{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "clay", "name": "Clay", "vendor": "Clay Labs Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://www.clay.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "lead-data", "summary": "Clay is a go-to-market data and automation platform that searches its own database of companies and people and runs enrichment across 150+ data providers. Agents use it through the Public API v0, the clay CLI and a coding-agent plugin.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/clay", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/clay.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/clay.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/clay.json", "repo": "https://github.com/clay-run/agent-plugins", "license": "Proprietary service under the Clay Terms of Service. The agent plugin repository carries no licence file", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.clay.com/public/v0", "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "The Public API takes a personal API key in the clay-api-key header, tied to a Clay user and their workspace access, created in the app, with the CLI (clay api-keys create) or by an agent through the plugin. The CLI signs in with OAuth in a browser or with a device code (clay login --device), one workspace per sign-in. Custom functions need API or MCP access switched on per function (https://developers.clay.com/public-api/authentication).", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free plan with 100 data credits and 500 actions a month. Launch from $167 a month and Growth from $446 a month on the plan cards, while the FAQ on the same page says $185 and $495. Data credits start at $0.05 and actions at under a cent. Failed enrichments aren't charged. The FAQ lists Clay API access under Enterprise, while the developer docs give search limits for Free, Trial and paid plans (https://www.clay.com/pricing, https://developers.clay.com/searches, checked 2026-10-14).", "priceSummary": "$0.05 / credit", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the developer docs, the OpenAPI spec or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-14).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-14" }, "docsUrl": "https://developers.clay.com", "llmsTxt": "https://developers.clay.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://developers.clay.com/openapi.json", "capabilities": [ "lead.search", "lead.enrichment", "email.finder", "data.company" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "api-key", "openapi", "llms-txt", "cli", "closed-source", "lead-search", "enrichment", "soc2", "webhooks" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-06", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 57.7, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 633, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1076, "categoryRank": 8, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 66, "maintenance": 75, "payments": 30, "reliability": 45, "schema": 84, "security": 48, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-14" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "A documented Public API with an OpenAPI spec, llms.txt and plan-capped search, plus a JSON-first CLI released several times a fortnight, give agents Clay's people search and multi-provider enrichment. Keys have no scopes, the Claude Code plugin auto-approves most CLI calls, and the privacy policy dates from 2020.", "bestFor": "Agents building prospect lists and enriching contacts or accounts through many providers at once.", "strengths": [ "Public OpenAPI spec, llms.txt and Markdown copies of the docs", "Search and enrichment across Clay's database and 150+ providers through one API", "Failed enrichments use no credits or actions", "CLI with JSON output and typed exit codes, released five times between 25 September and 6 October 2026", "Valid security.txt and SOC 2 Type II listed" ], "weaknesses": [ "API keys carry no scopes and act with the user's workspace access", "The Claude Code plugin auto-approves most clay CLI commands, including ones that spend credits", "No request-rate number published, and error bodies have no stable codes", "Privacy policy dated September 2020 with no retention periods", "Pricing page gives two different prices for Launch and Growth, and says API access is Enterprise" ], "agentNotes": [ "Fetch GET /search/query-mode/reference before writing a search query", "Poll routine results until a terminal 200, since 202 means still running", "Expect HTTP 402 when a plan's search cap is hit, and tell the user the reset date", "Check GET /credits/balance before large batch runs", "Ask the user before enabling the plugin's auto-approve hook in a shared workspace" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 57.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 66, "maintenance": 75, "payments": 30, "reliability": 45, "schema": 84, "security": 48, "transparency": 28 }, "provenanceScore": 99 }, "connect": { "http": "curl https://api.clay.com/public/v0/me \\\n -H \"clay-api-key: $CLAY_PUBLIC_API_KEY\"", "claudeCode": "Set up the Clay plugin by following the steps in https://github.com/clay-run/agent-plugins" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/lead.search", "tool": "https://letme.dev/clay" }, "area": "web-data", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Data credit", "unit": "credit", "usd": 0.05, "note": "Starting price per the pricing FAQ. Used when buying data from Clay's providers. Cheaper at volume" }, { "item": "Launch plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 167, "note": "Plan card headline. The FAQ says from $185 a month" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Clay Labs Inc.", "domain": "clay.com", "domainRegistered": "1992-11-13", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.clay.com/terms-of-service", "privacy": "https://www.clay.com/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.clay.com", "changelog": "https://www.clay.com/changelog", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-14", "notes": [ "The terms (last updated 23 May 2024) name Clay Labs Inc. with New York law. The privacy policy is dated 11 September 2020.", "clay.com/.well-known/security.txt names security@clay.com and trust.clay.com, expiring 2027-07-31.", "status.clay.com answered with a bot check to both curl and WebFetch, so its components and history weren't read.", "The API answers at api.clay.com and the docs at developers.clay.com.", "RDAP gives clay.com a registration date of 1992-11-13." ], "score": 99 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/clay.json", "live": { "slug": "clay", "probe": { "target": "https://api.clay.com/public/v0", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-14T09:41:46.249843895Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 152, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 149, "p95ms24h": 229, "samples24h": 17, "samples30d": 17, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-14", "probes": 17, "ok": 17 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.clay.com", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-14T08:52:50.29728454Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-14T09:41:46.249843895Z" } }, "answer": "Clay scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Crustdata API + MCP's 53.4 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Crustdata API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth.", "b": { "slug": "crustdata", "name": "Crustdata API + MCP", "vendor": "Crustdata", "vendorUrl": "https://crustdata.