Marketing can be a real juggling act – you’ve got emails flying in one hand, social media posts in the other, and ad campaigns waiting for attention. It’s a lot to balance, and sometimes, it’s tricky to keep everything going without dropping the ball. Enter marketing automation software, which can help you streamline those repetitive tasks and keep your efforts on track. But with so many options out there, which one should you choose?
HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho are four well-known names that promise to make life easier, each with its own pros and cons. So how do you know which one to choose?
In this post, you’ll discover:
How each platform measures up across key features.
Which one is the easiest to use and offers solid customer support?
The differences in pricing so you can see what fits your budget.
It’s time to get into exactly what makes these platforms tick in our comprehensive comparison.
Marketing Automation Software: 4 Popular Choices
When it comes to marketing automation software, HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho often find themselves in the spotlight. Let’s explore what each platform offers and who might find them most valuable.
HubSpot
Founded in 2006, HubSpot quickly became a well-known name in the inbound marketing world, emphasising content-driven strategies and seamless integrations. Its reputation for offering an intuitive, all-in-one platform appeals to small and medium-sized businesses seeking an easy way to manage marketing and sales. HubSpot’s suite of tools caters to companies that prioritise customer relationships and aim to scale their marketing efforts efficiently.
Salesforce
Salesforce, established in 1999, is a heavyweight in customer relationship management. Its Marketing Cloud and Pardot (now known as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement) platforms offer deep integration with Salesforce’s ecosystem, making them a go-to for large enterprises that rely heavily on data-driven marketing. Known for robust functionality and comprehensive analytics, Salesforce is a reliable choice for companies that require advanced tools and have the resources to invest in such a broad solution.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp started as an email marketing service in 2001 and has since become a popular marketing automation platform, especially among small businesses and beginners. It’s known for its approachable design and affordable pricing, making it ideal for those starting with basic email marketing or looking to add simple automation. While it lacks some of the advanced features of other tools, it remains a friendly, entry-level option.
Zoho
Zoho, founded in 1996, offers marketing automation as part of a broader suite of business tools offered by the company. Its platform provides flexible and affordable automation solutions that integrate well with other Zoho applications. Ideal for businesses already using Zoho’s ecosystem, this platform is particularly appealing to small and medium-sized companies looking for value and functionality without breaking the bank.
Marketing Automation Feature Analysis
Marketing automation software platforms often share a lot of similar features, but the differences can be found in the level of sophistication offered by each brand. We’ve looked at 40 core automation features to provide a comprehensive overview of the capabilities across our 4 contenders. Each feature has also been graded on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 indicating that the platform does not support the feature and 5 showing a high level of sophistication and performance. Features have been divided into logical categories to make it easy to understand how each platform compares in different areas.Marketing Campaign Management
![Feature Table Marketing Campaign Management](https://cybersolve.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feature-Table-Marketing-Campaign-Management.png)
1. Marketing Calendar or Planner
HubSpot: Offers a marketing calendar that makes it easy to schedule activities and visualise campaigns. It integrates seamlessly with HubSpot’s CRM tools, providing powerful coordination for growing businesses.
Salesforce: Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud Calendar feature allows users to organise and view marketing events in a weekly or monthly view.
Mailchimp: Provides a simple calendar with basic scheduling tools, ideal for smaller businesses or those new to automation.
Zoho: Features an integrated planner via Zoho Campaigns, ideal for businesses already using Zoho products.
2. Email Marketing Automation
HubSpot: Offers versatile tools with a drag-and-drop editor and personalised workflows for targeted campaigns. Email campaigns can be automated and tailored to fit various audience segments.
Salesforce: Salesforce provides email marketing automation across all Salesforce Marketing Cloud editions, enabling businesses to personalise, schedule, and track tailored campaigns.
Mailchimp: Known for approachable email automation tools, it’s excellent for small businesses and those getting started.
Zoho: Features customisable templates and automation through Zoho Campaigns, suitable for smaller teams.
