Top 20 Best Marketing Automation Tools to Use in 2025

Have you ever received an email sequence from a brand after downloading one of their e-books? Then, you probably interacted with one of its marketing automation tools without even knowing.

But what is marketing automation? And how can you choose the best tool for your business?

If you’re wondering how to start with marketing automation or improve your current setup, this article is for you. We’ve included an overview of the automation process and a breakdown of the 20 best marketing tools worth trying this year.

What is marketing automation?

Marketing automation is the use of software and technologies to streamline and measure marketing tasks and workflows. It allows you to increase operational efficiency and grow revenue faster by reducing the time and effort required for repetitive tasks.

You can automate key tasks such as email cycles, social media posts, customer relationship management (CRM) updates, SMS marketing cycles, and contact management. This allows you to deliver personalized and timely messages to your audience, enhancing customer engagement and improving conversion rates.

In the image below, we’ve illustrated a simple marketing automation flow to help you get an idea of the process:

A smart choice in marketing automation can improve productivity and results. Here are the key factors to consider.

• Ease of use: Look for tools with an intuitive interface and a straightforward setup process to reduce the learning curve.
• Integration: Ensure that the tool is compatible with your existing suite of solutions to achieve seamless integration.
• Features: Evaluate the range of automation capabilities, including email marketing, social media management, and CRM integration.
• Pricing: Consider the cost-effectiveness and available pricing plans to ensure that they fit within your budget.
• Support: Check the availability and quality of customer support services, including schedules and channels.
• Trial or demo: Request a personalized demo to understand how the tool fits your specific needs and ask any relevant questions.

Choosing the right solution for your business also means familiarizing yourself with what’s on offer. Here are the top 20 marketing automation tools on the market right now.

1. HubSpot: All-in-one marketing platform

Image source: hubspot.com

With HubSpot, you can manage your entire customer journey from one dashboard. The tool gives you a unified experience powered by a shared CRM.

You can track leads, automate emails, manage deals, and support customers, all without leaving the platform. It’s designed to make customer communication feel natural, connected, and easy to manage at every stage.

• Features: Comprehensive email marketing, social media management, lead nurturing, CRM integration, and detailed analytics
• Best for: Small to medium businesses (SMBs) looking for an integrated marketing, sales, and service platform
• Pricing: Ranging from free with basic features to tiered packages starting at €9/user/month (billed annually) or €15/user/month (billed monthly), scaling up based on functionalities and number of users
• Unique selling point: An intuitive and user-friendly interface combined with robust CRM capabilities, ideal for integrating marketing and sales efforts

Reviews

• G2 (4.4 / 5): Valued for its customizable dashboards
• Gartner (4.4 / 5): Criticized for key features like A/B testing being limited to higher-tier plans

2. Marketo: Lead-driven marketing automation tool

Image source: kapturall.com

Marketo is a full-featured marketing automation platform that helps you attract leads, nurture them over time, and guide them through a personalized customer journey.

With Marketo, you don’t have to follow up with every lead manually. Instead, you can build custom workflows that automatically react to user behavior, like sending a follow-up email when someone clicks a product link or offering a discount after a cart is abandoned.

• Features: Email marketing automation, lead management, consumer marketing, customer base marketing, and mobile marketing
• Best for: Enterprise-level businesses seeking robust and scalable marketing automation solutions
• Pricing: Available upon request, with four tiers (Growth, Select, Prime, Ultimate) that scale depending on functionality and number of users
• Unique selling point: Advanced lead management and analytics capabilities, providing deep insights and precise targeting for complex marketing campaigns

Reviews

• G2 (4.1 / 5): Praised for its strong lead management and personalized email automation
• Capterra (4.3 / 5): Considered expensive for small businesses or teams with limited budgets

3. Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement: Revenue-driven B2B marketing platform

Image source: g2.com

Salesforce rebranded Pardot as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, reflecting a shift toward greater alignment between marketing automation and customer data.

This B2B platform is designed to help you craft lead-nurturing programs that adjust in real time to prospects’ engagement with campaigns.

• Features: Lead scoring and grading, email marketing, return on investment reporting, CRM integration, and automated workflows
• Best for: B2B companies looking for seamless integration with Salesforce’s CRM
• Pricing: The marketing automation package starts at $1,250/month (billed annually)
• Unique selling point: Deep integration with Salesforce CRM, making it ideal for businesses already using Salesforce for their CRM

Reviews

• G2 (4 / 5): Appreciated for its customizable lead-nurturing features
• Capterra (4.1 / 5): Described as having a complex interface that can mislead users into unintended sections

4. Mailchimp: Multi-channel marketing tool

Image source: Mailchimp dashboard

Mailchimp is a marketing automation platform built for SMBs.

