Clay Upgrade & Migration
Overview
Guide for navigating Clay plan upgrades and the March 2026 pricing overhaul. Clay restructured from Starter/Explorer/Pro to Launch/Growth tiers, split credits into Data Credits + Actions, and cut data costs 50-90%. This skill covers migration decisions, integration impact, and adaptation strategies.
Prerequisites
- Active Clay account
- Understanding of current credit consumption
- Access to Clay billing dashboard
Instructions
Step 1: Understand the 2026 Pricing Change
Old Plans (Legacy -- available until April 10, 2026):
| Plan | Price | Credits | Key Limits |
|---|
| Starter | $149/mo | Limited | No HTTP API, no webhooks |
| Explorer | $349/mo | 25K | 400 records/hour throttle |
| Pro | $800/mo | 50K | HTTP API, webhooks, priority support |
New Plans (March 2026+):
| Plan | Price | Data Credits | Actions | Key Features |
|---|
| Launch | $185/mo | 2,500 | 15,000 | Phone enrichment, signal tracking |
| Growth | $495/mo | 6,000 | 40,000 | CRM sync, HTTP API, web intent, ads |
Key changes:
- Credits split into Data Credits (buying enrichment data) and Actions (using the platform)
- Data costs cut 50-90% (each enrichment is cheaper)
- No enrichment charges on failed lookups (no data = no charge)
- Credit rollover capped at 2x monthly limit
Step 2: Audit Your Current Usage
Decision matrix for migration:
| If you currently... | Recommended new plan |
|---|
| Use < 2,500 data credits/mo | Launch ($185) |
| Need HTTP API columns | Growth ($495) |
| Need CRM sync | Growth ($495) |
| Use webhooks + high volume | Growth ($495) |
| Stay on legacy Explorer | Keep legacy if 400/hr limit works |
| Have Enterprise contract | Contact Clay sales |
Step 3: Adapt Integration Code for New Credit Model
interface CreditUsage {
dataCredits: { used: number; limit: number; rolloverMax: number };
actions: { used: number; limit: number };
}
class CreditTracker {
private usage: CreditUsage;
constructor(plan: 'launch' | 'growth') {
this.usage = plan === 'launch'
? { dataCredits: { used: 0, limit: 2500, rolloverMax: 5000 }, actions: { used: 0, limit: 15000 } }
: { dataCredits: { used: 0, limit: 6000, rolloverMax: 12000 }, actions: { used: 0, limit: 40000 } };
}
recordEnrichment(dataCreditsUsed: ) {
... += dataCreditsUsed;
... += ;
(... > ... * ) {
.();
}
}
(: ): {
(
... + estimatedCredits <= ... &&
... + <= ...
);
}
}
Step 4: Optimize for the New Model
No-charge on failed lookups changes the cost equation:
Connect your own API keys for maximum savings:
| Provider | Clay Credits (managed) | Own Key |
|---|
| Apollo | 2 data credits | 0 credits |
| Clearbit | 2-5 data credits | 0 credits |
| Hunter | 2 data credits | 0 credits |
| ZoomInfo | 5-13 data credits | 0 credits |
Step 5: Migrate Webhook Integrations
If moving from a plan without webhooks to one with them (or vice versa):
curl -X POST "$CLAY_WEBHOOK_URL" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"migration_test": true, "timestamp": "'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'"}'
Error Handling
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Features disappeared | Downgraded plan | Check feature availability per tier |
| HTTP API columns disabled | Moved to Launch (no HTTP API) | Upgrade to Growth or use webhooks only |
| Higher credit usage than expected | Actions now counted separately | Monitor both Data Credits and Actions |
| Webhook stopped working | Plan change affected access | Verify webhook feature on current plan |
Resources
Next Steps
For CI integration during upgrades, see clay-ci-integration.