3. SMS Marketing Automation
HubSpot: Provides built-in SMS functionality for creating personalised, automated SMS campaigns. You can schedule and personalise messages or integrate them into workflows directly within the platform.
Salesforce: Offers integrated SMS functionality via Marketing Cloud for sophisticated communication strategies – included in Marketing Cloud Engagement through Mobile Studio.
Mailchimp: Supports SMS campaigns through external tools like Twilio.
Zoho: Provides SMS marketing through Zoho Campaigns.
4. Social Media Management
HubSpot: Offers advanced social media management tools for scheduling, analytics, and posting across multiple platforms, including LinkedIn and YouTube.
Salesforce: Salesforce Social Studio
is being retired by November 18, 2024, and no native replacement has been announced by Salesforce within its product suite.Mailchimp: Provides basic scheduling and analytics that are ideal for solo marketers and small businesses.
Zoho: Integrates social media management through Zoho Social for efficient posting and reporting.
5. Advertising Management & Retargeting
HubSpot: Integrates with Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram for advertising management and retargeting. Users can connect these accounts directly to their HubSpot account and use CRM data to create segmented audiences and personalised ad campaigns.
Salesforce: Integrates with popular ad networks like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Google (including YouTube and Gmail), LinkedIn, and Pinterest via Marketing Cloud. Advertising Studio helps marketers coordinate cross-platform campaigns, leveraging Salesforce’s data management tools for audience targeting and retargeting.
Mailchimp: Connects with Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads. Its simpler advertising management tools are suitable for smaller businesses seeking to promote or retarget past website visitors.
Zoho: Offers integration with major ad networks, including Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads, through its marketing automation suite. This allows marketers to set up retargeting campaigns using Zoho’s CRM data.
6. Automated Workflows or Journeys
HubSpot: Offers flexible automated workflows with a visual editor that allows you to easily build and customise customer journeys. It can include personalised messaging, email campaigns, and other automated marketing tasks.
Salesforce: Leverages its Marketing Cloud to craft automated journeys that align with your marketing strategy and deliver personalised experiences through multiple touchpoints.
Mailchimp: Primarily focuses on automated email workflows that cater to basic campaigns, making it suitable for straightforward marketing needs.
Zoho: Features journey builders with branching logic through Zoho Marketing Automation, offering flexibility for marketers seeking customisation.
7. AI-powered Content Optimisation
HubSpot: Uses AI to suggest content improvements and offer better recommendations.
Salesforce: Included in higher-tier plans of Marketing Cloud Personalization and features Salesforce Einstein to refine content based on AI insights.
Mailchimp: Utilises AI-based content suggestions to help smaller teams create emails that resonate.
Zoho: Offers AI-powered marketing insights for strategic content.
8. Marketing Event Management
HubSpot: Enables webinar and event management through tools that link directly with CRM data.
Salesforce: Event management is integrated within Journey Builder, thus available in higher tiers of Marketing Cloud Engagement.
Mailchimp: Lacks native event management tools but connects with external platforms.
Zoho: Provides comprehensive event management through Zoho Backstage.
9. Account-Based Marketing Tools
HubSpot: Offers target account management, playbooks, and scoring for ABM.
Salesforce: Provides comprehensive ABM tools through Marketing Cloud Account Engagement.
Mailchimp: Lacks specific ABM features but can segment campaigns for targeting.
Zoho: Features account-based tools like segmentation and scoring.
10. Enhanced Mobile-friendly Marketing
All four platforms prioritise mobile-friendly marketing by offering responsive email layouts, landing pages, and forms. They also support SMS marketing and push notifications to engage customers directly on their devices. With dedicated mobile apps for campaign management and analytics, marketers can stay connected and access their data on the go.Content Personalisation & Automation
![Feature Table Content Personalisation and Automation](https://cybersolve.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feature-Table-Content-Personalisation-and-Automation.png)
11. Dynamic Website Content Personalisation
HubSpot: Offers smart content that adapts dynamically based on audience segments and user behaviour. The system integrates with CRM data to personalise website content according to the visitor’s lifecycle stage and location.
