Around 70.8% of all B2B contact data changes within 12 months - new job titles, company switches, invalid emails. If you run outbound sales with outdated data, you burn budget and damage your domain reputation. The solution: data enrichment tools that automatically enrich and keep your contact data up to date.
But which tool fits your setup in 2026? Clay, FullEnrich, and Apollo have all evolved significantly over the last few months - with new pricing models, waterfall enrichment as a standard, and AI features. Here's the honest comparison.
What changed in 2026?
All three tools have made major progress this year. The most important updates:
Clay: The big pricing overhaul from March 2026
On March 11, 2026, Clay completely revamped its pricing and now separates Data Credits (for the actual data) from Actions (for platform operations). The good news: Marketplace costs for enrichment providers have dropped by 50-90%, and - this is the biggest game changer - failed lookups are no longer billed. Previously, according to user reports, this could account for 20-30% of the monthly credit budget.
In addition, CRM sync and web intent data have moved from the former $800/mo Pro plan down to the $495/mo Growth plan. That's highly relevant for teams using HubSpot or Salesforce.
FullEnrich: From pure enrichment to an outbound data engine
FullEnrich has launched its Search function - turning the platform into a complete outbound data pipeline: search -> build lists -> enrich -> export/automate. On top of that came an n8n integration, a HubSpot push function, and new providers like Hunter and RocketReach.
Apollo: Waterfall enrichment as the new standard
Apollo has enabled waterfall enrichment as a standard feature for all paid plans - powered by 18 trusted third-party data sources. According to Apollo's own beta tests, this resulted in 5% more emails, 7% more phone numbers, and 45% fewer bounces. Since 2026, there's also an AI assistant, a Claude integration, and a mobile app.
The big comparison: Clay vs. FullEnrich vs. Apollo
What does it really cost?
At first glance, the entry prices look straightforward. In reality, total costs depend heavily on your enrichment volume, your share of phone numbers, and your team size.
Clay: Powerful, but not cheap
- Starter: $185/mo (2,500 data credits) - enough for around 200-400 fully enriched contacts
- Growth: $495/mo (6,000 data credits) - first tier with CRM integration
- Hidden costs: LinkedIn Sales Navigator (~$99/user/mo), your own API keys for premium providers, and 20-40 hours of typical onboarding time according to community feedback
FullEnrich: Affordable and simple
- Starter: $29/mo (500 credits) - 1 credit per email, 10 credits per phone number
- Pro: $55/mo (1,000 credits)
- Crucial: Credits are only charged for successful enrichments, 3-month rollover, and all plans include unlimited users
Apollo: Cheap per user, expensive at scale
- Basic: $49/user/mo (annual billing) - sounds fair, but Apollo charges per seat, credits expire monthly, and phone numbers cost 8 credits per number
- Organization: $119/user/mo for advanced features
- Real costs: According to multiple analyses, actual costs for active outbound often land between $150-400/user/month once credit overages and add-ons are included
Interactive cost calculator
Use the calculator to estimate your individual costs for all three tools:
Which tool is right for whom?
After comparing features, pricing, and the 2026 updates, the decision maps neatly to three profiles:
Choose Clay if...
- Your team has a technically savvy RevOps person who can build and maintain workflows
- You need complex multi-provider enrichment waterfalls with conditional logic
- Your monthly enrichment budget is above $500
- You want to use Clay as the central GTM orchestration layer
Choose FullEnrich if...
- You want maximum contact coverage with minimal setup effort
- Your budget is under $300/month
- Your team has no technical ops resources
- You mainly work in the DACH region or internationally and want to benefit from dynamic provider selection
Choose Apollo if...
- You are looking for an all-in-one solution (database + enrichment + sequences + dialer)
- Your team is small (1-3 users) and you don't want to buy separate outreach tools
- The US market is your main focus
- You want to get started quickly without building complex workflows
Pro tip: Combine the tools
Many advanced B2B teams don't rely on a single tool but on a combination. A typical stack might look like this: Apollo as the data source and sequencer, Clay as the orchestration layer for complex enrichment logic, and FullEnrich as an additional waterfall provider via API key inside Clay.
If you want to see how AI-powered lead qualification works in practice, or how to implement automation in B2B sales without losing the human touch, you'll find in-depth guides from us on those topics.
Conclusion
The data enrichment landscape in 2026 has changed noticeably. Clay has become more accessible thanks to its pricing update, Apollo has closed an important gap with waterfall enrichment, and FullEnrich has evolved from a pure enrichment tool into a full outbound data pipeline.
The honest truth: none of these tools is perfect for every use case. Your decision should come down to three factors - budget, technical capability in your team, and whether you need a pure enrichment solution or an all-in-one platform. If you're unsure, all three offer free trials. Test them with your real target accounts - the match rates on your ICP list will tell you more than any feature comparison.
