The 10 Best Clay Agencies (2026)

Quick answer: which Clay agency fits you

• You want Clay-powered, signal-based cold email that books meetings on your reps' calendars, month to month, without building or staffing a Clay workspace: IntentSignal, from $2,999 a month, with results published for Route, Gainsight and Upside.

• You want Clay-built cold email run for you, and you want the Clay tables handed over if you leave: Growth Engine X, an Elite Studio partner whose founder used to work at Clay.

• You're an enterprise or late-stage team and want former Clay employees building your GTM system: The Kiln (Elite Studio, $10k+ a month, 3-month minimum), now part of 2X.

• You want outbound triggers and paid ads run off the same Clay data: Understory, which publishes its terms (6-month minimum, 4 for smaller companies) and says plainly it doesn't guarantee meetings.

• You want to try a Clay partner for a month before committing: FullFunnel, the only Elite Studio partner in this list with a 1-month minimum on its Clay profile ($5k+ a month).

• Your problem is RevOps and CRM process, with Clay as one piece: Go Nimbly ($10k+ a month, G2 4.7 from 19 reviews) or RevPartners if you run HubSpot.

• You only need your HubSpot or Salesforce data cleaned and enriched: Sculpted, which works on Clay for CRM and nothing else.

• You want a one-off Clay build your team will run afterward: B2B Boosted, from GBP 4,000 one time with a 14-day refund.

If the goal behind your Clay search is booked meetings rather than a system to own, book a campaign plan call and we'll tell you honestly whether a Clay agency or an outbound agency fits better.

How we ranked them

We started from Clay's own Solutions Partner directory, which listed 196 partners when we checked in October 2026. Clay sorts partners into four tiers. From lowest to highest: Artisan, Advanced Artisan, Studio and Elite Studio. Clay's partner program page describes Elite Studio as partners "solving the toughest go-to-market problems for the largest enterprises" and Studio as a team taking on "more complex, strategic, and a greater volume of client projects." It does not publish the criteria for each tier, so treat the badge as Clay's view of scale, not a quality score.

Then we scored each agency on six things:

• Pricing transparency: does the agency or its Clay profile publish a monthly floor or a project price?

• Minimum term: Clay profiles list a minimum engagement, from 1 month to 6 months in this list.

• Who owns the work: domains, inboxes and especially the Clay tables and workflows after you leave.

• Channel fit: is the agency built for outbound, for CRM enrichment, for RevOps, or for paid media?

• Proof: named clients, case studies with numbers, and third-party reviews. Almost every Clay profile here shows zero reviews, so outside reviews count for more.

• How specialized the team is: former Clay employees, Clay certifications, or a narrow focus like CRM-only.

We verified every tier on the agency's Clay profile in October 2026. Where an agency's own site uses a different label, we say so.

Clay agencies compared

"Not public" means neither the agency's site nor its Clay profile gives a number. Review counts are from Clay's directory unless another platform is named.

The 10 best Clay agencies

1. IntentSignal: Clay-powered signal outbound that books meetings, month to month

IntentSignal is a B2B cold email agency that runs its signal research in Clay alongside custom AI agents we build in-house for each client. The agents watch for what just changed at each target account, such as a new hire, a permit, a funding round or an expansion, write the email about that event, and book the meeting onto your reps' calendars. We test new campaign angles daily. Most people searching for a Clay agency want pipeline, and this is the shortest path to it: you get the meetings without building or staffing a Clay workspace.

Pricing: from $2,999 a month, month to month, with hybrid retainer-plus-performance options. You own every sending domain and mailbox we build, in writing, including after you leave. The two co-founders, Andrew Elsakr and Kyle Rasmussen, run every account.

Watch-outs: you don't end up with a Clay workspace your team can run. If owning a Clay system your team runs is the point, pick Growth Engine X, The Kiln or B2B Boosted below. We're email-led, not a phone-first SDR shop, and we don't quote review-site ratings for ourselves here. We're built for US B2B companies with $10K+ contract values and a sales team to take the meetings.

