13 Best Marketing Automation Software (2024)

What is the best marketing automation software?

Here's my pick of the best marketing automation software to try out this year:

1. Brevo : Great value for money, easy to use

Brevo (ex SendinBlue) is an all-in-one marketing automation platform that is very popular on the French and European markets.

It is widely recognized for its excellent quality/price ratio and the simplicity of its interface.

Features

• Email marketing: Responsive drag-and-drop editor, accurate segmentation, A/B tests, detailed reports. E.g.: newsletters, welcome emails, targeted promotions.
• Marketing automation: Multi-channel journeys, action-based triggers, advanced targeting. Ex: onboarding, relaunching abandoned carts.
• CRM: Contact lifecycle monitoring, interaction history, lead scoring. Ex: qualification, sales pipeline.
• Transactional marketing: Personalized emails and SMS triggered by user actions. E.g.: order confirmation, receipt.
• Landing pages: Ready-to-use templates, smart forms, and integrated hosting and tracking. Ex: newsletter subscription, demo request.
• Live chat: Live chat, chatbots, profile routing. Ex: customer support, assisted sales.

Brevo offers complete and accessible functionalities to automate digital marketing for businesses.

Pricing

• Free: Up to 300 emails per day
• List: $25/month (up to 40,000 emails per month)
• Premium: $66/month (up to 200,000 emails per month)
• Company: Custom prices

Our Take

Brevo is a powerful and versatile tool for optimizing your marketing strategy. Despite a learning curve and a limited free plan, it offers numerous possibilities for customizing campaigns and automating workflows, all at a competitive price and with quality support. It is one of the tools of choice to gain efficiency

👍 Pros : Intuitive interface covering all needs. Great value for money. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Limited free plan that may frustrate advanced users. Intimidating wealth of options for novices.

2. ActiveCampaign : Powerful automation, rates adjusted to contacts

ActiveCampaign is often considered to be one of the best marketing automation software available on the market.

It offers a wide range of powerful features to automate your marketing and sales campaigns, saving you time and improving your results.

Features

• Advanced marketing automation: Flexible visual workflows, dynamic segmentation, unlimited triggers (email, SMS, webhooks...). Ex: personalized courses, onboarding, reminders.
• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop editor, responsive templates, conditional customization, A/B tests, detailed reports (click heat maps...). E.g.: newsletters, targeted promotions.
• CRM & Sales Automation: Contact management, deal tracking, lead scoring, advanced segmentation, lead attribution. Ex: sales forecasts, performance monitoring.
• Customer service: Integrated helpdesk, conversation routing, macros, customer portal, reporting. Ex: omnichannel support, knowledge base.
• Live Chat & Conversations: Live chat on the site, chatbots, cross-channel messaging (Facebook, SMS, Whatsapp...), real-time visitor monitoring. Ex: proactive support, lead qualification.
• Landing Pages: Intuitive builder, optimized templates, smart forms, split testing, analytical data. Ex: capture pages, registration forms, questionnaires.
• Integrations: +870 native integrations (Zapier, Salesforce, Salesforce, Shopify, Calendly...), open API. Ex: CMS connection, e-commerce sync, data automation.
• Safety and performance: AWS hosting, certified GDPR, CCPA, CCPA, ISO 27018, ISO 27018, HIPAA, SSAE 18, 24/7 monitoring. Ex: data protection, high volume sending.

With its powerful marketing automation, CRM, and customer service capabilities combined into a unified platform, ActiveCampaign is positioned as a comprehensive tool for businesses looking to nurture and convert their contacts at scale.

Pricing

• List: $9/month (500 contacts)
• Plus: $49/month (2,500 contacts)
• Professional: $149/month (50,000 contacts)
• Company: $229/month (over 50,000 contacts)

Our Take

ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive and powerful solution that offers great value for money. Despite a gradual introduction and a limited free plan, its functional richness, its integrations and its assistance make it a wise choice to optimize its campaigns and automate its sales, while benefiting from an intuitive platform.

👍 Pros : Advanced features covering all needs. Broad range of integrations. Great value for money. 24/7 support.

👎 Cons : Learning curve for beginners. Limited features in the free plan.

