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Comparison

Clay vs n8n

Clay and n8n side by side, from the same structured data our advisor scores against. Where we have no verified information the table says so.

ToolClayn8n
PriceFrom $167/monthOpen source, free to self-host
Free planFree planFree to use
Best for
  • Sales and growth engineers building automated, personalised outreach at scale
  • Teams that need contact data from multiple providers waterfall-checked
  • Operations teams enriching CRM records from many sources at once
  • Developers who need code steps alongside visual automation nodes
  • Teams with data residency requirements who need to self-host
  • Technical users building multi-step AI agent workflows
Ease of useTakes some experienceTakes some experience
Key features
  • Multi-provider enrichment waterfall with 75+ data sources
  • Claygent AI agent for web research on prospects
  • AI-generated personalised email copy per contact row
  • Native integration with email sending tools
  • Export to CRM and outreach platforms
  • Visual node-based flow builder
  • JavaScript and Python code nodes
  • AI agent nodes with tool calling and looping
  • Self-hostable on any server or container
  • Hundreds of built-in service integrations
IntegrationsHubSpot, Salesforce, Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo.io, Instantly, ZapierSlack, GitHub, Google Workspace, Postgres, MongoDB, Airtable, Webhook
APIAvailableAvailable
Skill levelIntermediate, AdvancedIntermediate, Advanced
PlatformsWebWeb, Command line, API
Main advantages
  • Waterfall logic maximises data coverage while controlling credit spend
  • Claygent can handle research tasks that would take a team hours manually
  • Highly customisable compared to all-in-one outreach platforms
  • Self-hosting removes per-task cost at high automation volumes
  • Code nodes handle transformations that visual-only tools cannot
  • AI agent nodes enable multi-step reasoning without custom model hosting
Main disadvantages
  • Steeper learning curve than simpler outreach tools
  • Credit-based pricing can be hard to predict for large lists
  • Self-hosted version requires server maintenance and updates
  • Steeper setup compared to fully managed SaaS tools
Data checkedChecked October 4, 2026Checked October 4, 2026
Try ClayTry n8n

Which one to choose

Choose Clay if

  • Sales and growth engineers building automated, personalised outreach at scale
  • Teams that need contact data from multiple providers waterfall-checked
  • Operations teams enriching CRM records from many sources at once

Read review

Choose n8n if

  • Developers who need code steps alongside visual automation nodes
  • Teams with data residency requirements who need to self-host
  • Technical users building multi-step AI agent workflows

Read review