Salesforce: Features dynamic website personalisation via Salesforce Einstein, which analyses customer data to recommend relevant products or content.
Mailchimp: Lacks dedicated dynamic website personalisation tools but provides basic website behaviour analytics.
Zoho: Delivers website personalisation through its Zoho CRM and marketing automation tools, offering dynamic content tailored to segments.
12. Dynamic Email Content Personalisation
All four platforms include email personalisation features to varying degrees. HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zoho provide more advanced tools that allow marketers to adjust content based on CRM data, while Mailchimp offers straightforward options for customising emails based on subscriber lists and past interactions.13. eCommerce Automation
All four platforms offer eCommerce automation features. HubSpot and Salesforce provide deep integrations with their CRM systems to deliver targeted product recommendations and abandoned cart follow-ups. Zoho and Mailchimp focus on behavioural triggers to automate product recommendations, follow-up emails, and reminders.14. Behavioural Event Triggers
All platforms support behavioural triggers for automation. HubSpot and Salesforce allow marketers to create journeys based on user behaviour, while Mailchimp and Zoho focus on setting up automated workflows that respond to actions like email opens, link clicks, and website visits.15. Landing Page & Blog Creation
HubSpot: Offers a robust landing page builder with A/B testing, smart rules, and custom HTML for advanced personalisation. Blogging tools include templates and SEO recommendations.
Salesforce: Features a landing page creator with personalisation and tracking capabilities through its Marketing Cloud platform.
Mailchimp: Provides a limited set of landing page templates and a basic blog builder, mainly focused on quick campaign execution.
Zoho: Includes a landing page creator within its marketing suite, but the blog tools require more manual customisation.
16. Hosted Video Marketing Capabilities
HubSpot: Supports native video embedding with calls to action (CTAs) directly within video content, allowing for hosted marketing videos that engage leads.
Salesforce: Offers video embedding via integrations or Marketing Cloud but lacks direct CTA capabilities.
Mailchimp: Does not have dedicated hosted video capabilities.
Zoho: Does not directly support hosted videos within its marketing automation suite.
17. Hosted Downloadable Assets
All four platforms provide downloadable asset hosting. HubSpot and Salesforce let marketers host assets like white papers and case studies with advanced gating and tracking. Zoho and Mailchimp offer basic downloadable asset management to collect leads and track downloads.Lead Management & Nurturing
![Feature Table Lead and Nurturing](https://cybersolve.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feature-Table-Lead-and-Nurturing.png)
18. Lead Capture Forms
HubSpot: Offers drag-and-drop form builders for creating custom lead capture forms, which integrate directly with its CRM.
Salesforce: Provides web-to-lead forms and adaptable templates through Marketing Cloud to capture leads across different touchpoints.
Mailchimp: Features basic form builders that integrate with its email marketing tools, enabling the quick creation of simple sign-up forms.
Zoho: Offers a versatile form builder with customisation options via Zoho CRM, helping teams capture and qualify leads.
19. Progressive Profiling in Forms
HubSpot: Uses progressive profiling to collect additional information on returning leads by replacing known fields with new questions.
Salesforce: Supports progressive profiling, adapting forms based on past responses. It’s often found in higher-tier plans as part of web personalisation tools.
Mailchimp: Does not provide native progressive profiling features but can collect additional data through customised forms.
Zoho: Delivers progressive profiling via Zoho Marketing Automation, allowing forms to dynamically adjust based on user data.
20. Lead Nurturing Workflows
HubSpot: Offers customisable workflows that nurture leads based on behavioural triggers and marketing criteria. Lower-tier plans have limitations on the number of workflows available.
Salesforce: Provides nurturing workflows managed primarily in Marketing Cloud Engagement using Journey Builder.
Mailchimp: Primarily focuses on email automation to nurture leads, offering simplified workflows for targeted campaigns.