3. Omnisend : Specialized in e-Commerce, affordable plans

Omnisend is a powerful and user-friendly e-commerce marketing automation platform that allows businesses to create and send personalized emails, segment their audience, and track the results of their campaigns.

Features

• Omnichannel marketing automation: Pre-built and customizable workflows for email, SMS, push, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger. Ex: shopping journey, cart abandonment, reactivation.
• Advanced segmentation: Targeting on buying behavior, history, product preferences, customer data. E.g.: personalized recommendations, VIP offers.
• Ecommerce integrations: Native sync with Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, WooCommerce, PrestaShop. Ex: product import, ready-to-use segments, real-time updates.
• Email editor: Intuitive drag and drop, 50+ responsive templates, dynamic product blocks, multi-device preview. E.g.: enriched newsletters, targeted promotions.
• Forms & Landing Pages: Popups, banners, wheels of fortune, multistep forms. Intelligent targeting (exit intent, scroll...). Ex: email collection, contests.
• SMS & Automations: Promotional and transactional SMS, segmentation, triggers (date, event, webhook...). Ex: sales alerts, shipping notifications.
• Web push: Personalized web notifications (desktop and mobile). Advanced segmentation and automation. Ex: news, abandoned carts.
• Reports: Unified view of omnichannel campaigns. Analysis of revenue by channel. Customer cohorts. E.g.: ROAS, Customer Lifetime Value.

By natively unifying channels to offer a smooth and personalized customer experience, Omnisend is particularly suited to the specific needs of retailers looking to optimize their online sales.

Pricing

• Free: Up to 15,000 emails per month
• Standard: $16/month (up to 50,000 emails per month)
• Pro: $99/month (up to 150,000 emails per month)
• Company: Custom prices

Our Take

Omnisend is a valuable ally in optimizing your e-commerce marketing. Despite some limitations of free and a certain wealth of functionalities, it allows you to finely segment your audience, personalize your campaigns and automate your workflows. An effective solution to gain impact and build loyalty, at an attractive price.

👍 Pros : Specialized e-commerce with adapted functionalities. Unified channels for a seamless customer experience. Great value for money. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Limited free plan that may frustrate advanced users. Intimidating wealth of options despite the user-friendly interface.

4. Moosend: Intuitive interface, good free package

Moosend is a great all-in-one email automation tool that offers a wide range of features to help you create and send effective marketing emails.

Features

• Marketing automation: Visual workflows, prebuilt templates (welcome, birthday, inactivity...), custom triggers, advanced conditions. Ex: onboarding process, reactivation.
• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop builder, responsive templates, advanced customization, A/B testing, spam checker. E.g.: newsletters, segmented promotions.
• Segmentation: Demographic and behavioral criteria (openings, clicks, purchases...), custom data. E.g.: product recommendations, VIP offers.
• Forms & Landing Pages: Visual editor, optimized templates, inline/popup/convertible forms, A/B tests. E.g.: newsletter registration, product pages.
• Integrations: +100 native integrations (CRM, e-commerce, CMS, social networks...), API. Ex: contact synchronization, sales automation.
• Deliverability: Authentication (SPF, DKIM), detailed reports. 24/7 monitoring, anti-spam tools. Ex: blacklist management, reputation optimization.
• Reports: Customizable dashboards, real-time tracking, engagement maps, campaign comparison. Ex: multi-channel ROI.
• Customer support: Live chat, knowledge base, personalized onboarding, dedicated account manager (companies). 24/7 support.

With its intuitive interface and advanced features, Moosend is an affordable and efficient solution for SMEs wishing to set up effective automated marketing campaigns.

Pricing

• Free: Up to 1,000 subscribers
• Pro: Starting at $8/month (2,000 subscribers)
• Business: Custom prices

Our Take

Moosend is an excellent emailing solution, between simplicity and efficiency. Despite a limited free plan and a slight learning curve, its comprehensive functionalities allow you to create impactful campaigns and manage your contacts, at an affordable price and with good support. An attractive balance.

👍 Pros : Intuitive interface with powerful features. Good value for money. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Limited free plan. Interface may seem complex at first.

