7+ Best Marketing Automation Software Tools of 2023

While you have the best plans for your marketing efforts, the big pain is this: how do you execute them efficiently? The only answer is the automate it.

The thing is that there are dozens upon dozens of marketing automation software tools out there. So, which one will you choose?

Today, I will share the eight best marketing automation software programs you can get. These selections come from my experiences, and I based my choices on how these marketing automation tools can power small businesses and even big ones.

What is the Best Marketing Automation Software?

1. GetResponse

Best marketing automation software - GetResponse Homepage screenshot

Best marketing automation software overall; great for all kinds of businesses

Pricing: The marketing automation software is available in a free plan and three professional plans that start at $19 per month.

Unique Feature: Includes social media management tools where you can advertise on Facebook, Google, and other sites.

GetResponse is the best marketing automation software for all types of businesses. It has a complete suite of whatever kind of marketing service you need, except SMS.

GetResponse Creating a Website screenshot

Here are the things it can do:

  • Send newsletters
  • Automated sending of an email series
  • Landing pages
  • Webinars that are either free or paid
  • Send web push notifications

GetResponse is the automation software I suggest if you want to generate leads, sell information or digital products, and boost online sales.

It is best for people who are marketing products like digital courses, webinars, and physical products. It is also an ideal tool for marketing agencies that need a marketing automation platform for their clients.

You will also love that it has a live chat, not for you but for your customers. Most marketing automation tools rely on Facebook Messenger.

This one does not. You can integrate the tool with your website, and your customers can chat with you directly from your website.

GetResponse Features

GetResponse Creating an Email Form screenshot
  • Email Creatorcreate an email template design that matches your branding style. You can also start with templates and send your newsletters out immediately to your subscribers.
  • Autoresponder – design a marketing automation strategy; send the emails automatically based on your set conditions.
  • Sales Funnels – create funnels that start from landing pages and end in conversion. A lead funnel, webinar funnel, and many other funnels can help you achieve your goals.
  • Webinars – create a webinar and leave the hosting to GetResponse. You have the option to offer your webinar for free or charge for it.
  • Website Builder – if you are not satisfied with a landing page, you can build a complete website from this marketing automation software. You do not need to code, and you can also use pre-built templates.
  • List Management – you can segment your subscribers according to your categories. You can personalize the emails you send per group, making your email marketing more effective.
GetResponse Segmenting List screenshot

Pricing

GetResponse Pricing Page screenshot
  • Free – use the marketing automation software but with severe limitations.
  • Basic – you can now create landing pages and launch marketing campaigns with an autoresponder.
  • Plus – this plan opens up your access to creating webinars.
  • Professional – the marketing automation solution removes all limits, plus you get to add five team members.

Get your free account now on GetResponse and see how it works. You can always upgrade later to get the extra features!

2. MailChimp

Best for beginners who want a robust email marketing platform

MailChimp Homepage screenshot

Pricing: MailChimp offers a free plan and three paid plans.

Unique Feature: You can create not only a typical website or landing page but also eCommerce stores.

MailChimp is one of the best marketing automation tools because it is a pioneer and has a lot of features that help drive conversion.

MailChimp Analytics screenshot

Here are some of the things it can do:

  • Get your business online with its website builder
  • Manage repetitive tasks with its marketing automation system
  • Keep customer data and get specific info from the forms you make
  • Increase conversions; use their marketing library for tips and tricks
  • Send an email series automatically

MailChimp is a wonderful marketing automation tool because of the email marketing campaigns you can launch and because it provides support on how you should do it.

For example, MailChimp has a content studio where you sync your content, store them, and edit images to fit your marketing strategy or design.

One of MailChimp’s marketing automation features is the Creative Assistant. Here, you can create beautiful marketing designs that match our brand.

MailChimp Email Template Creation screenshot

There is also a subject line helper, which helps you create powerful ad copy subject lines. As a result, your recipients will not ignore your emails—they cannot resist opening your content.