It removes the burden of having to coordinate several tools and platforms, which can often lead to delays and confusion. Instead, it provides a structured interface where you can create, monitor, and adjust your marketing plans.

• Features: Email marketing automation, landing pages, social media ads, customer journey builder, and detailed analytics
• Best for: SMBs and startups seeking an affordable and user-friendly marketing automation tool
• Pricing: Free with basic features or tiered subscriptions starting at €11.48/month for 500 contacts; a pay-as-you-go plan is also available with various credit packages
• Unique selling point: A platform with a generous free plan, making it accessible for businesses with limited budgets

Reviews

• Capterra (4.5 / 5): Valued for automation tools that simplify tasks (e.g., abandoned cart emails, product recommendations)
• G2 (4.4 / 5): Reported issues with social integrations, like Instagram content blocks not functioning properly

5. ActiveCampaign: Customer experience marketing automation tool

Image source: help.activecampaign.com

ActiveCampaign is a marketing automation tool that connects your emails, SMS, and CRM workflows into a single system. It helps you go beyond broad campaigns and build detailed, behavior-driven journeys.

You can follow your contacts across email, your website, and your sales pipeline and trigger personalized responses at every step. Its automation builder gives you control over the full journey, from the first touchpoint to conversion and follow-up.

• Features: Email marketing, marketing automation, CRM integration, sales automation, and advanced reporting
• Best for: SMBs looking for a powerful blend of email marketing, automation, and CRM capabilities
• Pricing: Tiered plans start at $15/month
• Unique selling point: Combines robust marketing automation with CRM and sales automation, providing an all-in-one solution for managing customer relationships

Reviews

• Gartner (4.5 / 5): Praised for its integrations with tools like Zapier, Google Sheets, and Calendly
• G2 (4.5 / 5): Some users struggle to unlock the platform’s full potential without dedicated onboarding or expert-level support

6. Zoho Marketing Automation: Integrated marketing suite

Image source: zoho.com

Zoho Marketing Automation gives structure to long-term marketing plans, connecting email, web, and social touchpoints through automated journeys.

You can create, schedule, and monitor emails, manage your social media output, and observe how users interact with your website content. The platform’s lead scoring and segmentation capabilities allow you to personalize content based on interests or actions.

• Features: Email marketing, social media management, lead nurturing and scoring, web analytics, and marketing automation workflows
• Best for: SMBs seeking an integrated marketing solution that works seamlessly with other Zoho products
• Pricing: Tiered plans (Standard, Professional, Enterprise) starting at €14/month for 10 users (billed annually)
• Unique selling point: Integration with the Zoho suite of business applications, allowing for a comprehensive and cohesive approach to marketing, sales, and CRM

Reviews

• Gartner (4.4 / 5): Recognized for simplifying lead nurturing and campaign workflows
• G2 (4.2 / 5): Criticized for its limited third-party integrations

7. Ortto: Customer lifecycle marketing automation tool

Image source: Ortto dashboard

Ortto is included in this list for its comprehensive approach to customer engagement.

It provides specialized features for every stage of the customer journey, from initial lead nurturing to retention and advocacy.

• Features: Visual customer journey mapping, email marketing, SMS marketing, CRM integration, and analytics
• Best for: Businesses seeking an intuitive, visual approach to automating customer journeys and marketing campaigns
• Pricing: Free trial available, tiered plans (Professional, Business, Enterprise) start at $509/month (billed annually)
• Unique selling point: A highly visual and intuitive drag-and-drop interface for creating and managing automated customer journeys, simplifying complex workflows

Reviews

• Gartner (4.6 / 5): Appreciated for its contact tracking, behavioral triggers, and integration with tools like Salesforce
• G2 (4.4 / 5): Some users mention glitches in data visualization and KPI tracking

8. GetResponse: Customer journey marketing automation tool

Image source: getapp.co.uk

GetResponse is an all-in-one online marketing platform that offers various tools for email marketing, landing pages, webinars, and marketing automation.

Instead of treating each customer interaction as a one-off, the platform lets you create dynamic sequences that respond to what your audience actually does, like signing up for an offer or browsing your latest landing page.

