The Stack Index / Compare tools / Clay vs Apollo
GTM Vault · The Stack Index · operator evidence only
Clay vs Apollo: what operators on the record run
On the GTM Vault record, Clay is run by 7 operators and Apollo by 6. Clay sits on the enrichment and resolution layer and Apollo on the source layer, so they do different jobs and can run in the same stack. 3 operators run both. No operator on the record has replaced one with the other.
Updated 24 Sep 2026, the date of the latest episode or confirmation citing either tool. Cite as: GTM Vault, The Stack Index, “Clay vs Apollo”, https://pro.gtmvault.co/stack/vs/clay-vs-apollo, updated 24 Sep 2026.
How to read this page. Every number is a count of operators who described running the tool on a GTM Vault episode or in a confirmed stack, one citation per episode, in their own words. Nothing is inferred from reviews, traffic or pricing, and nothing here is a recommendation. Placement in the index is not for sale.
Who runs each, and what it did
Clay
Enrichment and Resolution layer, serves Identity. Mid-market tier. 7 operators on record, excluding any who named it only as displaced by Apollo.
- Vinayak Mishra, Slang AI
Master data layer, three tables
- Garrett Wolfe, 1GTM
Account scoring and enrichment waterfall
- Umar Farooq Adam, Hitachi Vantara
Account research and enrichment
- Tim Scheuer, Oxygen
Campaign build layer, later replaced by CLI orchestration
- Elliot O'Connor, Frontier
Data and workflows behind the extension's one-click actions
- Charles Cormier, TopLeads
Enrichment and list automation
- Michael Saruggia, Clay Operator
Core of the GTM engineer stack
Apollo
Source layer, serves Identity. Self-serve tier. 6 operators on record, excluding any who named it only as displaced by Clay.
- Alexander Shartsis, Skyp
Contact data and email enrichment via API
- Garrett Wolfe, 1GTM
Contact database
- Angelo Quiambao, Intellistack
Previous role at Qualified: prospecting data wrapped as an agent via its API
- Confirmed Sep 2026Mark van Oppen, SecureAuth
Contact data at SecureAuth, in heavy use
- Tim Scheuer, Oxygen
Named as a likely vendor in the email waterfall
- Charles Cormier, TopLeads
Contact data for podcast-led outbound
Who runs both
The tools sit on different layers, so running both is the normal pattern: Apollo supplies records and Clay resolves and routes them, or the reverse.
Displacements on record
No operator on the record has described replacing Clay with Apollo or the reverse. The index records a displacement only when the operator said so on an episode.
What runs alongside each
Tools that appear in the same operators’ stacks. The count is how many of those operators run both.
See which stacks these tools show up in next
Every Show Me Your Stack episode adds operators and tools to this index. Subscribe to GTM Vault and get each one as it lands.
Common questions
- Clay or Apollo: which do operators run?
- On the GTM Vault record, Clay is run by 7 operators and Apollo by 6. Clay sits on the enrichment and resolution layer and Apollo on the source layer, so they do different jobs and can run in the same stack. 3 operators run both. No operator on the record has replaced one with the other. Every count is one citation per episode, in the operator's own words, from Show Me Your Stack, the GTM Vault Podcast or a confirmed stack.
- Do Clay and Apollo do the same job?
- No. Clay is placed on the Enrichment and Resolution layer and Apollo on the Source layer. Placement follows the job the tool did in an operator's system, not its marketing category, and the two jobs are different.
- Who runs both Clay and Apollo?
- Garrett Wolfe (1GTM), Tim Scheuer (Oxygen) and Charles Cormier (TopLeads). Running both is the common pattern when the tools sit on different layers: one supplies records, the other resolves and routes them.
- Has anyone replaced Apollo with Clay, or the reverse?
- No operator on the record has described replacing one with the other. The index records displacements only when the operator said so on an episode.
- What runs alongside each?
- With Clay: Claude Code (2), Instantly (2), Apify (2) and Lead Magic (2). With Apollo: Claude Code (4), Slack (2), Instantly (2) and Salesforce (2). The number is how many operators run both tools.
- Is this a recommendation?
- No. The page is a count of what operators on the GTM Vault record described running, with their words and the episode. Placement in the index is not for sale and no count is edited. Updated 24 Sep 2026.
Other comparisons: Clay vs ZoomInfo · Apollo vs ZoomInfo · HubSpot vs Salesforce · Claude Code vs Clay · Claude Code vs Cursor · Claude Code vs ChatGPT · Claude vs ChatGPT · Instantly vs Lemlist · Instantly vs Outreach · Apollo vs LinkedIn Sales Navigator · Compare two operators · All layers