Clay
- Starting price: Free / $134/mo (annual)
- Free plan: Yes (limited credits)
- Founded: 2017
- HQ: New York, NY
Updated
Clay vs TexAu vs Derrick: Which Is Better in 2026?
- Short answer
- Clay vs TexAu vs Derrick: Clay is a multi-source data enrichment with ai workflows, TexAu is a cloud automation platform with 180+ spices (automations) and recipes (workflows). 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 TexAu) 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 TexAu 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 TexAu vs Derrick at a glance
TexAu
- Starting price: Free 14-day trial · Solo $79/mo (annual)
- Free plan: 14-day free trial (no credit card)
- Founded: 2017
- HQ: Thane, Maharashtra, India
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 TexAu
3 core reasons SDRs and ops teams switch to Derrick. Click to expand each.
01 Real-time validation without data quality compromises
Clay struggles with real-time validation accuracy due to data freshness and source reliability, often requiring manual checks before outreach. Derrick solves this by delivering real-time email validation directly within 100% native Google Sheets, avoiding extra exports or complex setups. This results in improved deliverability and faster campaigns, with measurable gains like 5-10 hours saved per month and quicker launch times. For quick wins, Derrick validates emails on the fly during list building, ensuring quality without slowing you down.
02 Flexible 3000+ integrations for scalable automation
Clay and TexAu struggle with real-time, high-volume integration feasibility and setup complexity across multiple sources. Derrick offers 3000+ native integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n, delivering scalable automation without complex configs. Teams gain measurable efficiency, saving up to 5-10 hours per month on setup and maintenance while orchestrating workflows from a single 100% native Google Sheets environment. Derrick’s AI-assisted enrichment and real-time validation further streamline multi-source collaboration at scale.
03 Seamless setup with no onboarding friction for teams
Clay and TexAu can require significant setup time or complex onboarding, slowing teams before they launch campaigns. Derrick delivers a seamless, no-code setup directly inside Google Sheets, cutting onboarding friction for teams. By 100% native Google Sheets integration and pre-built enrichment plus real-time validation, Derrick reduces time-to-value by up to 5–10 hours per month. Free tier access and immediate use cases mean teams can start prospecting without specialized training.
Honest Comparison 
derrick
What each tool does better
We're upfront - every tool has strengths. Here's where Clay, TexAu, 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 TexAu does better
- 180+ Spices vs PhantomBuster's 130+ at similar pricing
- Faster execution than most cloud automation competitors
- Built-in email verification (no separate tool needed)
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 | TexAu | Derrick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price (monthly) | Free / $134/mo (annual) | Free 14-day trial · Solo $79/mo (annual) | €0 (free) · €9/mo paid |
| Annual cost (base) | ~€1,608/yr | ~€168/yr | €0/yr free · ~€108/yr paid |
| Free plan? | Yes (limited credits) | 14-day free trial (no credit card) | ✓ 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 TexAu vs Derrick: full feature comparison
| Clay | Derrick App | TexAu | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 →
Cloud Automation Platform (Spices + Recipes)
Clay vs TexAu 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 paid tiers starting at a low entry price and a usable free tier for onboarding; for exact plan details, see full pricing breakdown.
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.
Cloud Automation Platform (Spices + Recipes) TexAu
Free 14-day trial · Solo $79/mo (annual)
Best for: Growth hackers + automation enthusiasts on a budget
TexAu starts with a free tier offering limited credits, with paid plans beginning at affordable monthly rates; see full pricing breakdown for details on credits, tiers, and add-ons. View complete pricing details to explore all plan options and constraints.
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 TexAu if…
- You specifically need growth hackers + automation enthusiasts on a budget
- 180+ Spices vs PhantomBuster's 130+ at similar pricing
- Faster execution than most cloud automation competitors
- You're already invested in the TexAu 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 TexAu
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 difference Derrick vs Clay in data enrichment?
+
Derrick and Clay approach data enrichment differently. Clay excels as a workflow automation platform that aggregates data from 50+ sources with visual automation, but requires significant setup time and relies on third-party data freshness. Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and complex configurations while delivering 50+ enrichment attributes per contact with real-time email validation. Derrick's integrated AI using Claude and ChatGPT enables automatic scoring and segmentation directly in your spreadsheet, plus rollover credits and no credit card requirement for the free tier, making it more accessible for teams prioritizing simplicity and speed over extensive workflow customization.