Proof: Route got 117 opportunities in one month and $42M in ARR pipeline over three quarters. Gainsight got 90 sales-accepted leads in two months after we tested 70 experimental campaigns over 11 weeks and scaled the 5 winners.

2. Growth Engine X: Clay-built cold email you can take with you

Growth Engine X is listed as an Elite Studio partner on its Clay profile, and its own site shows a "Clay Elite Studio Partner" badge. Founder Eric Nowoslawski is a former Clay employee and long-time Clay Expert. The agency runs done-for-you cold email: sending infrastructure, Clay list building and campaign strategy, plus CRM integration.

Pricing isn't public. Its homepage offers qualifying buyers a free test campaign ("If it works, we partner") and says "No commitment," but its Clay profile lists a 3-month minimum engagement. Ask which applies to you.

Best for: US B2B companies that want outbound built in Clay and run for them. Its own fit criteria are $1M+ revenue, a TAM of 100k+ contacts, lifetime gross profit above $5k per customer and an existing sales team. It calls accounts under 40k contacts a poor fit.

Watch-outs: no reviews on Clutch, G2, Trustpilot or its Clay profile. The ramp it publishes is weeks 1 to 2 onboarding and warmup, weeks 3 to 4 first campaigns, and scaling in month 2.

Proof: the Clay profile names Forbes, Y Combinator, Refine Labs, Instantly, TestBox and ChurnZero. Its site says "All Work is Transferable to You (Domains, Inboxes, Clay Tables, Lists, etc.)", which is the clearest ownership statement of any agency here.

3. The Kiln: former Clay employees, now inside 2X

The Kiln's Clay profile shows Elite Studio, $10k+ a month and a 3-month minimum, so the smallest commitment is about $30,000. Its site describes the team as "GTM experts, data scientists, and former Clay employees." Services cover outbound, TAM mapping, inbound lead enrichment, account scoring, paid-ads audiences and CRM cleanup.

In January 2026, 2X, a PE-backed marketing-as-a-service company, acquired The Kiln. The Kiln was founded in New York City by Patrick Spychalski and Mathias Powell.

Best for: larger teams that want a system built across sales, marketing and RevOps, and can pay a $120,000+ year-one floor.

Watch-outs: ask who staffs your account now that The Kiln sits inside a larger services company, and whether the original team is on it. Zero reviews on its Clay profile.

Proof: published case studies for Azuga ("640+ Hours of Manual Work Per Week" replaced by a data engine) and Sendoso. The Clay profile names Windsurf, Browserbase, T-ROC, Loxo and Sendoso.

4. Understory: outbound triggers and paid ads from one Clay hub

Understory is an Advanced Artisan on Clay's directory. Its own site calls it a "Clay Enterprise Partner," which looks like a holdover from Clay's older Enterprise Partner program. The current directory shows Advanced Artisan. The profile says it has 4 Clay experts on a team of 14.

It sells GTM engineering, paid media across LinkedIn, Google, Meta, Reddit, X and Substack, LinkedIn content and RevOps, priced as flat retainers. The minimum is six months for most engagements and four for smaller or earlier-stage companies. Its site says: "We don't guarantee meetings, pipeline or ROI." Campaigns usually launch late in month one or early in month two.

Best for: B2B SaaS teams that want outbound and ads aimed at the same in-market accounts, with CRM conversions sent back to the ad platforms.

Watch-outs: the longest minimum in this list. Prices aren't published, so get the retainer in writing before the six months start.

Proof: the most numbers of any agency here. FullPAC got "about 365 positive replies, 75 meetings and nearly eight figures in pipeline, on under $60,000 in spend." Doppel credits Understory with $3,652,185 in Google-influenced pipeline. Named clients include Expensify, Worldpay, Zapier and Clay itself. It ranked No. 140 on the 2026 Inc. 5000.

