Best Marketing Automation Software (2026): 11 Tools Compared | Brevo

Marketing automation software helps grow your business and improve customer experience. This article details the top marketing automation platforms around to help you decide which one is right for you

Marketing brings together so many different elements that it’s hard to know where to begin. This is where marketing automation services can help. These platforms automate marketing tasks so you can drive sales and build deeper customer relationships

To help you compare the different solutions, we’ve picked out the best digital marketing automation tools available along with the features that set them apart

The information in this article was last updated on March 13, 2026

Marketing automation software	Best for	Free plan	Prices start at
Brevo	Growing businesses, SaaS, Ecommerce	Yes, for 2,000 contacts	$9/month
HubSpot	Mid-market companies, Enterprises	Yes, for 1,000 contacts	$15/month/1,000 contacts
Salesforce (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement)	Enterprises	No	$2,000/month/15,000 contacts
Adobe Marketo Engage	Enterprises	Trial only	Custom
Oracle Eloqua	Enterprises	No	$2,000/month/10,000 contacts
Keap	Small service-based businesses	Trial only	$299/month/1,500 contacts
Klaviyo	Ecommerce	Yes, for 250 contacts	$20/month/500 contacts
Act-on	Mid-market companies	No	$900/month/2,500 contacts
ActiveCampaign	SMBs	Trial only	$15/month/1,000 contacts
Omnisend	Ecommerce	Yes, for 250 contacts	$16/month/500 contacts
GetResponse	Small businesses, content creators	Yes, for 500 contacts	$19/month/1,000 contacts

All prices are based on monthly plans (cheapest plan available per number of contacts)

Marketing automation software helps businesses to streamline marketing processes, create automated workflows, and avoid repetitive tasks in digital marketing

It’s no secret that marketing automation software is a game-changer for many companies. That’s why 76% of businesses report they use business automation tools

Here is a brief overview of the use cases where marketing automation systems drive the most significant benefits for marketing teams

Marketing automation helps you capture key information, such as contact details or purchase history. This allows you to send targeted marketing campaigns

It’s impossible to create highly personalized customer journeys without using automation. You can’t know each customer by name or remember which products they prefer—but having a marketing automation platform makes it easier

Automatically store key lead data for future campaigns. Users usually provide this data or chat widgets. Marketing automation software then records the data and sends it to a customer relationship management system (CRM)

Note: you may be wondering whether a marketing automation tool is the same as a CRM. The answer is no. They have different functions but can be integrated to move leads along the purchase funnel

Read more about combining your CRM and automation tool

Marketing automation helps you send perfectly timed messages across important touch points. That’s because most touch points for retention and customer support can be automated. The consolidated customer data then helps you manage the customer lifecycle efficiently

Here are a few examples of automated relationship management:

• Attract potential customers with targeted, personalized campaigns
• Send a welcome email to start a lead nurturing process with each new lead
• Trigger a special offer email when the customer reaches VIP status, or send a birthday email
• Re-engage idle customers
• Send abandoned cart sequences to recover lost sales
• Ask for feedback after an order
• Reconnect with old customers to offer maintenance services for products they bought before

Discover more marketing automation workflow examples here to boost your customer engagement

Email automation is a way to scale for large and small businesses alike. It lets you reach each customer with the right message at the right time for maximum impact without actually doing anything manually

Your marketing automation software will keep track of user behavior and trigger emails with relevant content or offers. That’s also known as drip marketing. One of the best uses of it is for abandoned cart emails

Looking for a dedicated email automation software? Read more here

To compete in 2026, an automated marketing platform needs to do more than just send scheduled emails. Here are some core features to look for:

• Visual workflow builders:A drag-and-drop interface that lets you map out the entire customer journey visually.
• Multichannel automation: The ability to trigger not just emails, but SMS, WhatsApp messages, and web push notifications from a single flow.
• Behavioral triggers: Automations that respond to real-time user actions, such as visiting a specific product page or clicking a link.
• Advanced segmentation: Dynamically organizing your contacts based on their engagement level, purchase history, or demographic data.
• Native CRM & lead scoring: A built-in way to manage contact data and automatically score leads based on how likely they are to convert.
• Reporting & analytics: Detailed dashboards that track revenue attribution, open rates, and conversion metrics to show your ROI.