• Features: Email marketing, landing page builder, webinar hosting, marketing automation, and CRM integration
• Best for: SMBs and entrepreneurs looking for a comprehensive suite of marketing tools in one platform
• Pricing: Plans start at €13.12/month (billed annually)
• Unique selling point: Combines mail marketing with webinar hosting and landing page creation, making it a versatile tool for diverse marketing strategies

Reviews

• GetApp (4.2 / 5): Appreciated for providing AI assistance for page creation
• G2 (4.3 / 5): It’s noted that automation features may incur extra costs, with users wishing for more inclusion at the base price

9. Textmagic: Automated SMS marketing tool

Textmagic combines reliable SMS delivery with key automation features that help you save time and maintain customer engagement.

You can schedule campaigns and autoresponders and leverage template-based personalization to build timely and relevant communication flows. Though it focuses primarily on SMS, Textmagic can support ongoing campaigns, routine reminders, and customer follow-ups.

• Features: Bulk SMS campaigns, text message automation, contact management, SMS templates, mobile number validation, reporting, Zapier integrations, SMS API access
• Best for: Businesses that rely on direct customer communication, such as service providers, retail, and appointment-based companies
• Pricing: Pay-as-you-go model based on message volume and destination country; check out our pricing page to calculate costs based on location and usage
• Unique selling point: Combines simplicity and power by offering fast setup, flexible automation, and global SMS coverage all in one intuitive platform

Reviews

• Capterra (4.6 / 5): Liked for the pay-as-you-go pricing model that suits small businesses
• G2 (4.3 / 5): Some users noted that customization options could be improved

10. Service Provider Pro: Client management & automation tool

Image source: softwareadvice.com

Service Provider Pro is a marketing automation tool that helps agencies sell, bill, and onboard clients through a single platform designed for productized services.

The tool focuses on packaging agency offerings into clear, fixed-price options and automating the payment and invoicing experience through branded checkout pages and invoices.

• Features: CRM, checkout feature, lead capture forms, project management, Mailchimp & ActiveCampaign integration, automation via Zapier, webhooks, and API
• Best for: Medium-sized agencies outgrowing messy spreadsheets with a need for robust automation
• Pricing: The Basic plan is $99/month (billed annually) with five seats included; larger agencies can get the Pro or Plus plan
• Unique selling point: Form builder to capture leads and payments with a built-in CRM to unify all data in one place

Reviews

• Capterra (4.9 / 5): Highlighted for offering an all-in-one solution that integrates client management, billing, and project tracking
• G2 (4.4 / 5): Some users find the billing process to be occasionally inconvenient

11. Klaviyo: Omnichannel marketing automation platform

Image source: softwareadvice.com

Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform designed to help e-commerce brands create personalized experiences across email and SMS.

You can easily test messages, segment users into different groups, and see which campaigns are bringing in revenue.

• Features: Email marketing, SMS marketing, advanced segmentation, dynamic data integrations, and detailed analytics
• Best for: E-commerce businesses looking to leverage customer data for highly personalized and targeted marketing campaigns
• Pricing: Free plan with basic features; paid plans start at $20/month
• Unique selling point: Powerful data-driven marketing automation and segmentation capabilities, enabling highly personalized customer interactions

Reviews

• Capterra (4.6 / 5): Noted for its valuable integrations, especially with platforms like Shopify
• G2 (4.6 / 5): Some users mention concerns regarding the high costs, especially as the number of subscribers increases

12. Drip: E-commerce CRM & marketing automation tool

Image source: drip.com

Drip is an e-commerce CRM and marketing automation platform designed to help you build meaningful relationships with your customers through personalized email and SMS campaigns.

You can create automated campaigns that adapt dynamically as customers engage with your site or products, helping you maintain meaningful engagement throughout their buying journey.

• Features: Email marketing, e-commerce CRM, customer segmentation, detailed analytics, and SMS marketing (only in the US)
• Best for: Online retailers aiming to enhance customer engagement and increase sales through personalized marketing
• Pricing: Free trial available, then $39/month
• Unique selling point: Powerful CRM and marketing automation tools tailored specifically for e-commerce that help deliver personalized customer experiences to boost sales

Reviews

• Capterra (4.4 / 5): Appreciated for its integration with popular e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce
• G2 (4.4 / 5): Some users experienced bugs and occasional slow performance

13. Constant Contact: CRM & marketing automation for agencies

Image source: knowledgebase.constantcontact.com

Focusing on automated marketing and lead management, Constant Contact gives you the tools to personalize people’s experiences with your brand.

Instead of static campaigns, you can create dynamic flows that change depending on how someone engages with your emails, ads, or site. The platform tracks every interaction and feeds that data into your CRM, helping you respond with relevant content when it matters most.