5. FullFunnel: Elite Studio support you can try for a month

FullFunnel calls itself "a managed support and applied AI partner for B2B GTM teams" on its Clay profile, which shows Elite Studio, $5k+ a month and a 1-month minimum. That is the lowest entry commitment of any Elite Studio partner we checked: about $5,000 before you decide to continue.

Best for: teams that already have Clay and need an expert bench to keep tables, signals and outbound running, rather than a single big build.

Watch-outs: "managed support" can mean many things, so ask how many hours or requests $5k buys. Zero reviews on its Clay profile, and its site doesn't publish a rate card.

Proof: the profile carries a testimonial from IQVIA's portfolio marketing lead. Few other public case numbers.

6. Go Nimbly: RevOps consultancy with Clay as a tool

Go Nimbly is an Elite Studio partner whose Clay profile lists $10k+ a month and a 3-month minimum. It describes itself as "a global RevOps consultancy" for mid-market and enterprise companies, with a separate Clay services practice. Salesforge's directory lists it in San Francisco at $150 to $199 an hour.

Best for: companies whose real problem is pipeline process, routing and CRM design across teams, where Clay is one part of the fix.

Watch-outs: G2 reviewers praise the strategy work, and some mention cost and staff changes during long engagements. If all you need is an outbound list, this is more consultancy than you need.

Proof: the only agency here with a meaningful outside review count, G2 4.7 from 19 reviews. The Clay profile says it has worked with GTM leaders at Intercom, Modern Treasury, Rippling, Plaid, Twilio, Confluent and Zendesk.

7. Frontal AI: demand gen for companies past product-market fit

Frontal AI is an Elite Studio partner at $5k+ a month with a 3-month minimum, per its Clay profile. It positions itself as "the demand generation partner for B2B companies past product-market fit," covering ABM, signals and intent, AI outbound and inbound lead enrichment.

Best for: post-PMF B2B companies that want Clay-driven demand gen at a lower floor than The Kiln or Go Nimbly. Three months at the floor is about $15,000.

Watch-outs: pricing beyond the floor and ownership terms aren't public.

Proof: one review on its Clay profile, rated 5.0, which is one more than most partners have. Named clients are AirOps, Aircall and Design Pickle.

8. Sculpted: Clay for CRM data and nothing else

Sculpted is an Advanced Artisan that "focuses entirely on Clay for CRM, full stop," per its Clay profile. It cleans, enriches and prioritizes HubSpot and Salesforce data. Pricing is $5k+ a month with a 3-month minimum.

Best for: teams with a messy CRM and no plans to outsource outbound. If your reps waste time on bad records, this is the narrowest fit in the list.

Watch-outs: it won't write or send outbound. Pair it with an outbound team or your own SDRs.

Proof: named clients on the profile are Sendoso, Nooks, ConnectWise, Keen, Tracksuit and Order. No reviews yet.

9. RevPartners: Clay plus HubSpot under one roof

RevPartners calls itself "The only Elite Clay Studio + Elite HubSpot Partner on the planet" on its Clay profile, which confirms the Elite Studio badge, a 3-month minimum and "any budget" pricing. Clutch lists it in Atlanta, founded in 2020, at $150 to $199 an hour with a $1,000+ minimum project.

Best for: HubSpot customers who want Clay enrichment, scoring and outbound wired straight into the CRM by one firm.

Watch-outs: thin public review data for a firm its size: one Clutch review (5.0) and none on its Clay profile. It names no clients on the Clay profile.

Proof: limited publicly. Ask for two HubSpot plus Clay references with your deal size.

10. B2B Boosted: a one-off Clay build you keep

B2B Boosted shows the Artisan badge on its Clay profile and is based in the UK. Founder Tim says the goal is for clients to "fire us within 3-6 months after we set up scalable systems for you." Its site prices a build from GBP 4,000 as a one-time fee with a "14-day satisfaction guarantee" and full refund, and calls itself "one of the first Clay and Smartlead certified operators in the UK." The first Clay table is free.

Best for: small teams that want signal-triggered cold email built once, documented and handed to an internal operator.