Quick tip

Want to know how other companies use Brevo to build strong customer relationships? We’ve put together a wide range of case studies for you that show how it’s done. In one of them, Trusted Shops reveals how they reactivated 21% of unengaged contacts with Brevo’s marketing automation platform

This article covers the best marketing automation softwares, including our own platform, Brevo. We strive to be objective. Our suggestions are based on our own research and experience. We do not earn commissions from any links in this article. To learn exactly how we evaluate tools, check out our dedicated methodology article

Please note that the features listed here are just a selection of what each software offers. For exact pricing and a full, up-to-date feature list, check the providers’ websites

If you need broader engagement features beyond automation, see our guide to the best customer engagement platform options

Now, let’s take a look at the top marketing automation tools on the market and what they can do for your business

Brevo is an AI-powered all-in-one platform that combines email marketing, SMS marketing software, WhatsApp marketing, and a full Sales CRM. It is specifically designed for growing businesses and supports every stage of the customer journey, from lead qualification to nurturing and post-sale support. Track visitor behavior on your site and create automated workflows for engagement, contact management, and task optimization.

Brevo lets you set up scenarios and marketing workflows to handle most customer interactions automatically. You choose what happens after any customer action. The integrated contact database feeds personalization data and the automation can send emails, manage contacts, trigger notifications, and more on your behalf

• User-friendly visual automation builder with branches (if/then rules)
• Complex multichannel automation workflows (SMS, WhatsApp, live chat and more)
• Ready-to-use email templates
• Lead capture & lead scoring
• Email personalization & dynamic content
• Audience segmentation & ready segments to save you time

Segments ready to use in your email marketing campaigns to save you time

• The free plan has a daily sending limit of 300 emails
• Some advanced features, like the landing page builder, are only available on higher tiers

• Free plan: 300 emails/day to up to 2,000 contacts
• Paid plan: Starts at $9/month (for 5,000 emails) for the Starter plan. Unlimited marketing automation starts at $18/month.

Growing businesses looking for an affordable, all-in-one multichannel solution

HubSpot is a famous all-in-one marketing automation platform streamlining key processes in sales, operations, and user engagement. 

Similar to others on this list, HubSpot offers no-code tools for building automation workflows. Pre-defined triggers, conditions, and actions are ready to use and you can also build custom automations

• Unrivaled CRM integration for sales-marketing alignment
• High-end features like predictive lead scoring and SEO tools
• Extensive library of integrations with other apps

• Can become extremely expensive as your contact list grows
• Some advanced features have a steep learning curve

• Free plan:Basic tools available (up to 1,000 contacts)
• Paid plan:HubSpotMarketing Hub starts at $15/month (1,000 marketing contacts); Professional plan (including omnichannel marketing automation features, dynamic personalization, and contact scoring) starts at $890/month for 2,000 marketing contacts

Mid-market to enterprise companies that need a centralized CRM and marketing powerhouse

Kyrie Sutton (Trustpilot):We switched from another CRM hoping for better automation and easier reporting. HubSpot CRM does deliver on basic automation and the workflow builder is fairly intuitive once you understand the logic. Still, there’s a learning curve that caught us off guard. […]

Stacie D. (Capterra):HubSpot has helped us to automate our campaigns, saves me time and effort. With it, I can track who is reached and I know how to contact them

For more information on HubSpot’s offer check out our detailed comparison of HubSpot and competitors

Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, formerly Pardot, is Salesforce’s marketing automation service. Primarily aimed at B2B marketers, it streamlines the sales process of complex organizations

Features include a landing page builder and smart forms for lead generation, as well as email marketing capabilities that let you segment subscribers and create automated, trigger-based campaigns

As with all Salesforce products, it can be connected to the rest of the ecosystem, with some limits of data usage between tools

• Native, seamless integration with Salesforce CRM
• Powerful lead grading and scoring systems
• Strong focus on B2B relationship management

• High entry price; no budget-friendly options for small teams
• The interface can be complex and requires Salesforce knowledge

• Free plan:None
• Paid plan: Starts at $2,000/month for up to 15,000 contacts

B2B companies heavily invested in the Salesforce ecosystem

Dave A (Capterra):I really appreciated how Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) allowed me to easily create and automate personalized marketing campaigns that significantly improved our customer engagement and conversion rates

Daniela G (Capterra): Not for new or small companies that can’t afford a learning curve of 4-6 months to launch and keep the Salesforce partner or dedicated in-house team to implementation and maintenance

For more information, check out other Salesforce alternatives

Adobe Marketo Engage is a complete toolkit for both B2B and B2C marketers. It’s a sophisticated marketing automation solution for mid-sized businesses and enterprises. 

