How Much Does It Cost to Enrich 1,000 Leads in Clay?

Enriching 1,000 fully enriched leads in Clay uses roughly 6,000 to 20,000 Data Credits and about 5,000 Actions, which works out to roughly $300 to $1,000 in Data Credits at Clay's starting rate of $0.05 per credit. Clay's plans documentation says a fully enriched record (company and person profile, email, phone, and custom AI enrichments) typically costs 6 to 20 Data Credits, and Clay's Actions documentation charges 1 Action per enrichment and per AI run, so a full record with five enrichments uses about 5 Actions. The useful part is that you set where you land in that range: the credit cost is shown before you run a column, you choose which columns run, and using your own provider API keys removes Clay Data Credits for those providers.

Clay describes a Data Credit as costing "a few pennies" and an Action as costing "a few tenths of a penny." The pricing page is more specific: Data Credits start at $0.05 each and Actions at less than $0.01 each, and both get cheaper at higher tiers. This guide measures cost in credits and Actions first, then converts to dollars at those starting rates.

TL;DR

• 1,000 fully enriched leads use about 6,000 to 20,000 Data Credits (6 to 20 per record) and about 5,000 Actions (roughly 1 per enrichment or AI run, five per full record).
• At the $0.05 starting rate, that is roughly $300 to $1,000 in Data Credits; 5,000 Actions at under $0.01 each cost less than $50.
• You control the spend: lighter enrichments cost fewer credits (0.5 to 10+ per enrichment), and you only pay for the columns you run.
• Bringing your own API keys removes Clay Data Credits for that provider (you pay the provider directly) and still uses 1 Action per enrichment. Clay estimates 50 to 80 percent overall Data Credit savings.
• Growth at the entry tier includes 6,000 Data Credits per month, which covers 1,000 records at 6 credits each.
• Matching the plan to your volume keeps usage inside the monthly allowance. On Launch, covering a 3,500-credit shortfall with 30%-premium top-ups costs about $227, while raising the credit tier from 2,500 to 6,000 per month costs $165 more per month.

Why does "cost per 1,000 leads" depend on your build?

Clay meters two things, Actions and Data Credits, and you shape the second by how you build your table.

Because cost is shown per enrichment and scales with the columns you choose, you can forecast it before spending. Measure each meter separately and read the credit cost shown before you run a column.

Actions: the orchestration meter

Actions measure orchestration: enriching data, running AI research, and sending data to other tools. Each enrichment and each AI run counts as 1 Action, regardless of data source or provider, and each record exported to another tool (such as a CRM or sequencer) counts as 1 more, according to Clay's documentation. Imports, formulas, CSV exports, and enrichments that return no result use no Actions. Per Clay's plans documentation, Actions are a background meter, and 90% of customers will never hit their Actions limit.

For 1,000 fully enriched leads with five enrichments each (company, person, email, phone, and one AI column): 1,000 records x 5 Actions = about 5,000 Actions. Exporting those records to a CRM would add 1,000 more.

Data Credits: the data meter

Data Credits pay for data or AI from third-party vendors in Clay's marketplace. Cost varies by data type, from 0.5 to 10+ credits, and the credit cost is displayed next to each enrichment option before you run it, according to Clay's documentation. In Clay's own example, a LinkedIn profile and an email each cost 0.5 credits, and some email validators are free. The pricing page says Data Credits cover the cost of the data itself from 150+ data partners and start at $0.05 each.

A table that only looks up a company profile uses few credits. A table that finds a person profile, an email, and a phone number, and runs a custom AI enrichment, uses more. You pick which one you build.

What is the formula for 1,000 leads?

Multiply records by Actions per record, and records by Data Credits per record. Then multiply credits by the per-credit rate to get dollars.

Batch cost = (records x Actions per record) + (records x Data Credits per record)

The 6 to 20 range applies to a fully enriched record. Enriching fewer fields can cost less than 6 credits per record and uses fewer Actions. The $0.05 figure is Clay's starting rate; it matches the Launch entry tier on the pricing page (2,500 credits for $125 per month), and larger credit tiers cost less per credit. At the Launch entry tier, 15,000 Actions cost $60 per month, or $0.004 each, so 5,000 Actions are worth about $20 of that allowance.

Worked examples: spend you control

The examples below are illustrations built from the 6 to 20 credits-per-record range in Clay's documentation. They are not measured results from a specific table.

Illustration 1: a fully enriched list, with the range in your hands

A fully enriched list of 1,000 leads uses about 5,000 Actions and between 6,000 and 20,000 Data Credits.

You upload 1,000 leads and run company enrichment, person profile enrichment, email, phone, and one custom AI enrichment on every row.

