Hey there, happy to provide some context! To save money on Clay, you have two main options: using Clay credits or connecting your own API keys for data providers. Using Clay credits can incur costs for data points where Clay has to pay for access, such as company revenue, fully scraped LinkedIn profiles, phone numbers, contact research, AI, and others. However, if you have your own API key for any of the data providers that Clay connects with, you can connect your API key and use that action in Clay free of charge. This can be a good way to save money if you already have subscriptions or prefer the pricing of certain APIs over the cost of Clay credits. Additionally, connecting external data sources via HTTP/API to Clay is free, which means you can integrate data from providers like Zoominfo, Cognism, 6Sense without using Clay credits.
To decide which option is more cost-effective for you, consider the specific data points you need and whether you already have or are willing to obtain API keys from external providers. If you do not have such API keys and prefer the convenience of Clay's integrated services, then using Clay credits might be the better option. Remember to be conservative with your credit number and buy the plan you need; if your usage is higher, you can always upgrade to a different plan.
If there's anything else I can assist you with, please let me know! 😊
Have a great Friday,
Daniel
