Which Marketing Automation Platform is Right for You - HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, or Zoho?

Marketing automation tools help tackle the countless moving parts that come with campaigns, customer data, and engagement strategies. They streamline workflows, deliver insights, and ensure your brand stays top of mind. But with so many platforms offering their own blend of features and quirks, figuring out which one suits your needs can be a bit tricky.

Four popular names that come up often are HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho. Each promises to simplify your life with its unique features and strengths, but which one best aligns with your business needs?

In this article, we’ll explore:

• How these platforms stack up in terms of features.
• Which one offers top-notch customer support and is easiest to navigate.
• What their pricing looks like so you can make the smartest investment.

Let's dive into this comparison and help you find the perfect fit!

Four Popular Marketing Automation Platforms

Marketing automation platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho each have their own distinctive origins and have carved out their place among marketers. From HubSpot’s intuitive all-in-one marketing tools to Salesforce’s enterprise-grade features, each platform has something special to offer.

HubSpot

HubSpot emerged in 2006 with a strong focus on inbound marketing, building its reputation on creating customer-centric content strategies. Today, it's widely known for its intuitive design and comprehensive suite of marketing and sales tools. HubSpot is best suited for small and medium-sized businesses that are ready to scale up, especially those prioritising customer engagement and seamless marketing automation.

Salesforce

Salesforce has been a leader in customer relationship management since 1999. Its Marketing Cloud and Pardot platforms deliver powerful analytics and personalisation tools that help large enterprises tackle sophisticated marketing campaigns. Salesforce is ideal for companies with dedicated IT or marketing teams who need robust data-driven marketing features and integrations to handle their customer journeys.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp launched in 2001 as an email marketing tool and has evolved into a friendly marketing platform known for its simplicity and ease of use. It’s the go-to solution for small businesses just starting out with automation, providing a low-cost entry point. Mailchimp works best for businesses looking for essential marketing features without the complexity of enterprise-grade tools.

Zoho

Zoho has been around since 1996 and has developed a solid reputation for its wide range of business software. The marketing automation platform integrates seamlessly with Zoho's other products, offering flexibility for smaller businesses on a budget. It's great for companies already using Zoho’s suite or those looking for comprehensive yet affordable marketing features without sacrificing quality.

Comparing Marketing Automation Features?

Each platform has strengths and areas where it excels, and a clear comparison makes it easier to decide which one aligns with your goals. This table provides a quick view of 40 marketing automation features across HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho. We’ve graded each platform’s performance on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 meaning the feature is not supported and 5 meaning the feature is excellent. This will help you gauge which platform performs best across the various features that are most important to your marketing automation strategy.

You can view our full marketing automation feature analysis here if you’d like a more comprehensive overview of each platform’s capabilities.

Campaign Management Features

Content Management & Personalisation Features

Lead Management & Nurturing Features

Sales Alignment Features

Tracking & Analytics Features

Other Features

Marketing Automation Platform Usability

Finding marketing automation software that fits seamlessly into your team's workflow is a must. You want tools that get the job done without requiring a tech expert at every turn. Let’s break down how each platform handles usability, from setup to daily operation, so you can find the right mix of features and simplicity.

HubSpot Usability

HubSpot shines with its streamlined layout and intuitive tabs that make navigating between marketing tools a breeze. Whether you’re setting up a campaign or handling customer data, their onboarding resources, including the HubSpot Academy, are a huge help. The user-friendly interface means you’ll be up and running with your marketing tasks in no time.

Salesforce Usability

Salesforce is a heavyweight when it comes to features, but that power comes with a learning curve. You’ll likely need a developer or consultant to fully unlock its potential. Fortunately, Trailhead offers gamified training that helps users learn the ropes of the platform’s advanced customisation. Though not as sleek as HubSpot, Salesforce is worth mastering if you need its powerful features.

Mailchimp Usability

Mailchimp’s minimalistic design makes it easy for newcomers to start automating email campaigns without much trouble. The straightforward dashboard provides simple tools for email, audience segmentation, and campaign building. Though it's more lightweight than the other platforms, it's a top choice for beginners and small teams looking for fuss-free automation.

Zoho Usability

Zoho keeps its interface simple, but that can sometimes make navigation tricky. With many tabs and drop-down menus, it’s not always clear where to go for each feature. However, Zoho excels in project management with Kanban-style task views and integrates well with other Zoho tools. It’s a solid choice for small businesses needing a cost-effective solution.

