Pick / avoid summary (fast)
Skim these triggers to pick a default, then validate with the quick checks and constraints below.
- ✓ You want CRM + marketing in one platform without integration overhead
- ✓ Team is mostly self-serve—no dedicated marketing ops resources
- ✓ Time-to-value matters—you need to be running campaigns within weeks, not months
- ✓ You have dedicated marketing ops who can configure and maintain the platform
- ✓ Your CRM is Salesforce and deep bidirectional sync is non-negotiable
- ✓ ABM with named account programs, account scoring, and account-level orchestration is core
- × Contact-based pricing escalates fast: 10,000 contacts on Professional is ~$800/mo; 50,000 contacts jumps to $1,750+/mo
- × Free and Starter tiers lack automation workflows—must upgrade to Professional ($800/mo minimum) for real automation
- × 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
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CheckHubSpot's mandatory $3,000–$6,000 onboarding fee vs Marketo's $10,000–$50,000 implementation is a 3-10x difference
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The trade-offall-in-one convenience and faster ROI vs specialized B2B depth with higher ops investment
At-a-glance comparison
HubSpot Marketing Hub
All-in-one inbound marketing platform with native CRM integration, email automation, landing pages, and multi-touch attribution. Free tier generous; Professional at $800/mo for 2,000 contacts unlocks workflows.
- ✓ Native CRM integration eliminates marketing-sales data silos—every contact, deal, and touchpoint in one system
- ✓ Free tier includes email marketing, forms, landing pages, and ad management for up to 1,000,000 contacts (with HubSpot branding)
- ✓ Professional ($800/mo for 2,000 contacts) unlocks automation workflows, A/B testing, and custom reporting
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
What breaks first (decision checks)
These checks reflect the common constraints that decide between HubSpot Marketing Hub and Marketo in this category.
If you only read one section, read this — these are the checks that force redesigns or budget surprises.
- Real trade-off: All-in-one CRM + marketing platform convenience versus specialized B2B scoring depth with Salesforce-native integration.
- 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 HubSpot Marketing Hub surprises teams
- Contact-based pricing escalates fast: 10,000 contacts on Professional is ~$800/mo; 50,000 contacts jumps to $1,750+/mo
- Free and Starter tiers lack automation workflows—must upgrade to Professional ($800/mo minimum) for real automation
- Mandatory onboarding fee for Professional ($3,000) and Enterprise ($6,000) adds upfront cost
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 each product pulls ahead
These are the distinctive advantages that matter most in this comparison.
HubSpot Marketing Hub advantages
- ✓ Native CRM eliminates integration overhead and data sync complexity
- ✓ Modern email builder and content tools (blog, SEO, social) in one platform
- ✓ Faster time-to-value: 4-8 weeks vs Marketo's 2-4 months implementation
Marketo advantages
- ✓ Industry-leading lead scoring engine with granular behavioral and demographic models
- ✓ Deepest native Salesforce bidirectional sync in the market
- ✓ Dedicated ABM features: account scoring, named account lists, account-level orchestration
Pros and cons
HubSpot Marketing Hub
Pros
- + You want CRM + marketing in one platform without integration overhead
- + Team is mostly self-serve—no dedicated marketing ops resources
- + Time-to-value matters—you need to be running campaigns within weeks, not months
- + Content marketing (blog, SEO, social) is part of your marketing strategy
- + You're not on Salesforce, or your Salesforce integration needs are moderate
Cons
- − Contact-based pricing escalates fast: 10,000 contacts on Professional is ~$800/mo; 50,000 contacts jumps to $1,750+/mo
- − Free and Starter tiers lack automation workflows—must upgrade to Professional ($800/mo minimum) for real automation
- − Mandatory onboarding fee for Professional ($3,000) and Enterprise ($6,000) adds upfront cost
- − Annual contracts required for Professional and Enterprise—no monthly billing flexibility
- − Reporting depth behind Marketo for complex B2B attribution models and custom objects
- − Template design less flexible than dedicated email tools like Mailchimp for creative campaigns
- − Add-on costs for transactional email, additional API calls, and custom reporting limits
Marketo
Pros
- + You have dedicated marketing ops who can configure and maintain the platform
- + Your CRM is Salesforce and deep bidirectional sync is non-negotiable
- + ABM with named account programs, account scoring, and account-level orchestration is core
- + You need granular behavioral + demographic lead scoring models
- + Multi-touch revenue attribution with custom models is required for ROI reporting
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
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 HubSpot Marketing Hub and Marketo?
HubSpot wins for teams wanting CRM + marketing in one platform with faster time-to-value. Marketo wins for enterprise B2B with dedicated ops, Salesforce-heavy stacks, and advanced ABM. The deciding factor is team ops capacity: Marketo requires specialists; HubSpot is more self-serve.
When should you pick HubSpot Marketing Hub?
Pick HubSpot Marketing Hub when: You want CRM + marketing in one platform without integration overhead; Team is mostly self-serve—no dedicated marketing ops resources; Time-to-value matters—you need to be running campaigns within weeks, not months; Content marketing (blog, SEO, social) is part of your marketing strategy.
When should you pick Marketo?
Pick Marketo when: You have dedicated marketing ops who can configure and maintain the platform; Your CRM is Salesforce and deep bidirectional sync is non-negotiable; ABM with named account programs, account scoring, and account-level orchestration is core; You need granular behavioral + demographic lead scoring models.
What’s the real trade-off between HubSpot Marketing Hub and Marketo?
All-in-one CRM + marketing platform convenience versus specialized B2B scoring depth with Salesforce-native integration.
What’s the most common mistake buyers make in this comparison?
Choosing Marketo for the brand when your team lacks dedicated marketing ops to maintain it—paying enterprise prices for underutilized complexity.
What’s the fastest elimination rule?
Pick HubSpot if you want marketing + CRM in one platform and value faster time-to-value over scoring depth
What breaks first with HubSpot Marketing Hub?
Contact-based pricing at 25,000+ contacts: $1,750+/mo on Professional vs ActiveCampaign at ~$259/mo for same count. Automation complexity: Professional workflows are powerful but Enterprise features (custom objects, adaptive testing) create pressure to upgrade. Mandatory annual contracts and onboarding fees create high switching cost once committed.
What are the hidden constraints of HubSpot Marketing Hub?
Mandatory onboarding fees: $3,000 (Professional) and $6,000 (Enterprise) are non-negotiable. Contact pricing includes non-marketing contacts in some calculations—verify seat math carefully. Transactional email (receipts, password resets) requires separate add-on or API tier.
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Sources & verification
We prefer to link primary references (official pricing, documentation, and public product pages). If links are missing, treat this as a seeded brief until verification is completed.