# Clay vs Enrich Layer API + MCP

> Clay scores 57.7 (C) to Enrich Layer's 55.8 (C) for lead search. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer.md (~2,600 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-14

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.

- 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
- Enrich Layer API + MCP: grade C, 55.8/100, rank #687 of 1076. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/enrich-layer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/enrich-layer.json
- Best lead, contact and company data APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/lead-data/index.md
- All 171 leads comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lead-data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Clay (C)

Good 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)

Good 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

| Category | Weight | Clay | Enrich Layer API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 45 | 65 | Enrich Layer API + MCP +20 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 84 | 76 | Clay +8 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 68 | Enrich Layer API + MCP +2 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 48 | 40 | Clay +8 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 40 | Enrich Layer API + MCP +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 26 | Clay +49 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 58 | Clay +6 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **57.7 · C** | **55.8 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Clay | Enrich Layer API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Clay Labs Inc. | Enrich Layer |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.clay.com/public/v0` | `https://enrichlayer.com/api/v2` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP, stdio |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under the Clay Terms of Service. The agent plugin repository carries no licence file | MIT |
| Tools exposed | none | 25 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-06 | 2026-06-19 |
| Terms last updated | 2024-05-23 | 2025-06-09 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2020-09-11 | 2025-06-09 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |
| Popularity | none | 0 stars, 26 npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (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.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/clay-vs-enrich-layer.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "clay", "b": "enrich-layer"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare clay enrich-layer`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/clay.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/enrich-layer.json

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