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "lead-data", "summary": "Company, person, job, web and social post search and enrichment, with live web lookups, batch jobs and watchers that push changes to a webhook.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/crustdata", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/crustdata.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/crustdata.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/crustdata.json", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.crustdata.com", "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "`authorization: Bearer` API key plus a pinned `x-api-version: 2025-11-01` header (without it you get the latest version, which may break). Hosted MCP at install.crustdata.com uses OAuth, or the API key as a bearer token for headless clients.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "Credit-based. Person and company search 0.03 credits a result plus 0.1 to 2.5 for premium filter or response fields, person enrich 1 to 7, company enrich 2 to 4, contact enrich (emails and phones) 1 to 5.5 per matched person on enterprise plans, identify and autocomplete free. Watchers run 0.5 to 150 credits per delivered record depending on refresh SLA. Purchased credits last 12 months. The pricing page lists no dollar figures and mentions a free trial and monthly or annual plans (https://crustdata.com/pricing).", "priceSummary": "Pay per use", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402 mention in the API docs, MCP docs or pricing (checked 2026-09-30).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.crustdata.com", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.crustdata.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://docs.crustdata.com/openapi-specs/2025-11-01/person.yaml", "capabilities": [ "lead.search", "lead.enrichment", "data.company", "data.person" ], "tags": [ "lead-search", "enrichment", "hosted", "mcp", "llms-txt", "openapi", "webhooks", "async-jobs", "closed-source" ], "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 53.4, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 751, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 1076, "categoryRank": 11, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 73, "maintenance": 67, "payments": 5, "reliability": 45, "schema": 89, "security": 56, "transparency": 55 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -3, "negativeNotes": [ "In September 2026 the changelog flags `config.refresh_frequency_days` as refused on indexed discovery watches, a breaking change shipped inside the pinned version 2025-11-01 with no advance notice found (https://docs.crustdata.com/openapi-specs/2025-11-01/changelog.md)" ], "verdict": "Per-field credit prices, readable per account from `/account/endpoints`, and `X-Credits-Used` on every response. No status page and no SLA.", "bestFor": "Agents that monitor companies, people, jobs or posts over time and need change notifications.", "strengths": [ "Per-field credit prices, readable per account from `/account/endpoints`, and `X-Credits-Used` on every response", "Per-key endpoint restrictions and monthly credit caps", "Eight OpenAPI files, llms.txt and a detailed dated changelog", "Rate-limit headers, typed 429 errors and back-off guidance", "Opt-out portal for data subjects with removal in 30 days" ], "weaknesses": [ "No status page and no SLA", "No public dollar price per credit, and the free trial is on request", "Breaking changes shipped inside the pinned version 2025-11-01", "Default limits of 15 to 30 requests a minute", "Terms cover website use only, and terms and privacy policy name different companies" ], "agentNotes": [ "Always send `x-api-version: 2025-11-01`. Unpinned calls get the latest version", "Call `/account/endpoints` first to see what your plan enables and what each field costs", "Ask only for the premium field groups you need, since each one bills", "Poll `GET /batch/{id}` before submitting more batch jobs. Active jobs count against a cap of 5 to 30", "Read the `crustdata://catalog` resource before calling MCP tools" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 2.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 53.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 73, "maintenance": 67, "payments": 5, "reliability": 45, "schema": 89, "security": 56, "transparency": 36 }, "provenanceScore": 73 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X POST https://api.crustdata.com/company/identify -H \"authorization: Bearer $CRUSTDATA_API_KEY\" \\\n -H \"content-type: application/json\" -H \"x-api-version: 2025-11-01\" -d '{\"domains\":[\"retool.com\"]}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http crustdata https://install.crustdata.com/mcp" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/lead.search", "tool": "https://letme.dev/crustdata" }, "area": "web-data", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Crustdata Inc.", "domain": "crustdata.com", "domainRegistered": "2019-03-18", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://crustdata.com/terms", "privacy": "https://crustdata.com/privacy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://docs.crustdata.com/openapi-specs/2025-11-01/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "The terms page is a generic website-use notice naming CrustData Inc. (California). We found no published API terms of service", "The privacy policy, last updated 19 May 2025, names Crustdata Technologies Inc.", "status.crustdata.com doesn't resolve" ], "score": 73 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/crustdata.json", "live": { "slug": "crustdata", "probe": { "target": "https://api.crustdata.