5. Keap : Adapted to SMS/SMEs, good customer support

Keap (formerly known as InfusionSoft) is a marketing automation and CRM software designed for small and medium-sized businesses.

It offers a wide range of features to help you automate marketing tasks, manage leads, and increase sales.

Features

• CRM & Sales Management: Contact tracking, visual sales pipeline, task management, process automation. E.g.: lead tracking, sales forecasting.
• Marketing automation: Automated follow-up sequences, advanced segmentation, customizable triggers, lead scoring. E.g.: nurturing, onboarding, upselling.
• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop editor, mobile-responsive templates, merge fields customization, optimized deliverability. E.g.: newsletters, segmented promotions.
• Appointment management: Integrated calendar, personalized booking pages, automatic reminders/follow-ups, online payments. E.g.: consultations, demos.
• Billing & Payments: Automated quotes and invoices, recurring payments, transaction tracking, unpaid reminders. Ex: subscriptions, customer accounts.
• Landing Pages & Forms: Optimized templates, intelligent forms (pre-populate, conditional...), A/B tests, analytics. Ex: capture pages, quizzes.
• Ecommerce: Product catalogs, automated orders, shipping management, sales tracking. Ex: personalized cross-sells.
• Business analytics: Customizable dashboards, monitoring of key indicators (revenue, conversion rate...), automated reports. Ex: ROI campaigns.

Designed to automate the entire customer lifecycle, Keap is particularly suited to entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to effectively convert and retain their customers and prospects.

Pricing

• Pro: $159/month (up to 1,500 contacts)
• Max: $229/month (up to 2,500 contacts)‍
• Ultimate: $279/month (up to 2,500 contacts)
• Business: Custom prices

Our Take

Keap is a complete and efficient solution for SMEs wishing to automate their marketing and sales. Despite gradual adoption and a limited free plan, its intuitive interface, advanced features and support make it a relevant choice for optimizing campaigns and increasing efficiency.

👍 Pros : Adapted to SMEs with powerful functionalities. Great value for money. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Learning curve for beginners. Limited free plan.

6. GetResponse : Full, free trial (30 days)

GetResponse is a comprehensive marketing automation platform that offers a wide range of features to help you create and manage your marketing campaigns. It is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized businesses looking to expand their online business.

Features

• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop editor, responsive templates, advanced segmentation, A/B testing, spam scores. E.g.: newsletters, email retargeting.
• Marketing automation: Visual workflows, predefined scenarios (lead nurturing, sales, loyalty...), advanced triggers. Ex: personalized omnichannel journeys.
• Webinars: Integrated tool, up to 1000 participants, replay, screen sharing, live polls, follow-up automation. E.g.: demonstrations, training.
• Landing Pages: Intuitive creator, 100+ templates, advanced forms, A/B tests, custom domain. Ex: sales pages, opt-in forms.
• CRM: Contact management, multi-criteria segmentation, 360° history, interaction monitoring. E.g.: lead scoring, sales pipeline.
• Ecommerce automation: Integrations (Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce...), ready-to-use templates, product recommendations. E.g.: abandoned cart, post-purchase.
• Tags & Events: Behavioral tracking, advanced targeting, custom triggers. E.g.: content tracking, product retargeting.
• Reports: Customizable dashboards, real-time monitoring, campaign comparison, automated reports. Ex: revenue tracking.

With its wide range of integrated features, including its webinar tool and e-commerce integrations, GetResponse is positioned as a 360° marketing solution for entrepreneurs and SMEs wishing to optimize their conversion and customer loyalty.

Pricing

• Email marketing: $15/month (up to 1,000 subscribers)
• Marketing Automation: $49/month (up to 1,000 subscribers)
• E-commerce Marketing: $99/month (up to 1,000 subscribers)
• Company: Custom prices

Our Take

GetResponse is a valuable ally in creating and managing marketing campaigns effectively. Despite a limited free plan and a slight learning curve, it offers a good balance between simplicity and efficiency to optimize its communication and stimulate its growth, at an affordable price and with good support.

👍 Pros : Full functionalities covering all needs. Broad range of integrations. Great value for money. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Limited free plan. Interface may seem complex at first.

