk enrichment through CSV uploads but lacks native workspace integration. Derrick's native Google Sheets approach eliminates expensive third-party tools and LinkedIn subscriptions, delivering better value for teams prioritizing simplicity and cost efficiency without sacrificing enrichment quality or AI capabilities.
How does Derrick differ from Clay in data enrichment capabilities?
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Derrick differs from Clay in data enrichment by delivering a fully native Google Sheets integration, avoiding CSV exports and complex setups. Derrick enriches over 50 attributes per contact or company directly inside Sheets, with real-time email validation and built-in AI (Claude and ChatGPT) for scoring and segmentation. Unlike Clay, Derrick emphasizes simplicity, speed, and native workspace workflow, plus flexible monthly, roll-over credits and no credit card required for the free tier. This makes Derrick a more streamlined option for teams seeking rapid, in-spreadsheet enrichment with robust automation.
Clay vs LinkFinder: which provides better review and reliability?
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Clay and LinkFinder serve fundamentally different purposes, making direct reliability comparisons challenging. Clay is a data enrichment and outreach automation platform with real-time verification capabilities but users report occasional accuracy inconsistencies and rate-limiting issues at scale. LinkFinder AI focuses on bulk CSV-based enrichment with a claimed 95% accuracy rate and no LinkedIn account requirements, though its accuracy varies significantly by company size and geography. For teams seeking reliability without manual verification overhead, Derrick App offers native Google Sheets integration with real-time email validation, rollover credits, and built-in AI scoring, eliminating the CSV friction both competitors require while delivering consistent enrichment quality directly within your existing workflow.
Can Derrick replace Clay and LinkFinder for pricing and features?
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Derrick cannot be a direct one-to-one replacement for both Clay and LinkFinder when you compare pricing and feature scope. Clay offers real-time data enrichment, multi-source data aggregation, and automated outreach workflows, whereas LinkFinder specializes in rapid bulk enrichment and discovery without needing LinkedIn connections. Derrick, by contrast, is native to Google Sheets with 50+ enrichment attributes, real-time email validation, AI-assisted scoring, and extensive integrations, plus a cost structure with monthly credits and no required credit card for the free tier. If your needs center on streamlined, spreadsheet-centric prospecting with fast enrichment and AI segmentation, Derrick can cover many tasks efficiently. For deep, multi-source enrichment workflows and standalone reconnaissance-like scanning, Clay and LinkFinder remain complementary 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-oneLinkFinder vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how LinkFinder 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
