Cognism vs Clay Pricing (2026)
Compare / Cognism vs Clay
Shortlist
Team size
25 seats

Cognism vs Clay

AI Sales Tools pricing comparison · 2026

Cognism is quote-based, while Clay has a free plan, then $167–$446/mo. These products use different pricing models ( vs Per-seat subscription), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Cognism pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Clay pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · AI Sales Tools
Side-by-side · live
Cognism
Cognism does not publish public pricing.
verified 7d ago
$1.7K $60K
View pricing →
Clay
Clay is a data enrichment and workflow automation platform purpose-built for go-to-market
verified 7d ago
$1.7K $60K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Cognism median is $58K less than Clay · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $1.7K
Spread 97%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Custom pricing
Custom
all tiers are quote-only
Pricing model unknown
Pricing model unknown
no public list price found
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$1.7K/yr
Vendr · n=15
Median annual
$60K/yr
Vendr · n=96
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 5 sourced facts
3 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median
Last verified 1w ago
Confidence Limited confidence
Sources 16 sourced facts
12 hidden-cost · 2 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 1w ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
3 documented
  • API Usage Overage Charges
    $5,000 and $15,000
    1 source
  • Diamond Data Premium
    20% to 40%
    1 source
  • Per-Seat Fees
    $1,500/user/year
    1 source
4 documented
  • Unexpected Credit Consumption from Platform Bugs
    10-50% of license costs
    5 sources
  • Required Team Training Investment
    $500-$5,000
    2 sources
  • Subscription Charges During Difficult Cancellation Process
    $167-$1,338
    3 sources
  • Ongoing Financial Losses from Unresolved Support Bugs
    5-15% of license costs
    2 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Cognism
Clay
Auto-renewal
—
Yes
Cancellation
—
Not clearly published; users report no advance renewal reminder and difficulty locating cancellation options
Commitment
✓ Annual (implied by seat-based licensing model; plans are quoted at a fixed monthly rate billed annually)
—
Price escalation
—
No published schedule found in sources
Can downgrade
—
—
Based on 3 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
No public ratings yet
Best for
Sales teams needing accurate B2B contact data, particularly for UK and EMEA markets
Watch out
Opaque pricing requires sitting through a mandatory sales meeting
Trustpilot
1.5out of 5 (20)
Best for
Individuals and small teams evaluating Clay's enrichment and prospecting before committing
Watch out
Credits consumed unexpectedly by platform bugs with no refunds offered
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Cognism pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Clay pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
AI Sales Tools

Cognism

Custom pricing
2 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
AI Sales Tools

Clay

Free plan; paid $167–$446
/mo
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — Cognism uses pricing while Clay uses Per-seat subscription pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Cognism

Custom pricing
See full Cognism pricing →
vs
Per-seat subscription

Clay

Free plan; paid $167–$446/mo
See full Clay pricing →

Cognism and Clay both operate in the ai sales tools category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Cognism Clay
Standard Custom Free /month
Pro Custom Custom
Growth — Custom
Enterprise — Custom

Market Intelligence

Cognism

Median annual cost
$1,668
Based on
15 deals

Clay

Median annual cost
$59,996
Based on
96 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Cognism 3 hidden costs

high
API Usage Overage Charges $5,000 and $15,000
high
Diamond Data Premium 20% to 40%
high
Per-Seat Fees $1,500/user/year
See all Cognism hidden costs →

Clay 4 hidden costs

critical
Unexpected Credit Consumption from Platform Bugs 10-50% of license costs
high
Required Team Training Investment $500-$5,000 (source dated Sep 2026)
high
Subscription Charges During Difficult Cancellation Process $167-$1,338 (source dated Aug 2026)
medium
Ongoing Financial Losses from Unresolved Support Bugs 5-15% of license costs
See all Clay hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Cognism Clay
Auto-renewal — Yes
Cancellation — Not clearly published; users report no advance renewal reminder and difficulty locating cancellation options
Minimum commitment Annual (implied by seat-based licensing model; plans are quoted at a fixed monthly rate billed annually) —
Price escalation — No published schedule found in sources

Continue researching

Cognism

Clay

Related Comparisons