Is Derrick a better alternative to Clay for teams?
+
Derrick offers a more streamlined alternative to Clay, particularly for teams prioritizing simplicity and speed. While Clay excels at complex workflow automation and multi-source data aggregation, it requires significant setup time and technical expertise. Derrick operates natively within Google Sheets, eliminating CSV exports and configuration complexity while saving five to ten hours monthly. Both platforms provide data enrichment, but Derrick's integrated AI features, rollover credits, and no credit card requirement for free access make it more accessible for teams seeking faster deployment without sacrificing enrichment depth or deliverability through real-time email validation.
Derrick vs Clay vs TexAu: which is best for automation?
+
The best automation platform depends on your specific needs. Clay excels at complex workflow automation and multi-source data enrichment but requires significant setup time and technical knowledge. TexAu focuses on text processing and lacks comprehensive data enrichment capabilities. Derrick stands out for automation directly within Google Sheets without complex configuration, offering real-time email validation, integrated AI scoring with Claude and ChatGPT, and rollover credits. If you prioritize speed, simplicity, and native spreadsheet automation without external platforms, Derrick delivers faster implementation. For high-volume campaigns needing granular data sourcing, Clay may suit you better, though Derrick's straightforward approach saves substantial setup time and operational overhead.
How does Clay compare to TexAu for pricing and features?
+
Clay vs TexAu on pricing and features: Clay is a robust data enrichment and outbound automation platform with real-time data sourcing, multi-source integrations, and a visual no-code workflow builder. TexAu focuses on AI-assisted writing and bulk text automation, excelling in scalable content augmentation rather to a full-scale data enrichment or multi-channel outreach system. Pricing wise, Clay typically charges for data enrichment across multiple sources with configurable limits, while TexAu emphasizes straightforward task-based augmentation pricing for high-volume text tasks. For teams needing comprehensive prospecting workflows, Clay offers broader data sources, CRM integrations, and validation, whereas TexAu is best as a writing and content-augmentation layer. Derrick App differentiates itself with 100% native Google Sheets workflow, real-time email validation, AI scoring and segmentation, and flexible, reportable credits, offering a simpler, integrated alternative for teams prioritizing speed and ease of use. If you’re evaluating purely two options, Clay provides stronger outreach automation and data integrity; TexAu provides efficient text processing. Derrick adds a seamless Google Sheets-native experience and scalable credit-based pricing that can simplify ongoing prospecting at scale.
Does Derrick offer better pricing than Clay or TexAu?
+
Derrick offers competitive pricing starting at just $9 monthly with 4,000 credits, compared to Clay and TexAu's higher entry points. What sets Derrick apart is rollover credits-unused credits carry over monthly, reducing waste and total cost of ownership. Derrick eliminates the need for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, saving teams $1,200 annually versus competitors. Plus, Derrick's free tier requires no credit card, making it more accessible for testing. For budget-conscious teams, Derrick delivers superior value through flexible pricing, credit flexibility, and integrated AI features that typically require separate subscriptions elsewhere.
Can Derrick replace both Clay and TexAu for onboarding?
+
Derrick cannot fully replace both Clay and TexAu for onboarding in every scenario, but it can cover the core onboarding needs for many B2B teams. Derrick excels at a fully native Google Sheets workflow, real-time email validation, AI-powered scoring and segmentation, and extensive integrations via Zapier/Make/n8n, all without exporting CSVs or complex setup. Clay delivers robust data enrichment and multi-source prospecting automation with deeper customization, while TexAu specializes in efficient text automation. If your onboarding requires advanced data sourcing, multi-source enrichment, or comprehensive content workflows beyond what a Google Sheets-centric approach offers, you’ll likely need Clay or TexAu in tandem with Derrick. For teams prioritizing speed, simplicity, and cost control in onboarding, Derrick provides a strong, streamlined alternative and can replace several onboarding steps while still leaving room to supplement with Clay or TexAu as needed.
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-oneTexAu vs Derrick - solo duel
Drop the third-party context and see how TexAu 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
