Brianna ParkerMarketo is a world-leading marketing automation software company based in San Mateo, California. Phil Fernandez, Jon Miller, and David Morandi founded the company in 2006. They released Marketo Lead Management in 2008, Marketo Sales Insight in 2009, and Marketo Revenue Cycle Analytics in 2010. These enhancements help marketing teams demonstrate their campaigns’ return on investment (ROI).
In September 2018, Adobe Systems acquired Marketo for $4.75 billion. Adobe expanded Marketo with new features and functionalities. In 2023, Adobe introduced new innovations for Marketo. The updates help users scale marketing teams and maximize revenue impact. [1]
Marketo acquired Crowd Factory in 2012 to integrate social media marketing capabilities into its platform.
In December 2013, Marketo purchased Insightera for $20 million to provide website personalization. The platform offers robust tools to help users streamline and automate their marketing efforts. These features include email marketing, lead generation and nurturing, CRM integration, analytics, reporting, and social media marketing. Users can create personalized emails, automate email campaigns, capture leads from multiple digital channels, and track their marketing efforts.
Several Fortune 500 companies use Marketo, including Baker Hughes, Cognizant, Becton Dickinson, Lumen Tech, Henry Schein, DaVita, and S&P Global. However, Marketo faces stiff competition from HubSpot, Salesforce, Microsoft, Terminus, Oracle Eloqua, Demandbase, Act-On, and SAP. [2]
Here is an in-depth analysis of Marketo’s top 21 competitors and alternatives:
1. HubSpot Marketing Hub
Year founded: 2006
Headquarter: Cambridge, Massachusetts
HubSpot Marketing Hub is a marketing automation platform. It helps businesses attract the target audience, convert more website visitors into customers, and run inbound marketing campaigns. As of September 2023, HubSpot served 184,000 customers from over 120 countries. Its clientele includes innovative companies like DoorDash, Reddit, Eventbrite, and Tumblr.
The main competitive advantage of HubSpot Marketing Hub is its seamless integration with the complete HubSpot ecosystem. In September 2023, HubSpot launched HubSpot AI for marketing, sales, and service teams. Businesses can use AI Assistants to draft content, create images, generate blog ideas, build websites, and develop reports in seconds. HubSpot Marketing Hub is the top Marketo competitor and alternative. [3]
2. Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Year founded: 2000
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Salesforce is a global SaaS and CRM company. The tech giant has 79,390 employees and 150,000 customers. In April 2022, Salesforce rebranded its Pardot solution to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. [4]
Marketing Cloud Engagement is a leading marketing automation platform with multiple modules, including personalized messages, to target audiences and maximize ROI. However, the main selling point of Marketing Cloud is its module structure that combines Studios for managing content and Builders for campaign automation. It works across marketing channels and uses cases, from email marketing to SMS, push notifications, and social media marketing. Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a formidable competitor for Marketo. [5]
3. Microsoft
Year founded: 1975
Headquarter: Redmond, Washington
Microsoft is a multinational technology corporation. The company offers Dynamics 365 Marketing, a comprehensive solution with robust marketing automation tools, which competes with Marketo. In January 2023, Microsoft employed over 220,000 people.
Dynamics 365 Marketing helps businesses reach their target customers at the right time and place. In August 2023, Microsoft merged D365 Marketing and D365 Customer Insight. The company introduced Customer Insights – Journeys to replace Dynamics 365 Marketing. The new solution offers marketers more capabilities. Microsoft is the most innovative competitor for Marketo. [6]
4. Terminus ABM Platform
Year founded: 2014
Headquarter: Atlanta, Georgia
Terminus is an account-based marketing (ABM) platform for revenue growth. The company is a G2 leader in ABM. As of March 2023, Terminus served over 1000 customers, including global giants like Gainsight, Roche, and Dow Jones.
Terminus is the leading account-centric platform for go-to-market (GTM) teams. It provides first-party data, B2B advertising, and multi-channel engagement. In March 2023, Terminus launched Prospect Engine to help businesses uncover high-quality accounts and contacts. Terminus is one of the best alternatives to Marketo for ABM. [7]
5. Oracle Eloqua
Year founded: 1999
Headquarter: Vienna, Virginia
Eloqua is a SaaS marketing automation platform offered by Oracle. It helps B2B marketers manage their marketing campaigns and sales lead generation. In January 2023, Oracle had around 164,000 employees.
