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 simple all-in-one CRM for one person, free for up to 250 contacts, with one AI assistant (Hiro) that drafts follow-ups and paperwork. Plenty of teams run Clay next to a CRM. Solo operators usually need one clean tool that runs the whole business.
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.
This one is less either-or than it looks: one is a CRM, the other feeds CRMs.
| Orbit | Clay | |
|---|---|---|
| AI assistant that drafts and does the busywork | Hiro drafts follow-ups, proposals, invoices, and pages | AI research for list-building, not pipeline work |
| All-in-one: invoices, proposals, and booking pages | Included on the free plan | |
| System of record: contacts with full timeline | Yes, every call, email, note, and invoice | No, it feeds other tools |
| Built for one person | Yes, simple and solo-first | Built for GTM teams |
| Built-in email inbox with tracking | 100 sends/mo free, tracking on Pro | Feeds sequencers, check their site |
| On-device meeting transcription | Pro, audio stays on your machine | |
| Built-in MCP server to connect Claude | Pro, revocable keys | Integrations and API, check their site |
| Free plan | Free plan, no credit card | Check their site for current plans |
| Pricing model | Free, then Pro at $14/mo or Team at $20/seat | Credit-based, check their site |
Clay is built to enrich lists and hand them off. Orbit is the place those contacts live and get worked. It is the system of record: each contact gets a full timeline dossier, deals move through a pipeline, and notes, tasks, email, proposals, and invoices all sit in the same app. For a solo founder, that means one tool instead of a stack.
One assistant does the everyday work. Hiro can create and update contacts and deals, manage tasks and the calendar, write and send proposals and invoices, draft follow-ups and replies, and build pages and forms. It remembers facts across chats, so context carries from one conversation to the next. Orbit does not do heavy list enrichment or open-web prospecting, so pair it with a tool like Clay if that is your job. See what Orbit AI can do for the full picture.
Pick Orbit if you are one person and want follow-up, proposals, invoicing, and booking inside the system of record itself, with everything approved by you. The CRM is free with no credit card, and AI credits are included free every month with no API key to paste. You can push enriched leads in through forms, webhooks, and automations on Pro.
Clay builds the list. Orbit is where the list turns into booked calls and paid invoices.
Only partly. Clay is a data enrichment and outbound automation platform for GTM teams, not a CRM of record. Orbit is a simple all-in-one CRM where a solo founder tracks contacts and deals and lets one AI assistant draft the follow-up. A team running heavy enrichment will still want Clay alongside a CRM.
No. Orbit does not do waterfall enrichment or open-web prospecting. It is the system of record: contacts with a full timeline, pipelines, tasks, proposals, and invoices, with Hiro drafting the follow-up. If you need deep enrichment across many data providers, pair Orbit with a tool like Clay.
Yes. On Pro, Orbit has forms, webhooks, and automations, so enriched leads from an outside tool can land in Orbit as contacts and deals, where you and Hiro take over follow-up, proposals, and invoicing.
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 on the base plan for up to 250 contacts.
AI credits are included free every month on every plan, with no API key to paste and nothing to configure. You can top up with credit packs, and paid plans can bring their own AI key when credits run out. The CRM underneath stays free.
Free plan, no credit card. Land contacts in one simple CRM and let Hiro draft the follow-up you close from.
Free forever plan. No credit card. No spam.