7. HubSpot : CRM integration, limited free version

HubSpot Marketing Automation is a powerful software suite that offers a wide range of features to help you automate your marketing tasks, generate leads, and increase sales.

It is particularly suitable for businesses of all sizes looking to expand their online business.

Features

• Marketing Automation: Visual workflows, personalized lead nurturing, predictive lead scoring, revenue attribution. Ex: automated omnichannel journeys.
• CRM: Rich contact profiles, advanced segmentation, interaction tracking, deal management. E.g.: 360° prospect/customer view.
• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop editor, intelligent personalization, A/B testing, optimization of delivery times. Ex: newsletter, transactional email.
• Landing Pages & Forms: Page creator, A/B testing, smart forms (conditional fields, prefill...), free hosting. E.g.: conversion pages.
• Content marketing: Integrated CMS, on-page SEO, editorial planner, monitoring of efficient topics. Ex: blog, content pillars.
• Social Network Automation: Scheduled publication, follow-up of conversations, integration with CRM. E.g.: social listening, community management.
• Publicity: Ad creator (Google, Facebook, LinkedIn...), audience targeting, unified reporting. E.g.: lead generation, retargeting.
• Analytics: Custom dashboards, goal tracking, custom reports, trend prediction. Ex: revenue pipeline.

A true all-in-one marketing platform, HubSpot makes it possible to orchestrate and analyze all acquisition, conversion and loyalty tactics on a single tool. Its strength lies in its ability to make data communicate between its various “hubs” (marketing, sales, customer service, CMS). A powerful solution but one that requires some time to get started.

Pricing

• Free: Access to some basic features
• Starter: $800/month (up to 1,000 contacts)
• Professional: $3,200/month (up to 2,500 contacts)
• Company: $12,000/month (up to 10,000 contacts)

Our Take

HubSpot is a powerful and comprehensive tool for businesses looking for a robust solution. Despite high prices and a learning curve, its functional richness, its integrations and its support make it a strategic investment to optimize its marketing, provided that the necessary time and resources are devoted to it.

👍 Pros : Advanced features covering all aspects. All-in-one platform to orchestrate your actions. Broad range of integrations. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Expensive paid plans for small businesses. A wealth of options that may require time to adapt.

FIND OUT MORE >> Get started with Hubspot Marketing Automation today

8. Mailchimp: Popular and user-friendly, free for up to 2,000 contacts

Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform that offers a simple and affordable solution for small businesses. It allows you to create and send personalized emails, to segment your audience and to monitor the results of your campaigns.

Features

• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop and HTML editor, responsive templates, dynamic content, A/B tests, bounce management. Ex: automated newsletters.
• Marketing Automation: Visual customer journeys, advanced triggers, behavioral segmentation, one-to-one personalization. Ex: onboarding process.
• Creation of Web Sites: Intuitive builder, customizable templates, integrated media storage, mobile optimization. Ex: showcase sites.
• Digital advertising: Creation and management of campaigns (Facebook, Instagram, Google), precise targeting, consolidated reporting. Ex: audience retargeting.
• Landing Page Management: Visual editor, optimized templates, smart forms, A/B tests, analytical data. E.g.: capture pages.
• CRM Marketing: Rich contact data, advanced segmentation, interaction tracking, tag management. E.g.: centralized contact base.
• Reporting and Analytics: Customizable dashboards, pre-established reports, conversion tracking, campaign comparison. E.g.: revenue reporting.
• Social Media Marketing: Publication planning, multi-channel management, mention monitoring, content recommendations. E.g.: social listening.
• Predictive segmentation: Pre-trained models, look-a-like segmentation, trend forecasting. Ex: large-scale personalization.
• Integrations: More than 300 native integrations (e-commerce, CRM, social networks...), open API. Ex: connected ecosystem.

A true Swiss Army knife for digital marketing, Mailchimp has evolved well since its creation in 2001. Today, the platform is positioned as an all-in-one solution allowing SMEs and entrepreneurs to easily manage all of their marketing activities: email, automation, websites, advertisements, CRM... Powerful features and intuitive handling to develop your online business.

