Pick / avoid summary (fast)
Skim these triggers to pick a default, then validate with the quick checks and constraints below.
- ✓ Enterprise B2B (500+ employees) with dedicated marketing operations team
- ✓ Salesforce is your CRM and deep bidirectional sync is non-negotiable
- ✓ ABM with named account programs and account-level scoring is core to your strategy
- ✓ Mid-market B2B (under 500 employees) without dedicated marketing ops
- ✓ Budget is a factor—$49/mo for CRM + automation + scoring vs $895+/mo
- ✓ Self-serve setup matters—you need to be live in weeks, not months
- × Pricing starts at ~$895/mo (Growth tier, up to 10 custom objects) and scales to $3,195+/mo for Select with advanced features
- × Requires dedicated marketing ops—interface is complex and workflow design demands technical expertise
- × Email template design and visual builder less polished than Mailchimp's—more functional than beautiful
- × Contact-based pricing still applies: 25,000 contacts on Plus is ~$259/mo; 100,000 contacts is $489+/mo
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CheckMarketo's $10,000+ implementation cost alone could fund 17 months of ActiveCampaign Professional
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The trade-offenterprise scoring depth and Salesforce-native ABM vs mid-market value and self-serve speed
At-a-glance comparison
Marketo
Enterprise B2B marketing automation platform (Adobe) with advanced lead scoring, ABM, multi-touch attribution, and deep Salesforce integration. Custom pricing starts at ~$895/mo; requires dedicated marketing ops.
- ✓ Industry-leading lead scoring engine with behavioral and demographic scoring models—more granular than HubSpot or ActiveCampaign
- ✓ Native Salesforce bi-directional sync is the deepest in the market; built for Salesforce-heavy enterprise stacks
- ✓ Account-based marketing (ABM) features including account scoring, target account lists, and named account nurturing
ActiveCampaign
Mid-market email marketing and automation platform with best-in-class conditional workflows, built-in CRM, and lead scoring. Lite from $29/mo; Plus at $49/mo adds CRM and scoring.
- ✓ Best-in-class automation builder: conditional logic, split actions, wait conditions, and goal tracking rival Marketo's depth at a fraction of the cost
- ✓ Lite plan ($29/mo for 1,000 contacts) includes automation; Plus ($49/mo) adds CRM, lead scoring, and SMS
- ✓ Built-in CRM with deal pipelines, task management, and win probability—no separate tool needed for sales
What breaks first (decision checks)
These checks reflect the common constraints that decide between Marketo and ActiveCampaign in this category.
If you only read one section, read this — these are the checks that force redesigns or budget surprises.
- Real trade-off: Enterprise B2B scoring depth with Salesforce-native ABM versus 90% of the automation at 5-10% of the cost.
- Email Simplicity vs Automation Depth: Map your current automation needs: simple drip sequences vs multi-branch conditional flows
- Contact-Based vs Send-Based Pricing: Calculate total contacts vs average monthly sends to model cost on both pricing models
- E-commerce Native vs General Purpose: Determine if revenue-per-email and order-level attribution are must-have metrics
Implementation gotchas
These are the practical downsides teams tend to discover during setup, rollout, or scaling.
Where Marketo surprises teams
- Pricing starts at ~$895/mo (Growth tier, up to 10 custom objects) and scales to $3,195+/mo for Select with advanced features
- Requires dedicated marketing ops—interface is complex and workflow design demands technical expertise
- Email builder is dated compared to Mailchimp, HubSpot, or Klaviyo—templates require more manual work
Where ActiveCampaign surprises teams
- Email template design and visual builder less polished than Mailchimp's—more functional than beautiful
- Contact-based pricing still applies: 25,000 contacts on Plus is ~$259/mo; 100,000 contacts is $489+/mo
- No native e-commerce revenue attribution—Klaviyo and Omnisend are better for Shopify ROI tracking
Where each product pulls ahead
These are the distinctive advantages that matter most in this comparison.
