Marketing automation software prepares businesses for better marketing and client communication as they grow.
One of the most popular marketing automation software solutions out there, Pardot, provides several marketing features that can enhance a client’s experience as they move through the marketing funnel, but it might not be the best option for every marketing team.
Regardless of your needs, there’s definitely a software solution out there for your small business.
Keep reading to find out whether Pardot, or one of its alternatives, is the best fit for you.
Pardot alternatives mentioned in this piece
Software options listed alphabetically.
- ActiveCampaign
- Autopilot
- HubSpot Marketing Automation
- Lead Liaison
- Marketing 360
- ONTRAPORT
- Sendinblue
- SharpSpring
Why people love Pardot
A lot of people trust Pardot to handle their marketing automation. As of April 2018, Pardot ranks 12th on Capterra’s “Top 20 Most Popular Marketing Automation Software” report with a reported 4,000 customers and 40,000 users.
Pardot pricing
This solution advertises a base price of $1,250 per user, per month. That’s a steep price tag if you have a lot of users.
If you choose the vendor’s “Growth” model, you’ll have to pay a little extra for features including Google AdWords integration, email rendering, and preview analysis. The full suite of Pardot’s features costs $4,000 per user, per month.
Pardot features
Screenshot of Pardot’s features (Source)
Pardot user ratings
Pardot has high user ratings across the board, earning four stars (out of five) for:
- Ease of use
- Customer service
- Features and functionality
- Value
Alternatives to Pardot
Pardot is a great tool, but it isn’t right for everyone. And while there are multiple reasons it might not be a match for your marketing team right now, the most common are price, needing extra features, and user ratings.
All Pardot alternatives in this piece meet the following criteria:
-
- At least 20 reviews averaging four or more stars (out of five).
- At least five of the following features (all offered by Pardot) according to Capterra’s marketing automation software directory:
- Channel management
- Landing pages/web forms
- Lead nurturing
- Lead scoring
- Search marketing
- Segmentation
- Social marketing
- Website visitor tracking
If you want something cheaper than Pardot
If you’re not willing to spend a minimum of $15,000 per year for marketing automation, there are some less expensive options available.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign has a monthly price of $49 for its entry-level “Plus” package, which includes lead scoring and nurturing, as well as social marketing. It ranks ninth on Capterra’s “Top 20 Most Affordable Marketing Automation Software Solutions” report.
Prices increase to $229 per year if you want all the features that ActiveCampaign has to offer. This system doesn’t offer search marketing as of this writing.
ActiveCampaign features
Screenshot of ActiveCampaign’s features (Source)
Price range
$588 to $2,748 per year
What Capterra reviewers like about the system
- Powerful segmentation feature
- User friendly interface
Improvements customers would like to see
- Better CRM functionality
- Better customer service
Autopilot
Autopilot ranks fourth on our “Top 20 Most Affordable Marketing Automation Software” report and is priced at just $40 per month. Autopilot lacks social marketing and search marketing features, but adds A/B testing functionality.
If you want all of the bells and whistles Autopilot has to offer for more than 500,000 contacts, though, then this solution will ultimately cost more than Pardot. This option is cheapest for small businesses with small to medium-sized contact lists.
Autopilot features
Screenshot of Autopilot’s features (Source)
Price range
$480 to $43,200+ per year
What Capterra reviewers like about the system
- Powerful integrations with apps including Slack and Salesforce
- Polite customer service
Improvements customers would like to see
- More email template options
- Difficult learning curve
Sendinblue
Sendinblue offers a reliable marketing automation tool priced at $25 per user, per month. The system’s pros include an Android-based app that lets you manage your campaigns on the go, while its drawbacks include a lack of search marketing or social marketing features.
Sendinblue ranks eighth on Capterra’s “Top 20 Most Affordable Marketing Automation Software” report.
Sendinblue features
Screenshot of Sendinblue features (Source)
Price range
$300 to $792+ per year
What Capterra reviewers like about the system
- Drag-and-drop editor
- Attractive design templates
Improvements customers would like to see
- Better reporting and analytics
- Not many third party integrations
If you want something with more features than Pardot
Sometimes, the basic features aren’t enough to satisfy your software needs. Pardot offers most features marketing teams dream about, but they don’t have everything. If you need more than Pardot’s offerings, there are several options that include more bangs…for more bucks.