For example, if you send your readers a list of the best alternatives to Camtasia, you will have a powerful subject line that will entice them to read it.

MailChimp Features

MailChimp Content Studio screenshot
  • Email Template – you can build and customize how you want your emails to look. Then, you can save this design as a default template.
  • Landing Pages and Websites – you can create not just landing pages but also complete websites. You also can build an eCommerce store from the automation software.
  • Digital Advertising – the marketing automation platform doe not limit you to email marketing. You can launch ads and use the sales system on Facebook and Instagram and do your social media management.
  • Free Sign Up Forms – there is no limit to the number of sign-up forms you can do. In addition, the tool has flexible marketing automation functionality where you can segment your subscribers.
  • Behavioural Marketing – you can fine-tune your customer journey campaigns by sending the right message to the right people. The system will help you do this because it can identify consumer behavior.

Pricing

MailChimp Pricing screenshot
  • Free – get started with what you need to have email marketing automation software. You will have access to CRM integration and website builder; you can create forms and landing pages.
  • Essentials – you can do custom branding and also do A/B testing from the marketing automation tool.
  • Standard – you can now optimize the best time to send your email marketing emails for the best results.
  • Premium – is best for big businesses that need multivariate testing and advanced segmentation.

Get your free MailChimp account and test its automation tools. The account is free for life, and you can upgrade anytime.

3. ActiveCampaign

Best for small businesses that operate eCommerce, B2B, or B2C types of enterprises.

ActiveCampaign Homepage screenshot

Pricing: There are four plans for this automation software, and the prices vary according to the number of contacts you have in your email marketing list.

Unique Feature: This leading marketing automation tool has AI that tells you your “win probability.”

ActiveCampaign is a unique platform as it helps you understand customer behavior. With this marketing automation software, you will have access to the most powerful marketing automation tool for personalized messages.

What I like about ActiveCampaign is that you can create custom emails per person. You do not have to send the same messages to all people, as is common with many tools that support inbound marketing.

ActiveCampaign Automation screenshot

Because of this, it will be easy for you to convince somebody to buy your offer. If you want to promote your affiliate links, you can do it person-by-person rather than send many emails with the same content.

Finally, it has what it calls “Win Probability.” The automation tools in this platform tell you which deals you should spend time on. The marketing automation software will tell you the odds of getting sales conversion from your campaigns.

ActiveCampaign Features

ActiveCampaign Campaign Creation screenshot
  • Email Marketing – build your email marketing efforts with newsletters. You can also automate your email and send them according to how the recipients behaved about your first emails in the past.
  • Automation – you can do welcome emails and track the engagement of people who receive your messages. You can also pull information from offline and online channels like social media.Top of Form
  • CRM and Sales Automation – conversion is the next step to getting leads from your marketing campaigns. This automation software program has sales and marketing automation where your sales team can automate repetitive tasks. Bottom of Form
  • Sales Engagement Automation – you or your sales team can use the marketing automation features where you can deliver a personalized campaign by sending individual emails based on your parameters.
ActiveCampaign Campaign Opt In Creation screenshot

Pricing

ActiveCampaign Pricing Page screenshot
  • Lite – get up to 125 email templates and use the subscription forms, drag-and-drop email builder, and segmentation features.
  • Plus – you can now integrate Facebook custom audiences, do automation mapping, and SMS marketing.
  • Professional – this plan gives you access to attribution reporting, split automations, and predictive sending.
  • Enterprise – get access to a custom domain, design testing, and also custom reporting for your business.

You can try ActiveCampaign for free for 14 days.

4. HubSpot

Best for big businesses that also need a CRM tool.

HubSpot Homepage screenshot

Pricing: There are free trials you can test and three paid plans.

Unique Feature: It has a complete set of CRM, CMS, automation, and even customer service tools for your marketing department.

