Clay vs Apollo vs Lindy: Which Tool Wins for Automated Outbound Prospecting?

For automated outbound prospecting, Apollo is best for all-in-one simplicity, Clay excels at complex enrichment workflows, and Lindy wins for fully autonomous agent-based automation. The right choice depends on your team's technical sophistication and specific needs.

Here's the complete breakdown.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Clay	Apollo	Lindy
Primary Strength	Data enrichment workflows	All-in-one prospecting	Autonomous AI agents
Learning Curve	High	Low	Medium
Data Included	Via integrations (75+)	Built-in (270M+ contacts)	Via integrations
Email Sequencing	Limited	Built-in	Via workflows
Best For	Power users, RevOps	SMBs, quick setup	Custom automation
Starting Price	$149/mo	$49/user/mo	$49/mo

How Each Tool Works

Clay: Workflow-Based Enrichment

Clay is a spreadsheet-like interface where you build enrichment workflows. You start with a list of companies or contacts, then chain together "enrichment steps" that pull data from 75+ sources.

The experience: Like building automations in Zapier, but specifically for sales data.

Example workflow:

1. Import 1,000 companies from a CSV
2. Find CEO using LinkedIn
3. Get email from Hunter.io
4. Verify with NeverBounce
5. Enrich with technographic data
6. Score based on custom criteria
7. Push to CRM

Strengths:

• Incredible flexibility
• Waterfall enrichment (try source A, fallback to B)
• Custom formulas and logic
• Strong templates and community

Weaknesses:

• Steep learning curve
• Credits can get expensive fast
• Requires technical setup

Apollo: All-in-One Platform

Apollo bundles prospecting, enrichment, and outreach into a single platform. You search their database, build lists, and send sequences—all without leaving the app.

The experience: Like having a simpler ZoomInfo + Outreach combined.

Key capabilities:

1. Search 270M+ contacts database
2. Build targeted lists with filters
3. Enrich with emails and phone numbers
4. Create email sequences
5. Track opens, clicks, replies
6. Sync to CRM automatically

Strengths:

• Functional in minutes
• Huge contact database included
• Built-in email sequencing
• Generous free tier

Weaknesses:

• Data quality inconsistent internationally
• Limited workflow customization
• Email deliverability concerns at scale

Lindy: Autonomous AI Agents

Lindy lets you build AI agents that handle entire workflows autonomously. You define triggers, actions, and logic, then let agents run without constant supervision.

The experience: Like having virtual assistants that work 24/7.

Example agent:

1. Trigger: New company matches ICP criteria
2. Agent researches company website
3. Agent finds decision-maker on LinkedIn
4. Agent drafts personalized email
5. Agent sends or queues for approval
6. Agent follows up based on response

Strengths:

• True autonomous operation
• Flexible for any workflow type
• Learns from feedback
• Works across many domains (not just sales)

Weaknesses:

• Requires setup and tuning
• Can be unpredictable without guardrails
• Not specialized for sales data

Feature Deep Dive

Data Quality and Coverage

Clay:

• Aggregates from 75+ data providers
• You control which sources to use
• Waterfall logic finds best match
• Quality depends on your workflow design
• No proprietary database

Apollo:

• Proprietary database of 270M+ contacts
• Strong US coverage
• Weaker international data
• Email accuracy ~85-90%
• Phone numbers included

Lindy:

• No proprietary data
• Connects to external sources via APIs
• Quality depends on integrations used
• Flexible but requires configuration

Winner: Apollo for built-in data. Clay for data flexibility.

Workflow Automation

Clay:

• Powerful table-based workflows
• Conditional logic and formulas
• Scheduled runs
• Limited outreach automation

Apollo:

• Email sequences built-in
• Basic automation rules
• Limited complex workflows
• Good for standard outbound

Lindy:

• Most flexible automation
• True AI decision-making
• Multi-step autonomous flows
• Works across tools and platforms

Winner: Lindy for complex automation. Apollo for simple sequences.

