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AI Tool Comparison

Clay vs Semrush

A side-by-side breakdown to help you pick the right tool for your workflow.

Clay logo

Clay

Pull, enrich, and act on contact and company data through one workflow builder connecting dozens of data providers and AI models. New Actions + Data Credits pricing split platform usage from enrichment cost.

Marketing
freemium
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Semrush logo

Semrush

Research keywords, track rankings, and now monitor how your brand shows up in AI answer engines like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews. New Semrush One bundle adds AI-visibility tracking.

Marketing
freemium
Visit site Full review →

Bottom Line

Clay and Semrush are rated evenly — the right pick comes down to which workflow you're running.

Choose Clay if…

Marketing

Choose Semrush if…

SEO

AttributeClaySemrush
CategoryMarketingMarketing
Pricingfreemiumfreemium
Pricing DetailFree (500 actions) / $167/mo Launch / $446/mo Growth$139.95/mo Pro / Semrush One from $199/mo Starter
Rating4.74.7

Key Features

Clay

  • 100+ data source enrichment
  • AI message personalization (Claygent)
  • Waterfall enrichment logic
  • CRM sync
  • Website visitor identification

Semrush

  • 25B+ keyword database
  • Backlink analytics
  • Site audit
  • Rank tracking
  • Competitor gap analysis
  • Content marketing toolkit

Pros

Clay

  • Best-in-class data enrichment
  • Hyper-personalization at scale is real
  • Replaces multiple data tools
  • Fastest-growing GTM tool

Semrush

  • Most comprehensive keyword and backlink data in the industry
  • Competitor research reveals exactly what's working in your niche
  • Single dashboard for technical SEO, content, and paid

Cons

Clay

  • Expensive and credit-hungry
  • Steep learning curve
  • Requires good list to start with

Semrush

  • Pricing is steep for solo operators
  • Data overload, takes time to learn which reports matter

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