Zoho: Includes unlimited workflows in all paid plans, enabling comprehensive lead nurturing strategies through automation rules.
21. Lead Scoring & Qualification
HubSpot: Provides predictive lead scoring using CRM data and machine learning models to qualify high-value prospects.
Salesforce: A key component of Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. Delivers rule-based lead scoring, helping teams prioritise leads and qualify them according to criteria.
Mailchimp: Lacks dedicated scoring features but uses email engagement metrics to identify high-potential contacts.
Zoho: Offers intelligent lead scoring through its CRM, assigning scores based on AI-driven insights and behavioural metrics.
22. Lead Assignment & Prioritisation
HubSpot: Automates lead assignment using workflows and scoring to prioritise high-quality leads for specific sales reps.
Salesforce: Handled within Marketing Cloud Account Engagement and features lead assignment and routing based on scoring and custom criteria, ensuring sales teams receive the most relevant prospects.
Mailchimp: Does not have a native lead assignment feature but provides basic prioritisation based on campaign engagement data.
Zoho: Includes automated lead assignment and prioritisation using workflows and scoring rules to improve lead distribution.
23. Sales Pipeline Automation
HubSpot: Delivers comprehensive pipeline automation, visually tracking deals and moving leads through various sales stages.
Salesforce: Offers advanced pipeline management via Sales Cloud, using AI to analyse and optimise lead progress.
Mailchimp: Lacks a dedicated sales pipeline tool but provides email automation to help nurture leads through the funnel.
Zoho: Features sales pipeline automation with customisable workflows and Zia, its AI assistant, to guide prospects through the sales journey.
24. Prospect Activity Tracking
HubSpot: Tracks prospect activity using CRM data and marketing automation to provide real-time insights into customer behaviour.
Salesforce: Integrates prospect tracking via Marketing Cloud, offering comprehensive analytics on each customer journey.
Mailchimp: Offers basic tracking of campaign engagement metrics, including email opens, clicks, and form completions.
Zoho: Monitors prospect activities across email, website, and CRM touchpoints, providing detailed insights through its Zia assistant.
25. Advanced Segmentation
HubSpot: Provides dynamic segmentation using filters, behavioural triggers, and demographic data for highly targeted campaigns.
Salesforce: Features segmentation tools across all Marketing Cloud plans, using scoring and behavioural criteria for dynamic lists.
Mailchimp: Offers list segmentation based on engagement metrics, helping marketers send targeted emails to engaged subscribers.
Zoho: Uses scoring, behavioural data, and filters to segment leads and customers into highly specific groups.
Sales Alignment
![Feature Table Sales Alignment](https://cybersolve.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feature-Table-Sales-Alignment.png)
26. CRM Integration
HubSpot: Provides seamless CRM integration, as its marketing and CRM tools are part of a unified platform. This makes it easy for sales and marketing teams to share data and work together efficiently.
Salesforce: Offers robust CRM integration through its Sales Cloud, connecting marketing, sales, and service teams in a centralised environment.
Mailchimp: Integrates with various CRM systems via third-party tools but doesn’t offer a built-in CRM.
Zoho: Features deep integration between Zoho CRM and its marketing automation suite, allowing cross-team collaboration and data sharing.
27. Sales Notifications
HubSpot: Provides real-time sales notifications for actions like email opens, clicks, and form submissions, keeping sales reps informed about prospect activity.
Salesforce: Offers sales notifications via Sales Cloud, with alerts triggered by email interactions and prospect engagement.
Mailchimp: Does not include native sales notifications but provides basic alerts for campaign engagement metrics.
Zoho: Features automated notifications through Zoho CRM, notifying sales teams about important activities like email opens and new form submissions.
28. Sales Enablement Automation
HubSpot: Offers playbooks, email templates, and document tracking to help sales teams automate tasks and streamline follow-ups.
Salesforce: Provides enablement tools through Sales Cloud and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, including playbooks, document sharing, and email templates.