Watch-outs: after hand-off you need someone who can run Clay, keep data fresh and manage deliverability. Its site shows 5 stars with no review total, and its Clay profile has no reviews.

Proof: claims 50+ businesses served. One testimonial credits it with GBP 50k+ in revenue in 43 days. Another mentions 3 to 4 meetings a week.

Clay agency vs outbound agency vs hiring a GTM engineer

People compare these three all the time, but they buy different outcomes. A Clay agency builds data and workflow systems. An outbound agency delivers meetings. A GTM engineer is a salaried employee who builds and maintains those systems in-house. Public numbers for each:

Clay agency retainer: the floors on Clay's directory run from $5k+ a month (FullFunnel, Frontal AI, Sculpted) to $10k+ (The Kiln, Go Nimbly). Twelve months is $60,000 to $120,000 or more before Clay's own subscription. Ask whether your Clay plan and data credits sit on your bill or the agency's.

Clay itself: Clay's pricing page showed Launch at $167 a month and Growth at $446 a month in October 2026, with Enterprise priced on request. Lower starting prices apply to smaller action and credit bundles, and the FAQ on the same page quotes different starting figures ($185 and $495), so confirm on a sales call. Growth at $446 a month is $5,352 a year.

Outbound agency: IntentSignal starts at $2,999 a month, which is $35,988 a year. Phone-led SDR agencies cost more. SalesRoads lists $11,950 per 4-week cycle for one SDR, or $155,350 over 13 cycles (see our SalesRoads pricing breakdown). Belkins doesn't publish prices, and third parties report $5,000 to $14,800+ a month (Belkins pricing).

GTM engineer hire: RevGuild's 2026 market report found a $150,000 median base across 71 US job postings that disclosed pay, with medians of $113,000 for entry roles and $188,000 for senior. Add Clay Growth ($5,352 a year), data providers, sending tools, benefits and recruiting time. A GTM engineer also doesn't take meetings, so you still need reps. Our agency vs in-house SDR cost page covers that side.

Our view: hire a GTM engineer once Clay sits at the center of several teams' work and you need changes every week. Use a Clay agency when you want that system built faster than you can hire, or don't need someone full time. Use an outbound agency when the metric you care about is meetings, and nobody internal will own a Clay workspace.

How to choose a Clay agency

• Start with the job. Sculpted and RevPartners fix CRM data. Go Nimbly fixes RevOps process. Growth Engine X and Understory run outbound. If you hire a CRM specialist expecting meetings, both sides will be disappointed.

• Match the tier to your size. Clay says Elite Studio partners work on problems for the largest enterprises. A seed-stage team often gets more from a one-off build like B2B Boosted or a 1-month start with FullFunnel.

• Price the minimum, not the monthly. The Kiln's 3 months at $10k+ is $30,000+ committed. Understory's 6 months is the longest lock-in here. FullFunnel's 1 month at $5k+ is the smallest Elite Studio bet.

• Count what you'll pay Clay separately. Growth is $446 a month on Clay's pricing page, and heavy enrichment uses more credits.

• Plan for the hand-off. Growth Engine X puts Clay table transfer in writing. Most profiles don't say. If you can't take the tables, you're renting the system.

• If you want meetings and not a system, compare what you commit before seeing results. Three months at The Kiln's floor is $30,000+. Three months of IntentSignal's entry program is $8,997, and you can stop after any month. Then ask each option for month-3 meeting numbers from a client like you.

Questions to ask a Clay agency before you sign

1. Who owns the Clay workspace, tables, workflows and API keys, and do they transfer to us in writing when we leave?

2. Do Clay credits and third-party data costs come out of our account or yours? What's the monthly cap?

3. Which partner tier are you on Clay's directory today? If your site uses another label, what does it mean?

4. Who builds and maintains our tables: a named GTM engineer or a rotating pod? For The Kiln, how has staffing changed since the 2X acquisition?