There are many effective ways to make money online, but having the right tools where you have everything is a challenge. HubSpot removes this challenge by streamlining tools to your benefit.

HubSpot Customer Service screenshot

HubSpot is a big tool, but it does not mean that you have to buy all their software programs. Here are some of the things you can do with it:

  • Manage your website’s content on a single platform
  • Create marketing campaigns and send them to the right audiences
  • Allow customers to create support tickets
  • Create a knowledgebase that your customers can read
  • Perform analytics and see which of your actions are working
  • Take payments
  • Automate your marketing efforts and get leads

HubSpot is a complete platform, and while it is one of the best marketing automation platforms, it is excellent for big businesses only. If you are a small business, I suggest you pick from the other options here.

HubSpot Sales Hub screenshot

HubSpot Features

HubSpot Operations Hub screenshot
  • Marketing Hub – it is a suite of tools that cover end-to-end marketing. You can get leads and send emails and newsletters to your subscribers.
  • Sales Hub – is a sales tool that helps you close deals and analyze what impacts your conversion.
  • CMS Hub – it is like WordPress, where you can manage the content of your website. It includes video hosting, so your videos sit on your platform, not on YouTube.
  • Operations Hub – here, you can manage how your operations teams run their day-to-day activities.
  • Customer Service Hub – is a set of tools where you can communicate with your customers and provide the service. It has a chat program that will allow your customers to reach you.

Pricing

HubSpot Pricing Page screenshot
  • Starter – get this plan if you want to use forms, email marketing software, and the live chat tool. It also allows you to build landing pages.
  • Professional – this plan gives you access to the omnichannel marketing automation platform. You can also use video hosting for your marketing strategy.
  • Enterprise –has a complete suite of marketing automation platforms to support the entire customer journey.

You can get started for free with HubSpot. There is also an option where you can ask for a demo to see the marketing automation software in action.

5. Omnisend

Best for small businesses looking for powerful marketing automation tools.

Omnisend Homepage screenshot

Pricing: Has a free account plus two paid ones. The pricing depends on the number of your contacts.

Unique Feature: Omnisend offers a customer success manager who can help you achieve your goals.

Omnisend is what I recommend to people who have an eCommerce store. The platform revolves around how you can create a marketing strategy that will help you succeed.

For example, if you open a store on online selling sites, you can get your customers’ email addresses and phone numbers. Then, you can use Omnisend to communicate with them.

Omnisend Automation Workflow screenshot

Here are the things you can do with Omnisend:

  • Split tests or A/B tests
  • Provide you with accurate sales reports
  • You can create pop-ups and sign-up forms
  • Segment your customers or leads
  • Create automated email workflows.

One unique feature that Omnisend has that others do not is the customer success manager. You will have a dedicated partner inside Omnisend to help you out, but only if you have at least 60,000 contacts.

Omnisend Email Template screenshot

You will also love that the free plan gives you a lot of leverage. For example, you can do split tests even if you are not on a paid plan.

In addition, all users get SMS credits. Once you have accumulated these credits, you can use them to send SMS or MMS messages for free.

Omnisend Features

Omnisend Form screenshot
  • Email & SMS Marketing Automation Tool – if sending emails is not enough, you can send text messages to your customers.
  • Actionable Reports – the analytics tool of this marketing automation software does not give you a standard report. Instead, you can view data from a different light where you can make business decisions.
  • Audience Sync – you can reach your contacts on Facebook and Google even if you do not use pixels or cookies. With cookie-less advertising, you do not have to worry about privacy laws.
  • Push Notifications – the system allows you to create personalized notifications for cart abandonment, browse abandonment, and even updates regarding their order.

Pricing

Omnisend Pricing Page screenshot
  • Free – send up to 500 emails per month and access pop-ups and sign-up forms.
  • Standard – the limit is 6,000 emails per month, and you get access to 24/7 chat support.
  • Pro – includes the SMS marketing solution.

