The short answer: the best marketing automation software for most B2B teams in 2026 is HubSpot Marketing Hub (all-in-one, from free) or ActiveCampaign (deep automation from $15 a month). Enterprise B2B teams choose between Adobe Marketo Engage (quote-only) and Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, formerly Pardot (from $1,250 per org per month). Ecommerce brands lean to Klaviyo, product-led SaaS teams to Customer.io, and budget-conscious small businesses to Brevo (from $9) or Mailchimp (from $13). Every price below is vendor-published, checked September 2026.
Automation platforms now orchestrate whole customer journeys: they score leads, trigger messages across email, SMS and in-app channels, and pass sales-ready contacts to your CRM. This guide compares ten platforms on pricing model, strengths and fit, so you can narrow the field quickly.
Best marketing automation software compared (2026)
| Platform | Best for | Starting price (checked September 2026) | Priced by | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | All-in-one B2B with built-in CRM | Starter $7/seat/mo annual ($20 monthly); Professional from $800/mo | Seats (Starter); platform fee + seats (Pro, Enterprise) | Yes, up to 2 users |
| ActiveCampaign | Advanced workflows for SMB and B2B | Starter $15/mo annual, $19 monthly (1,000 contacts) | Contacts | No (14-day trial) |
| Adobe Marketo Engage | Enterprise B2B and ABM | Quote-only (Growth, Select, Prime, Ultimate) | Lead and account database size | No |
| Salesforce Account Engagement (formerly Pardot) | B2B teams on Salesforce | Growth+ $1,250/org/mo, billed annually | Per org; extra contacts $100 per 10,000/mo | No |
| Brevo | Budget email, SMS and WhatsApp | Starter $9/mo ($8.08 yearly) | Email sends | Yes, 300 emails/day |
| Klaviyo | Ecommerce | Calculator-based; about $20/mo for 251 to 500 profiles (Email Tool Tester) | Active profiles | Yes, 250 profiles, 500 emails/mo |
| Customer.io | Product-led SaaS and lifecycle messaging | Essentials from $100/mo | Profiles + email volume; unlimited seats | No (startup program) |
| Mailchimp | Small businesses starting out | Essentials from $13/mo; Standard from $20/mo | Contacts | Yes, 250 contacts |
| Ortto | Mid-market journeys and analytics | Pricing page offline when checked; free trial | Contacts | No (trial) |
| Keap | Small service businesses (CRM + automation) | $249/mo billed annually ($2,988/yr), or $299 monthly | Contacts + users (2 included) | No (limited trial) |
What is marketing automation software?
Quick answer: marketing automation software automates repetitive marketing tasks (email campaigns, SMS sequences, lead nurturing, lead scoring and customer journeys) based on rules you set once. It tracks behaviour across channels, scores leads, and hands qualified prospects to sales, so a small team can run personalized campaigns at scale. For a full explainer with examples, read what is marketing automation.
Instead of sending follow-ups or updating records by hand, workflows trigger on behaviour (a pricing-page visit, a form fill, an abandoned cart), time delays or data conditions. The strongest platforms combine a visual workflow builder, multi-channel execution, lead scoring, CRM integration and reporting in one system.
How we compared these platforms
- Workflow builder: can non-technical marketers build branching, multi-step workflows?
- Channel coverage: email only, or also SMS, push, in-app and web?
- CRM and integrations: native CRM, or a clean two-way sync with Salesforce, HubSpot and your data warehouse?
- Lead scoring and segmentation: do segments update in real time from behaviour?
- Reporting: campaign and revenue attribution without exporting data.
- Pricing transparency: is the price published, and how does it scale (contacts, seats, sends, profiles)?
The 10 best marketing automation software platforms in 2026
1. HubSpot Marketing Hub: best all-in-one platform
HubSpot Marketing Hub combines a visual workflow builder, email, SMS, ads, landing pages, social scheduling and a built-in CRM, so every interaction lands on one contact record and any of it can trigger a workflow. It suits mid-market B2B teams that want marketing, sales and service data in one place.