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-14T09:41:47.749110639Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 297, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 299, "p95ms24h": 332, "samples24h": 248, "samples30d": 3525, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 250, "ok": 250 }, { "date": "2026-10-10", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-11", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-12", "probes": 247, "ok": 247 }, { "date": "2026-10-13", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-14", "probes": 100, "ok": 100 } ] }, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://crustdata.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T15:45:43.187375177Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.crustdata.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T14:11:21.374580711Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "crustdata.com", "registered": "2019-03-18", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/crustdata.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-11T13:22:02.238551231Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.crustdata.com/openapi-specs/2025-11-01/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T20:14:40.06628405Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-13T20:14:40.06628405Z", "fingerprint": "0d6a3c438a1b" }, { "url": "https://crustdata.com/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T20:12:04.352583868Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:03:41.993139596Z", "fingerprint": "16409134751a" }, { "url": "https://crustdata.com/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T20:12:06.410268077Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:03:44.239771626Z", "fingerprint": "a4d0779e39cf" }, { "url": "https://crustdata.com/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-13T20:12:08.430478629Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-07T18:03:46.248879235Z", "fingerprint": "3cce651de60c" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-14T09:41:47.749110639Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Clay Labs Inc.", "b": "Crustdata", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.clay.com/public/v0", "b": "https://api.crustdata.com", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary service under the Clay Terms of Service. The agent plugin repository carries no licence file", "b": "none", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-06", "b": "none", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2024-05-23", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2020-09-11", "b": "2025-05-19", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "none", "b": "2.5/5 (2)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Clay scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Crustdata API + MCP's 53.4 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Crustdata API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Clay or Crustdata API + MCP?" }, { "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Clay and Crustdata API + MCP need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Clay has a hosted endpoint at https://api.clay.com/public/v0 and Crustdata API + MCP at https://api.crustdata.com.", "question": "Can an agent call Clay and Crustdata API + MCP without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Payments \u0026 pricing, 30 against 5", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 75 against 67", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 64 against 55" ], "also": [ "No incidents deducted, where Crustdata API + MCP loses 3 points for them" ], "goodFor": "Agents building prospect lists and enriching contacts or accounts through many providers at once.", "slug": "clay", "watchFor": "API keys carry no scopes and act with the user's workspace access" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 89 against 84", "Agent ergonomics, 73 against 66", "Security \u0026 auth, 56 against 48" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Agents that monitor companies, people, jobs or posts over time and need change notifications.", "slug": "crustdata", "watchFor": "No status page and no SLA" } ], "job": { "capability": "lead.search", "name": "Lead search" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-clay.json", "title": "Apollo API + MCP vs Clay", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-clay" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-crustdata.json", "title": "Apollo API + MCP vs Crustdata API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-crustdata" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-coresignal.json", "title": "Clay vs Coresignal API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-coresignal" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer.json", "title": "Clay vs Enrich Layer API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-explorium-agentsource.json", "title": "Clay vs Explorium AgentSource", "url": 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"Coresignal API + MCP vs Crustdata API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coresignal-vs-crustdata" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-enrich-layer.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs Enrich Layer API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-enrich-layer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-explorium-agentsource.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs Explorium AgentSource", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-explorium-agentsource" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fullenrich.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs FullEnrich API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fullenrich" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fuse-mcp.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs Fuse MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fuse-mcp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-gojiberry.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs Gojiberry", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-gojiberry" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-hunter.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs Hunter API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-hunter" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-leadmagic.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs LeadMagic API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-leadmagic" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-lusha.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs Lusha API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-lusha" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-people-data-labs.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs People Data Labs", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-people-data-labs" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-prospeo.