Both HubSpot and Marketo are industry leaders that offer marketing automation. While they have similarities, including many similar features and a strong reputation, they also have some important differences you should keep in mind.

Comparing Marketo and HubSpot will put you on track to choosing the marketing automation software that best fits your needs.

Shared Functions 

As mentioned, Marketo and HubSpot have plenty of similar features. You can use either of them to handle marketing on social media, the web, and email. You can take advantage of email campaigns that include tools for things like A/B testing, lead nurturing, optimization, and event-based triggers. You can also use either platform for tracking and managing social media marketing. Both platforms also analyze and monitor web traffic.

Other specific shared tools and features include SEO tools, landing pages, list segmentation, dynamic content, marketing calendars, automation templates, drip campaigns, event marketing and webinars, sales dashboards, and mobile applications.

Some Functional Differences

Some of the features you can enjoy with HubSpot but not Marketo include transaction emails, a built-in CRM, and blog management features. On the other hand, Marketo offers financial management, which HubSpot does not.

The Focus of Each

While there is significant overlap between Marketo and HubSpot, each of them has traditionally been associated with a different goal. Most people tend to think of HubSpot with inbound marketing and Marketo with lead nurturing. Of course, either automation software can serve either of these purposes.

Integrated CRM

As mentioned, HubSpot has a built-in CRM, but Marketo does not. This requires a more in-depth look. By having a built-in CRM, HubSpot makes it easy to connect your marketing automation and CRM, as you will frequently use the two products together. Marketo doesn't have this integration with a built-in CRM, but it does integrate with Salesforce and do so to an excellent degree. There are also native integrations for SAP and Microsoft Dynamics as well as certified integrations for a range of other CRMs.

This means that HubSpot eliminates the need to find and integrate with another CRM. That is particularly helpful if you don't have a CRM yet. If you already have one, however, it can be more complicated. If you do already have a CRM and it is one of the most popular ones, you should be able to easily integrate it with Marketo without having to start from scratch.

Analytics

Whether you use HubSpot or Marketo, you should have more than enough analytics to help with your marketing automation. You can even see reports on revenue fluctuations and marketing efforts with either.

The difference is that HubSpot is integrated with its CRM in a closed loop. This provides incredibly easy access to the data needed for analysis. Marketo, on the other hand, stands out with features like predictive analysis and modeling.

Content Creation

As you look at the features of each software, you will notice that HubSpot provides features for producing content, but Marketo doesn't. Specifically, HubSpot lets you manage blogs and create dynamic content. You cannot do either of these things with Marketo.

Pricing

HubSpot and Marketo have slightly different pricing structures, but both offer multiple tiers. This helps either automation software appeal to a range of business sizes. Generally speaking, HubSpot will be more affordable than Marketo. However, the price gap does narrow as you move up to the enterprise version.       

This pricing means that while HubSpot can appeal to businesses of any size, Marketo will appeal more to companies that are at least medium in size.

Modules

One unique thing to consider in terms of the pricing models is that Marketo lets you choose which modules you need. This lets you only pay for the modules and, therefore, features you need. HubSpot does not have a similar option, although both offer pricing tiers. This means that if you only need one or two Marketo modules, it may be more cost-effective than HubSpot.

The range of modules on Marketo is both an advantage and a disadvantage. As mentioned, it lets you potentially save money by only paying for the modules you need. However, if you want all the modules, it means you will likely pay more than you would for HubSpot.

Ease of Use

In addition to the differences in pricing, the contrasts in ease of use also mean that HubSpot appeals better to smaller businesses. HubSpot is known for being very intuitive to use. It has high user ratings, including for satisfaction.

By contrast, Marketo knows that its target market is enterprises or at least medium businesses. As such, it expects that its clients will have at least some IT knowledge. That means that it is best for companies that have someone with experience in marketing automation.

Which to Choose?

Every business is different, and the choice of Marketo vs. HubSpot will depend on your needs. Generally, HubSpot is better for smaller businesses, while medium and larger businesses will be happy with either. Marketo stands out with its five separate modules that you can combine as you choose, while HubSpot stands out with its all-in-one nature, including its CRM integration.

To select which program to use, you will want to take a closer look at which features you plan to use and your budget. You may also want to consult an expert to help you decide based on your unique needs.

About Shai Masot

Specialist in Digital Solutions & Marketing Operations, M.A in Political & Digital Marketing, former Senior Political Officer at the Israeli Embassy in London, currently lives in Tel Aviv.