Try Omnisend now for free; create an account and use most of its features at zero cost!

6. Drip

Drip is the best marketing automation tool for multi-channel campaigns.

Drip Homepage screenshot

Pricing: Email + SMS marketing automation solutions have prices according to how many contacts you have.

Unique Feature: Can integrate with many other platforms like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Zapier, etc.

As the name suggests, Drip is best for managing drip campaigns. A drip campaign is a process where you send regular emails to your subscribers.

The subscribers will trust you in time, and you can eventually convince them to buy your offer. One awesome thing you will like bout Drip is that it has SMS.

Drip Abandoned Cart screenshot

Here are some of the things you can do with Drip:

  • Create sign-up forms and integrate them into your website
  • Make an automated process of what email to send, when, and based on what triggers
  • Get insight and guidance from its robust analytics
  • Integrate the system into over 100 software programs

Drip also has a knowledge base, which you can use to find out how to use the system. In addition to this, you will have access to its Slack community channel.

The Slack community channel has members who can review your campaign and provide feedback. From there, you can make changes to improve your marketing strategy.

Drip Email Template screenshot

Overall, Drip is best for store owners, particularly the eCommerce industry. You can even integrate the Drip system only at the checkout if you want.

Drip Features

Drip Opt In Forms screenshot
  • Forms and Pop-Ups – build unique and engaging forms that entice your site visitors to sign-up for your subscription list.
  • Email and SMS Marketing Solution – you can create email templates that drive conversion. The email builder does not require any coding knowledge.
  • Automation – you can run drip campaigns with the system, which should complete the customer journey from start to conversion. The good thing about it is that you can also drip SMS messages, not just emails.
  • Marketing Automation – you can create pre-built workflows that will automatically send emails and SMS according to some parameters you set.
  • Segmentation – you can create several categories of email addresses according to your customer demographics. Send emails with messages that are appropriate for each group to increase your conversion.

Pricing

Drip Pricing Page screenshot

Drip charges at least $22 per month with 100 contacts and a limit of 200 messages. The rice goes up as you add more contacts or if you want to send more messages.

Drip offers a free trial that lasts for 14 days.

7. Keap (Formerly Infusionsoft)

Keap is best for people who need a complete suite of CRM and payment solutions on top of marketing automation.

Keap Homepage screenshot

Pricing: Available in three plans—all paid. There is no free account.

Unique Feature: Keap offers a dedicated mobile app and a CRM platform.

Keap is what you need if you want to grow your business. It is a platform I recommend as an alternative to HubSpot.

Keap Appointments screenshot

Here are the things you can do with Keap:

  • Charge money from your leads
  • Integrate it with eCommerce platforms
  • Manage customer data with CRM
  • Create and edit your checkout forms
  • Increase conversion rates with promotions
  • Automate your email marketing
  • Use SMS to communicate with you leads or customers

Overall, Keap is an ecosystem for the eCommerce entrepreneur. I am not saying that it only applies to sellers of physical products.

Keap Automation screenshot

With Keap, you can also set up a website where your customers can set appointments with you. It works best if you are selling a service, like if you are a coach, dentist, legal adviser, etc.

Keap also has a marketplace where you can buy apps that you can integrate with the system. If you think about it, it is like Shopify where you can buy services that do not currently exist on the platform.

Keap Features

Keap SMS screenshot
  • Email and Text Marketing – get more leads from two channels. In addition, you can create an automation workflow for your marketing campaigns.
  • Appointment – the system equips you with a software program where your leads can schedule a call with you. They can also pay after setting the appointment.
  • CRM System – keep your customer data and manage how you bill them with the CRM.
  • eCommerce Payments – apart from sending emails, you can use links to direct your leads to your product. You can charge your leads for payment directly from the Keap system.
  • Sales Automation – spend less time managing your email copies. Keap allows you to spend more time connecting with people than sending emails one by one.