Ease of Use

Clay:

• Days to learn effectively
• Technical background helpful
• Excellent documentation
• Active community support

Apollo:

• Minutes to first search
• Intuitive interface
• Standard sales tool patterns
• Easy onboarding

Lindy:

• Hours to build first agent
• Visual workflow builder
• Requires testing and tuning
• Learning from agent behavior

Winner: Apollo for getting started fast.

Integration Ecosystem

Clay:

• 75+ data enrichment sources
• CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• Zapier connectivity
• API access

Apollo:

• Native CRM sync
• Gmail/Outlook integration
• Zapier available
• API for custom integrations

Lindy:

• Broad integration library
• Works with most business tools
• Webhooks for custom triggers
• API for programmatic control

Winner: Clay for data integrations. Lindy for tool breadth.

Pricing Comparison

Clay Pricing

Plan	Monthly Cost	Credits
Starter	$149	2,000
Explorer	$349	10,000
Pro	$800	50,000

Credits are consumed per enrichment action. Complex workflows use more credits.

Apollo Pricing

Plan	Monthly Cost	Per User
Free	$0	Limited features
Basic	$49	Per user
Professional	$99	Per user
Organization	$149	Per user

Includes database access, sequencing, and basic features.

Lindy Pricing

Plan	Monthly Cost	Credits
Starter	$49	400
Pro	$99	2,000
Business	Custom	Custom

Credits consumed per agent action.

Most Affordable: Apollo for small teams. Clay and Lindy costs scale with usage.

Use Case Recommendations

Use Case 1: SMB Sales Team

Scenario: 5-person sales team, need to start prospecting this week, limited technical resources.

Recommendation: Apollo

Why: Built-in data, easy setup, sequences included. You can be sending emails today.

Use Case 2: RevOps Building Custom Workflows

Scenario: Operations team needs to enrich data from multiple sources with specific logic, push to complex systems.

Recommendation: Clay

Why: Workflow flexibility is unmatched. Worth the learning curve for custom requirements.

Use Case 3: Fully Automated Outbound

Scenario: Want AI to handle prospecting end-to-end with minimal human involvement.

Recommendation: Lindy

Why: True autonomous agents that can research, personalize, and send without human steps.

Use Case 4: High-Volume Cold Email

Scenario: Need to send 10,000+ cold emails per month with personalization.

Recommendation: Apollo + Clay

Why: Apollo for sequences and tracking, Clay for deep personalization at scale.

Use Case 5: Enterprise Multi-Tool Stack

Scenario: Large org with Salesforce, multiple data sources, complex routing.

Recommendation: Clay

Why: Handles complex integrations and logic that simpler tools can't.

Combining Tools

Many teams use multiple tools together:

Clay + Apollo:

• Clay for enrichment and data work
• Apollo for sequences and sending
• Best of both worlds

Lindy + Clay:

• Clay for data workflows
• Lindy for autonomous prospecting actions
• Powerful but complex

All Three:

• Clay for enrichment
• Apollo for database and sequences
• Lindy for autonomous tasks
• Maximum capability, maximum complexity

The Verdict

Choose Apollo if:

• You want to start prospecting immediately
• You value simplicity over customization
• Your team isn't technically sophisticated
• Budget is per-seat based

Choose Clay if:

• You need complex enrichment workflows
• You have technical ops resources
• Data quality and flexibility matter most
• You're willing to invest in learning

Choose Lindy if:

• You want true AI-powered automation
• You're building custom workflows beyond sales
• You want agents that learn and adapt
• You're comfortable with autonomous systems

For most teams starting out, Apollo is the fastest path to results. As you scale and needs become complex, Clay and Lindy become increasingly valuable.

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Want simpler AI prospecting? Origami combines the best of all three:

• Apollo's built-in data (15+ sources included)
• Clay's enrichment power (autonomous AI agents)
• Lindy's AI automation (chat interface, no workflow building)

Pricing: $80/month (5,500 credits) • 7-day free trial

Start Free 7-Day Trial (1,000 Credits) →