Act-On Software vs Marketo vs SAP Marketing Cloud comparison

Act-On Software and Adobe are both solutions in the Marketing Automation category. Act-On Software is ranked #15, while Adobe is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.4. Act-On Software holds a 2.1% mindshare in MA, compared to Adobe’s 9.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Act-On Software users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Adobe users who would recommend it.

Act-On Software

Read 7 Act-On Software reviews

560 Views
493 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Marketo

Read 25 Marketo reviews

2,747 Views
2,225 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

SAP Marketing Cloud

Read 2 SAP Marketing Cloud reviews

921 Views
691 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Act-On Software

Marketo

SAP Marketing Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Act-On Software, Marketo, and SAP Marketing Cloud based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe and others in Marketing Automation.

To learn more, read our detailed Marketing Automation Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Marketing Automation

March 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Marketing Automation category, the mindshare of Act-On Software is 2.1%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Marketo is 9.9%, down from 14.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Marketing Cloud is 2.3%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Marketing Automation Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Marketo	9.9%
SAP Marketing Cloud	2.3%
Act-On Software	2.1%
Other	85.7%

Marketing Automation

Featured Reviews

it_user82449

Business Systems Manager at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees

The adaptive nurturing, segmentation, multiple lead scoring rules, and simple CRM integration stood out the most.

The CRM integration with Act-On is better with Salesforce and had more value for sales representatives than it did with Microsoft Dynamics CRM; that was MS CRM's downfall. Act-On Anywhere is a nice feature for general users, but the tracking in CRM is lost, and Marketing team subject lines do not carry over on the email templates.

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Anika Gaur

Senior Digital Solutions Analyst at Rich Products

Effective lead management and useability with room for reporting improvements

Customer support could be more helpful. The reporting could be better, with more engaging reports and the ability to collaborate more objects, like opportunities. Incorporating AI features similar to tools like HubSpot and Salesforce account engagement would be beneficial. Additionally, Marketo should work on automating tools and updating the product since it looks similar to how it did five years ago.

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Abhijit Misra

Director at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Integrates well with master data but user experience and integration need improvement

Predictive Analytics in SAP Marketing Cloud is effective, but it requires two essential elements. The data should be correct and sufficient enough to run Predictive Analytics, and the right algorithms need to be included in the marketing decision-making process. In Predictive Analytics, certain algorithms can be used, but it has limited use because it does not cater to the complete business needs of the client. The solution is easy to customize, but it requires having the right data model attached to the dashboard. If the data model is correct, the data on the dashboard can be manipulated very easily. However, if the data model is incorrect and does not bring in the right elements of KPIs and dashboards, upgrading the data model becomes a challenging exercise. SAP's user interface from a user story point of view rates six to seven out of ten. The user experience could be improved, but in terms of flexibility, it functions adequately when data is available. Without available data, none of the dashboards can function.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Act-On is simple to use and it makes campaign development a breeze."

"Before I joined, my company used a larger, more expensive but more popular software, and after switching to this, my team can still do everything it needs to for cheaper."

"It is now much easier for us to send and segment emails, analyze our results and make smarter decisions."

"Our organization was operating blindfolded before implementing Act-On."

"Act-On has an outstanding customer support team and they escalate issues to their technical teams before the frustration level."

"One feature I like is the user interface. Compared to other tools I've used, it's much more friendly and easy to navigate. Additionally, it offers a wide range of features, which makes tasks like segmenting data much simpler."

"The product has been stable."

"We are scoring based on behavior without pressure, and it keeps producing excellent results."

"Marketo makes it easy to stay in contact with our base of customers, prospective customers, and partners."

"Marketo is excellent in terms of hands-on usability and lead database management."

"The most valuable features are the Marketo emails, both sending and tracking."

"Advanced capabilities for closed-loop lead management"

"I like that Marketo is user-friendly and has an easy view. It's like a one-stop solution for everyone. It is very good, and you can categorize leads in different ways. You can also create your custom objects and enjoy good connectivity."

More Marketo pros

"Segmentation and campaigning are very important features."

"SAP Marketing Cloud integrates effectively with the SAP data, ensuring all the master data gets aligned effectively with marketing."

Cons

"The CRM integration with Act-On is better with Salesforce and had more value for sales representatives than it did with Microsoft Dynamics CRM; that was MS CRM's downfall."

"One area of improvement would be ability to use dynamic content fields. It is available, but not to the fullest extent where it would help me."

"Customer Service: This is where Marketo falls short. Their customer service is awful."

"Takes time to setup and manage."

"There is a bit of room for improvement in the level-one support team. It relies too much on documentation."

"Changing a campaign in progress (i.e. changing the wait period between emails) is unnecessarily complicated."

"For the moment, we migrated some of our processes to Marketo and implemented them there. We had some difficulties related to this."

"Adobe, the parent company, needs to improve on getting more information published to allow users to educate themselves on how to use the solution."

"Segmentation in Marketo is limited to a maximum of 20 segments. Depending on the company's specific needs, these segments can be based on various attributes such as company, industry, or other values. Sometimes, there's a lag when sending data from Marketo to any CRM. It can take around five to fifteen minutes for the report to sync."

