Use a data provider API key or purchase with Clay Credits?
API keys or Clay Credits, which is the cheaper option? Clay gives you the option of consuming services using Clay credits or, if you already subscribe to a data provider, using your API to connect their services to Clay. So which is better, Clay credits or your own API keys?
Our recommendation is that you use your own API key instead of using Clay credits. You will hear and read many reviews saying that Clay data is expensive, and it can be if you are purchasing data through Clay using credits. But if you use your own API key for services that you already subscribe to, you will be able to access that data in Clay without incurring any additional credit costs.
The golden rule, don’t double pay for data. If you have an existing subscription to a data vendor, connect your accounts in Clay using an API key.
Subscribe directly to a data vendor or purchase with Clay Credits?
But what if I don’t have a subscription, should I buy through Clay or subscribe to the service directly and integrate with an API key. That is a little more complex and depends on the number of companies/people you will target on a monthly basis and what type of data you need to pull on them. Clay has a credits calculator that you can use to understand how many credits you would need to target a given number of companies and contact with typical data pulls on a monthly basis. Then you can look at their pricing for credits based on your subscription level and get an idea of what you would pay for that data buying through Clay. We suggest that you then look at the cost of direct subscription to the data services and compare what you would pay through Clay vs in direct subscription.
And here is what Clay themselves say on pricing, of course they encourage you to use your Credits, that’s how they make money, they tout:
- All in one service. Access 100+ databases of leads and company research – without subscribing to a single external plan. Just pay for what you use with Clay credits.
- No middle-men. We never white-label or overcharge you to use data providers on Clay. Instead, we let you go to the source: directly access providers at wholesale prices. Understand exactly what providers your data is coming from, try them out, and adjust as needed.
- Save as you growGrow with Clay to unlock increasingly big savings! The higher your Clay plan is, the lower your cost per credit will be. Our Pro plan is up to 7x cheaper than our starter plan.
Conclusion:
Our advice is first and foremost, if you have a subscription to a data vendor, use it via API key in Clay. DO NOT DOUBLE PAY for data. Second, use the Clay Credit Calculator to get an idea of the costs of using Clay Credits for the data you need, then compare it to the cost of a direct subscription. Third, experiment, let the enrichments and campaigns run for a few weeks, set caps on Credits to avoid surprises and get to see first hand what the Clay Credit costs are before you make an informed choice on how to acquire the data.