Pricing: free for up to 2 users. Starter is $7 per seat per month billed annually ($20 monthly). Professional starts at $800 per month including 3 core seats (extra seats $45/month). Enterprise starts at $3,600 per month. See the HubSpot Marketing Hub pricing breakdown.
Watch for: the jump from Starter to Professional is where most advanced automation lives, so price Professional before you commit.
2. ActiveCampaign: best for advanced workflow automation
ActiveCampaign is known for highly conditional, branching automations triggered by combinations of behaviour, tags, scores and CRM data, plus flexible lead scoring. It includes deal pipelines for smaller sales teams and connects to Salesforce and HubSpot.
Pricing: by contacts. At 1,000 contacts, ActiveCampaign’s published price list shows Starter $15, Plus $49, Pro $79 and Enterprise $145 per month billed annually ($19, $59, $99 and $179 billed monthly). Starter tops out at 25,000 contacts. No free plan; 14-day trial without a card. See ActiveCampaign pricing.
Watch for: cost climbs with list size; at 10,000 contacts monthly Pro is listed at $469.
3. Adobe Marketo Engage: best for enterprise B2B and ABM
Marketo Engage, part of Adobe, is built for large B2B programs: lead- and account-based marketing, journey analytics, AI personalization and native CRM integration with Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics and Veeva. Packages run Growth, Select, Prime and Ultimate.
Pricing: quote-only, based on your lead and account database size. Adobe publishes no list price and we found no named public range, so get quotes for your exact database size. See the Marketo Engage profile.
Watch for: it usually needs marketing operations staff or a partner to run well.
4. Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (formerly Pardot): best for Salesforce shops
Salesforce renamed Pardot to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement in 2022, and the 2026 editions carry a “+” because they bundle Marketing Cloud Next. It is the natural choice if Salesforce is your CRM: lead scoring and grading, nurture programs and sales alerts sit on the same data.
Pricing: list prices per org per month, billed annually with an annual contract: Growth+ $1,250, Plus+ $2,750, Advanced+ $4,400, Premium+ $15,000. Additional contacts cost $100 per 10,000 per month. See the Pardot profile.
Watch for: contact overages and add-ons (sales emails and alerts are $50 per user per month).
5. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): best budget option
Brevo bundles email, SMS, WhatsApp, automation workflows, a basic CRM and landing pages at low prices. It covers the core flows (welcome series, abandoned cart, nurture, re-engagement) with a simple interface.
Pricing: free forever with up to 300 emails a day. Starter is $9 per month ($8.08 billed yearly) at 5,000 emails a month; Standard is $18 ($16 yearly). Brevo prices by email sends, not contacts, which suits large lists that you email occasionally. See the Brevo profile.
Watch for: reporting and scoring are lighter than HubSpot or Marketo.
6. Klaviyo: best for ecommerce
Klaviyo is built around ecommerce data (orders, products, browsing and cart events) and now spans email, SMS and mobile messaging, a customer hub and helpdesk, and an AI agent called Composer. Flows can reference specific products and purchase timelines.
Pricing: free for up to 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month. Paid plans come from a calculator priced by active profiles; Email Tool Tester (updated August 2026) reports the Email plan starting at $20 a month for 251 to 500 profiles and $150 at 10,000. See the Klaviyo profile.
Watch for: Klaviyo bills on active profiles, so suppress unengaged contacts to control cost.
7. Customer.io: best for product-led SaaS
Customer.io triggers email, push, in-app, SMS and WhatsApp messages from product events and data, with a visual workflow builder. It fits SaaS and app teams whose automation depends on what users do inside the product.
Pricing: Essentials starts at $100 per month (billed monthly, 1 million email sends included, unlimited seats); Premium starts at $1,000 per month billed yearly; Enterprise is custom. Startups that raised under $10M can apply for 12 months free. See the Customer.io profile.
Watch for: it expects clean event data, so plan engineering time for setup.
