Mentioned vs Clay: AI Visibility for Trade Contractors
Here's the honest truth
Clay and Mentioned solve different problems for different buyers. Clay is a GTM platform for B2B outreach teams. Mentioned is a visibility tracker for operators who want to know if they show up in AI search.
If you're choosing between them, you're probably asking the wrong question. Most operators need both, or need neither right now. Let's walk through what each actually does.
What Clay does well
Clay is built for sales and growth teams running outbound campaigns. You plug in a list (or start from scratch), Clay enriches it with 150+ data sources (emails, phone numbers, company data, social profiles), then you automate follow-ups via email/LinkedIn/Slack.
Core strengths:
- Data enrichment. If you have 1,000 names and need emails/phone/company data, Clay finds them fast.
- Multi-channel automation. Email, LinkedIn, Slack, and Zapier integration. One workflow touches prospects across platforms.
- B2B focused. Built for sales teams selling to other companies. Strong for SaaS outreach, agencies, tech.
Best for: Sales teams running 50+ prospect sequences, B2B outreach campaigns, lead enrichment at scale.
Where Mentioned is different
Mentioned answers a completely different question: When homeowners ask AI for a recommendation in your trade, do they see your name?
We run live queries against ChatGPT (gpt-4o-mini), Perplexity (sonar), Claude, and Gemini. Typical homeowner questions like "best HVAC near me" or "who fixes furnaces in Boston." Every recommendation gets logged. Your score is the count of times you got named, normalized to 100.
Core strengths:
- AI search visibility only. Not Google rank, not Yelp citations. Pure AI recommendation tracking.
- Local trade focused. Built for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control. The ranking changes when you move to a different trade or city.
- Reproducible and open. You can run the same audit yourself in ChatGPT and verify the score. We publish methodology + queries publicly. No black box.
- Real gap analysis. We measure median competitor score in your city (32/100 across 137 audits). You see your bracket, not just your number.
Best for: Trade contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing) who want to understand AI visibility, not B2B sales teams.
Quick comparison
| Feature | Clay | Mentioned |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use | Outbound sales automation + enrichment | AI visibility tracking |
| Best for | B2B sales teams, agencies | Local trade contractors |
| Measures | Email validity, engagement, enrichment | ChatGPT/Perplexity/Claude/Gemini ranking |
| Main workflow | Build list → enrich → automate campaigns | Audit score → identify fixes → track weekly |
| Methodology | Proprietary enrichment APIs | Open + reproducible (you can verify) |
| Entry price | $99+/mo for automation features | Free audit; $497+/mo for service |
| Typical users | Sales ops, business development teams | Plumbing, HVAC, electrical shop owners |
Can you use both?
Yes, but rarely together. Here's when each makes sense:
Use Clay if: You're a sales team or B2B company running cold outreach. You need to enrich prospect lists and automate multi-channel follow-ups. Clay shines here.
Use Mentioned if: You're a trade contractor and you noticed your phone is softer despite ranking well on Google. Or you're curious where you land when homeowners ask AI for a recommendation. Run the free audit and find out.
Use neither if: You're building a paid advertising strategy, managing a team, or optimizing Google rank. Different tools solve those problems better.
Real talk on Clay vs Mentioned
Clay is a solid GTM tool. It's been around, it works, and it has a real following in the sales automation space. If you're a sales team, you're probably already evaluating it or using it.
Mentioned exists because AI search is a new problem that SEO agencies haven't solved yet. Most trade contractors don't know their AI rank is different from their Google rank. 87% score under 20. Meanwhile, their SEO agency is billing the same retainer and has no way to measure AI visibility — because they don't have the tool.
If you're a trade contractor wondering whether to invest in Mentioned, the question isn't "Mentioned or Clay." It's "Do I know my AI visibility score?" If the answer is no, run the free audit in 30 seconds. If it's bad (likely), then decide whether to fix it yourself or have us do it. Clay doesn't solve that problem.
Not sure? Start here
Trade contractor? Run your free AI visibility audit. No card, no upsell, score in 30 seconds. See where AI ranks you versus your competition in your city.
Want the full story first? Download our free guide on the 7 steps we used to climb from 9 to 47 in 8 weeks. Includes schema templates, citation lists, and training-data partner submission forms.
Sales team? Clay is worth a look. Different product, different buyers, different problem.
See your Clay AI visibility score in
Enter your business below. We run live queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. You get your score in under 90 seconds.
Common questions about AI visibility for Clay contractors in
Google ranks pages. AI search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity name specific businesses in answers. A Clay contractor in can rank #1 on Google and still be invisible in ChatGPT, because the signals are different (schema, citations, structured data, training-data presence).
Most Clay contractors see meaningful score lift within 30-60 days of implementing the three core fixes: Google Business Profile completion, consistent industry directory listings, and schema markup. The 47-point gap between median (32) and top performers (79) is closeable.
Yes. Roughly 40% of homeowner searches now start in ChatGPT or Perplexity instead of Google. Even with strong Google rankings, you can be completely invisible in AI answers, which means losing calls you don't even know about.
Your AI visibility score across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. Specific gap analysis against top performers in . Three highest-leverage fixes prioritized by impact. Takes 90 seconds, no card required.