Mailchimp: Doesn’t offer dedicated sales enablement tools but provides basic templates and automation for simple follow-ups.
Zoho: Features enablement tools via Zoho CRM, such as sales playbooks, templates, and follow-up tracking.
29. Contact Management
All four platforms offer contact management features, though their depth and approach vary:
HubSpot: Combines marketing and CRM data to provide comprehensive contact management, including detailed activity timelines and segmentation.
Salesforce: Offers advanced contact management via Sales Cloud, tracking interactions across marketing, sales, and service touchpoints.
Mailchimp: Provides basic contact management features for segmenting and tracking subscriber lists, with engagement data from email campaigns.
Zoho: Delivers comprehensive contact management through Zoho CRM, with features like scoring, activity history, and segmentation.
Tracking, Analytics & Reporting
![Feature Table Tracking Analytics Reporting](https://cybersolve.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feature-Table-Tracking-Analytics-Reporting.png)
30. Website Visitor Tracking
HubSpot: Features comprehensive website visitor tracking that categorises data into pages, blog posts, and other key content. Users can filter metrics by page type, source, and UTM parameters, providing valuable insights into user behaviour.
Salesforce: Typically managed through integrations with Google Analytics and enhanced by Marketing Cloud Intelligence to track website activity, helping marketers identify user journeys and tailor campaigns accordingly.
Mailchimp: Offers tracking for website visitors through predictive segmentation and audience management tools, which integrate with Zoho Analytics to provide detailed reports.
Zoho: Delivers real-time visitor insights via Zoho Marketing and CRM, helping marketers understand customer interactions and conversions.
31. Behavioural Event Reports
HubSpot: Generates reports on user behaviours such as page visits, form submissions, and email interactions, facilitating targeted responses and improved follow-up strategies.
Salesforce: Leverages Journey Builder within Marketing Cloud to produce detailed reports on behaviours like email opens, clicks, and website interactions, allowing for precise adjustments to the customer journey based on real-time data.
Mailchimp: Provides reports that monitor actions like email opens and link clicks, which are essential for refining campaign strategies and enhancing audience segmentation.
Zoho: Offers behavioural event reports within Zoho CRM, detailing interactions such as website visits and video engagements to refine lead scoring and enhance engagement tactics.
32. Traffic Analytics Tool
HubSpot: Features traffic analytics tools that break down traffic sources, user behaviour, and key metrics like bounce rate and session duration.
Salesforce: Provides a detailed traffic analysis, including data on channels, campaigns, and customer journeys. Available through integrations with Google Analytics, bolstered by Marketing Cloud Intelligence.
Mailchimp: Provides traffic analytics via predictive segmentation tools and audience data, offering a high-level overview of campaign performance.
Zoho: Delivers traffic analytics through its Marketing Automation suite and CRM, giving insights into campaign impact and user preferences.
33. Search Insights Reports
HubSpot: Offers SEO tools for search insights, providing data on keyword rankings, search performance, and topic clusters.
Salesforce: Uses third-party integrations to generate search insights reports that guide keyword and content strategies.
Mailchimp: Does not feature native search insights but relies on external integrations like Google Analytics.
Zoho: Provides search insights via Zoho Analytics, offering keyword and search trend data.
34. Campaign and Attribution Reports
HubSpot: Generates campaign and attribution reports using multi-touch and first or last-touch models to highlight campaign effectiveness.
Salesforce: Produces campaign and attribution reports with Marketing Cloud to help teams measure conversions across channels.
Mailchimp: Offers attribution through its campaign manager tools to show how campaigns contribute to conversions.
Zoho: Provides multi-channel attribution reports that connect campaigns to CRM data for deeper insights.
35. Comprehensive Analytics Dashboards
HubSpot: Includes dashboards with customisable templates for tracking marketing, sales, and service data in one place.
Salesforce: Provides dashboards, allowing customisation for sales and marketing teams.