8. Mailchimp: best for getting started
Mailchimp is the familiar starting point for small businesses: email campaigns, simple automation flows, landing pages and basic segmentation.
Pricing: free up to 250 contacts. Essentials from $13 per month (flows up to 4 steps), Standard from $20 (up to 200 flows) and Premium from $350, all at 500 contacts; 14-day trials on Essentials and Standard. See the Mailchimp profile and HubSpot vs Mailchimp.
Watch for: automation depth on Essentials is limited; most teams that automate seriously need Standard.
9. Ortto: best for journeys plus analytics
Ortto (formerly Autopilot) combines a customer data platform, journey builder and analytics for mid-market teams. Canva acquired Ortto in April 2026; Ortto says it “continues as a standalone platform” and that accounts and pricing stay the same.
Pricing: priced by contacts, with monthly, quarterly or annual payment options and a free trial. Ortto’s pricing page was offline when we checked, so confirm current prices with Ortto. See the Ortto profile.
10. Keap: best for small service businesses
Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) combines CRM, marketing and sales automation, and payments for small service businesses. Thryv acquired Keap in October 2024.
Pricing: one platform price, “starting at $299/mo,” or $2,988 billed yearly (about $249 a month), scaling by contacts, with 2 users included and extra users at $39 a month. Implementation services are required and paid. See the Keap profile.
Watch for: annual plans carry an early termination fee.
Also worth considering: Creatio, marketing automation unified with a no-code CRM
If you want marketing automation that lives on the same platform as your CRM, Creatio is worth a look. Its AI-native, no-code platform combines campaign automation, lead management, and customer journeys with sales and service, so marketing and revenue teams work from one system instead of stitching separate tools together. It is a strong fit for B2B teams that want to build and adjust automated workflows without developers.
Which marketing automation software is best for B2B companies?
- Startups and SMBs: ActiveCampaign for automation depth at a low price, or HubSpot Starter if you also want a CRM.
- Mid-market B2B: HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional, because marketing automation, CRM and sales tools share one database.
- Enterprise on Salesforce: Account Engagement for native Salesforce data, or Marketo Engage for complex, multi-program ABM. Our ABM platforms guide covers the tools that sit on top.
- Product-led SaaS: Customer.io, driven by product events.
The deciding factor in B2B is the CRM connection. Automation that doesn’t sync cleanly with the pipeline breaks lead handoff and attribution. Our guide to CRM and marketing automation integration covers how to set that up, and building a lead scoring model covers the handoff rules.
How much does marketing automation software cost?
It depends on the pricing unit, which differs by vendor:
- By contacts: ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Keap, Ortto. Cost grows with list size.
- By email sends: Brevo. Cheap for big lists you email rarely.
- By active profiles: Klaviyo, Customer.io.
- By seats plus a platform fee: HubSpot.
- Per org with a contact allowance: Salesforce Account Engagement ($1,250 to $15,000 per month).
- Quote-only: Marketo Engage.
In practice, small teams can start free (HubSpot, Brevo, Mailchimp, Klaviyo) or for $9 to $20 a month; mid-market suites run from about $800 a month (HubSpot Professional); enterprise B2B starts at $1,250 per org per month (Account Engagement) before add-ons. Always price your list size 24 months out, not today’s.
What features should you look for in marketing automation software?
- Visual workflow builder with conditional branches, delays and goals that marketers can edit without code.
- Behavioural triggers from page visits, email engagement, form fills and purchases.
- Dynamic segmentation that updates as contacts meet or leave criteria.
- Lead scoring on fit and engagement, with thresholds that trigger sales handoff.
- Multi-channel execution: at least email and SMS; push, in-app and web personalization where relevant.
- Two-way CRM sync so marketing activity reaches sales records and CRM changes can trigger workflows.
- A/B testing of subject lines, send times and workflow paths.
- Reporting and attribution at campaign and revenue level, plus deliverability metrics.
How to choose the right marketing automation platform
- Define the main use case: B2B nurture, ABM, ecommerce revenue flows or product-led onboarding. It narrows the list to two or three tools.
