Marketing automation software sounds great, right? Spend less time doing manual tasks, and get more accurate analytics to quickly see which channels are giving you a positive ROI.
Especially as a small business owner or solopreneur, you don't have the time or the staff to spend on your marketing campaigns. Yet you absolutely need effective marketing to survive.
Marketo is a market leader in marketing automation software, and is in one of the top spots on Capterra's list of the most popular marketing automation software.
But it's also pricey. You likely don't have an unlimited budget for software.
So what are some affordable alternatives to Marketo that will give you the same power of marketing automation with a lower price tag?
Capterra also compiles a list of the most affordable software options based on a combination of three factors: average monthly cost, total number of features offered for that cost, and customer reviews. The top three on our list are ActiveDEMAND, Marketing 360, and Drip.
Below, I've compared the ratings, features, reviews, integrations, and price points of those top three most affordable options. But first, let's dive into Marketo for comparison's sake.
An overview of Marketo
Features
Our reviewers appreciate that Marketo allows users to finely segment their lists according to very specific criteria and even trigger messages based on CRM data.
Marketo list segmentation (Source)
Overall, our reviewers agree that once you get it set up correctly, Marketo is very easy to use. It's got an intuitive interface that mimics the file-and-folder system you're already familiar with if you've used a mainstream operating system. However, you may need some hand holding to implement Marketo correctly and learn the ins and outs of the system.
The one exception to the easy-to-use rule is the form and landing page builder. Some users find the email templates and landing page templates a little difficult to modify.
Marketo landing page builder (Source)
When it comes to customer support, there are some compliments. But overall, users are not impressed with the volume of Marketo's onboarding or troubleshooting processes and procedures. Marketo offers 24/7 live chat and email support, yet users complain about not being able to reach anyone when they needed help. More responsive and robust tech support costs extra above the already pricey software.
One of Marketo's best features is its robust integration with Salesforce. It also integrates with other popular CRM software, including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Netsuite, Oracle, SAP Cloud for Sales, and SugarCRM. They even integrate with webinar companies.
Extra features
Clonable webinar and live event workflows
Edit campaigns on mobile
Offers retargeting
Pricing
Tiered; starting price is $895 per month
Marketo alternatives
1. ActiveDEMAND
Rating by software users
ActiveDEMAND marketing automation software is aimed at the small business leader or solopreneur.
Capterra users rave about ActiveDEMAND's support staff. There are zero complaints about customer service. Reviewers say the agents are helpful and extremely fast to respond. They also say customer service is patient and easy to work with.
Reviewers also agree that the software is easy to use once you learn it. However, learning it is a challenge. Users complain about the training materials being difficult to follow and that it's hard to find the right training materials when you need them. I'd recommend users take advantage of the awesome support and get some hand holding while implementing ActiveDEMAND.
ActiveDEMAND offers a few features the other three options on this list don't, including call tracking, webinar workflows, and the ability to create feedback forms with star ratings to quickly get feedback from customers.
A sample of ActiveDEMAND's email newsletter templates (Source)
Notable integrations
Google Adwords, Webmaster tools, Google Analytics (More info on integrations)
Pricing
Tiered pricing starts at $15 per month, for one user. (More info on pricing)
2. Marketing 360
Rating by software users
Marketing 360 is a marketing agency and software combined. They call this setup a “software and service hybrid." It's aimed at the small business that needs marketing services along with their software.
Capterra reviewers have more compliments than complaints about the software's user interface. But where the system really shines is on the customer service side. Again and again, reviewers rave about their dedicated marketing executives. Some say they appreciate that the marketers are proactive and take the time to get to know them as customers. Others say the marketers really care about their business.
The other big rave is about the analytics. Unlike marketing agencies that provide reports on a schedule or as asked, Marketing 360 provides in-depth, easy-to-understand performance data on all your marketing activities in a dashboard so you can quickly see how each marketing channel is working for you.
Marketing 360 analytics dashboard (Source)
Of course, getting familiar with the software can take some time. The other potential downside is that your experience with Marketing 360 will depend very heavily on your marketing executive. The few very negative reviews all center around neglectful pros and unclear communication around expectations. To get the most out of Marketing 360, I'd recommend getting it in writing that you can change marketing pros at any time if the relationship isn't going well.
Notable integrations
BigCommerce, Woo Commerce, Shopify (More info on integrations)
Pricing
Pricing is by request only
3. Drip
Rating by software users
Drip is marketing automation software designed for B2B users that rely heavily on nurture campaigns to cultivate and convert leads. Drip earned the number-two spot on our most user-friendly marketing automation software list.
Features-wise, Capterra reviewers compliment Drip for its large array of integrations.
Users appreciate the email segmentation tools. Drip uses tagging instead of multiple lists to target campaigns. For instance, you can tag subscribers and then filter your list to target them for cross-selling. This can simplify your life, as contacts live in only one instance in the platform. In addition, there were compliments on how simple and intuitive it is to create workflows.
Drip also has features not every marketing automation platform boasts, such as a check box to re-send emails to contacts who don't open the first one with a new subject line.
There were compliments on customer support, but less so than Marketing 360 or ActiveDEMAND.
Be aware that Drip doesn't have a WYSIWG editor. Emails and landing pages must be plain text or you'll need to know html.
Drip email campaign (Source)
Notable integrations
Shopify, Woo Commerce, Thrivecart (More info on integrations)
Pricing
Tiered, starting price is $41 per month (More info on pricing)
Which Marketo alternative is right for you?
If your marketing involves a lot of phone calls and webinars and you're not tracking them through a CRM, I'd say ActiveDEMAND is your best choice. It's also the cheapest option on the list.
If you want more than just software, and could benefit from a dedicated marketing adviser, and highly prioritize easy-to-understand analytics, Marketing 360 is your best bet.
If you want the widest array of features and functionality while still paying a very reasonable price, Drip is the solution for you.
If none of this fit your needs exactly, check out our top 20 most affordable marketing automation software list.