Orbit vs Clay
Clay is a data enrichment and outbound automation platform for GTM teams. It is not a CRM of record, and it does not try to be. Orbit is a free CRM for one person with 16 AI agents built in, including Ivy for enrichment and Niko for prospecting, so a solo founder gets the workflow without the credit math. Plenty of teams run Clay next to a CRM. Solo operators usually need one tool that does both jobs well enough.
What is Clay great at?
Clay is the power tool of lead enrichment. Its waterfall approach tries one data provider after another until it finds a verified email or the company detail you asked for, all from one credit pool, so you stop juggling separate data subscriptions. The spreadsheet-style canvas makes it feel like a superpowered table where every column can call an API.
Its AI researcher, Claygent, answers the questions databases cannot, like whether a company is hiring SDRs or what their pricing page says. For GTM teams building large, personalized outbound lists and pushing them into sequencers and CRMs, Clay has become a category of its own. Pricing is credit-based. Check their site for current plans.
Orbit vs Clay at a glance
This one is less either-or than it looks: one is a CRM, the other feeds CRMs.
| Orbit | Clay | |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in AI agents that work the pipeline | 16 named agents working deals, calls, and collections | AI enrichment and research for list-building, not pipeline work |
| AI voice calls and speed-to-lead | Remy calls new form leads back in about 90 seconds | No AI calling |
| Human approval gates on AI output | Every output is a card you approve, edit, or dismiss | Not applicable, it hands data to other tools |
| Built for one person | Yes, solo-first | Built for GTM teams |
| Invoices, proposals, and booking pages included | Included on the free plan | |
| On-device meeting transcription | Free, audio stays on your machine | |
| MCP server to connect Claude | Built in, revocable keys | Integrations and API, check their site |
| Free plan | Free forever, no credit card | Check their site for current plans |
| Pricing model | Free plan, your own API keys billed at provider cost | Credit-based, check their site |
Where does Orbit fit instead?
Orbit covers the everyday version of what most solo founders actually open Clay for. Ivy enriches every new lead with email, socials, and background, and she fills blanks only, never overwriting your own notes. Niko hunts the open web for leads that match your ideal-client profile, vets each one against your offer, and lines up outreach drafts. Kai watches Reddit, LinkedIn, and YouTube for fresh posts from people asking for what you sell.
The difference is what happens after the list. Clay hands enriched rows to other tools. Orbit is the other tool: the contact gets a full timeline dossier, the deal gets a pipeline stage, Rio builds a personalized pitch page and alerts you when the lead keeps reading it, and Ray eventually chases the invoice. Prospecting agents use your own optional Firecrawl, Apify, or YouTube keys, billed by those providers at cost, no markup and no credit bundles.
Pick Orbit if you are one person and want prospecting, enrichment, follow-up, and billing inside the system of record itself, every step approved by you. The free plan is free forever, no credit card, with all 16 agents included.
Pick Clay if
- You run a GTM team doing high-volume outbound and need serious list-building throughput.
- You want waterfall enrichment that tries many data providers for the best match rates.
- You already have a CRM of record and need better data flowing into it.
- Someone owns the credit budget and enjoys building enrichment tables.
- You push leads into sequencers and ad audiences, not just a pipeline.
Clay builds the list. Orbit is where the list turns into booked calls and paid invoices.
Keep exploring
Frequently asked questions
Is Orbit an alternative to Clay?+
Only partly. Clay is a data enrichment and outbound automation platform for GTM teams, not a CRM of record. Orbit is a CRM with enrichment and prospecting agents built in. A solo founder with normal volume can often use Orbit alone, while a GTM team running heavy enrichment will still want Clay alongside a CRM.
Can Orbit enrich leads like Clay does?+
Orbit covers everyday enrichment: Ivy researches each new lead and fills in email, socials, and background, only touching empty fields. With optional Firecrawl, Apify, or YouTube keys, Niko and Kai prospect the open web too. Clay goes deeper, with waterfall enrichment across many data providers, which matters most at team-scale volume.
Can I use Clay and Orbit together?+
Yes. Orbit has forms, webhooks, and automations, so enriched leads from an outside tool can land in Orbit as contacts and deals, where the agents take over follow-up, proposals, and invoicing.
Does Clay work as a CRM?+
Clay positions itself as enrichment and outbound automation, not a system of record. Most teams pair it with a CRM. Orbit is the system of record: contacts with a full timeline, deal pipelines, tasks, invoices, proposals, and booking pages, free forever on the base plan.
What do Orbit's prospecting agents cost?+
The agents themselves are included in Orbit's free plan. They run on keys you bring: an AI model key, plus optional Firecrawl, Apify, or YouTube keys for prospecting. Those providers bill you directly at cost, with no Orbit markup. Typical solo usage runs cents to a few dollars a month.
Make the list pay its way
Free forever, no credit card. Bring your own keys and let Ivy, Niko, and Kai feed a pipeline you actually close from.
Free forever plan. No credit card. No spam.