Strategy vs Automation

Andru & Clay

Clay automates data enrichment. Andru tells you which data to enrich and why it matters.
You need both. Here's which to use first.

What They Do Differently

🧠

Andru

Strategic Layer: Buyer Intelligence

  • Defines WHO your ideal buyers are (ICP)
  • Creates detailed buyer personas
  • Identifies qualification criteria
  • Maps pain points & trigger events
  • Generates value propositions
  • Builds messaging frameworks
  • Defines "good fit" signals
  • Creates prioritization logic

Clay

Operational Layer: Data Enrichment

  • Enriches contact/company data
  • Builds data waterfall workflows
  • Scrapes LinkedIn & websites
  • Finds emails & phone numbers
  • Integrates 50+ data providers
  • Automates list building
  • Creates custom formulas & logic
  • Exports to CRM/outbound tools

The Reality: You Need BOTH

Clay is incredible at automating data enrichment and building workflows. But enriching data without strategy is just building bigger lists of the wrong people. Here's what happens with each approach:

❌ Wrong Order
  1. Buy Clay ($149-800/mo)
  2. Build complex enrichment workflows
  3. Realize: "Wait, who should we even target?"
  4. Enrich 10,000 random contacts
  5. Waste credits on wrong people
  6. Export to CRM, chase bad leads
  7. Automation without direction = waste at scale
✅ Right Order
  1. Start with Andru Market Clarity ($249/mo)
  2. Define exact ICP & qualification signals
  3. Get precise targeting criteria
  4. THEN buy Clay to find those people
  5. Build workflows targeting ideal buyers only
  6. Enrich 500 perfect-fit prospects
  7. Maximize ROI on every credit spent

💡 Key Insight: Clay is a Ferrari for data enrichment — incredibly powerful. But a Ferrari without a destination is just burning gas. Andru gives you the map (ICP, personas, qualification criteria). Then Clay gets you there fast.

Who Should Use Which?

Use Andru FIRST if you:

  • Don't have clear ICP definition
  • Need qualification criteria first
  • Want to avoid wasting enrichment credits
  • Need strategic targeting logic
  • Value quality over quantity

Then add Clay to:

  • Automate data enrichment workflows
  • Find contacts matching your ICP
  • Build custom waterfall logic
  • Scale prospecting at speed
  • Export to outbound tools

Use BOTH when you:

  • Want intelligence + automation unified
  • Need targeted prospecting at scale
  • Want to maximize enrichment ROI
  • Value strategic automation
  • Ready to scale efficiently

Pricing Comparison

FeatureAndruClay
Starting Price$249/mo (Market Clarity module)$149-349/mo (Starter-Pro)
Enterprise Price$1,247/mo (Full Platform)$800+/mo (custom)
ICP Analysis✅ AI-generated❌ You define manually
Buyer Personas✅ Core feature❌ Not included
Qualification Criteria✅ AI-powered❌ Manual setup
Data Enrichment❌ Not included✅ 50+ providers
Workflow Automation❌ Not included✅ Core feature
Credits/MonthN/A (unlimited analysis)2K-50K+ (varies by plan)
Custom Formulas❌ Not included✅ Unlimited
Best ForStrategic targetingAutomated enrichment
Real User Story

"We enriched 15,000 contacts. 200 were actually qualified."

"We went all-in on Clay — built these beautiful waterfall workflows, integrated 10 data providers, enriched 15,000 contacts in our first month. Burned through $3,200 in credits. But we had no idea who we were actually targeting. Just 'VP Sales at SaaS companies.' Our SDRs called for 3 months with a 1.2% conversion rate because 98% of those contacts were wrong fit. Then we used Andru to actually define our ICP — turns out we should only target post-Series A companies with 30-100 employees selling to SMBs. We went back to Clay with those exact criteria and enriched 500 highly qualified prospects. Same team, same tools — but now our conversion rate is 11%. Andru told us WHO to enrich. Clay made it fast."

👤

Jessica Martinez

Head of Growth, B2B SaaS ($6M ARR)

The Bottom Line

Clay is a game-changer for data enrichment and workflow automation. It integrates 50+ data providers, builds custom waterfalls, and scales prospecting like nothing else. But it can't tell you WHO to target — it just makes targeting whoever you choose incredibly efficient.

Andru gives you that "who." It defines your ICP, creates qualification criteria, and builds targeting logic. Then you load those filters into Clay and watch it find perfect-fit prospects at scale.

Think of it this way: Clay is a supercharged excavator — it can move massive amounts of earth incredibly fast. Andru is the geologist who tells you where to dig for gold. Don't waste credits digging in the wrong place — use Andru first.

Ready to Know Who to Target?

Start with Market Clarity at $249/mo and get the buyer intelligence that makes Clay (and every enrichment tool) actually work.

View PricingLearn More

Compare Andru with Other Tools

& Salesforce& Hubspot& Zoominfo& Gong

© 2025 Andru. Revenue Intelligence Operating System.