Oracle Eloqua analyzes crucial activities to help marketers determine whether to implement the marketing plan or move to a different campaign. In January 2023, Oracle Eloqua announced its product roadmap that helps B2B marketers deliver personalized customer experiences at scale and adapt to evolving customer behaviors. As a product of Oracle, Eloqua has enough resources to compete against Marketo. [8]
6. Demandbase One
Year founded: 2007
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Demandbase is an ABM, advertising, sales intelligence, and data company. It helps B2B companies achieve their revenue goals using fewer resources. In February 2023, Demandbase secured $175 million in financing from Vista Credit Partners. [9]
Demandbase uses AI to identify and engage high-potential accounts and buying groups. In September 2023, Demandbase was named a leader in 62 categories in G2’s Fall Report. The firm took the #1 spot in account-based advertising, analytics, orchestration platforms, web and content experiences, and account data management. Demandbase is a worthy competitor for Marketo. [10]
7. Act-On
Year founded: 2008
Headquarter: Beaverton, Oregon
Act-On is a SaaS enterprise marketing automation platform. The company serves marketing departments in organizations of all sizes. According to G2, Act-On has a 4.1-star rating out of 5 from 996 customer reviews.
Act-On is the go-to provider for enterprise marketing automation solutions. In September 2023, the company collaborated with Intel to develop Act-On AI Audience Insights. This AI-based software capability analyzes billions of data points and new segments in customers’ databases to provide high-yielding information. Businesses can use it to discover the best marketing opportunities. Act-On is one of the top competitors for Marketo. [11]
8. SAP
Year founded: 1972
Headquarter: Walldorf, Germany
SAP is a multinational software corporation. The company offers SAP Marketing Cloud, an e-commerce platform that helps marketers understand customer behavior. In 2022, SAP had around 110,000 employees in over 180 countries.
SAP Marketing Cloud is powered by SAP HANA in-memory computing, which can handle big data for marketers to analyze tons of customer data sets from different sources. Another benefit of using SAP Marketing Cloud is its integration with other SAP solutions. Marketers can leverage SAP Business Objects and other SAP tools to streamline marketing campaigns and lead generation. SAP is a formidable competitor for Marketo. [12]
9. Braze
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: New York City, New York
Braze is a cloud-based software company that offers a comprehensive customer engagement platform. Global brands use the Braze platform to ingest and process customer data in real time. Then, they’ll use the insights to optimize their cross-channel marketing campaigns and customer engagement strategies. In Q1 2023, Braze was named a leader in The Forrester WaveTM for Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs.
Braze helps businesses implement high-yielding multi-channel marketing campaigns. In January 2023, Braze had 1,770 customers, up from 1,375 in January 2022. The company partnered with WPP to boost the adoption of its platform and agreed to acquire North Star to expand its presence in Australia and New Zealand. Braze is a fast-growing competitor for Marketo. [13]
10. Zoho CRM
Year founded: 1996
Headquarter: Chennai, India
Zoho CRM is a cloud-based 360° customer relationship management platform. The solution caters to businesses of all types and sizes, from SMBs to large-scale enterprises. In 2022, Zoho Corp had around 15,000 employees.
Zoho CRM combines users’ ad spending with their sales data to visualize which ads or marketing convert leads into customers. It also offers robust tools to help remote teams automate tasks and improve communication. Users can conduct meetings from the CRM and set notifications to alert team members when marketing efforts attract new leads. According to Business News Daily, Zoho CRM has a 9.2 score out of 10. Zoho CRM is one of the best alternatives to Marketo. [14]
11. Dotdigital
Year founded: 1999
Headquarter: London, United Kingdom
Dotdigital is a British online marketing company. Its email marketing software and marketing automation serve SMEs, retailers, and global brands. According to G2, Dotdigital has a 4.2-star rating out of 5 from 694 customer reviews.
Dotdigital and Marketo compete in the mobile marketing and marketing automation sectors. In September 2023, Dotdigital acquired tech vendor Fresh Relevance. With Fresh Relevance, Dotdigital can provide an all-in-one customer experience and data platform. This acquisition increases Dotdigital’s competitive advantage over Marketo. [15]
12. Ortto
Year founded: 2015
Headquarter: Sydney, Australia
Ortto is an all-in-one marketing automation, AI, and analytics platform. Over 3,000 clients use Ortto to discover the best marketing opportunities and iterate to deliver better customer experiences at scale. Since its founding, Ortto has raised $35 million in venture funding from backers.