Pricing

• Free: Up to 2,000 contacts and 10,000 emails per month
• Essentials: $9.99/month (up to 500 contacts)
• Standard: $14.99/month (up to 2,500 contacts)
• Premium: $29.99/month (up to 10,000 contacts)

Our Take

Mailchimp is a great email gateway for small businesses. Despite some limitations of free and rates that can be high, its simplicity, its essential functionalities and its support make it a relevant choice to start and develop skills gradually, without complexity.

👍 Pros : Intuitive interface that makes it easy to use. Generous free plan to test. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Limited free plan for advanced needs. Potentially expensive paid plans for small businesses.

FIND OUT MORE >> Use Mailchimp software 100% free

9. Pardot: Built for big businesses, high rates

Pardot is a powerful and comprehensive B2B marketing automation platform that offers a wide range of features to help you generate leads, qualify leads, and increase sales. It is particularly suitable for large businesses looking to align their marketing and sales teams.

Features

• Marketing automation: Visual workflows with multi-channel triggers and actions, advanced segmentation, lead nurturing, lead scoring. E.g.: drip campaigns.
• Prospect management: Two-way sync with Salesforce CRM, tracking lead activities and engagement, detailed interaction history. E.g.: lead qualification.
• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop editor, dynamic templates, advanced customization, A/B testing, deliverability management. Ex: newsletters, transactional email.
• Landing pages and forms: WYSIWYG builder, responsive templates, smart forms, multivariate tests, integration with Salesforce. E.g.: conversion landing pages.
• Social media integration: Scheduled publication on networks, tracking of social interactions, lead generation. E.g.: social selling.
• Account-based marketing (ABM): Targeting key accounts, customizing campaigns, measuring engagement. E.g.: ABM programs.
• Connectors: Extensive integrations with Google Adwords, Webinars, Content Management Systems, Data Providers... + open API. E.g.: automated webinars.
• B2B Marketing Analytics: Real-time dashboards, multi-touch conversion tracking, attribution modeling, sales prediction. E.g.: marketing pipeline.

Designed as the marketing counterpart to Salesforce CRM, Pardot is a powerful B2B marketing automation solution.

Adapted to medium and large companies, it is distinguished by its advanced scoring and nurturing functionalities, its native compatibility with the Salesforce ecosystem and its capabilities for in-depth analysis of the ROI of marketing actions.

Pricing

• Essentials: $1,250/month
• Advanced: $2,500/month
• Premium: $4,000 per month

Our Take

Pardot is a powerful solution to optimize your B2B marketing. Despite high prices and a learning curve, its advanced features, CRM integration, and support make it a strategic investment for businesses looking for a robust tool and ready to devote the necessary time and resources to it.

👍 Pros : Advanced features for B2B marketing. CRM integration for a 360° view. Detailed performance reporting. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Expensive paid plans for small businesses. A wealth of options that may require time to adapt.

LEARN MORE >> Try Salesforce Pardot

10. Marketo: Powerful but complex, adapted to large budgets

Founded in 2006, the company is headquartered in California and has several branches in popular countries like Dublin, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and many more.

Marketo is a powerful and comprehensive marketing automation platform that offers a wide range of features to help you generate leads, qualify your leads, and increase sales. It's especially suited to small and medium-sized businesses that use Salesforce and need responsive customer support.

Features

• Marketing Automation: Advanced workflows, multi-model scoring, custom nurturing, smart triggers. E.g.: customer journey automation.
• Email marketing: Intuitive editor, dynamic templates, personalized content in real time, A/B and multivariate tests. E.g.: email pods.
• Mobile marketing: In-app messaging, SMS marketing, push notifications, mobile segmentation. Ex: mobile engagement.
• Social Marketing: Programming publications, social listening, monitoring influencers, CRM integration. Ex: social ROI.
• Content marketing: Predictive personalization, AI Content Insights, SEO recommendations. E.g.: content intelligence.
• ABM: Account targeting, large-scale personalization, sales integration. E.g.: ABM orchestration.
• Marketing prediction: Predictive modeling, look-alike segmentation, AI scoring. Ex: marketing based on artificial intelligence.
• Analytics: Multi-channel engagement measurement, advanced marketing attribution, actionable insights. E.g.: marketing pipeline.
• Integrations: Native connection to Adobe Experience Cloud, +500 technology integrations, extensible APIs. Ex: marketing ecosystem.
• Security and compliance: ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, EU Privacy Shield certifications. RGPD, confidentiality. Ex: data governance.

