Oracle Eloqua vs Pardot vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud comparison

Oracle and Salesforce are both solutions in the Marketing Automation category. Oracle is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.6, while Salesforce is ranked #7 with an average rating of 7.8. Oracle holds a 5.4% mindshare in MA, compared to Salesforce’s 3.2% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Oracle users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Salesforce users who would recommend it.

Oracle Eloqua

Read 39 Oracle Eloqua reviews

1,853 Views
1,816 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Pardot

Read 12 Pardot reviews

1,019 Views
1,009 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Read 62 Salesforce Marketing Cloud reviews

5,146 Views
3,551 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Oracle Eloqua

Pardot

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Oracle Eloqua, Pardot, and Salesforce 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 Oracle Eloqua is 5.4%, down from 9.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Pardot is 3.2%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is 11.9%, down from 23.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Marketing Automation Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Salesforce Marketing Cloud	11.9%
Oracle Eloqua	5.4%
Pardot	3.2%
Other	79.5%

Marketing Automation

Featured Reviews

Madhan Krishnamoorthy

Senior Functional Consultant at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees

Integration with CRM and third-party systems significantly boosts campaign management

The native integration could be improved, as Oracle Eloqua has decommissioned it. Manual uploads require changing the data priority order to top priority. Sometimes form capturing data fails, and campaign response issues occur. The pricing of Oracle Eloqua is quite high as it is an Oracle product. Compared to other marketing automation platforms such as Marketo, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and Pardot, the price point is higher. The technical support is rated at eight because it can be difficult to get in touch with them after working hours. Support is only available during business hours, so if assistance is needed outside of the nine-to-five window, users must wait until the next day.

Read full review

Vikram Rawani

Pardot Consultant at Target

Offers an easy initial setup phase and good ROI

With Pardot, users can do the segmentation based on their requirements. You can segment your prospects based on their interests, locations, companies, or the sales cycle. You can also use the engagement studio to create a journey for the people you have segmented with the help of automation feature of the tool. The aforementioned area consists of the most useful features I found in the tool apart from its out-of-the-box features. The integration between Pardot and Salesforce is beneficial if you know how to share the leads that a company finds useful so that they don't have to invest in manual work or do anything blindly to reach out to leads. Users can segment the leads using the features that the tool provides. I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. If a business is into B2B marketing and can afford to purchase Pardot, then they should buy it. If the product of a company is good, then Pardot can help multiply such an organization's ROI. Based on the product and how the sales and marketing team works, the tool can be useful. In short, the tool can be as good as the person who is using it. I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

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GauravSingh2

Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Targeted email journeys have boosted campaign insight and now need better data access and support

I feel that Salesforce Marketing Cloud can be improved in how the data views are accessed; it would be better to have something more physical. With data extensions, you can view them directly, but for data views, it is very difficult as you can only send it out or load it into data extensions. Improvements can also be made in the connections to different external tools such as Azure or AWS. Customer support can be improved in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, as sometimes it is not clear what the issue is or how to approach solving it, and it also takes time to resolve issues.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Eloqua gets modern marketing, plain and simple."

"We needed a solution that could scale with our business - and it doesn't get better than Eloqua."

"Lead scoring has helped with the process of qualifying leads."

"It is a necessity in the world of marketing to have a strong marketing automation tool."

"Powerful, solid platform that enables modern marketers to execute best in class nurture programs, lead scoring and campaigns that drive revenue."

"Lead scoring is very useful for both measuring the effectiveness of campaigns as well as deciding which leads to send sales’ way."

"The solution is stable."

"We have seen tremendous year after year growth of revenue tied to marketing because of campaigns, events, and promotions we have run through Eloqua."

More Oracle Eloqua pros

"The tracking and automation of outbound messaging is the solution's most valuable aspect."

"It has made email marketing quicker and easier."

"The solution is very fast, it's easy to create email templates and landing pages, and it is very good at score lists and sending signals to a salesperson for outreach purposes."

"The tracking and automation of outbound messaging is the solution's most valuable aspect."

