The short answer
Clay is a data-enrichment workspace that combines many data providers and AI in a spreadsheet-like table. Prospect Cheap is a lead generation tool that searches six live sources — Google Maps, YouTube, the Facebook Ad Library, Product Hunt, TrustMRR and Skool — and returns each lead with emails, the owner's name and social profiles. Choose Clay for ops-minded teams building custom enrichment workflows; choose Prospect Cheap when you want fresh, outreach-ready lists of local businesses, creators, advertisers or founders.
Side by side
| Prospect Cheap | Clay | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of tool | Live lead scraper with enrichment | Enrichment and data tool |
| Where leads come from | Google Maps, YouTube, Facebook Ad Library, Product Hunt, TrustMRR, Skool | Lists you import |
| How you use it | Web app — no code, searches run on our servers | Workspace / spreadsheet |
| Contact details | Emails from the website, owner name and title, mobile numbers with carrier, 6 social networks | Depends on connected providers |
| Exports | CSV, Instantly, GoHighLevel | Varies — check Clay |
| Pricing model | One credit per lead, from $29/month for 10,000 credits | Credit-based plans |
| Free start | 100 free credits, no card | Check Clay |
This table describes the products in general terms; features and prices change, so check Clay's website for current details.
Where Clay is strong
- Waterfall enrichment across providers
- AI research columns
- Flexible workflows
If those are what you need most, Clay is a sensible choice.
Where Prospect Cheap is different
Prospect Cheap finds the leads and enriches them together: one search gives you businesses with emails, owner names, phones and socials, ready to export.
- Enrichment tools work on a list you already have — they don't find the businesses for you.
- Building multi-step workflows across providers takes setup and costs credits at every step.
- For local businesses, the best data is usually on the business website and Google profile, which needs a dedicated scraper.
Pricing approach
Prospect Cheap uses credits: one credit per lead you receive, and a search that fails costs nothing — the credits set aside for it go straight back. Plans are Starter ($29/month, 10,000 credits), Growth ($79/month, 50,000) and Scale ($199/month, 200,000), and subscribers can top up extra credits at any time. Clay's pricing is credit-based plans.
The fairest way to compare is cost per usable lead: how much you pay for each lead that has the contact details you need.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Clay if you are enriching or cleaning lists from many sources with custom logic.
- Choose Prospect Cheap if you want lists built from live sources, with emails and owner names already attached, ready for Instantly or GoHighLevel.
- Use both if they cover different parts of your workflow — many teams do.
See also: Best Clay alternatives · All comparisons