Powerful and scalable, Marketo is a digital marketing orchestration platform adapted to large B2B and B2C companies. Its advanced automation, personalization and predictive analysis features make it a solution of choice for marketers who want to offer innovative customer experiences and accurately measure the ROI of their omnichannel marketing actions.

Its recent integration with Adobe Experience Cloud further reinforces its market positioning.

Pricing

• Select: $895/month
• Standard: $1,795/month
• Premium: $3,195/month

Our Take

Marketo is a powerful tool for SMEs using Salesforce and looking for a complete solution. Despite significant prices and the absence of a free trial, its advanced features, reporting and support make it a profitable investment provided you devote the necessary time and budget.

👍 Pros : Full features with Salesforce integration. Detailed performance reporting. Intuitive interface. 24/7 customer support.

👎 Cons : Paid plans that can be expensive for small businesses. No free trial to test before commitment.

LEARN MORE >> Get started with Marketo

11. Mautic: Open source, free and customizable

Mautic is a powerful and comprehensive open source marketing automation platform that offers a wide range of features to help you generate leads, qualify leads, and increase sales. It is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized businesses looking for an affordable and flexible solution.

Features

• Marketing Automation: Drag-and-drop visual campaigns, advanced segmentation, lead scoring, personalized lead nurturing. E.g.: drip campaigns.
• Email marketing: Email creator, responsive templates, dynamic content, A/B testing, bounce management. E.g.: behavioral newsletter.
• Prospect tracking: Tracking web visitors, identifying businesses, tracking events, monitoring social media. E.g.: lead qualification.
• Landing Pages & Forms: Page builder, smart forms, A/B tests, native hosting. E.g.: progressive profiling.
• Marketing resource management: Asset storage, version tracking, access rights, content integration. Ex: media library.
• CRM: Contact and account management, sales pipeline, kanban board, advanced segmentation. Ex: 360° view of prospects.
• Social marketing: Account management, publication scheduling, social listening, CRM integration. E.g.: social listening.
• Reports: Custom dashboards, campaign reports, sales funnel, lead cohorts, revenue assignments. E.g.: multi-channel ROI.
• Integrations: Native connectors (Zapier, Salesforce, SugarCRM...), webhooks, complete API. Ex: martech ecosystem.
• Security and compliance: Open source, independent audit, on-premise or cloud hosting. RGPD compliant. E.g.: data control.

One of the most advanced open source marketing automation solutions on the market, Mautic seduces many SMEs and large accounts because of its flexibility and independence. With its comprehensive functionalities and open ecosystem, the platform makes it possible to orchestrate sophisticated marketing campaigns while maintaining control of its data and infrastructure. A good choice for businesses looking for a powerful, scalable, and cost-effective alternative to proprietary SaaS platforms.

Pricing

• Free: Basic plan with limited features
• Pro: $100/month
• Company: $400/month

Our Take

Mautic is an interesting open source alternative for automating marketing at a lower cost. Despite some technical complexity and limited support, its flexibility and community make it a relevant choice for SMEs ready to invest time, ideally with in-house technical skills.

👍 Pros : Open source offering power and flexibility. Free and customizable. Great community of users and developers.

👎 Cons : Complex configuration and use for non-technicians. Limited official support for the free version.

LEARN MORE >> Get started with Mautic

12. ActiveTrail: SMS packages included, free trial (30 days)

ActiveTrail is an Israeli email marketing platform and marketing automation software that offers a wide range of features to help you create and send personalized emails, segment your audience, and track the results of your campaigns.

It is especially suitable for small and medium-sized businesses looking for a solution that is affordable and easy to use.

