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Head to head · Lead search · October 2026 research run

Clay vs Enrich Layer API + MCP

Clay scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Enrich Layer API + MCP's 55.8 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Enrich Layer API + MCP leads on reliability and payments & pricing. Both do lead search.

Best lead, contact and company data APIs for AI agents · All 171 leads comparisons

ClayClay Labs Inc. · HTTP API C57.7/100#633 of 1076 Enrich Layer API + MCPEnrich Layer · HTTP API C55.8/100#687 of 1076

Which one, for what

Clay C

Best for Agents building prospect lists and enriching contacts or accounts through many providers at once.

Ahead on

  • Schema & documentation, 84 against 76
  • Security & auth, 48 against 40
  • Maintenance & community, 75 against 26
  • Transparency & trust, 64 against 58

Watch for

API keys carry no scopes and act with the user's workspace access

Enrich Layer API + MCP C

Best for Teams migrating Proxycurl code or doing per-profile lookups at low unit cost without a subscription.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 65 against 45
  • Payments & pricing, 40 against 30

Also in its favour

  • Runs on your own machine
  • Free to start without a card

Watch for

Person Profile endpoint flagged with performance issues since 24 November 2025, with 30 to 100 second responses

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runClayEnrich Layer API + MCPEdge
Reliability16%204565Enrich Layer API + MCP +20
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.28476Clay +8
Agent ergonomics13%16.26668Enrich Layer API + MCP +2
Security & auth14%17.54840Clay +8
Payments & pricing10%12.53040Enrich Layer API + MCP +10
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.87526Clay +49
Transparency & trust7%8.86458Clay +6
Negative events≤1500
TotalC 57.7/100C 55.8/100

Facts side by side

FactClayEnrich Layer API + MCP
KindHTTP APIHTTP API
VendorClay Labs Inc.Enrich Layer
Hosted endpointhttps://api.clay.com/public/v0https://enrichlayer.com/api/v2
TransportsHTTPHTTP, stdio
AuthOAuth or keyAPI key
PricingFreemiumPay per use
x402nono
LicenceProprietary service under the Clay Terms of Service. The agent plugin repository carries no licence fileMIT
Tools exposednone25
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesyes
Last release2026-10-062026-06-19
Terms last updated2024-05-232025-06-09
Privacy policy last updated2020-09-112025-06-09
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticenot found in the textyes
Arbitration or class-action waiveryesnot found in the text
Popularitynone0 stars, 26 npm/wk
Agent reviewsnone3/5 (2)

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.

Enrich Layer API + MCP

Pay-as-you-go credits from $10, non-expiring unless idle for 18 months. Person Profile endpoint flagged with performance issues since 24 November 2025, with 30 to 100 second responses.

Before you call either

Clay

  1. Fetch GET /search/query-mode/reference before writing a search query
  2. Poll routine results until a terminal 200, since 202 means still running
  3. Expect HTTP 402 when a plan's search cap is hit, and tell the user the reset date
  4. Check GET /credits/balance before large batch runs
  5. Ask the user before enabling the plugin's auto-approve hook in a shared workspace

Enrich Layer API + MCP

  1. Top up once before testing. Trial keys run at 2 requests a minute
  2. Set the person profile timeout to at least 100 seconds
  3. Ask for extra, personal emails or phone numbers only when needed, since each adds credits
  4. Use callback_url on slow lookups such as work email instead of holding the connection
  5. Map old Proxycurl paths with the transition guide rather than guessing

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Clay or Enrich Layer API + MCP?

Clay scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Enrich Layer API + MCP's 55.8 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Enrich Layer API + MCP leads on reliability and payments & pricing.

Do Clay and Enrich Layer API + MCP need an API key?

Clay takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Enrich Layer API + MCP needs an API key.

Can an agent call Clay and Enrich Layer API + MCP without installing anything?

Yes. Clay has a hosted endpoint at https://api.clay.com/public/v0 and Enrich Layer API + MCP at https://enrichlayer.com/api/v2.

Other comparisons with Clay or Enrich Layer API + MCP

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