Marketo advantages
- ✓ Deepest lead scoring engine with granular behavioral and demographic models
- ✓ Native Salesforce bidirectional sync—built for Salesforce-heavy enterprise stacks
- ✓ Dedicated ABM features: account scoring, named account lists, account-level orchestration
ActiveCampaign advantages
- ✓ Automation + CRM + scoring at $49/mo—18x cheaper than Marketo's entry tier
- ✓ Self-serve implementation in 1-2 weeks vs Marketo's 2-4 months with consulting
- ✓ Intuitive visual automation builder that's arguably more user-friendly than Marketo's interface
Pros and cons
Marketo
Pros
- + Enterprise B2B (500+ employees) with dedicated marketing operations team
- + Salesforce is your CRM and deep bidirectional sync is non-negotiable
- + ABM with named account programs and account-level scoring is core to your strategy
- + Multi-touch revenue attribution with custom models is required for board reporting
- + You have the ops capacity and budget ($2,000+/mo) to maintain the platform
Cons
- − Pricing starts at ~$895/mo (Growth tier, up to 10 custom objects) and scales to $3,195+/mo for Select with advanced features
- − Requires dedicated marketing ops—interface is complex and workflow design demands technical expertise
- − Email builder is dated compared to Mailchimp, HubSpot, or Klaviyo—templates require more manual work
- − Implementation takes 2–4 months with typical consulting costs of $10,000–$50,000
- − Landing page builder is functional but less polished than HubSpot's or dedicated tools like Unbounce
- − Adobe acquisition shifted product roadmap; some features are being consolidated into Adobe Experience Platform
- − Annual contracts with long commitment periods—no monthly or short-term options
ActiveCampaign
Pros
- + Mid-market B2B (under 500 employees) without dedicated marketing ops
- + Budget is a factor—$49/mo for CRM + automation + scoring vs $895+/mo
- + Self-serve setup matters—you need to be live in weeks, not months
- + Your CRM is not Salesforce, or Salesforce integration needs are moderate
- + Automation depth per dollar is your evaluation metric
Cons
- − Email template design and visual builder less polished than Mailchimp's—more functional than beautiful
- − Contact-based pricing still applies: 25,000 contacts on Plus is ~$259/mo; 100,000 contacts is $489+/mo
- − No native e-commerce revenue attribution—Klaviyo and Omnisend are better for Shopify ROI tracking
- − Landing page builder is basic compared to HubSpot's or dedicated tools like Unbounce
- − CRM is capable but less mature than HubSpot CRM or Salesforce for complex sales processes
- − Reporting and analytics are solid but lack the depth of HubSpot Enterprise or Marketo attribution
- − Professional tier ($149/mo) needed for predictive sending, split automations, and site messaging
Keep exploring this category
If you’re close to a decision, the fastest next step is to read 1–2 more head-to-head briefs, then confirm pricing limits in the product detail pages.
FAQ
How do you choose between Marketo and ActiveCampaign?
Marketo wins for enterprise B2B with dedicated ops, Salesforce stacks, and ABM programs. ActiveCampaign wins for everyone else: mid-market B2B teams get 90% of the automation capability at $49–$149/mo instead of $895+/mo. The decision comes down to team ops capacity and Salesforce dependency.
When should you pick Marketo?
Pick Marketo when: Enterprise B2B (500+ employees) with dedicated marketing operations team; Salesforce is your CRM and deep bidirectional sync is non-negotiable; ABM with named account programs and account-level scoring is core to your strategy; Multi-touch revenue attribution with custom models is required for board reporting.
When should you pick ActiveCampaign?
Pick ActiveCampaign when: Mid-market B2B (under 500 employees) without dedicated marketing ops; Budget is a factor—$49/mo for CRM + automation + scoring vs $895+/mo; Self-serve setup matters—you need to be live in weeks, not months; Your CRM is not Salesforce, or Salesforce integration needs are moderate.
What’s the real trade-off between Marketo and ActiveCampaign?
Enterprise B2B scoring depth with Salesforce-native ABM versus 90% of the automation at 5-10% of the cost.
What’s the most common mistake buyers make in this comparison?
Buying Marketo because 'enterprise needs enterprise tools'—most B2B teams under 500 employees get more value from ActiveCampaign at $49-149/mo.
What’s the fastest elimination rule?
Pick Marketo if you have dedicated ops, run Salesforce, and need enterprise ABM—and can budget $895+/mo
What breaks first with Marketo?
Ops dependency: workflow complexity grows faster than team capacity to maintain it. Cost at scale: database growth + feature needs push from Growth ($895/mo) to Select ($3,195+/mo) fast. Email design bottleneck: marketing team needs dedicated email developer or workaround tools.
What are the hidden constraints of Marketo?
Implementation consulting is essentially required—$10,000–$50,000 typical for initial setup. Database size pricing: contact overages can trigger automatic tier bumps mid-contract. API calls are metered; high-volume integrations may require additional API capacity purchase.
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Sources & verification
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