Features

• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop and HTML editor, responsive templates, advanced customization, A/B testing, bounce management. E.g.: segmented campaigns.
• Marketing automation: Visual workflows, multi-criteria triggers, lead nurturing, lead scoring. E.g.: welcome scenarios.
• SMS marketing: SMS editor, sending automation, dynamic personalization, contact segmentation. Ex: SMS alerts.
• Landing pages: WYSIWYG creator, responsive templates, integrated forms, A/B tests. Ex: conversion pages.
• Polls & Surveys: Survey editor, connection logic, response analysis, CRM integration. E.g.: satisfaction surveys.
• Social media automation: Publication planning, interaction monitoring, multi-account management. Ex: content curation.
• Reputation management: Web monitoring, mention alerts, sentiment analysis, custom reports. E.g.: e-reputation monitoring.
• Advanced segmentation: RFM, behavioral data, custom attributes, dynamic segments. Ex: affinity targeting.
• Detailed reports: Real-time dashboard, campaign reports, conversion tracking, ROI, data export. Ex: optimization of campaigns.
• Integrations: Native connectors (Salesforce, Shopify, Magento...), open API, webhooks. Ex: data synchronization.

Created in 2008, ActiveTrail is an intuitive digital marketing platform that allows SMEs and large companies to easily create and automate their cross-channel campaigns. Its wide range of functionalities, ranging from email marketing to online reputation management, makes it a versatile tool to orchestrate and analyze marketing actions from a single place.

Pricing

• Free: Up to 1,500 emails per month
• Plus: $9/month (up to 10,000 emails per month)
• Pro: $49/month (up to 100,000 emails per month)
• Company: Custom prices

Our Take

ActiveTrail is a relevant solution for automating marketing without breaking the bank. Despite some limitations, its intuitive interface, its functionalities and its support make it a good compromise to gain efficiency on a moderate budget, provided you do not have too specific needs.

👍 Pros : Intuitive and user-friendly interface. Full features with SMS packages included. Flexible pricing. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Limited free and paid plans for advanced needs and low budgets.

LEARN MORE >> Get started with ActiveTrail

13. Ontraport: Advanced automation, contact based pricing

Ontraport is an all-in-one marketing automation and CRM software designed for solopreneurs, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. It is particularly well known for its powerful features, detailed reports, and ease of use.

Features

• Marketing automation: Visual campaign editor, advanced triggers, dynamic segmentation, lead scoring. E.g.: welcome series, abandoned cart.
• CRM: Contact and company management, opportunity monitoring, task automation, advanced segmentation. E.g.: sales pipeline, lead nurturing.
• Email marketing: Drag-and-drop editor, responsive templates, dynamic content, delivery monitoring. E.g.: newsletters, segmented promotions.
• Capture pages and forms: Intuitive builder, optimized templates, A/B tests, smart forms (conditional logic, field pre-population...). E.g.: landing pages.
• E-commerce: Product management, upsells/downsells, affiliates, recurring payments, sales tracking. Ex: areas member, subscription plans.
• SMS marketing: SMS campaigns, cross-channel automations, segmentation, compliance management. E.g.: cart reminders, order updates.
• Marketing postcards: Direct integration with the tool, customizable templates, response tracking, ROI reporting. E.g.: customer greeting cards.
• Reporting: Customizable dashboard, revenue analytics, UTM tracking, multi-touchpoint ROI calculation. Ex: campaign performance.

A powerful all-in-one solution, Ontraport is distinguished by its advanced marketing automation, CRM and e-commerce functionalities.

Designed for established SMEs and experienced entrepreneurs who want to take the automation of their online business to the next level.

Pricing

• Free: 14 day trial
• Basic: $79/month (up to 1,000 contacts)
• Plus: $149/month (up to 2,500 contacts)
• Pro: $299/month (up to 10,000 contacts)
• Company: Custom prices

Our Take

Ontraport is a valuable ally for experienced entrepreneurs looking for a powerful tool. Despite a limited free plan and substantial prices, its advanced features, reporting and support make it a strategic investment to structure its growth, provided you have the necessary budget and specific needs.

👍 Pros : Full and advanced features. Detailed performance reporting. Intuitive interface. Responsive customer support.

👎 Cons : Limited free plan. Paid plans that can be expensive for small businesses.