Lead Liaison
Screenshot of Lead Liaison’s workflow feature (Source)
One of the cons listed by users is that as the system grows and adapts to customer needs, its user interface changes frequently to keep up with those needs. Lead Liaison ranks 12th on Capterra’s “Top 20 User Friendly Marketing Automation Software” report.
Lead Liaison features
Screenshot of Lead Liaison features (Source)
Price range
$3,000 to $15,000 per year, plus a tiered “Onboarding Service” that ranges from $500 to $5,000
What Capterra reviewers like about the system
- Ease of user tracking and prospect scoring
- Excellent customer service and communication
Improvements customers would like to see
- Frequent UI changes
- Purchase of add-ons is sometimes required to meet functionality needs
ONTRAPORT
ONTRAPORT features
Screenshot of ONTRAPORT features (Source)
Price range
$948 to $5,964+ per year
What Capterra reviewers like about the system
- Strong tracking functionality
- Considered by many to be a one-stop-shop for marketing automation
Improvements customers would like to see
- Data visualization isn’t appealing
- Dashboards are sometimes overwhelming
If you want something with a higher user rating than Pardot
As of June of 2018, Pardot has four out of five stars in Capterra’s marketing automation software directory. That’s pretty darn good. Great even.
What users say about the software they use is important. I’ve rounded up a few options that have the highest user review rating on Capterra as of this writing for you to use in your decision-making process.
Marketing 360
Marketing 360 pitches itself as a marketing automation platform built specifically for small and midsize businesses. It’s in Pardot’s general price range, and has some of the highest user reviews within Capterra’s marketing automation software directory while maintaining the same feature offerings.
One of the main cons of adopting Marketing 360 reported by users was the lengthy setup process, which was perceived as longer than average. As of this writing, the system has an average of five-out-of-five star rating with more than 600 reviews in our directory.
Marketing 360 features
Screenshot of Marketing 360’s features (Source)
Price range
$4,740 to $12,000+ per year
What Capterra reviewers like about the system
- Personalized plans and service
- System captures a lot of different information that is easily accessible
Improvements customers would like to see
- Tech support required to handle all the included functionality
- Initial setup takes a little longer than other platforms
HubSpot Marketing Automation
HubSpot data visualization screenshot (Source)
It’s worth noting that along with its great reviews, HubSpot Marketing Automation is a tad pricey once you move into the non-free version. As of this writing, HubSpot Marketing Automation has an average 4.5-star rating (out of five) on Capterra with more than 2,000 reviews.
HubSpot features
Screenshot of HubSpot Marketing Automation features (Source)
Price range
$2,400 to $28,800+ per year
What Capterra reviewers like about the system
- HubSpot Academy for training and certifications
- Great for marketers who aren’t strong coders
Improvements customers would like to see
- Updates to UI without advance notice
- Expensive if you want all of the features with CRM and sales software offerings
SharpSpring
SharpSpring has great reviews and a relatively low price compared to similar software solutions. Priced lower than Pardot with the same features, SharpSpring has a 4.5-star rating (out of five) and more than 200 user reviews on Capterra.
While users cited top-notch customer service, some reported that SharpSpring has a steep learning curve to navigate before users can fully take advantage of all the features the software offers.
SharpSpring features
Screenshot of SharpSpring features (Capterra)
Price range
$5,400 to $10,500+ per year plus a one-time “Onboarding Package” fee of $1,800
What Capterra reviewers like about the system
- Exceptional onboarding and training
- Speedy customer support
Improvements customers would like to see
- Difficult to scale for growing companies
- Burdensome UI navigation
Pick the marketing automation software that fits your business
Ultimately, only you know which marketing automation software solution has the right combination of usability, features, and price to meet your business needs.
To make that choice, keep these points in mind:
- Pick a marketing automation solution that can grow with your business. You don’t want to invest in software that you can’t use 12 months from now.
- Get buy-in from everyone who will use the software during the selection process. You don’t want to realize your new software is missing a critical feature for your sales, marketing, or content teams after you’ve made the purchase.
- Use user reviews to inform your search, but also ask for a walk-through, demo, or free trial before pulling the trigger. Just because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it’s a perfect match for your company.
Interested in learning more about marketing automation? Check out these articles:
Disclaimer: The content in this piece that provides opinions and points of view expressed by users does not represent the views of Capterra.
Looking for Marketing Automation software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Marketing Automation software solutions.
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