Clay
- Starting price: Free / $134/mo (annual)
- Free plan: Yes (limited credits)
- Founded: 2017
- HQ: New York, NY
Updated
Clay vs Surfe vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Clay vs Surfe vs Derrick: Clay is a multi-source data enrichment with ai workflows, Surfe is a linkedin-to-crm chrome extension for one-click contact sync + enrichment. 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 Surfe) 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 Surfe 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 Surfe vs Derrick at a glance
Surfe
- Starting price: Free 20 emails + 5 phones · Essential $39/mo
- Free plan: Yes - 20 emails + 5 phones/yr permanently
- Founded: 2020
- HQ: Paris, 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
03
Why teams pick Derrick over Clay and Surfe
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time data enrichment without setup hurdles
Clay struggles with real-time enrichment without heavy setup, often requiring complex configuration to achieve timely updates. Derrick delivers 100% native Google Sheets enrichment with no CSV exports or configuration hurdles, unlike Surfe which focuses on LinkedIn data and lacks broad enrichment depth. With Derrick, you get 50+ enrichment attributes per contact/organization and real-time email validation, saving 5-10 hours per month and accelerating outbound readiness. Real-time data updates occur directly inside Sheets, enabling immediate use without switching tools or workflows.
02 Flexible 3000+ integrations for scalable growth
Clay and Surfe each cap prospects to limited integration depth and sources, slowing scale when you need broad data ecosystems. Derrick delivers 3000+ native integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n, enabling scalable growth without complex setup or data silos. With Derrick, you can deploy enriched records across diverse apps in minutes, not hours, and keep credits reusable for ongoing campaigns. This reduces handoffs and speeds go-to-market, even for large teams running multi-tool workflows.
03 Unified data quality control without manual cleanup
Clay struggles with data accuracy and depth, often requiring manual cleanup to trust enriched records. Derrick delivers unified data quality control natively inside Google Sheets, eliminating complex setups or export steps that Clay relies on for basic enrichment. By consolidating 50+ attributes, real-time email verification, and deduplication in one place, Derrick saves up to 5-10 hours per month and reduces post-enrichment cleanup. Surfe focuses on LinkedIn-derived data and lacks broad enrichment depth, whereas Derrick provides comprehensive quality control across sources without manual cleanup.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Clay, Surfe, 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 Surfe does better
- Cleanest LinkedIn-to-CRM sync extension in the category
- Compatible with multiple CRMs (not locked to one)
- Speed + simplicity (top G2 mention pattern)
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 | Surfe | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $134/mo (annual) | Free 20 emails + 5 phones · Essential $39/mo | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€1,608/yr | ~€240/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (limited credits) | Yes - 20 emails + 5 phones/yr permanently | ✓ 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 Surfe vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Clay | Derrick App | Surfe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 →
LinkedIn → CRM Sync (Chrome Extension)
Clay vs Surfe 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 from a free tier and paid plans scaling by usage; see full pricing breakdown for complete details and tier options. Pricing specifics are available on the 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.
LinkedIn → CRM Sync (Chrome Extension) Surfe
Free 20 emails + 5 phones · Essential $39/mo
Best for: SDRs whose entire workflow lives inside LinkedIn
Surfe pricing starts with a free tier offering access to core LinkedIn-based prospecting features, with paid plans scaling by message and lead limits; detailed tiers and increments are explained on the pricing page. See full pricing breakdown for all plan specifics and exceptions.
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 Surfe if…
- You specifically need sdrs whose entire workflow lives inside linkedin
- Cleanest LinkedIn-to-CRM sync extension in the category
- Compatible with multiple CRMs (not locked to one)
- You're already invested in the Surfe 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 Surfe
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 vs Clay the better data enrichment choice for teams?
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Both Derrick and Clay offer robust data enrichment capabilities, but they serve different team priorities. Clay excels at workflow automation and multi-source data aggregation, making it ideal for teams running high-volume outreach campaigns requiring complex sequences. However, Derrick provides a more streamlined alternative that operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and complex setup while delivering 50+ enrichment attributes per contact. Derrick's rollover credits, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, and no credit card requirement for the free tier make it particularly attractive for teams prioritizing simplicity, cost efficiency, and faster time-to-value without sacrificing data quality or enrichment depth.
Is Derrick a good alternative to Clay for speed?
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Yes, Derrick is an excellent alternative to Clay for speed. While Clay requires significant setup time and complex workflow configuration, Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating time-consuming CSV exports and technical setup. Derrick delivers real-time email validation and enrichment with over 50 attributes per contact, enabling faster list building directly in your spreadsheet. For teams prioritizing rapid deployment and simplicity over Clay's more complex automation features, Derrick reduces prospecting cycle time by five to ten hours monthly while maintaining strong data accuracy and requiring zero technical expertise.
Derrick vs Clay vs Surfe: which is best for pricing?
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Derrick offers the most straightforward pricing model with rollover credits and no credit card required for the free tier, giving teams flexibility to scale without commitment. Clay's pricing centers on workflow automation and data sourcing volume, requiring significant setup investment upfront. Surfe operates as a LinkedIn-focused tool with simpler pricing but limited enrichment depth. For budget-conscious teams prioritizing transparency and cost control, Derrick's credit-based system with monthly carryover provides better value, while Clay suits high-volume campaigns and Surfe works best for LinkedIn-only prospecting strategies.
Which is the better Derrick vs Surfe comparison for features?
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For a features-focused comparison between Derrick and Surfe, Derrick clearly offers a broader, more versatile feature set that goes well beyond Surfe’s LinkedIn-centric data extraction. Derrick is 100% native to Google Sheets, enabling multi-attribute enrichment (50+ fields) and real-time email validation within a familiar workflow, plus AI scoring and segmentation via Claude and ChatGPT. It also provides 3,000+ integrations through Zapier/Make/n8n and flexible credits that roll over, with a free tier that requires no card. Surfe excels at fast, LinkedIn-driven contact discovery and verification, but lacks the breadth of data enrichment, multi-source capabilities, and integrated AI-driven insights Derrick provides. If your priority is comprehensive data enrichment, enrichment depth across contacts and companies, and automation within Google Sheets, Derrick is the stronger choice for feature completeness.
Does Clay offer a better pricing than Surfe?
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Clay and Surfe serve different purposes, making direct pricing comparison challenging. Clay focuses on data enrichment and automation workflows with flexible pricing based on usage, while Surfe operates as a LinkedIn-first prospecting tool with its own pricing structure. Clay may offer better value if you need comprehensive data enrichment across multiple sources, but Surfe excels for teams prioritizing LinkedIn-specific contact extraction. However, Derrick provides a more cost-effective alternative with rollover credits, no card required for free tier, and native Google Sheets integration that eliminates expensive tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, saving teams significant monthly expenses while delivering 50+ enrichment attributes without complex setup.
Can Derrick replace both Clay and Surfe for reviews and pricing?
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No. Derrick cannot replace both Clay and Surfe for reviews and pricing, as Clay and Surfe each focus on distinct strengths that Derrick does not fully replicate. Clay provides multi-source real-time data enrichment and automated outreach workflows, while Surfe excels at LinkedIn-first data extraction and verification within a browser. Derrick offers 100% native Google Sheets enrichment, strong email validation, AI scoring, and broad integrations, delivering a streamlined, cost-efficient alternative for general prospecting-but for high-precision enrichment (Clay) or LinkedIn-centric workflows (Surfe), you’d still benefit from using the respective specialized 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-oneSurfe vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how Surfe 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.
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