Mailchimp: Offers dashboards for campaign metrics and predictive analytics.
Zoho: Delivers dashboards via Zoho Analytics, integrating data from multiple sources for unified insights.
36. Web Page A/B Testing
HubSpot: Supports web page A/B testing to refine landing pages and boost conversion rates.
Salesforce: Offers A/B testing for landing pages and web content through Marketing Cloud.
Mailchimp: Lacks dedicated web page A/B testing features but provides A/B testing for emails.
Zoho: Includes A/B testing through its marketing automation tools.
37. Email A/B Testing
All four platforms offer email A/B testing features to optimise messaging and increase engagement.
Other Tools
![Feature Table Other Tools](https://cybersolve.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Feature-Table-Other-Tools.png)
38. Chatbot Automation
HubSpot: Automates chatbots using its Conversations tool to personalise interactions and nurture leads.
Salesforce: Offers Einstein Bots to handle customer queries and automate chat responses.
Mailchimp: Supports chatbot automation through integrations.
Zoho: Features chatbots via Zoho SalesIQ.
39. Native Integrations
All four platforms include native integrations with other tools within their ecosystems, such as CRM systems, to ensure seamless data exchange.
40. Third-party Integrations and Webhooks
HubSpot: Integrates with over 1500 third-party apps via its marketplace and supports custom webhooks.
Salesforce: Offers numerous third-party integrations through Marketing Cloud.
Mailchimp: Connects with over 300 apps to extend its marketing capabilities.
Zoho: Includes a range of third-party integrations through Zoho CRM and Marketing.
Marketing Automation Software Ease of Use
No one wants to spend hours navigating a maze-like dashboard just to launch a simple email campaign. Let’s dive into how HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho stack up in terms of ease of use and which one will have you up and running quickly.
HubSpot Ease Of Use
HubSpot is often praised for its clean, intuitive interface and minimalistic dashboard layout, which makes it easy to navigate and find key features. Although its many tools can take some time to master fully, the onboarding process is supported by expert HubSpot Partners, a robust HubSpot Academy and classroom training. This comprehensive guidance helps new users get comfortable quickly. The platform’s categorised menus make it easy to build campaigns, set up workflows, and manage CRM data, providing a smooth experience for marketers.
Salesforce Ease Of Use
Salesforce has extensive features but a more complicated interface, leading to a steeper learning curve than HubSpot. While its Trailhead training resources provide helpful onboarding, configuring advanced features often requires dedicated development resources or third-party consultants. This complexity allows Salesforce to be highly customisable for unique business needs, making it powerful for companies willing to invest in the initial setup.
Mailchimp Ease Of Use
Mailchimp is known for its simplicity, providing straightforward onboarding and quick setup. Its form and email builders are easy to use, and you can be up and running within an hour. However, the limited customisation and fewer advanced features mean it’s best suited for smaller businesses with basic marketing needs. Overall, Mailchimp is easy to integrate with other tools, making it a solid choice for those new to marketing automation.
Zoho Ease Of Use
Zoho’s user interface is simple but not as polished or intuitive as HubSpot’s, and some features require extra effort to access. Finding the right tabs to set up workflows or create templates can be tricky for first-time users, leading to a steeper learning curve. However, Zoho integrates seamlessly with other Zoho products, making it ideal for small businesses looking for a budget-friendly option.
Level Of Customer Support
When you’re diving into marketing automation, it’s good to know that support is just a click or call away. Here’s a quick look at how HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho measure up in customer support so that you’re never left hanging.
HubSpot Support
HubSpot offers 24/7 customer support through phone, email, and chat, making it a responsive option for users who need help anytime. Their support includes access to HubSpot Academy, with tutorials, guides, and certification courses to help users master the platform’s features. A community forum also connects customers with peers and experts for advice.
Salesforce Support
Salesforce provides robust customer support through its Trailhead training resources. While it requires navigating a ticket system to reach a support agent, Trailhead offers gamified onboarding and troubleshooting, making it an engaging way to learn Salesforce’s advanced tools. Third-party consultants can also provide specialised guidance.