"It's easy to create email templates and landing pages."

"Campaign tracking is a valuable feature."

"Technical support has been quick and helpful every time."

"Pardot directly integrates with CRM, specifically Salesforce, which has an excellent R&D team."

More Pardot pros

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud provides an edge for my organization by tracking the budget, how it is spent, where we stand, and how many cold calls or nurtured calls have been converted into sales."

"I like this solution because of its versatility."

"We use Marketing Cloud for marketing campaigns and engaging customers. It is a business-focused application for a specific area of business, which is acquiring customers."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to get quotes out in a timely manner."

"The ability to automate processes is one of the most valuable features of Salesforce, which sets it apart from other systems, and we use the journey builder to design a fully automated journey."

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud has helped the organization by having centralized management capabilities."

"I like the user interface it has a nice look and feel."

"The AI-powered tools such as Salesforce Datorama and Einstein save time and have an impact on marketing strategy decisions for my customers."

More Salesforce Marketing Cloud pros

Cons

"One improvement I would suggest for Oracle Eloqua is establishing data modeling capabilities where you can link various custom data objects to create multiple tables together, allowing access to data through SQL queries for better manipulation."

"Not suited for small companies."

"There are usually bugs after updates but you know they are coming and they are very responsive to quickly fixing any issues"

"Crashes can occur due to integration with different systems, including third-party tools such as Zapier and SixSense."

"The solution should consider adding functionality related to event listening, such as webhooks."

"Eloqua has great integration with Salesforce.com, but I'd love to see a little more of that rolled into a more intuitive UI."

"This product hasn't kept up to date on features."

"The reporting features should be improved."

More Oracle Eloqua cons

"The price of this solution is expensive. However, you are going to receive good value for money."

"Lacks sufficient free custom fields."

"Needs to improve list building."

"The user interface could be made more intuitive and user-friendly."

"Technical support has been quick and helpful every time."

"The solution is quite expensive, at least, for smaller teams."

"Needs to improve list building."

"When we compare it to other automation tools, in Pardot, I'm not able to see any drag-and-drop options. We have to work on an HTML template itself."

More Pardot cons

"The encryption and decryption have room for improvement."

"The product takes too long to manage a large volume of data, it lacks that capacity."

"If you want to use advanced features in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, they are extremely difficult to use."

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud should be linked to an email ID, so the features after 15 days can update on the opportunity."

"In a future release, adding end-user personalization would be a benefit."

"The technicality of the solution can be streamlined."

"They can perhaps simplify the dashboards. In my opinion as an end-user, reports could also be simplified, but it also depends on how your company is set up. It depends on how the processes are set up within your company natively. It is linked to the way you do business. So, it varies."

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud should include more point-and-click functionality."

More Salesforce Marketing Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our licensing costs are yearly."

"Oracle Eloqua is quite an affordable solution."

"Oracle Eloqua's pricing is medium."

"Oracle Eloqua can be expensive compared to alternatives."

"The tool is pricey compared to products like Marketo."

"It's quite expensive."

"The solution is expensive."

"Make sure you do not pay for features that you may not need."

"It is a competitively priced product, considering what it provides."

"The price of this solution is expensive. However, you are going to receive good value for money. They could improve by reducing the price."

"In terms of pricing, Pardot is cheaper than Marketing Cloud."

"We pay about $4000 a month."

"This solution is priced in the medium to high price range."

"It is a license per user."

"Salesforce has different versions of the solution and some are more suitable for smaller clients. However, Salesforce is expensive."

"We did a yearly license. We negotiated and got a great deal. I don't think we would have gotten far with the regular price, but they negotiated, so it was worth that."

"The solution's pricing is very high and should be more flexible for smaller companies."

"Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a highly expensive solution, it needs to be less expensive. We are on an annual license to use the solution."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"We have two types of licensing. We have a yearly license for end users and we have a concurrent login for selling."

More Salesforce Marketing Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Healthcare Company

Marketing Services Firm

Insurance Company

No data available

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	21

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	31

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Oracle Eloqua?