5. What does the minimum engagement cover, and what's the notice period after it?

6. If you run outbound: who owns the sending domains and inboxes, and how is a meeting or qualified lead defined?

7. Can we speak to a client of our size whose system you've run for 6+ months?

Where IntentSignal fits

If you want a Clay system your team owns and runs, Growth Engine X, The Kiln and B2B Boosted are the strongest picks above. If what you need is meetings with accounts that are showing signals right now, without building or staffing a Clay workspace, that's what we do. We build the research agents in-house, you own the domains, and there's no long term. Our ranking of the best cold email agencies compares us with other outbound shops, and our cold email statistics show the reply data we work from.

Book a campaign plan call and we'll show you the accounts and angles we'd start with.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Clay agency?

A Clay agency is a consultancy that builds and runs workflows in Clay, the data enrichment and GTM automation platform. Work ranges from CRM enrichment and lead scoring to signal-based outbound. Clay lists vetted firms in its Solutions Partner directory, which had 196 entries in October 2026.

How much does a Clay agency cost?

Monthly floors on Clay's directory run from $5k+ (FullFunnel, Frontal AI, Sculpted) to $10k+ (The Kiln, Go Nimbly), usually with a 3-month minimum. One-off builds start lower: B2B Boosted lists GBP 4,000. Clay's own subscription is usually extra, from $167 a month on Launch or $446 on Growth at headline rates.

What do Clay's partner tiers mean?

Clay uses four tiers: Artisan, Advanced Artisan, Studio and Elite Studio. Elite Studio is described as serving the largest enterprises and Studio as teams handling more complex, higher-volume projects. Clay doesn't publish the criteria, so the tier signals scale more than quality.

Should I hire a GTM engineer or use a Clay agency?

A GTM engineer's median base was $150,000 in RevGuild's 2026 report, before benefits and tools. A Clay agency at $5k to $10k a month costs $60,000 to $120,000 a year. Hire when Clay work is constant across teams. Use an agency for a defined build or when you can't justify a full-time role.

Do Clay agencies book meetings?

Some do. Growth Engine X and Understory run outbound campaigns, though Understory states it doesn't guarantee meetings. Others, like Sculpted, only work on CRM data. If meetings are the goal, ask how a meeting is defined and who sends the email.

Is IntentSignal a Clay partner?

No. IntentSignal is a cold email agency that builds its own AI research agents and books meetings for clients, from $2,999 a month, month to month. It's an alternative for buyers who want meetings rather than a Clay system.

Who owns the Clay tables when I leave an agency?

It depends on the contract. Growth Engine X says all work, including Clay tables, transfers to the client. Most Clay profiles don't address it, so get ownership of the workspace, tables and API keys in writing before you sign.

Sources

• Clay Solutions Partner directory (196 partners, tiers)

• Clay partner program tiers

• Clay pricing page

• Growth Engine X on Clay (Elite Studio, 3-month minimum, clients)

• Growth Engine X site (badge, free test, transferable work)

• Growth Engine X review (founder background)

• The Kiln on Clay (Elite Studio, $10k+, 3 months)

• The Kiln site (team, case studies)

• MarTech Edge: 2X acquires The Kiln (January 2026)

• Understory on Clay (team, minimum)

• Understory site (terms, results, clients)

• FullFunnel on Clay (Elite Studio, $5k+, 1 month)

• Go Nimbly on Clay (Elite Studio, $10k+, 3 months)

• Go Nimbly on G2 (4.7, 19 reviews)

• Go Nimbly on Salesforge directory (hourly rate, location)

• Frontal AI on Clay (Elite Studio, $5k+, 1 review)

• Sculpted on Clay (Advanced Artisan, CRM only)

• RevPartners on Clay (Elite Studio)

• RevPartners on Clutch (5.0, 1 review)

• B2B Boosted on Clay (Artisan)

• B2B Boosted site (pricing, refund)

• RevGuild GTM engineer salary report 2026

• SalesRoads pricing

• Belkins review with reported pricing (Salesforge)