• Actions: 1,000 x 5 = about 5,000 Actions.
• Data Credits, low: 1,000 x 6 = 6,000 credits (about $300 at $0.05).
• Data Credits, high: 1,000 x 20 = 20,000 credits (about $1,000 at $0.05).

The midpoint of 6 and 20 is 13 credits per record, so 1,000 x 13 = 13,000 credits (about $650 at $0.05) is a planning figure if you have no better information. It is an estimate, not a Clay-published average. Where you land depends on the columns you turn on, and each column's cost is visible first.

Illustration 2: bring your own keys

Your own API keys remove Clay Data Credits for the providers they cover, while the Action count stays the same.

Clay states that connecting existing provider keys eliminates the Data Credit cost for that provider, while still using 1 Action per enrichment. Clay estimates overall savings of 50 to 80 percent on Data Credits, depending on how many of your enrichments your own keys cover. The table applies that estimate:

If you already hold provider contracts, you put them to work inside Clay. You pay those providers directly at your own contract rates, so that cost depends on your agreements rather than on Clay's pricing.

Illustration 3: pay only for what you run

A partial enrichment costs the displayed credit cost multiplied by your row count.

Suppose you only need company and person profile data and the displayed cost is 3 credits per record. This is an illustrative assumption, not a Clay figure. For 1,000 leads: 1,000 x 3 = 3,000 credits (about $150 at $0.05), plus 1,000 x 2 = about 2,000 Actions for the two enrichment columns. Skipping phone and AI columns is what moves you from the high end of the range toward the low end.

Illustration 4: a waterfall that stops when data is found

In a waterfall, providers are tried in order, and later steps run only on rows still missing data. Clay supports multi-provider waterfalls, and each step that runs can consume credits, so the order matters. Put the most reliable source first so the rows it fills never trigger the later steps.

As an illustration, suppose the first provider finds an email for 700 of 1,000 rows, and a second step costs 2 credits per row it runs (an assumed figure, not a Clay rate). The second step runs on 300 rows: 300 x 2 = 600 credits, rather than 1,000 x 2 = 2,000 if it ran on every row. Your real hit rates and costs will differ, so test on a sample.

Which Clay plan fits 1,000 leads?

Growth at the entry tier fits 1,000 fully enriched leads at the low end, and Launch fits with expanded credits or your own keys.

Entry-tier allowances from the pricing page:

Annual billing saves 10 percent. A 14-day free trial is offered.

Dividing the monthly credit allowance by credits per record shows how many fully enriched records fit in a month (rounded down):

Actions are rarely the limit. At about 5 Actions per fully enriched record, Launch's 15,000 Actions cover about 3,000 records a month (15,000 / 5) and Growth's 40,000 cover about 8,000 (40,000 / 5), well above what the entry-tier credits allow.

• Free is built for testing. It allows tables of up to 200 rows and excludes phone number enrichment.
• Launch at entry tier covers 1,000 leads at 2.5 credits per record or less (2,500 / 1,000 = 2.5). The pricing page lets you raise Launch Data Credits in tiers of 6,000, 10,000, 20,000, or 50,000 per month. At 10,000 credits, Launch covers 1,000 records at up to 10 credits each (10,000 / 1,000 = 10).
• Growth at entry tier covers 1,000 records at 6 credits each (6,000 / 1,000 = 6). The documentation describes Growth as suitable for enriching 1,000 to 10,000 records per month.
• Enterprise adds bulk enrichment of more than 50,000 records at once and credit budgeting.

Feature gates matter too. Phone enrichment starts on Launch. CRM integrations and auto-sync start on Growth, so needing enriched data pushed into a CRM can change the plan regardless of credit math.

How do you add credits beyond your plan?

Launch and Growth can add credits beyond the monthly allowance at a 30% premium, and sizing the plan to your volume avoids needing to.

Unused Data Credits also roll over. On monthly plans they accumulate up to 2× your monthly allotment; on annual plans, up to 15% of your annual credits roll over when you renew on the same or a higher tier. Actions never roll over, according to Clay's Plans and billing documentation.

Example: you are on Launch at the entry tier (2,500 credits) and want 1,000 records at 6 credits each.

• Credits needed: 1,000 x 6 = 6,000.
• Shortfall: 6,000 - 2,500 = 3,500 credits, to be bought at the 30% premium.
• Top-up cost: 3,500 x $0.05 x 1.3 = about $227.
• Tier alternative: on the pricing page, Launch's 2,500-credit tier is $125 per month and its 6,000-credit tier is $290 per month, so raising the tier costs $290 - $125 = $165 more per month and covers the full 6,000 credits.

For a one-off batch, a top-up works. If you need the extra credits every month, the higher credit tier is cheaper ($165 versus about $227), which matches Clay's guidance that upgrading your Data Credits tier is more cost-effective for regular needs.

How do AI enrichments change the cost?