• Features: Email marketing, CRM integration, social media management, landing page creation, and analytics
• Best for: SMBs and digital marketing agencies looking for an all-in-one marketing automation and CRM solution
• Pricing: Free trial available, then $12/month
• Unique selling point: Combines powerful marketing automation with an integrated CRM, offering a cost-effective solution

Reviews

• Capterra (4.3 / 5): Appreciated for its custom graphic creation capabilities
• G2 (4.1 / 5): Criticized for limited and basic reporting capabilities

14. Omnisend: Marketing automation for e-commerce stores

Image source: Omnisend dashboard

Omnisend is a marketing automation solution that simplifies customer communication through email, SMS, and web notifications.

It syncs your store’s data to help create workflows that match what your customers are doing — from viewing items to completing purchases. Its purpose-built design gives growing online shops a more connected way to market.

• Features: Email marketing, SMS marketing, automation workflows, segmentation, and omnichannel campaigns
• Best for: E-commerce businesses looking to engage customers through multiple channels and create cohesive, integrated marketing campaigns
• Pricing: Free plan with basic features; paid plans start at $11.20/month (billed quarterly)
• Unique selling point: Seamless integration of email and SMS marketing with other channels, providing a unified platform for creating omnichannel campaigns

Reviews

• Capterra (4.6 / 5): Noted for its valuable integrations, especially with platforms like Shopify
• G2 (4.6 / 5): Some users mention concerns regarding the high costs, especially as the number of subscribers increases

15. Brevo: Multi-channel marketing tool

Image source: developers.brevo.com

Brevo is a great fit if you mainly use email to connect with customers but want to add SMS and WhatsApp without the headache of juggling multiple tools.

Unlike many marketing tools that restrict your contact list or charge you more as it grows, Brevo’s free tier allows unlimited contacts, so you can scale up without worrying about budget surprises.

• Features: Email marketing, SMS marketing, marketing automation, CRM, and advanced analytics
• Best for: SMBs seeking an affordable, easy-to-use platform for multi-channel marketing
• Pricing: Free plan with basic features; paid plans start at $8.08/month (billed annually)
• Unique selling point: Combines ease of use with robust multi-channel marketing capabilities, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking to streamline their marketing efforts

Reviews

• Capterra (4.6 / 5): Appreciated for its integrations with platforms like Shopify and WordPress
• G2 (4.5 / 5): Some users mentioned that the management interface is unintuitive for large lists

16. Keap: Sales-focused CRM with marketing automation

Image source: keap.com

Offering more than just email automation, Keap blends CRM functions and marketing workflows in a single platform designed to streamline sales cycles.

It helps you maintain a detailed view of customer engagement, send targeted communications, and coordinate appointments, all within a consistent interface.

• Features: Email marketing, CRM integration, sales automation, appointment scheduling, and e-commerce capabilities
• Best for: Small businesses and solopreneurs looking for an all-in-one platform to manage customer relationships and automate marketing and sales
• Pricing: Tiered plans (Ignite, Grow, Scale) starting at $249/month for a minimum of two users (billed annually
• Unique selling point: Combines powerful CRM and marketing automation tools with e-commerce capabilities, providing a holistic solution for small businesses

Reviews

• Gartner (4.2 / 5): Appreciated for its automation capabilities for email sequences, tagging, and workflows
• G2 (4.6 / 5): Criticized for issues with the same contact receiving repeated emails, which caused frustration and support calls, sometimes leading to spam complaints

17. Ontraport: Lead generation & marketing funnel automation tool

Image source: Ontraport dashboard

Ontraport is a marketing automation and CRM platform designed for entrepreneurs and small teams that need more than just email tools.

It combines campaign automation, lead tracking, and e-commerce management in one system. You can build landing pages, segment your contacts, and even handle online sales.

• Features: Email marketing, CRM, landing page builder, e-commerce tools, workflow automation, and analytics
• Best for: Small businesses and entrepreneurs looking for an all-in-one platform to manage marketing and sales automation
• Pricing: Starts at $24/month (billed annually) for up to 1,000 contacts, with higher tiers based on features and contacts
• Unique selling point: Combines marketing automation with e-commerce and CRM features in an affordable, scalable platform suitable for growing businesses

Reviews

• Capterra (4.2 / 5): Valued for its automation tools that simplify tasks (e.g., abandoned cart emails, product recommendations)
• G2 (4.5 / 5): Reported issues with social integrations, like Instagram content blocks not functioning properly

18. Moosend: Marketing automation platform for SMBs

Image source: moosend.com

Moosend focuses on automation marketing that adjusts to your audience’s behavior.