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs Prospeo API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-prospeo" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-rocketreach.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs RocketReach API", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-rocketreach" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-zoominfo.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs ZoomInfo API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-zoominfo" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-clearbit.json", "title": "Clay vs Clearbit", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-clearbit" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-dropcontact.json", "title": "Clay vs Dropcontact API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-dropcontact" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-fullcontact.json", "title": "Clay vs FullContact", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-fullcontact" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clearbit-vs-crustdata.json", "title": "Clearbit vs Crustdata API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clearbit-vs-crustdata" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-dropcontact.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs Dropcontact API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-dropcontact" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fullcontact.json", "title": "Crustdata API + MCP vs FullContact", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fullcontact" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 0, "clay": 45, "crustdata": 45, "edge": "", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 5, "clay": 84, "crustdata": 89, "edge": "crustdata", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 7, "clay": 66, "crustdata": 73, "edge": "crustdata", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 8, "clay": 48, "crustdata": 56, "edge": "crustdata", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 25, "clay": 30, "crustdata": 5, "edge": "clay", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 8, "clay": 75, "crustdata": 67, "edge": "clay", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 9, "clay": 64, "crustdata": 55, "edge": "clay", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Clay scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Crustdata API + MCP's 53.4 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Crustdata API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth. Both do lead search.", "verdicts": { "clay": "A documented Public API with an OpenAPI spec, llms.txt and plan-capped search, plus a JSON-first CLI released several times a fortnight, give agents Clay's people search and multi-provider enrichment. Keys have no scopes, the Claude Code plugin auto-approves most CLI calls, and the privacy policy dates from 2020.", "crustdata": "Per-field credit prices, readable per account from `/account/endpoints`, and `X-Credits-Used` on every response. No status page and no SLA." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-crustdata", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-crustdata.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-crustdata.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-crustdata.min.md" }, "markdown": "Clay scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Crustdata API + MCP's 53.4 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Crustdata API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth. Both do lead search.\n\n- Clay: grade C, 57.7/100, rank #633 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/clay.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/clay.json\n- Crustdata API + MCP: grade D, 53.4/100, rank #751 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/crustdata.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/crustdata.json\n- Best lead, contact and company data APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/lead-data/index.md\n- All 171 leads comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lead-data/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Clay (C)\n\nGood for: Agents building prospect lists and enriching contacts or accounts through many providers at once.\n\nAhead on:\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 30 against 5\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 75 against 67\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 64 against 55\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where Crustdata API + MCP loses 3 points for them\n\nWatch for: API keys carry no scopes and act with the user's workspace access\n\n### Crustdata API + MCP (D)\n\nGood for: Agents that monitor companies, people, jobs or posts over time and need change notifications.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 89 against 84\n- Agent ergonomics, 73 against 66\n- Security \u0026 auth, 56 against 48\n\nWatch for: No status page and no SLA\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Clay | Crustdata API + MCP | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 45 | 45 | even |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 84 | 89 | Crustdata API + MCP +5 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 73 | Crustdata API + MCP +7 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 48 | 56 | Crustdata API + MCP +8 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 5 | Clay +25 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 67 | Clay +8 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 55 | Clay +9 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **57.7 · C** | **53.4 · D** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Clay | Crustdata API + MCP |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Clay Labs Inc. | Crustdata |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.clay.com/public/v0` | `https://api.crustdata.com` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under the Clay Terms of Service. The agent plugin repository carries no licence file | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-10-06 | none |\n| Terms last updated | 2024-05-23 | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2020-09-11 | 2025-05-19 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |\n| Agent reviews | none | 2.5/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Clay.** A documented Public API with an OpenAPI spec, llms.txt and plan-capped search, plus a JSON-first CLI released several times a fortnight, give agents Clay's people search and multi-provider enrichment. Keys have no scopes, the Claude Code plugin auto-approves most CLI calls, and the privacy policy dates from 2020.