LEARN MORE >> Get started with Ontraport

What is marketing automation?

Marketing automation, or marketing automation in French, refers to the use of software and technology to automate certain repetitive tasks related to marketing.

It is a powerful set of tools that allow businesses to save valuable time and optimize their marketing campaigns.

Concretely, marketing automation intervenes at various levels:

1. Email management : programming personalized email sequences according to the behavior and interactions of prospects. Marketing automation software makes it possible to trigger the sending of emails in an intelligent way to feed and convert leads.
2. Audience segmentation : division of its contact base into different groups according to specific criteria (demographics, interests, stage in the conversion tunnel, etc.). This makes it possible to adapt the content delivered to each segment for more relevance.
3. Customer journey monitoring : detailed analysis of visitors' navigation on a website or interactions with emails. This data allows marketers to better understand their audience and to identify the conversion drivers that need to be optimized.
4. Lead scoring : awarding points to prospects according to their actions (visits to the site, opening emails, downloads...). Leads with the highest scores are qualified and can be passed on to sales teams.
5. Content personalization : adaptation of marketing messages (email content, web pages, advertisements) according to the data collected on each contact. The challenge is to offer an ultra-personalized experience that generates more engagement.

The implementation of marketing automation within a strategy thus makes it possible to create more fluid and relevant customer journeys, all in an automated way. The time saved can be reinvested in activities with higher added value.

The possibilities offered by marketing automation tools are immense, but mastering them requires some time to learn. Well used, marketing automation is a great growth driver for businesses!

Marketing Automation Software: Key Features

When choosing marketing automation software, it's crucial to make sure it has the essential features to meet your goals.

Here are the main features to look for in marketing automation software:

1. Email campaign management : The software should allow you to easily create, personalize and program emailing campaigns. Template templates, a drag-and-drop interface, and segmentation options are a must.
2. Workflow automation : The platform should offer the possibility of creating automated scenarios based on the actions of contacts. For example, triggering a series of emails after registering for a newsletter or visiting a specific page on the site.
3. Behaviour monitoring : The software must be able to track the interactions of prospects with your content (email openings, clicks, site visits...). This data then feeds into workflows and allows for advanced customization.
4. Lead scoring : This feature allows you to assign a score to prospects based on predefined criteria. The higher the score, the more qualified the prospect is and closer to conversion. Lead scoring helps marketing and sales teams to prioritize their actions.
5. Integration with other tools : Your marketing automation software must be able to easily synchronize with your CRM, your analytics platform, your social networks... The challenge is to centralize data for a 360° view of your contacts.
6. A/B testing : To optimize the performance of your campaigns, the software must offer A/B testing functionalities. You can then test different versions of your emails or landing pages to identify the most efficient ones.
7. Detailed reporting : Complete and customizable reports are essential to analyze the results of your actions and calculate the ROI. The software should provide accurate data on open rates, click rates, conversions...
8. Customer support : Opt for a supplier that offers responsive and quality technical assistance. Educational resources such as a knowledge base, webinars, or a user community are also a plus.

Beyond these basic features, the ideal marketing automation software will depend on your specific needs.

Define your goals and budget in advance, then compare market offers. Do not hesitate to test several solutions via free trial versions before making your final choice.

Summary.

Using marketing automation tools and marketing databases can help your marketing become more personalized and generate more revenue.

But it's hard to keep up with changing marketing trends and take on all the burdens alone. That's why marketing automation tools are all the rage among marketers.

However, the internet is awash with countless marketing tools, making it difficult to identify which one is best for your business.

In this list, ActiveCampaign is perfect for small and medium businesses. Not only is it reasonably priced, but it also offers impressive features that can rival those of some of the more expensive tools.

If you are ready to spend money on business tools, it's best to go with MailChimp, Marketo, HubSpot, or Pardot.

These 3 tools are intended for large companies. And if your only objective is to generate leads and increase your prospecting reach, then Prospect.io would be the best option.

In the end, it all comes down to your budget, requirements, business goals, and the size of your business.

Further reading: To continue, check out my guides on best email marketing services, the best webinar software, and the best landing page creators to be used this year.