Frustration Over Pricing and UX Issues with Automation Tools

Peter I. · 2025-11-04T11:28:21.789Z

Rage post: I am pissed right now. I worked 2 weeks on my automation, everything worked perfectly. Today I pulled the trigger, started my subscription, only to realise half my automation won’t work, because HTTP API actions are only available in the Explorer plan. Which is ridiculously expensive, given that I only need this 1 action. The UX during the trial is shit. There’s so much stuff happening in Clay, so many actions and enrichments, it’s impossible to keep track what plan you’re going to need. We’re already paying a shitload for credits and then get feature-boxed.

Frustration Over Pricing and UX Issues with Automation Tools | Clay

12 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Clay Support
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Hi there, thanks so much for sharing this! We’ll be passing your feedback along to our product team, and any additional context you can provide will help us prioritize with your needs in mind as we shape the roadmap.
Want to chat with someone on the team? Feel free to hit the button below!
Clay Support
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Peter Illes clicked 'Talk with the team!'
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Clay Support is sharing a file with you.
Our support team has got your message and we'll get back to you soon! We're currently outside of our standard office hours (9 AM to 9 PM EST, Monday through Friday), so it may take a little longer for us to respond.
If you’re dealing with a specific table, drop the URL below so we can help you quicker. Otherwise, someone from our team will be in touch soon!
Nicole G.
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Hi Peter,
Thanks for reaching out to support. I'm sorry to hear you are frustrated by the experience, we are always working to make it better. So if you have any direct feedback on things you'd like to see us improve, I'd be happy to bring that back to the team.
In regards to the difference in plans, our pricing page has all the features that come with each plan listed out with the price model https://www.clay.com/pricing , I would reference this in the future for what features are and aren't available within in plan.
Peter I.
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You probably need a Preview with plan X feature during free trial
Peter I.
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there are so many actions and features, it’s impossible to track which one is available in which plan
Nicole G.
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thanks for the feedback, moving forward like I mentioned the pricing plan should be your point of reference for these things. I'll bring the feedback back to the team, and see what we can do to improve the experience during the trial.
Kabeer A.
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Totally understand your frustration this catches a lot of people off guard. Clay’s pricing tiers don’t make it obvious that certain key automations (like HTTP API actions or advanced integrations) are gated behind the Explorer plan. The UX during the trial gives full access, so you only hit that wall after upgrading, which feels terrible after you’ve invested so much time building. Here’s what most folks in the same boat do:
Reach out to Clay support directly they’re usually open to offering a temporary plan bump or discounted Explorer access if it’s just for a specific use case.
Alternatively, use a free intermediary like Make (Integromat) or n8n to run those API calls outside Clay, and then feed results back via a webhook. It’s a solid workaround if you just need a single HTTP action.
You’re definitely not alone the community’s been vocal about wanting a middle tier for API access.
Nicole G.
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Hi Peter, not sure what the ask is, feel free to let me know if you're requesting access to a specific feature or refund, I can see what we can make happen from our end.
Hasnain R.
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Totally understandable frustration Clay doesn’t restrict features during the trial, so it’s easy to miss plan limits. Unfortunately HTTP API actions are indeed only available on the Explorer plan for a workaround you could export data via webhook or use Zapier to handle that part externally.
Bo (.
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Hey, just wanted to let you know I’ve added this for you — you’ll have access for another month so you can keep testing it out.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
We haven't heard back from you here, so we're going to go ahead and close this thread out.
Still need help here? Reply back and someone will jump back in.
Have a question thats not related to this thread? We recommend kicking off a new ticket in the support channel!

Clay Support
APP
·
·
Hi there, thanks so much for sharing this! We’ll be passing your feedback along to our product team, and any additional context you can provide will help us prioritize with your needs in mind as we shape the roadmap.
Want to chat with someone on the team? Feel free to hit the button below!
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Peter Illes clicked 'Talk with the team!'
Intercom
APP
·
·
Clay Support is sharing a file with you.
Our support team has got your message and we'll get back to you soon! We're currently outside of our standard office hours (9 AM to 9 PM EST, Monday through Friday), so it may take a little longer for us to respond.
If you’re dealing with a specific table, drop the URL below so we can help you quicker. Otherwise, someone from our team will be in touch soon!
Nicole G.
·
·
Hi Peter,
Thanks for reaching out to support. I'm sorry to hear you are frustrated by the experience, we are always working to make it better. So if you have any direct feedback on things you'd like to see us improve, I'd be happy to bring that back to the team.
In regards to the difference in plans, our pricing page has all the features that come with each plan listed out with the price model https://www.clay.com/pricing , I would reference this in the future for what features are and aren't available within in plan.
Peter I.
·
·
You probably need a Preview with plan X feature during free trial
Peter I.
·
·
there are so many actions and features, it’s impossible to track which one is available in which plan
Nicole G.
·
·
thanks for the feedback, moving forward like I mentioned the pricing plan should be your point of reference for these things. I'll bring the feedback back to the team, and see what we can do to improve the experience during the trial.
Kabeer A.
·
·
Totally understand your frustration this catches a lot of people off guard. Clay’s pricing tiers don’t make it obvious that certain key automations (like HTTP API actions or advanced integrations) are gated behind the Explorer plan. The UX during the trial gives full access, so you only hit that wall after upgrading, which feels terrible after you’ve invested so much time building. Here’s what most folks in the same boat do:
Reach out to Clay support directly they’re usually open to offering a temporary plan bump or discounted Explorer access if it’s just for a specific use case.
Alternatively, use a free intermediary like Make (Integromat) or n8n to run those API calls outside Clay, and then feed results back via a webhook. It’s a solid workaround if you just need a single HTTP action.
You’re definitely not alone the community’s been vocal about wanting a middle tier for API access.
Nicole G.
·
·
Hi Peter, not sure what the ask is, feel free to let me know if you're requesting access to a specific feature or refund, I can see what we can make happen from our end.
Hasnain R.
·
·
Totally understandable frustration Clay doesn’t restrict features during the trial, so it’s easy to miss plan limits. Unfortunately HTTP API actions are indeed only available on the Explorer plan for a workaround you could export data via webhook or use Zapier to handle that part externally.
Bo (.
·
·
Hey, just wanted to let you know I’ve added this for you — you’ll have access for another month so you can keep testing it out.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
We haven't heard back from you here, so we're going to go ahead and close this thread out.
Still need help here? Reply back and someone will jump back in.
Have a question thats not related to this thread? We recommend kicking off a new ticket in the support channel!