The main competitive advantage of Ortto is its integrated solution that combines marketing automation, AI, and analytics. The company started as Autopilot Journeys and rebranded to Ortto in 2022. In March 2023, Ortto celebrated record growth on the anniversary of its rebrand. Users have built 5,000 journeys and sent over 210 million emails via the platform within a year, making Ortto one of the fastest-growing competitors for Marketo. [16]
13. Bloomreach
Year founded: 2009
Headquarter: Mountain View, California
Bloomreach is a commerce experience platform. The company serves over 850 global brands, including Albertsons, Bosch, Puma, and Marks & Spencer. In May 2023, Bloomreach won TrustRadius’ Top Rated Marketing Automation Award. [17]
Bloomreach offers discovery through AI-driven search, content via a headless CMS, and engagement using marketing automation. These solutions unify customer and product data to enable high-converting digital commerce experiences on any channel and journey. In August 2023, Bloomreach earned the TrustRadius’ Tech Cares Award for its commitment to CSR. Bloomreach is one of the best alternatives to Marketo. [18]
14. Iterable
Year founded: 2013
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Iterable is a customer communication platform. It combines real-time customer data with the best experiences to activate customers across channels. In 2021, Iterable raised $200 million in a Series E funding round and started planning for an IPO at a $2 billion valuation.
Iterable provides robust cross-channel personalization tools to help companies redefine their customers’ experiences. Brands can create and send hyper-targeted messages, emails, and push notifications. According to G2, Iterable has a 4.5-star rating out of 5 from 459 customer reviews. [19]
15. Sage
Year founded: 1981
Headquarter: Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Sage is a British multinational enterprise software company. It offers Sage CRM, a cloud-based customer relationship management solution for SMBs. Sage has about 11,200 employees and operates offices in 23 countries.
Sage CRM helps SMBs optimize customer experiences. In May 2023, Sage unveiled Sage CRM Release 1 with enhancements that use AI to analyze customer service, sales, and communication data and present it as a short narrative report. This AI-driven approach converts tons of data into an easy-to-understand brief, allowing teams to convey their marketing ideas and efforts to stakeholders. Sage is one of the top competitors for Marketo. [20]
16. SugarCRM
Year founded: 2004
Headquarter: Cupertino, California
SugarCRM provides an on-premise and cloud-based web application. The company offers Sugar Market, a marketing automation tool with an intuitive UI. In August 2023, SugarCRM was named a finalist in the Content Marketing Awards in the Visual Storytelling category. [21]
SugarCRM offers CRM, sales and marketing automation, collaboration, and customer service tools. Thousands of companies in over 120 countries use SugarCRM to deliver the best customer experiences. In August 2023, SugarCRM released a new feature for Sugar Market to improve event export. Sugar Market is one of the best alternatives to Marketo. [22]
17. Creatio
Year founded: 2014
Headquarter: Boston, Massachusetts
Creatio offers workflow automation software and a no-code CRM. Thousands of clients in over 100 countries launch millions of workflows on the Creatio platform daily. In January 2023, Creatio was named one of the top 10 best enterprise CRM software for large businesses by SoftwareWorld. [23]
Creatio offers Studio Creatio, Marketing Creatio, Sales Creatio, and Service Creatio, but only Marketing Creatio competes with Marketo. Marketers can use Marketing Creatio to automate customer acquisition and retention. In September 2023, Creatio was positioned as a Challenger in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sale Force Automation. Creatio is a worthy alternative to Marketo. [24]
18. CRMnext
Year founded: 2002
Headquarter: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
CRMnext is one of the world’s leading CRM platforms in the financial sector. The India brand helps banks and insurance firms enhance customer engagement and modernize sales. As of March 2023, CRMnext powered over 1 million users across 65,000 branches and call centers. [25]
CRMnext is part of BUSINESSNEXT, an umbrella brand with a footprint in five continents. Other BUSINESSNEXT solutions include DATANEXT, CUSTOMERNEXT, and twelve new pre-assembled products. CRMnext and Marketo help businesses engage with their target audience, but CRMnext specializes in the financial sector.
19. ActiveCampaign
Year founded: 2003
Headquarter: Chicago, Illinois
ActiveCampaign offers marketing automation, email marketing, and CRM. The company helps businesses scale and personalize customer experiences. In May 2023, ActiveCampaign served over 185,000 customers in 170 countries.
ActiveCampaign provides over 900 pre-built email and marketing automation. In May 2023, the company introduced ActiveCampaign AI. Marketers can now use AI-powered tools to generate marketing and sales outreach content. ActiveCampaign is a fast-evolving alternative to Marketo. [26]
20. Freshworks
Year founded: 2010
Headquarter: San Mateo, California
Freshworks offers AI-driven business software. Its solutions help customer support, sales, and marketing teams work more efficiently. In August 2023, Freshworks served over 65,000 customers, including global companies like Fila, American Express, Blue Nile, Bridgestone, Databricks, Klarna, and OfficeMax. [27]
Freshworks offers Freshsales Suite, which helps businesses improve customer experience. This solution competes with Marketo. In August 2023, Freshworks released a free plan update for Freshsales and Freshsales Suite. Free CRM accounts with three users can now access new features, like Kanban view, sales email templates, and integrations with Google Calendar, Zoom, and Teams. Freshworks is one of the top competitors for Marketo. [28]
21. Pega
Year founded: 1983
Headquarter: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Pegasystems, aka Pega, is an American software company. It develops customer relationship management and business process management (BPM) software. In 2022, Pega had around 6,100 employees.