\n\n**Crustdata API + MCP.** Per-field credit prices, readable per account from `/account/endpoints`, and `X-Credits-Used` on every response. No status page and no SLA.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Clay\n\n1. Fetch GET /search/query-mode/reference before writing a search query\n2. Poll routine results until a terminal 200, since 202 means still running\n3. Expect HTTP 402 when a plan's search cap is hit, and tell the user the reset date\n4. Check GET /credits/balance before large batch runs\n5. Ask the user before enabling the plugin's auto-approve hook in a shared workspace\n\n### Crustdata API + MCP\n\n1. Always send `x-api-version: 2025-11-01`. Unpinned calls get the latest version\n2. Call `/account/endpoints` first to see what your plan enables and what each field costs\n3. Ask only for the premium field groups you need, since each one bills\n4. Poll `GET /batch/{id}` before submitting more batch jobs. Active jobs count against a cap of 5 to 30\n5. Read the `crustdata://catalog` resource before calling MCP tools\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Clay or Crustdata API + MCP?\n\nClay scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Crustdata API + MCP's 53.4 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Crustdata API + MCP leads on schema \u0026 documentation, agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth.\n\n### Do Clay and Crustdata API + MCP need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Clay and Crustdata API + MCP without installing anything?\n\nYes. Clay has a hosted endpoint at https://api.clay.com/public/v0 and Crustdata API + MCP at https://api.crustdata.com.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-crustdata.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-crustdata.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"clay\", \"b\": \"crustdata\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare clay crustdata`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/clay.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/crustdata.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Clay or Crustdata API + MCP\n\n- [Apollo API + MCP vs Clay](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-clay.md)\n- [Apollo API + MCP vs Crustdata API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/apollo-vs-crustdata.md)\n- [Clay vs Coresignal API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-coresignal.md)\n- [Clay vs Enrich Layer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer.md)\n- [Clay vs Explorium AgentSource](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-explorium-agentsource.md)\n- [Clay vs FullEnrich API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-fullenrich.md)\n- [Clay vs Fuse MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-fuse-mcp.md)\n- [Clay vs Gojiberry](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-gojiberry.md)\n- [Clay vs Hunter API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-hunter.md)\n- [Clay vs LeadMagic API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-leadmagic.md)\n- [Clay vs Lusha API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-lusha.md)\n- [Clay vs People Data Labs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-people-data-labs.md)\n- [Clay vs Prospeo API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-prospeo.md)\n- [Clay vs RocketReach API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-rocketreach.md)\n- [Clay vs ZoomInfo API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-zoominfo.md)\n- [Coresignal API + MCP vs Crustdata API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/coresignal-vs-crustdata.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs Enrich Layer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-enrich-layer.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs Explorium AgentSource](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-explorium-agentsource.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs FullEnrich API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fullenrich.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs Fuse MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fuse-mcp.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs Gojiberry](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-gojiberry.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs Hunter API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-hunter.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs LeadMagic API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-leadmagic.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs Lusha API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-lusha.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs People Data Labs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-people-data-labs.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs Prospeo API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-prospeo.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs RocketReach API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-rocketreach.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs ZoomInfo API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-zoominfo.md)\n- [Clay vs Clearbit](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-clearbit.md)\n- [Clay vs Dropcontact API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-dropcontact.md)\n- [Clay vs FullContact](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-fullcontact.md)\n- [Clearbit vs Crustdata API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clearbit-vs-crustdata.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs Dropcontact API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-dropcontact.md)\n- [Crustdata API + MCP vs FullContact](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crustdata-vs-fullcontact.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-14", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Clay vs Crustdata API + MCP", "url": "" } ], "description": "Clay scores 57.7 (C) to Crustdata's 53.4 (D) for lead search. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Clay C 57.7", "Crustdata API + MCP D 53.4", "scores" ], "h1": "Clay vs Crustdata API + MCP", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-clay-vs-crustdata.png", "path": "/compare/clay-vs-crustdata", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Clay vs Crustdata for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-14", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-crustdata" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2550, "slim": 630 }, "version": 1 }