Customer Support in Marketing Automation Platforms

It's nice to know you can reach out to a real person or find helpful resources when things go sideways or when you need quick solutions. Let’s see how HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho deliver on support:

HubSpot Customer Support

HubSpot offers multiple layers of customer support. All plans include access to its knowledge base, developer resources, and the HubSpot Academy for training and tutorials. Email and chat support are available for paid plans, while Professional and Enterprise customers also receive 24/7 phone support. Their active online community is highly rated and helpful, allowing you to find quick answers and support from peers.

Salesforce Customer Support

Salesforce provides customer support via its Trailhead training platform, which is a helpful resource for onboarding and troubleshooting. Users can reach out to a dedicated support agent via a ticket system. Although it might not be as straightforward as HubSpot's model, third-party platform consultants can be called upon for specialised support. Businesses needing customised assistance often make use of outsourced resources or hire an internal team to manage their Salesforce administration and development.

Mailchimp Customer Support

Mailchimp provides an AI chatbot for quick queries and email support for the first 30 days on the free tier. Paid subscribers get email and 24/7 chat support, and weekday phone support is also available for higher tiers. Mailchimp’s comprehensive guides and tutorials are useful for beginners, and their knowledge base provides troubleshooting tips.

Zoho Customer Support

Zoho includes email, live chat, and phone support at no extra charge for all paying customers. Its knowledge base features eBooks, tutorials, and how-to videos for comprehensive onboarding, while an active online community helps answer questions if you get stuck. Zoho’s support is well-regarded, particularly for its dedicated assistance.

Platform Cost Comparison

Getting a clear view of pricing can help you decide which marketing automation platform best aligns with your budget and needs. Here's a quick cost breakdown for each of the four platforms:

HubSpot Marketing Hub Packages

Free Tier: Get your feet wet with basic marketing automation and CRM features for up to five users.

Starter: Starts at $15/user per month (annual billing) or $20/user per month (monthly billing). Includes 1,000 marketing contacts, with extra contacts costing more.

Professional: Priced at $800/month (annual billing) or $890/month (monthly billing) for up to 2,000 contacts, custom workflows, and advanced reports.

Enterprise: Starts at $3,600/month for up to five users, including 10,000 contacts. Additional users cost $75/month each, offering customisation with advanced features like custom objects and reporting.

Consider signing up for HubSpot's Sales Hub if you require advanced sales software features. The free tier offers basic features, and paid tiers start from $15/month per seat (annual billing) or $20/month per seat (monthly billing).

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Packages

Professional: Starts at $1,250/month (annual billing) for core features like email marketing and automation. Multi-touchpoint campaigns are not included at this level.

Corporate: Starts at $4,200/month (annual billing) for comprehensive marketing automation tools, customer journeys, and analytics.

Enterprise: Pricing is available on request.

Salesforce's Sales Cloud (starting at $25/month per user) would also be required if you need additional sales features, and various add-ons and editions of Marketing Cloud are available for more advanced automation, personalisation, analytics and account-based marketing features.

Mailchimp Packages

Free Plan: Includes basic automation for up to 500 contacts.

Essentials: Starts at $13/month (monthly billing), with costs scaling for higher contact limits.

Standard: Begins at $20/month (monthly billing) with more automation tools.

Premium: Costs $350/month (monthly billing) and offers advanced automation for bigger businesses.

There are slight pricing differences across regions.

Zoho Marketing Plus Package

Marketing Plus: Starts at $25/month per user (annual billing) or $30/month per user (monthly billing). Additional users come at $10/month (annually) or $12/month (monthly) each, adding more contacts and visitor capacity.

Zoho has a wide range of apps to power various business functions. Each app has its own pricing plans, but bundles are also available. The Zoho CRM Plus Suite, for instance, consists of a number of popular apps, with pricing starting at $69/month per user (monthly billing) or $57/month per user (annual billing).

Final Words

After sizing up HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Zoho, it’s clear that each platform shines in its own way.

HubSpot delivers a smooth, intuitive experience for small to mid-sized businesses looking for an all-in-one marketing solution. Its well-organised tools make it easy to manage campaigns and scale up efficiently.

Salesforce offers customisation galore and impressive analytics, best suited for larger enterprises with the resources to handle its sophisticated tools. It’s a powerhouse for those needing advanced features and data insights.

Mailchimp excels at providing simple, budget-friendly automation for small teams who want to focus on email campaigns. While it’s not as feature-rich as the others, its approachable design makes it ideal for beginners.

Zoho integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Zoho suite, making it the go-to for businesses already invested in the ecosystem. Its affordability and flexibility appeal to small businesses seeking value and functionality.

Choosing the right platform is all about knowing what suits your business best. Whether you’re growing, building, or just starting out, there’s a marketing automation platform that’ll match your goals.