Each AI enrichment uses 1 Action, and its credit cost is either fixed or variable.

Per Clay's AI pricing documentation:

1. Fixed: a flat number of credits per task. This applies to most models, including Clay's own models.
2. Variable: Credit Charge = Actual LLM Cost / Workspace Cost Per Credit. Clay withholds an estimated number of credits upfront based on the 75th percentile of past runs, multiplied by rows. Before the run, variable models show an estimate marked with "~" rather than an exact cost.

Because the hold is multiplied by rows, a variable-cost AI column on 1,000 rows reserves credits for all 1,000 rows before it finishes, so testing the column on a few rows first keeps your balance clear.

Each AI column also adds an Action per row. Two AI enrichments on 1,000 records add 2 x 1,000 = 2,000 Actions, well inside the Launch entry allowance of 15,000 Actions per month.

How can you keep the cost of 1,000 leads where you want it?

Read costs before running, test on a sample, and enrich only what you need.

1. Read the credit cost before you run. Add up the columns you plan to use and multiply by your row count.
2. Test on a small sample. Check credits consumed, then extrapolate. The Free plan allows up to 200 rows per table.
3. Bring your own API keys if you already have provider contracts: no Clay Data Credits for those providers, with Clay estimating 50 to 80 percent overall savings.
4. Only enrich what you need. Dropping phone or AI columns moves you toward the low end of the range.
5. Order waterfalls deliberately. Run the most reliable source first so later steps only run on rows still missing data.
6. Match your plan to monthly volume. If you regularly exceed your tier, compare an expanded credit tier with 30%-premium top-ups.
7. Watch the credit reporting dashboard. It is included on all plans.

Where Clay fits best

• Clay fits best when you are comfortable measuring credits on your own tables and reading the displayed credit cost before running a column.
• Clay fits best when your monthly volume matches a plan's allowance; the Free plan's 100 Data Credits suit testing, and CRM auto-sync is available from Growth.
• Clay fits best when you want a flexible, multi-provider workflow and are happy to forecast spend in credits rather than a flat per-lead price.

FAQ

How many credits does it take to enrich 1,000 leads in Clay?

For fully enriched records, 6,000 to 20,000 Data Credits (6 to 20 per record x 1,000), plus about 5,000 Actions (roughly 5 per record). Lighter enrichments cost less.

How much does it cost in dollars?

At Clay's starting rate of $0.05 per Data Credit, 6,000 to 20,000 credits is roughly $300 to $1,000. The Actions add little: 5,000 Actions at under $0.01 each is less than $50.

Can you forecast Clay credit costs at scale?

Yes, because Clay shows the credit cost next to each enrichment before you run it. Cost varies by data type from 0.5 to 10+ credits. Multiply that by your rows to forecast.

How does usage scale with rows and columns?

Usage follows rows and columns, which puts you in control of it. The 6 to 20 credit range assumes company, person, email, phone, and custom AI enrichment, and removing columns lowers both credits and Actions.

How do waterfalls manage credit use?

Waterfalls run later steps only on rows still missing data, so ordering the most reliable provider first limits the credits consumed.

What do an Action and a Data Credit cost?

Clay describes an Action as "a few tenths of a penny" and a Data Credit as "a few pennies." The pricing page says Data Credits start at $0.05 each and Actions at less than $0.01 each, and both get cheaper with scale.

Can I enrich 1,000 leads on the Free plan?

Free is built for testing, and 1,000 leads fit on a paid plan. Free includes 100 Data Credits and 500 Actions per month, up to 200 rows per table, and no phone number enrichment.

Is the Growth plan enough for 1,000 fully enriched leads?

At 6,000 credits per month on the entry tier, Growth covers 1,000 records at 6 credits each. At 20 credits per record, it covers 300 (6,000 / 20 = 300). Its 40,000 Actions comfortably cover the roughly 5,000 Actions the batch needs.

Do I save money using my own API keys, and do credits roll over?

Own keys remove Clay Data Credits for the providers they cover and still use 1 Action per enrichment; you pay those providers separately. Clay estimates 50 to 80 percent overall Data Credit savings. Unused Data Credits accumulate up to 2× the monthly allotment on monthly plans, and up to 15% of annual credits roll over on annual plans renewed at the same or a higher tier. Launch and Growth can buy more credits at a 30% premium.

Bottom line

Clay lets you set the cost of 1,000 leads: budget about 5,000 Actions and, for fully enriched records, 6,000 to 20,000 Data Credits, or roughly $300 to $1,000 at the $0.05 starting rate. Bring your own keys to skip Clay Data Credits for providers you already pay, order waterfalls so later steps run only when needed, pick a plan whose monthly allowance matches your volume, and test on a small sample first. Check the live pricing page before purchasing.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

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