Comparison
What is the difference?
Clay enriches cold lead lists with data from 75+ providers. Embers starts from a different place entirely - it identifies people already engaging with your posts, comments, and competitors' public content, then scores them against your ICP. Clay answers 'what data do I have on this lead?' Embers answers 'who should I talk to today?'
| | | |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn login required | × No | × No |
| Chrome extension required | × No | × No |
| Automated messaging | No - you write the message | No - pushes to outreach tools |
| Signal-based leads | ✓ Yes | No - enriches existing lists |
| ICP scoring | ✓ Yes | Yes (with setup) |
| Account safety | ✓ Zero risk | No LinkedIn risk |
| Starting price | $49/mo | $185/mo |
| Setup time | ~5 minutes | Hours to days |
Clay is a data enrichment and workflow automation platform. It connects to 75+ data providers to build and enrich lead lists, then triggers outreach sequences. Think of it as a spreadsheet-meets-enrichment engine - you import leads, enrich them with firmographic, technographic, and contact data, and push them to your outreach tools.
Core approach
Embers
Identifies warm leads from public LinkedIn engagement signals
Clay
Enriches cold lead lists with data from 75+ providers
Lead source
Embers
People who engage with your LinkedIn posts
Clay
Imported lists enriched with firmographic and contact data
Technical skill required
Embers
None - set up your ICP and get leads in minutes
Clay
High - requires understanding workflows, credits, and data providers
LinkedIn account risk
Embers
Zero - no login, no account access
Clay
None - Clay doesn't access LinkedIn directly
Starting price
Embers
$49/mo (free 7-day trial, payment method required)
Clay
$185/mo (credit-based)
Best for
Embers
Sellers converting LinkedIn content into warm pipeline
Clay
RevOps teams building enriched lead lists at scale
Revenue ops teams and growth engineers who need to build, enrich, and score lead lists from multiple data sources at scale.
Key strengths
You want warm leads from public LinkedIn signals: your posts, your comments, and the competitor content already attracting prospects in your market.
Why sellers choose Embers
Set up your ICP, add competitors, and Embers will show you which public engagement signals are worth a DM.
No LinkedIn login · No Chrome extension · Free 7-day trial
No. Clay enriches cold lead lists with data from 75+ providers - it doesn't monitor LinkedIn engagement. Embers does exactly that.
At $185/mo with credit-based pricing, yes. Embers starts at $49/mo with no credit system.
Yes, but most Embers users don't need Clay. The engagement context Embers provides is enough to start warm conversations without additional enrichment.
Clay answers 'what data do I have on this person?' Embers answers 'who should I DM today?' Clay enriches cold lists; Embers identifies warm leads from public LinkedIn engagement signals.
Stop guessing. Let Embers show you who's already paying attention to you and your competitors.