Mailchimp Support
Mailchimp offers email and live chat support on its paid plans, but lacks 24/7 phone support. The knowledge base and online guides provide quick tips for common challenges, and the onboarding process is streamlined for beginners. Mailchimp’s simplicity reduces the need for frequent support.
Zoho Support
Zoho includes customer support via email and phone, but users often rely on the online community and resources to find help. While there’s a knowledge base with tutorials and video guides, Zoho’s interface can be less intuitive, meaning it may take extra time to learn where to find specific features.
Pricing Comparison
Pricing plans vary widely, so getting a good understanding of each platform’s structure will help you find the best fit for your needs. Let’s break down the pricing tiers for HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho so you know exactly what to expect.
HubSpot Marketing Hub Pricing
Free Tier: Offers CRM and basic marketing automation features for up to five users.
Starter: Starts at $15/month per user on annual billing or $20/month per user on monthly billing. It includes 1,000 marketing contacts and additional contacts cost extra.
Professional: Priced at $800/month, on annual billing, or $890 on monthly billing, with up to 2,000 marketing contacts, advanced automation workflows, and custom reports. Additional contacts incur extra costs.
Enterprise: Starts at $3,600/month for up to 5 users, with additional users starting at $75/month, with 10,000 marketing contacts included. This powerful plan enables much more flexibility and customisation within the HubSpot platform, such as custom events, custom objects and more advanced reporting.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Pricing
Professional: This package starts at $1,250/month (billed annually) but includes only core features like email marketing and basic automation. Journeys and multi-touchpoint campaigns are not included at this level.
Corporate: The Corporate pricing tier includes full customer journey management tools and marketing automation features beyond just email marketing. Pricing starts at $4,200/month (billed annually), and pricing increases with extra features and higher contact lists.
Enterprise: Custom pricing is only available upon request.
Mailchimp Pricing
Free Plan: Includes basic automation features for up to 500 contacts.
Essentials: Begins at $13/month on monthly billing. The cost increases with higher contact lists.
Standard: Starts at $20/month on monthly billing. Offers more automation features with cost scaling up for more contacts.
Premium: Begins at $350/month on monthly billing, providing advanced automation for larger organisations.
Zoho Marketing Plus Pricing
Marketing Plus Plan: Starts at $25/month on annual billing or $30/month on monthly billing for one user/marketer, and includes 1,000 contacts and 10,000 website visitors. Each additional marketer costs $10/month on annual billing or $12/month on monthly billing and comes with 1000 extra contacts and 5000 extra website visitors.
Final Words
Selecting the right marketing automation software is all about finding that sweet spot where features, pricing, and usability align with your business. HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho each have their own strengths depending on your marketing needs and budget.
HubSpot steals the show with its slick, intuitive design and all-in-one platform that makes juggling everything from email marketing to sales pipelines a breeze. Its comprehensive features, user-friendly dashboard and solid customer support make it a versatile choice for growing businesses.
Salesforce is the Swiss Army knife of marketing automation – highly customisable and brimming with power, but not without a learning curve. If you’ve got a dedicated team that can dive into its depths, Salesforce is a mighty contender. It’s not a cheap or quick fix, but boy, can it deliver once it’s all set up.
Mailchimp stays true to its roots by offering straightforward marketing automation tools perfect for small businesses dipping their toes into the waters of email marketing. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but it nails the basics with ease.
Zoho is the underdog, offering a wallet-friendly platform that packs a punch for businesses already using other Zoho tools. Sure, it may not be as polished as HubSpot or Salesforce, but if you’re looking for marketing automation on a shoestring, Zoho is worth considering.
Ultimately, HubSpot and Salesforce are your go-to’s for advanced marketing automation and CRM, while Mailchimp and Zoho offer streamlined, affordable solutions for basic automation needs. Your choice depends on which platform best matches your business goals and workflow.