• Top-tier lead scoring and nurturing for long B2B sales cycles
• Deep integration with the Adobe ecosystem and Salesforce
• Highly customizable for unique enterprise needs

• Requires significant technical expertise to manage
• Pricing is not transparent and is generally very high

• Free plan: Limited free trial
• Paid plan: Contact sales for custom enterprise pricing

Large B2B enterprises with dedicated marketing operations teams

Rares R. (Capterra): Powerful marketing automation tool with a wide range of capabilities

Manish B. (G2): Great master templates and linked pages, but the editor feels dated and unintuitive

Read more: B2C marketing automation vs. B2B marketing automation

Oracle Eloqua Marketing Automation is a B2B marketing automation solution for mid-sized and enterprise-level companies

Oracle Eloqua helps B2B marketers create and manage cross-channel B2B marketing campaigns and nurture leads across each stage of the customer journey. Advanced tools for campaign design, lead scoring, and inbound marketing analytics make automation workflows of any complexity possible

• Extremely powerful segmentation and targeting capabilities
• Advanced lead scoring that can handle multiple products and business units
• Detailed reporting and attribution for high-volume B2B data
• High level of security and compliance for enterprise organizations

• One of the most complex platforms to set up and maintain
• Requires specialized training or a dedicated administrator
• High price point makes it inaccessible for small or mid-sized businesses

• Free plan: None
• Paid plan: Starts at $2,000/month for the basic tier (10,000 contacts)

Large-scale B2B enterprises requiring sophisticated lead management across global teams

Ankit S. (G2): Perfect marketing automation tool for Enterprise level companies

Sandy T. (G2): Easy to onboard, needs UI update. is only available on request. However, you should be warned it starts at $2,000 a month for 10,000 contacts

If you’re outgrowing automation alone, see what is a customer engagement platform to understand what comes next

Keap is an all-in-one CRM and marketing automation platform built specifically for small service-based businesses like consultants and agencies

Keap’s Advanced Automations builder allows for creating advanced nurture sequences, multi-step workflow automations, personalization response triggers, and more. You can also capture lead information like user behavior or preferences and then set up highly personalized automated workflows. 

• Combines CRM, automation, invoicing, and appointments
• “Easy Automations” feature for non-technical users
• Strong emphasis on lead capture and follow-up

• Very expensive compared to standalone automation tools
• May be too much software if you only need email automation
• Very low Trustpilot score (1.2)

• Free plan: 14-day trial
• Paid plan: Starts at $299/month (1,500 contacts)

Small service-based businesses that need a CRM/invoicing/scheduling hybrid

Mikhela C. (G2): Useful automation, but could be pricey for small businesses

Christian E. (G2): Good CRM starter, but customization and onboarding are challenging

Related: Discover the top Keap alternatives for small businesses

Klaviyo is a tool created for ecommerce brands that want to up engagement levels and enhance the customer experience. It predominantly combines email and SMS marketing software in an effort to build loyal relationships. It could work as a marketing automation platform

The service integrates with major ecommerce apps as well as Meta ads. There are also prebuilt signup forms to help you grow your email lists and collect customer information for personalization

• Superior data integration with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Magento
• Advanced ROI reporting tied directly to store sales
• Pre-built workflows for common ecommerce automations

• Pricing scales rapidly with contact count
• Focus is almost exclusively on ecommerce; less versatile for B2B

• Free plan: Up to 500 emails/month & 250 contacts
• Paid plan: Starts at $20/month for 500 contacts

Ecommerce brands that want to maximize revenue through data-driven personalized messaging

Daniel Wysocki (Trustpilot): Decent email service, has everything you need to set up campaigns. AI feature is buggy

Santiago F. (G2): User-friendly and effective for ecommerce automation

To help you decide whether Klaviyo is right for your business, check out our comparison ofKlaviyo alternatives

Act-On is a marketing automation provider that helps businesses attract new leads and turn them into customers. The service offers a range of features for automating each step of the marketing process and provides detailed analytics

Key features include pre-made web and landing pages set up for conversions and forms for organizing and tracking leads, while automated lead scoring helps you identify the most qualified leads and tailor your messaging

• Strong behavioral tracking and lead scoring features
• Includes built-in tools for SMS, social media, and landing pages
• Seamless integration with popular CRMs like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics

• User interface can feel less modern than newer competitors
• Pricing can be high for companies that don’t need the full suite of tools
• Some features require paid add-ons (SMS automation, transactional email)

• Free plan: None
• Paid plan: Starts at $900/month for up to 2,500 contacts

Mid-market B2B companies that want enterprise-level power with a more intuitive user experience

Devyanish K. (G2): A powerful marketing automation tool with room for UX improvements