"Customer support could be more helpful."

More Marketo cons

"Integration with third-party solutions is challenging with SAP Marketing Cloud."

"Email response could be improved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"Marketo's pricing depends on the number of contacts and the level of features you need. Compared to other platforms like Oracle Eloqua and Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Marketo is generally more affordable. Like other platforms, it offers different packages based on your needs."

"The solution is expensive compared to others."

"The pricing is not cheap, but it's not that expensive either."

"Marketo is too expensive for a small-sized company but more affordable for a larger-sized company."

"I'm not sure about the cost because I don't get into this aspect. Clients normally take care of that. I only know that it is costly, and I don't think there are any additional costs to the licensing."

"It is expensive. We have a yearly license."

"The initial pricing was excellent, but the pricing for renewals is not as good."

"Marketo is used a lot because it's cheaper and preferred by many firms."

More Marketo pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

14%

Healthcare Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	1

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	10

No data available

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Marketo?

One of the most important things about Marketo is its focus on GDPR compliance. It helps you follow GDPR and CAN-SPAM...

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What needs improvement with Marketo?

The user interface could be improved. I would like to see an updated UI for 2025.

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What is your primary use case for Marketo?

As a seasoned Marketo Expert with a decade of experience and a deep understanding of Adobe's ecosystem, I can confide...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Marketing Cloud?

The pricing for SAP products rates four out of ten.

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What needs improvement with SAP Marketing Cloud?

There are three main areas for improvement in SAP Marketing Cloud. The user experience side needs enhancement to impr...

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What is your primary use case for SAP Marketing Cloud?

My clients mainly use SAP Marketing Cloud for campaign management, sales force effectiveness, and marketing analytics...

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Comparisons

Oracle Eloqua vs Act-On Software

Compared 16% of the time

HubSpot Marketing Hub vs Act-On Software

Compared 13% of the time

Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs Act-On Software

Compared 12% of the time

SAS Marketing Automation vs Act-On Software

Compared 9% of the time

Structured vs Act-On Software

Compared 6% of the time

More Act-On Software Competitors

HubSpot Marketing Hub vs Marketo

Compared 29% of the time

Oracle Eloqua vs Marketo

Compared 19% of the time

Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs Marketo

Compared 18% of the time

Pardot vs Marketo

Compared 5% of the time

Teradata vs Marketo

Compared 1% of the time

More Marketo Competitors

Salesforce Marketing Cloud vs SAP Marketing Cloud

Compared 14% of the time

SAS Customer Intelligence 360 vs SAP Marketing Cloud

Compared 10% of the time

Aprimo vs SAP Marketing Cloud

Compared 8% of the time

SAP CRM vs SAP Marketing Cloud

Compared 7% of the time

Pardot vs SAP Marketing Cloud

Compared 4% of the time

More SAP Marketing Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Marketing Automation

March 2026

Download Act-On Software product report

Buyer's Guide

Marketo

March 2026

Download Marketo product report

Buyer's Guide

Marketing Automation

March 2026

Download SAP Marketing Cloud product report

Also Known As

No data available

SAP Hybris Marketing Cloud

Overview

Act-On Software is a marketing automation company delivering innovation that empowers marketers to do the best work of their careers. Act-On is the only integrated workspace that powers the customer experience from end-to-end, from brand awareness and demand generation, to retention and loyalty. With Act-On, marketers can drive better business outcomes and see higher customer lifetime value. Act-On is squarely focused on the success of its customers and offers consultant level quality with everyday customer support. Act-On Software has been recognized for its superior product and rapid business growth by Deloitte, Forbes, and Inc. Magazine. For more information, visit www.act-on.com.

Act-On Software

Marketo is an all-in-one marketing solution that was created by marketers for marketers. Founded in 2007, Marketo is branded as marketing software that is easy, powerful and complete.

Organizations have access to multiple marketing and sales tools when they use this solution, such as Marketing Automation, Consumer Engagement Marketing, Real-Time Personalization, and Marketing Management.

Adobe

SAP Marketing empowers business to understand its customers and to engage with them intelligently. Build dynamic profiles of customers and use them to gain insights to adapt to both their needs and market trends. Deliver personalized experiences in real-time, increasing conversion rates and gaining loyalty. Gain real-time transparency into the performance of your marketing plans, giving you the agility to change track and seize new opportunities.

SAP

Sample Customers

NYU, Tableau, Xerox, ASPCA, Lego Education, Hoopla, Avery Dennison and SolarWorld.

Marketo has a customer base of thousands of companies, including Sony, Citrix, BrightTALK, Curves International, HootSuite, Hyundai, SanDisk, and Samsung Electronics.

PT XL Axiata Tbk, Lenovo, Molson Coors Brewing Company, Sailing Team Germany, CHIO Aachen, Danone, Evoshield, Mohawk Industries, FC Bayern Munchen AG, D. SWAROVSKI KG, WeissBeerger, Groupe SAMSE, Cox Communications Inc.

Find out what your peers are saying about Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe and others in Marketing Automation. Updated: March 2026.

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