Clay
- Starting price: Free / $134/mo (annual)
- Free plan: Yes (limited credits)
- Founded: 2017
- HQ: New York, NY
Updated
Clay vs Skylead vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Clay vs Skylead vs Derrick: Clay is a multi-source data enrichment with ai workflows, Skylead is a multichannel linkedin + email outreach with smart-sequence branching. 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 Skylead) 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 Skylead 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 Skylead vs Derrick at a glance
Skylead
- Starting price: $100/mo (All-in-One, annual)
- Free plan: 7-day free trial
- Founded: 2019
- HQ: Belgrade, Serbia
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 Skylead
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Get real-time validation without data gaps
Clay and Skylead struggle with real-time validation and data gaps, often relying on multi-source data that can lag or be inconsistent. Derrick delivers real-time validation directly within 100% native Google Sheets, eliminating the need for export or external validation steps. This means you can prune invalid contacts and reduce bounce risk in near real-time, improving deliverability and save time on manual checks. With Derrick, you get continuous, gap-free validation as you build your prospect lists, keeping your workflow seamless and up-to-date.
02 No setup required: immediate multi-channel enrichment launch
Clay and Skylead both require setup steps or multi-source coordination to enable multi-channel enrichment, delaying immediate launches. Derrick eliminates complexity by offering a 100% native Google Sheets integration with no setup, enabling instant multi-channel enrichment without exporting or configuring external pipelines. Users can launch campaigns faster and start enriching across channels right away, saving 5-10 hours per month and accelerating time-to-value. With Derrick, teams avoid onboarding friction and can deploy enrichment-driven outreach in minutes, not days.
03 Effortless multi-source data hygiene without manual cleanup
Clay and Skylead struggle with multi-source data hygiene, often requiring manual cleanup or secondary verification to achieve reliable accuracy. Derrick handles this by delivering 100% native Google Sheets enrichment with automated deduplication and standardization across 50+ attributes, eliminating manual cleanup. Teams can save 5-10 hours per month while maintaining consistent data quality, with monthly credit reporting for traceable usage. A quick use case: a refreshed multi-source lead list stays clean across sources without additional cleansing steps, ready for immediate outreach.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Clay, Skylead, 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 Skylead does better
- Smart sequences with if/else branching
- Unlimited email accounts + native warm-up
- Standout customer support
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 | Skylead | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $134/mo (annual) | $100/mo (All-in-One, annual) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€1,608/yr | ~€1,200/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (limited credits) | 7-day free trial | ✓ 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 Skylead vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Clay | Derrick App | Skylead | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 100$/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 →
Multichannel LinkedIn + Email Sequencer
Clay vs Skylead 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 starting at an entry tier, plus paid plans that scale with outreach volume; see the full pricing breakdown for complete details and plan specifics.
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.
Multichannel LinkedIn + Email Sequencer Skylead
$100/mo (All-in-One, annual)
Best for: Active SDRs needing smart conditional LinkedIn + email sequences
Skylead offers a basic entry tier with a starter credit bundle and scalable paid plans; all details, including limits and exact pricing, are on the dedicated Pricing page. See full pricing breakdown for complete details.
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 Skylead if…
- You specifically need active sdrs needing smart conditional linkedin + email sequences
- Smart sequences with if/else branching
- Unlimited email accounts + native warm-up
- You're already invested in the Skylead 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 Skylead
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
Is Derrick better than Clay for data enrichment and outreach?
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Derrick excels as a streamlined, sheet-native alternative to Clay for teams prioritizing speed and simplicity. While Clay offers powerful workflow automation across multiple data sources, it requires complex setup and often demands technical expertise. Derrick delivers faster enrichment directly within Google Sheets with fifty plus contact attributes, real-time email validation, and integrated AI scoring using Claude and ChatGPT. Unlike Clay's learning curve, Derrick eliminates setup friction, saves five to ten hours monthly on data management, and offers rollover credits with no credit card required for the free tier, making it ideal for teams seeking efficiency over extensive customization.
What’s Derrick vs Clay pricing differences for 2025?
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Derrick offers transparent, simple pricing starting at just $9 monthly for 4,000 credits with no credit card required for the free tier, whereas Clay's pricing structure is more complex and typically higher for comparable data enrichment volume. Unlike Clay, Derrick's credits roll over monthly, eliminating wasted budget on unused allocations. For teams prioritizing simplicity and cost efficiency, Derrick delivers native Google Sheets integration without requiring separate platforms or CSV exports, saving significant setup time compared to Clay's workflow configuration demands.
Derrick vs Clay: which offers better review scores?
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Both Clay and Derrick offer solid review scores, but they excel in different areas. Clay users praise its multi-source data aggregation and workflow automation capabilities, though they frequently report data accuracy inconsistencies and complex setup requirements. Derrick receives strong feedback for its simplicity and speed, being 100% native to Google Sheets with no CSV exports or technical configuration needed. Derrick also features real-time email validation and integrated AI tools for scoring and segmentation, delivering faster deployment and better deliverability. For teams prioritizing ease of use and rapid implementation, Derrick consistently outperforms Clay in user satisfaction, while Clay appeals to organizations willing to invest setup time for advanced customization.
How does Derrick compare to Skylead in features?
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Derrick compares favorably to Skylead on several features, especially for teams seeking data enrichment beyond LinkedIn-centric outreach. Derrick is 100% native to Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and complex setups, which Skylead’s LinkedIn-focused approach doesn’t match. Derrick offers 50+ enrichment attributes per contact, real-time email validation for deliverability, and AI-assisted scoring, segmentation, and summaries (via Claude and ChatGPT), all within a familiar sheet-based workflow. In contrast, Skylead excels at LinkedIn prospecting and automation but provides more limited multi-source enrichment and depth of firmographic data. Derrick also provides flexible credits that roll over monthly and a free tier with no credit card required, whereas Skylead’s pricing can feel less transparent as you scale. For teams prioritizing ease of use, real-time enrichment, and AI-driven insights without leaving Google Sheets, Derrick presents a more streamlined and versatile option.
Which is the better alternative, Derrick or Skylead, for automation?
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Derrick and Skylead serve different automation needs. Skylead excels as a LinkedIn-focused prospecting tool with strong contact discovery, but it's limited to LinkedIn's ecosystem. Derrick offers broader automation through Google Sheets with real-time email validation, 50+ enrichment attributes, and integrated AI tools for scoring and segmentation. Derrick eliminates manual exports and complex setup, saving five to ten hours monthly while supporting 3000+ integrations via Zapier and Make. For multi-channel automation flexibility and streamlined workflows, Derrick provides a more comprehensive solution than Skylead's LinkedIn-specific approach.
Can Derrick replace both Clay and Skylead in one platform?
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Derrick cannot literally replace both Clay and Skylead in every aspect, but it can cover core needs more natively for many B2B teams. Derrick is 100% native to Google Sheets, enabling seamless data enrichment, real-time email validation, AI-powered scoring and segmentation, and extensive automation through 3000+ integrations, all without CSV exports or LinkedIn Navigator. Clay excels in multi-source data enrichment and complex outbound workflows, while Skylead specializes in LinkedIn-based lead discovery and enrichment with strong accuracy. If your priority is a simple, fast, Google Sheets–based workflow with flexible credits, Derrick can replace the manual overlap of both platforms for many use cases, while recognizing that highly specialized enrichment depth (Clay) or LinkedIn-centric outreach (Skylead) may still benefit from their native strengths.
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-oneSkylead vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how Skylead 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