Some areas of Oracle Eloqua that could be improved include enhancements for campaign features, such as the ability to...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Oracle Eloqua?

In my company, I work with Oracle Eloqua and do not use it internally. My usual use cases for Oracle Eloqua include d...

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What do you like most about Oracle Eloqua?

I've used other marketing automation tools, like Marketo, that require more technical knowledge. Eloqua is straightfo...

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What do you like most about Pardot?

It has no limit for sending marketing emails.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pardot?

Pardot was somewhat costly for our requirements, nonetheless, the capacities of the item were limited.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Pardot?

Pardot needs many improvements in terms of email design and design studio functionalities. It lacks a robust design s...

See all answers

What do you like most about Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

Datorama is part of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which is quite a valuable feature that provides customer analytics.

See all answers

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

I did not work on any pricing or implementation aspects but learned on my own when dealing with Revenue Cloud products.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

I feel that Salesforce Marketing Cloud can be improved in how the data views are accessed; it would be better to have...

See all answers

Comparisons

Marketo vs Oracle Eloqua

Compared 33% of the time

HubSpot Marketing Hub vs Oracle Eloqua

Compared 20% of the time

Act-On Software vs Oracle Eloqua

Compared 3% of the time

Oracle CRM vs Oracle Eloqua

Compared 2% of the time

LeadSquared vs Oracle Eloqua

Compared 2% of the time

More Oracle Eloqua Competitors

Marketo vs Pardot

Compared 28% of the time

HubSpot Marketing Hub vs Pardot

Compared 18% of the time

Klaviyo vs Pardot

Compared 10% of the time

SAP Marketing Cloud vs Pardot

Compared 4% of the time

Act-On Software vs Pardot

Compared 3% of the time

More Pardot Competitors

HubSpot Marketing Hub vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 16% of the time

Marketo vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 13% of the time

Zeta Marketing Platform vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 6% of the time

Adobe Campaign vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 5% of the time

monday.com vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Compared 2% of the time

More Salesforce Marketing Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Oracle Eloqua

March 2026

Download Oracle Eloqua product report

Buyer's Guide

Pardot

March 2026

Download Pardot product report

Buyer's Guide

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

March 2026

Download Salesforce Marketing Cloud product report

Also Known As

Eloqua, Oracle Marketing Cloud

No data available

ExactTarget

Overview

Eloqua is the Oracle marketing automation and revenue performance management solution used by sales and marketing teams all over the world. With Eloqua, organizations can easily execute marketing campaigns, build and manage their databases, convert leads to sales, and measure the impact of marketing activities on the organization.

Oracle

Pardot, a salesforce.com Company, is an easy-to-use B2B Marketing Automation suite that helps sales and marketing teams maximize efficiency and increase revenue. Pardot's lead management software features CRM integration, email marketing, lead nurturing, lead scoring, and ROI reporting to help marketing and sales teams work together to generate and qualify sales leads, shorten sales cycles, and demonstrate marketing accountability.

Salesforce

Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a comprehensive marketing automation platform that enables businesses to create personalized and targeted marketing campaigns across multiple channels.

With its robust set of tools and features, marketers can easily manage and automate their email marketing, social media advertising, mobile messaging, and customer journey mapping.

The platform offers advanced segmentation capabilities, allowing marketers to segment their audience based on various criteria and deliver tailored messages to each segment.

Additionally, Salesforce Marketing Cloud provides powerful analytics and reporting features, enabling marketers to track the performance of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions.

With its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with other Salesforce products, Marketing Cloud offers a seamless and efficient marketing automation solution for businesses of all sizes.

Salesforce

Sample Customers

Thomson Reuters, The Dow Chemical Company, Avid, LifeSize, and Avalara.

Arketi Group

American Express, Financial Conduct Authority, KPN, Merck KGaA, Peterborough City Council, The Chapar, ADP, Financial Times, Stanley Black & Decker, SureFlap, Western Union, Philips

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

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