Pegasystems offers Pega Customer Decision Hub, which competes against Marketo. This solution enables businesses to transition from mass marketing to a segmented approach. So, they offer each customer a personalized experience. According to Gartner, Pega Customer Decision Hub has 4.3 stars out of 5 from 87 ratings. Pega is a worthy alternative to Marketo. [29]
References & more information
- Etumos Editor (2023, Apr 11). What You Need to Know: 2023 Marketo Engage Roadmap. Etumos.com
- Bhattacharjee, S. (2023, Sep 9). Unlock Success with Marketo for Small Business. Growth Natives
- HubSpot (2023, Sep 6). HubSpot Unveils HubSpot AI and New Sales Hub at INBOUND 2023. Business Wire
- Mazalon, L. (April 6, 2022). Pardot Renamed to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. Salesforce Ben
- Fíonta (2023, Mar 6). Marketing Cloud vs. Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. Fionta News
- Gumpert, J. (2023, Aug 1). Microsoft to make Dynamics 365 Marketing a part of D365 Customer Insights. MS Dynamics World
- Terminus (2023, Mar 21). Terminus Launches New Curated Go-to-Market Data Solution. PRNewswire
- Leddy, C, (2023, Jan 11). Oracle Eloqua’s 2023 roadmap focuses on personalization at scale and more. Sojourn Solutions
- Fintech Staff (2023, Feb 20). Demandbase snares $175m in new financing. Fintech Global
- Demandbase (2023, Sep 14). G2’s Fall 2023 Reports Show Demandbase Is #1 in 12 Reports and a Leader in an Extraordinary 62 Categories. PRNewswire
- Act-On Software (2023, Sep 18). Act-On Software collaborates with Intel to Accelerate AI Audience Insights to Market. Globe Newswire
- Pardo-Bunte, M. (2023, Jan 9). SAP Marketing Cloud Review. Better Buys
- Braze, Inc. (2023, Mar 30). Braze Reports Fiscal Year and Fourth Quarter 2023 Results. Braze.com
- Hale, J. (2023, Sep 12). Zoho CRM Review. Business News Daily
- Patel, M. (2023, Sep 6). Dotdigital acquires Fresh Relevance. Dotdigital.com
- Ortto, Inc. (2023, Mar 7). Martech platform Ortto celebrates record growth on the anniversary of its rebrand. PRNewswire
- Bloomreach (2023, May 17). Bloomreach Earns the TrustRadius 2023 Top Rated Award for Marketing Automation. PRNewswire
- Bloomreach (2023, Aug 9). Bloomreach Earns a 2023 Tech Cares Award From TrustRadius in Recognition of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Impact. Business Wire
- G2 (2023, Aug 17). What is Iterable? G2.com
- Pascuzzo, S. (2023, May 15). Sage CRM 2023: What to note in the New Release. RKLE Solutions
- SugarCRM (2023, Aug 9). SugarCRM Named a Finalist in the 2023 Content Marketing Awards. Business Wire
- Quinones, V. (2023, Aug 2). Sugar Market Release 23.11 with new features and updates. SugarCRM.com
- EIN Presswire (2023, Jan 17). Creatio Named Top 10 Best Enterprise CRM Software for Large Businesses 2023 by SoftwareWorld. Kron4
- Creatio (2023, Sep 18). Creatio Positioned as a Challenger in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Sales Force Automation Platforms Report. Creatio.com
- BUSINESSNEXT (2023, Mar 1). CRMNEXT expands to BUSINESSNEXT. Globe Newswire
- ActiveCampaign (2023, May 16). ActiveCampaign Introduces Content Generation Powered by AI. PRNewswire
- Freshworks Inc. (2023, Aug 1). Freshworks Reports Second Quarter 2023 Results. Freshworks.com
- Denzil, N. (2023, Aug 10). Freshsales Release Notes – August 2023. Freshworks.com
- Gartner (2022, Dec 22). Pega Customer Decision Hub: Ratings Overview. Gartner.com
- Featured Image by John Schnobrich
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