Pricing

Keap Pricing Page screenshot
  • Lite – get the CRM tool and the email marketing system. Create a website where you can set appointments.
  • Pro – now you can add payments and invoices to your marketing process. You also get a dedicated success manager.
  • Max – you can create promo codes and take advantage of the marketing analytics.

Keap offers a free trial that lasts for 14 days; no credit card is required.

8. Sendinblue

Best for people who want something simple.

SendinBlue Homepage screenshot

Pricing: Sendinblue has a free plan and three paid ones.

Unique Feature: Sendinblue offers an email API that you can tailor according to your needs.

SendinBlue Import List screenshot

Sendinblue is what I recommend if you do not want the fuss. Its user interface is easy to understand, and you will be building campaigns in no time.

SendinBlue Create Automation screenshot

Here are some of the things you can do with it:

  • Create sign up forms and landing pages
  • Segment email addresses of customers into lists
  • Get phone numbers
  • Do email and SMS marketing
  • Send SMS in bulk to selected lists
  • Use its CRM system to manage your customers

Overall, Sendinblue is somewhat of an all-in-one marketing platform. However, it does not offer other features like webinars or payment gateways.

The main benefit of using Sendinblue is managing your customer base, growing your subscribers, and working customer relationships in one place. You do not even have to pay a huge price tag with all that.

Sendinblue Features

SendinBlue Create Newsletter screenshot
  • Email Marketing – create an email that carries your brand; you can customize the email template, build from scratch, and standardize the colors and fonts.
  • SMS Marketing – you can connect directly with your customers through text messages. You can send bulk SMS and choose a list to send it to.
  • Chat – even with the free plan; you get to install a chat system on your website.
  • Inbox – there is an inbox tool where you can receive responses from your subscribers and customers. Here, you can manage your messages without logging in to another email client.
  • CRM – there is customer relationship management software, which you can use to store customer information and manage them accordingly.

Pricing

SendinBlue Pricing screenshot
  • Free – send up to 300 emails per day; only one user has an account.
  • Lite – no limit to daily sending of emails; you will have access to the A/B split test feature.
  • Premium – you can now use the marketing automation system plus launch Facebook ads.
  • Enterprise – create up to 20 landing pages and work with a customer success manager.

Get Sendinblue for free now and test the system; no credit card is required.

Marketing Automation Tools FAQ

1. What are examples of marketing automation?

The most excellent example of how a marketing automation solution works is the email you receive from companies. One day, you go to a website and then sign up for a subscription.

What happens next is that you receive regular newsletters from this company. These emails are either an email marketing campaign or a simple announcement of their new blog posts.

2. Is CRM a marketing automation software?

Yes and no. A CRM is a customer relationship management tool. It houses customer data. For example, let us say that you are AT&T.

As a company, you have a record of your customer details, like their name, address, and the internet or phone plan they have. You save a record of the customer support chats and emails.

Marketing automation software tools are not like that. What these tools do is allow you to send marketing campaigns.

3. Does marketing automation really work?

Yes, they work, provided that you do it right. Sending emails, even from the best marketing automation tools, is no guarantee of success. You need to send the right message to the right person. The right message is in your copy.

4. What is the difference between CRM and ERP?

CRM is a tool for keeping and managing customer data. ERP is Enterprise Resource Planning. You do ERP to manage parts of your business. Even if you are a small business, you have different departments, and you use ERP to manage them.

Conclusion

The marketing automation tool I recommend is GetResponse. It is the leader in the marketing automation space, and it is the most advanced marketing automation platform that I have ever seen.

As a leader in the industry, it is one of those that started incorporating website builders and landing pages into its marketing automation platform.

With GetResponse, you can create landing pages and email templates, automate your email marketing, do drip campaigns, webinars, etc.

Of course, price is a subject that you need to consider. However, GetResponse has a free account, and this should be enough to get you started to get leads quickly!