Clay vs PhantomBuster (France and Europe, 2026): what is the best automation and outbound tool?

In 2026, winning outbound no longer means sending more messages. You need reliable lists, relevant messages, and automations that work without breaking the relationship. This Clay vs PhantomBuster face-off is for SDR and BDR teams, growth profiles and ops who want to build their own bases, customize at scale, and execute recurring gestures on LinkedIn, by email and in the CRM without piling up ten tools.

On the menu: an express summary, legible choice criteria, two clear sheets with everyday uses, a comparative table with key points, then a mini-guide for deciding.

Summary in 5 points

• Clay is used to create better lists and personalize your messages before sending. It relies on over 100 sources, a bit of scraping, and an AI agent named Claygent. Billing is done on a credit basis, i.e. based on the volume of data consumed.
• PhantomBuster is used to automate repetitive tasks very quickly: retrieve a list on LinkedIn, enrich a contact, push data into the CRM, alert the team. It offers over 100 ready-to-use Phantoms or Flows and a 14-day trial.
• General logic : Clay for data quality and personalization at scale. PhantomBuster to quickly execute your routines and save hours every week.
• prix : Clay works with credits. PhantomBuster offers a readable grid with a Starter plan around 59 dollars per month then higher levels.
• Compliance : respect the GDPR and the LinkedIn rules. Move at a “human” pace, avoid massive extractions and favor integrations into your CRM.

Our comparison criteria

• Data and enrichment : number of sources, quality of emails and telephones, freshness of information.
• Outbound automation : LinkedIn actions, email, CRM creations, AI-assisted writing.
• Integrations : HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, shipping tools like Lemlist.
• Price model : credits or seats, and total cost over three to six months.
• Compliance : RGPD, LinkedIn limits, respect for human rhythms.
• Getting started : startup time, ready-to-use templates, quality of support.

Clay: the data center for solid lists and truly personalized messages

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In real life : you start from a specific segment, for example 300 accounts in the industry that recruit and use a given technology. Clay will gather information from its sources, fill in what's missing with Claygent, and standardize the fields. Based on this, you generate catchphrases that cite real evidence, such as an article, a job ad, or detected technology. Then, you push contacts to Lemlist or to the CRM. This initial quality results in more responses and fewer unsubscribes.

Forces

• Data hub : more than 100 suppliers, controlled scraping, simple formulas to clean up your fields.
• Useful AI : Claygent searches for the missing information and the messages are based on the data found.
• Integrations : direct sending to Lemlist and CRMs to avoid files that are lost.

Limits

• Learning : Clay is powerful, you have to accept a small amount of time to get used to it.
• Reading the cost : the credit model requires testing a sample to estimate consumption before scaling up.

When to choose Clay

• You are doingABM and you prefer to target few, but very well.
• You want to personalize at scale based on concrete evidence.
• Your team is ready to invest some time to gain a lot in quality.

PhantomBuster: automations ready to act quickly on LinkedIn, the web and CRM

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In real life : you take a Phantom that exports a list from Sales Navigator, you add a block that finds the email, then another that creates the form in your CRM and notifies the team in Slack. In one to two hours, your routine is ready. It runs unattended every day and frees you up time for the conversations that matter.

Forces

• Quick start : more than 100 Phantoms and Flows to list, enrich and push the action without coding.
• Clear grill : Free, Starter, Pro, Team with a 14 day trial.
• Best practices : reminders about the GDPR and LinkedIn limits to stay under the radar.

Limits

• Dependence on platforms : you must respect LinkedIn's limits to avoid blockages.
• Advanced message sending : we rather entrust it to your outreach tool or to your CRM.

When to choose PhantomBuster

• You have repetitive actions to automate right away, such as exporting Sales Navigator and then creating them in the CRM.
• You are an SME or self-employed and you want to prove your value in a few days.

Clay vs PhantomBuster comparison chart: data and automation

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Quick verdict by use case

• Rich lists and tailor-made messages : Clay.
• Automations ready this week : PhantomBuster.
• Smart Combo : Clay to prepare and personalize, PhantomBuster to perform effortlessly on a daily basis.

How to choose in practice

• Si your number one challenge is data quality and personalization, so start with Clay and connect it to your CRM or Lemlist.
• Si you want to save time right away on repetitive tasks, so get PhantomBuster.
• Si your pilot budget is tight, so start with PhantomBuster Starter to show how much time was saved. If personalization becomes the real lever, then switch your lists in Clay.
• In any case, measure for two weeks on a small sample: cost per opportunity, response rate, and data quality in the CRM.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Choose at the admission price without estimating the credits or resources consumed.
• Forget LinkedIn limits and GDPR rules.
• Launch actions without a clean CRM or clear UTM naming, making results difficult to read.

Want to take it to the next level? Discover our Outbound approach to propel your digital prospecting.

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Methodology and updates

Comparison written from the official publisher pages and current feedback from sales and ops teams. Update planned every quarter to reflect price and feature changes. Last updated: September 2026.

Ethics and transparency clause

To suggest a correction or clarification, send us your public source and we will update after verification.

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