Noah S. (G2): Powerful segmentation with a couple quirks

ActiveCampaign is a marketing automation software for small-to-mid-sized businesses, combining tools for email marketing, marketing and sales automation, and CRM. With ActiveCampaign’s drag-and-drop builder and customizable templates, you can create basic and custom automation workflows in minutes

The software also offers an exclusive feature, Automation Map. This is a tool that lets marketers see how their automations connect to each other. With it, you can easily trace all your workflows, update existing automations, and create new ones

• Highly sophisticated automation logic and “if/then” branching
• Built-in CRM with automated deal updates
• Excellent deliverability and reporting

• No free plan (only a 14-day trial)
• The interface can feel cluttered for beginners

• Free plan:14-day free trial
• Paid plan:Starts at $15/month for 1,000 contacts

Marketers who need advanced, complex automation workflows and sales tracking

John Noonan (Trustpilot): The automation and work flow function, though a little clunky, is basically great. I use it not only for Outbound and Inbound (separate workflows) but also Employee onboarding. Not much marketing is done through the application, but these automations save me a lot of time

Jodie C. (G2): Great for automations and staying organised.est plan, you get access to basic marketing automation features, segmentation, lead capture forms, and customer analytics. There’s no free plan, but you can try it for free for 14 days

For more details of ActiveCampaign’s features and pricing, take a look at our comparison ofActiveCampaign alternatives

Omnisend combines powerful email marketing capabilities with SMS and other marketing channels. The key is in the name — it specializes in creating a slick digital marketing strategy that spans multiple channels all from one central dashboard. 

Another aspect that sets the service apart from other marketing automation solutions is that features are specifically tailored towards ecommerce brands

You can integrate several different channels into your workflow, create branded emails from premade templates, and tap into automation tools that let you run campaigns on autopilot

• Excellent multichannel integration (email, SMS, web push)
• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor for both emails and forms
• Generous free plan

• Limited functionality for non-retail businesses
• Limited features (e.g., no built-in CRM or WhatsApp marketing) 

• Free plan: 500 emails/month
• Paid plan:Starts at $16/month for up to 500 contacts

Ecommerce stores looking for an easy-to-use multichannel automation tool

Daniel Davoodian (Trustpilot): Omnisend provides a very reliable platform. While there is still room for improvement, they genuinely offer one of the best marketing tools for e commerce stores. […]

Alexandar I. (G2): Simple yet powerful marketing automation for small ecommerce brands

GetResponse is a versatile tool that has evolved from email marketing into a full inbound solution, including unique features like built-in webinar hosting and automated conversion funnels

• Ready-made, automated sales funnel creator
• Native webinar software 
• Affordable entry point for small businesses

• Only one custom automation workflow included in the basic tier
• Rather steep learning curve, particularly for advanced automations 

• Free plan: 2,500 emails/month & 500 contacts
• Paid plan:Starts at $19/month for 1,000 contacts

Small businesses and content creators who use webinars as a primary lead source

Donna Antoine (Trustpilot): No need to feel overwhelmed trying to figure out where everything is. The dashboard is clean, and the tools are easy to navigate. […]

Frozi B. (Trustpilot): Good service, fast replies, and solution-oriented support. Friendly, though sometimes slightly behind the market. Individual designs and mobile responsiveness can occasionally be challenging to optimize

Further reading: Enterprise Marketing Automation Software: Tips & Tools

Ready to reap the benefits of marketing automation? Here are a few factors to take into account when choosing your marketing automation platform:

• Your particular business needs: what features are essential for your team (e.g. CRM integrations, social media marketing)?
• Your budget: what kind of plans does the marketing automation software offer and how much do they cost?
• Your team’s tech savviness: what is the marketing automation tool’s ease of use?
• The size of your contact list: how many contacts or email subscribers do you have?
• The channels you want to automate: do you just use an email marketing tool, or do you also need multichannel features (e.g. SMS, WhatsApp)?

Learn more in our free marketing automation ebook

In the end, choosing the right tool comes down to your business model and your budget. In short:

• Best marketing automation software for small businesses:Keap, GetResponse
• Best free marketing automation tools:Brevo, HubSpot, GetResponse
• Best tools combining CRM & marketing automation:Brevo, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign
• Best for ecommerce:Klaviyo, Omnisend 
• Best enterprise marketing automation tools: Salesforce, Marketo, Eloqua, Act-on

Before committing to a paid plan, take advantage of free trials to test the visual automation builder. You want a tool that feels intuitive to your team’s workflow

Ready to start automating?Sign up for Brevo for free and build your first workflow in minutes

Source: www.brevo.com