Brandwave

How popular isClay?

In September 2026, people searched for Clay by name about 32,400 times worldwide, a 17.6% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 2.9% of all global sales prospecting platform searches, placing Clay eighth out of 11 platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about sales prospecting platforms, Clay appeared in all answers and was the fifth most recommended of the 11.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Clay is the eighth most searched of 11 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. ApolloShare of searches 30.2%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. LushaShare of searches 19.3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
  3. ZoomInfoShare of searches 19.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  4. LinkedIn Sales NavigatorShare of searches 12.9%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. ClayShare of searches 2.9%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th

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Top sales prospecting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Clay appeared in all five answers. Clay is the fifth most recommended of the 11.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Apollo1st
  2. ZoomInfo2nd
  3. LinkedIn Sales Navigator3rd
  4. Cognism4th
  5. Clay5th
  6. Outreach6th
  7. Lusha7th
  8. Reply.io8th
  9. lemlist–
  10. Smartlead–
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Apollo5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ZoomInfo5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Clay5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Cognism4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Outreach4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Lusha3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Reply.io1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • lemlist0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Smartlead0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about sales prospecting platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Which sales prospecting platforms compete with Clay?

Clay against sales prospecting platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Apollo, Lusha, ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, lemlist, Smartlead, Instantly, Clay, Cognism. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthApolloLushaZoomInfoLinkedIn Sales NavigatorlemlistSmartleadInstantlyClayCognismReply.ioOutreach
Oct 202517.4%19.8%24.2%16.2%8.9%3.1%3.3%2.5%4%0.35%0.29%
Nov 202521.9%20.9%20.9%14%9.4%3.3%3.5%2.2%3.4%0.3%0.25%
Dec 202521.1%20%24.4%14.7%7.4%3.2%3.4%2.5%2.7%0.35%0.27%
Jan 202620.6%19.6%23.9%16%7.2%3.1%3.3%2.5%3.2%0.28%0.27%
Feb 202620.2%19.1%23.4%15.7%8.6%3.1%3.2%2.9%3.2%0.28%0.27%
Mar 202625.6%16.4%24.5%13.4%7.4%3.1%3.4%3%2.7%0.29%0.28%
Apr 202629.5%15.6%23.4%12.8%7%3%3.2%2.4%2.6%0.23%0.33%
May 202627.8%17.8%21.8%13.4%6.6%3.4%3.6%2.7%2.4%0.26%0.26%
Jun 202624%18.6%22.8%15.2%6.9%3.6%3.1%2.8%2.5%0.27%0.24%
Jul 202624.4%18.9%23.2%14.2%7%3.6%3.2%2.3%2.6%0.34%0.23%
Aug 202628%17.8%21.7%14.5%4.4%4.2%3.6%2.7%2.4%0.31%0.27%
Sep 202630.2%19.3%19.3%12.9%4.8%4.4%3.2%2.9%2.6%0.28%0.24%

  1. 1.Apollo

    30.2%

    Held 1st. 315K estimated branded searches, +21.5% vs prior month. Share +2.2 points.

  2. 2.Lusha

    19.3%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 201K estimated branded searches, +21.8% vs prior month. Share +1.4 points.

  3. 3.ZoomInfo

    19.3%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.

  4. 4.LinkedIn Sales Navigator

    12.9%

    Held 4th. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.6 points.

  5. 5.lemlist

    4.8%

    Held 5th. 49.7K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  6. 6.Smartlead

    4.4%

    Held 6th. 45.9K estimated branded searches, +19.2% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  7. 7.Instantly

    3.2%

    Held 7th. 33.8K estimated branded searches, +0.15% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  8. 8.Clay

    2.9%

    Held 8th. 30.3K estimated branded searches, +19.2% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  9. 9.Cognism

    2.6%

    Held 9th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  10. 10.Reply.io

    0.28%

    Held 10th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  11. 11.Outreach

    0.24%

    Held 11th. 2.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Clay and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Clay

25 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Clay changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Clay worldwide rose from 27.5K to 32.4K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Clay rose from 9th to 8th among sales prospecting platforms worldwide.

How did search popularity change for sales prospecting platforms worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Lusha overtook ZoomInfo to rank 2nd among sales prospecting platforms worldwide, with 19.3% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Apollo gained share of searches among sales prospecting platforms worldwide, from 28% to 30.2%.

  3. In September 2026, ZoomInfo lost share of searches among sales prospecting platforms worldwide, from 21.7% to 19.3%.

  4. In September 2026, LinkedIn Sales Navigator lost share of searches among sales prospecting platforms worldwide, from 14.5% to 12.9%.

  5. Smartlead’s share of searches among sales prospecting platforms worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 3.6% to 4.4% in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Clay worldwide rose 19.4% over 12 measured months, from 25.4K to 30.3K in September 2026.

How are Clay’s branded searches counted?

7 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Clay’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • clay agent
  • clay ai
  • clay ai lead generation
  • clay data enrichment
  • clay sales
  • clay sales intelligence
  • claygent

Do you work for Clay? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Clay compete?

Clay is ranked in seven competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Business data platforms9th of 90.22%Show ranking
Sales prospecting platforms8th of 112.9%Shown above
Sales intelligence platforms7th of 70.4%Show ranking
Data enrichment platforms4th of 103.7%Show ranking
B2B contact data providers6th of 60.33%Show ranking
AI lead generation tools6th of 60.61%Show ranking
AI sales agents4th of 71.1%Show ranking
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