- Audit your stack: CRM, analytics, ad platforms, ecommerce platform, warehouse. Confirm native integrations before a demo.
- Model cost on your growth: project contacts, sends or profiles 24 months ahead under each vendor’s pricing unit.
- Build one real workflow in the trial, not the demo template. It exposes limits quickly.
- Be honest about operations capacity: Marketo and Account Engagement reward a dedicated marketing ops owner; Brevo and Mailchimp don’t need one.
- Check deliverability options: shared vs dedicated IPs and authentication support if email drives revenue.
Common mistakes when comparing marketing automation tools
Treating all business models the same
The right tool for a B2B SaaS company with a 90-day sales cycle is different from the right tool for a Shopify store with a two-minute purchase. Filter every recommendation through your business model first.
Ignoring total cost of ownership
Starting prices rarely match the bill. Contact or profile growth, add-ons (extra seats, SMS credits, analytics), required implementation (Keap requires it) and annual contracts (Account Engagement requires one) all add up. Ask for a fully loaded quote.
Underestimating adoption time
A platform only pays back once workflows are live. Plan the first three workflows (welcome, nurture, re-engagement) before signing, and make sure someone owns building them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best marketing automation software?
For most B2B teams, HubSpot Marketing Hub or ActiveCampaign. Enterprise B2B teams pick Marketo Engage or Salesforce Account Engagement, ecommerce brands pick Klaviyo, and product-led SaaS teams pick Customer.io.
What are the top 5 marketing automation tools?
- HubSpot Marketing Hub
- ActiveCampaign
- Adobe Marketo Engage
- Salesforce Account Engagement (Pardot)
- Klaviyo
Brevo and Mailchimp are the budget alternatives.
How much does marketing automation software cost?
From free (HubSpot, Brevo, Mailchimp, Klaviyo) and $9 to $20 a month for small teams, to $800 a month for HubSpot Professional and $1,250 to $15,000 per org per month for Salesforce Account Engagement. Marketo is quote-only.
Is HubSpot a marketing automation tool?
Yes. Marketing Hub includes workflows, email, SMS, lead scoring, segmentation and attribution on top of HubSpot’s CRM. Most advanced automation sits in Professional, from $800 a month with 3 seats.
Is Pardot still available?
Yes, under a new name. Pardot has been Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement since 2022, and the 2026 editions (Growth+, Plus+, Advanced+, Premium+) include Marketing Cloud Next.
What is the difference between CRM and marketing automation?
A CRM manages contacts, pipelines and deal history. Marketing automation runs campaigns, triggers and nurture flows. Automation feeds qualified leads to the CRM, and CRM data sharpens targeting. HubSpot, Keap and ActiveCampaign include both.
Is marketing automation worth it for small businesses?
Usually, if you have a list and a repeatable offer. A welcome series, abandoned-cart flow and lead follow-up save hours each week, and free or low-cost plans from Brevo, Mailchimp or HubSpot let you prove it before paying more.
Can marketing automation replace a marketing team?
No. It removes repetitive execution (sending, updating records, scoring) so people can focus on strategy, creative and testing. Someone still has to design, build and maintain the workflows.
Related marketing automation guides
- What is marketing automation?
- Build a lead scoring model with marketing automation
- CRM and marketing automation integration
- Content marketing and marketing automation
- Improve customer engagement with marketing automation
Find the right marketing automation software on Spotsaas
There is no single best tool for every team, but there is a best fit for your business model, list size and CRM. Build one real workflow in each trial before you decide, then compare reviews and features across the marketing automation software category.
Sources
- HubSpot Marketing Hub pricing
- ActiveCampaign pricing
- Adobe Marketo Engage packaging
- Salesforce Account Engagement pricing
- Brevo pricing; Klaviyo pricing; Customer.io pricing
- Mailchimp pricing; Keap pricing; Ortto joins Canva
Vendor-published prices, checked September 2026.