You can build workflows that activate when a customer opens an email, clicks on one of your products, or browses your landing page.

• Features: Email marketing, marketing automation workflows, landing pages, subscription forms, e-commerce integrations, and detailed analytics
• Best for: SMBs and marketers who want a straightforward, cost-effective tool for email marketing and automation
• Pricing: Free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers; paid plans start at $7/month (billed annually) with additional features and higher subscriber limits
• Unique selling point: Powerful marketing automation capabilities combined with a generous free tier, making it accessible for growing teams focused on email and campaign automation

Reviews

• G2 (4.7 / 5): Valued for its solid email deliverability and clear performance metrics
• Capterra (4.6 / 5): Criticized for limited customization in email and landing page templates

19. MailerLite: Integrated marketing campaign management platform

Image source: MailerLite dashboard

MailerLite is designed for creators, marketers, and small teams that want to keep their outreach structured and consistent.

It allows you to build automated email journeys, manage your list, and experiment with landing pages — all within a single, well-organized dashboard.

• Features: Email marketing, automation workflows, landing pages, signup forms, A/B testing, eCommerce integrations, surveys, websites, and campaign reporting
• Best for: Freelancers and small businesses looking for an affordable platform to manage email campaigns and marketing automation
• Pricing: Free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails; paid plans start at $9/month (billed annually)
• Unique selling point: Combines a beginner-friendly interface with powerful automation tools, offering excellent value and a generous free plan that includes many core features for email marketing success

Reviews

• G2 (4.6 / 5): Praised for excellent user support, including personalized help and patient guidance for non-technical users
• Gartner (4.5 / 5): Reported difficulties in automating form-to-follow-up flows

20. EngageBay: Lead-to-revenue marketing platform

Image source: engagebay.com

EngageBay is a marketing automation and CRM tool created for small and growing teams that need more than just email automation.

It offers a full view of each customer relationship. Instead of switching tabs or exporting lists, you can follow up with your leads and customers as they move across your funnel.

• Features: Email marketing, CRM, landing pages, marketing automation, live chat, helpdesk, lead scoring, contact management, and web forms
• Best for: Small and growing businesses that want to unify sales, marketing, and customer support under one affordable platform
• Pricing: Free plan for up to 250 contacts; paid plans for the Marketing Hub start at $11.04 per user/month (billed biennially)
• Unique selling point: Combines CRM, marketing automation, and support tools in a single, budget-friendly platform, perfect for teams that want to eliminate multiple subscriptions and centralize operations

Reviews

• G2 (4.6 / 5): Appreciated for its responsive customer support that resolves issues very quickly
• Capterra (4.7 / 5): Some users mentioned that the onboarding emails can feel overwhelming in the early stages

Benefits and challenges of marketing automation

Implementing a marketing automation strategy is a process that involves a unique set of benefits and challenges. Have a look at the image below to see what they are:

To reap the benefits of this strategy and overcome its challenges, make sure to train your staff in advance on the marketing automation tools they will use.

Set clear goals for the implementation and start out with simple flows, adding complexity as you progress. In this way, you will see improvements across the board in no time. 

Level up your campaigns with automation

Choosing the right marketing automation tool for your business is the first step toward growth. By considering factors such as ease of use, integration, features, pricing, and customer support, you can easily find a solution tailored to your company’s needs.

Investing in the right platform will enhance customer engagement, reduce task repetitiveness, and boost revenue, which means your business will be covered in all key areas. Take advantage of the newest technologies and find your path to success with marketing automation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

CRM solutions and marketing automation tools have complementary but distinct roles in managing customer interactions.

A CRM is primarily focused on managing customer data, sales pipelines, and post-sale relationships, while marketing automation tools handle pre-sale activities, like lead generation, nurturing, and campaign execution.

Yes, Mailchimp is a marketing automation tool best known for its email marketing capabilities.

Mailchimp, with its easy email features, is ideal for small teams starting their automation journey.

Many SMBs use HubSpot for its all-in-one marketing, sales, and service tools and Textmagic for its intuitive SMS automation capabilities.

Large enterprises lean toward Marketo or Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement for their advanced lead and CRM management.

E-commerce businesses prefer Klaviyo or Drip because of their Shopify connection and strong customer targeting.

Yes, Microsoft offers marketing automation capabilities through its platform called Dynamics 365 Marketing.

No, Google Analytics is not a marketing automation tool but rather a web analytics platform. Its primary function is to collect, process, and report on website and user behavior data.

However, by supplying valuable behavioral data, Google Analytics can complement marketing automation tools.