Clay vs Apollo vs ZoomInfo: Which Lead Tool is Best for You?
Choosing the right B2B lead generation tool can make or break your sales pipeline. Clay, Apollo, and ZoomInfo are the three most-discussed options, but they serve different needs and budgets.
After testing all three with real outbound campaigns, here's our complete comparison to help you choose the right tool for your team.
Quick Verdict
What We'll Cover
Tool Overview: What Each Tool Does
Before comparing features, understand that these tools solve different problems:
| Tool | Primary Use | Key Differentiator |
|---|---|---|
| Clay | Data enrichment and workflow automation | Pulls from 75+ data sources |
| Apollo.io | All-in-one sales platform | Database + sequencing + analytics |
| ZoomInfo | Enterprise sales intelligence | Intent data, integrations, premium support |
Key insight: Clay is a workflow tool that uses data sources. Apollo and ZoomInfo are data sources that include workflow features. This fundamental difference affects how you should evaluate them.
Feature Comparison
Data & Enrichment
| Feature | Clay | Apollo | ZoomInfo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact database | Via integrations | 275M+ contacts | 300M+ contacts |
| Email accuracy | Varies by source | 91%+ | 95%+ |
| Phone numbers | Via sources | ||
| Multi-source enrichment | |||
| Intent data | Via Bombora | Basic |
Outreach & Sequencing
| Feature | Clay | Apollo | ZoomInfo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in sequencing | |||
| Email sending | |||
| Dialer | |||
| AI personalization | Basic | ||
| Workflow automation | Basic | Basic |
Deep Dive: Clay
Clay
"The spreadsheet that enriches itself"
$149 - $800/mo (+ per-enrichment costs)
Pros
- + Access to 75+ data sources
- + Waterfall enrichment
- + Claygent AI for web research
- + Spreadsheet UI is intuitive
- + Powerful formulas and automation
Cons
- - No built-in sequencing
- - Steeper learning curve
- - Per-enrichment costs add up
- - No native database
What Makes Clay Different
Clay's core innovation is waterfall enrichment. Instead of relying on one data source, you can configure Clay to try multiple sources in sequence until it finds the data you need.
For example, to find an email:
- Try Apollo first
- If not found, try Hunter.io
- If still not found, try Snov.io
- Verify with NeverBounce
This typically results in higher coverage rates than any single source alone.
Deep Dive: Apollo.io
Apollo.io
"The all-in-one sales platform"
Free - $99/mo/user (annual billing)
Pros
- + Generous free tier
- + All-in-one: data + sequences + calling
- + 275M+ contact database
- + Easy to use, quick setup
- + Great value for the price
Cons
- - Data quality varies by segment
- - Limited to Apollo's database only
- - Sequencing less powerful
- - Support can be slow
Pro tip: Apollo's free tier includes 10,000 email credits and basic sequencing. It's the best way to test outbound before committing to a paid tool.
Deep Dive: ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo
"The enterprise sales intelligence platform"
$15,000+/year (custom pricing only)
Pros
- + Highest data quality and coverage
- + Advanced intent data
- + Direct dial phone numbers
- + Enterprise-grade integrations
- + Dedicated support and CSM
Cons
- - Expensive ($15K+ minimum)
- - Annual contracts required
- - Overkill for small teams
- - Long sales cycle to buy
Budget reality: ZoomInfo requires annual contracts starting around $15,000. If that's a significant portion of your sales budget, consider Apollo or Clay first.
Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Free Tier | Starter | Mid-Tier | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | No | $149/mo | $349/mo | $800/mo |
| Apollo | Yes (10K credits) | $49/mo/user | $99/mo/user | Custom |
| ZoomInfo | No | ~$15K/year | ~$25K/year | ~$40K+/year |
Which Tool for Which Use Case
Early-stage startup, limited budget
You need to validate outbound as a channel without big investment.
Growing startup, 2-10 sales reps
You have traction and need to scale outbound efficiently.
Agency managing multiple clients
You need flexibility to handle different ICPs and data sources.
Data quality is critical
You're calling into enterprises where wrong numbers waste time.
Technical team, want to build workflows
You have ops resources and want maximum customization.
Don't want to manage tools at all
You just want qualified leads delivered, not another platform.
Skip the Tool. Get the Leads.
Parslead delivers vetted leads with verified emails and personalized first lines. No learning curve, no credit management.
Final Recommendation
For most B2B companies, our recommendation is:
- Start with Apollo's free tier to validate outbound works for your business
- Upgrade to Apollo paid when you hit the free tier limits
- Add Clay if you need multi-source enrichment or custom workflows
- Consider ZoomInfo only when you have 20+ reps and enterprise budgets
Or, if you'd rather focus on closing deals than managing tools: