Ikaroa Partners
Best Marketing Automation Platforms (2026)
Compare the top marketing automation platforms for lead nurturing, email sequences, and campaign management. From HubSpot to Customer.io, find your fit.
Reviewed by the Ikaroa team · Last updated: March 2026
Open Doors: Marketing Automation Built In
Before choosing a standalone marketing automation tool, consider Open Doors. It includes marketing automation alongside CRM, SMS marketing, sales funnels, booking, invoicing, and automation, all starting at £97/month with unlimited contacts. One platform instead of many.
All Marketing Automation Tools Reviewed
HubSpot Marketing
Top RatedHubSpot Marketing Hub is the marketing automation arm of the HubSpot platform. It offers email marketing, landing pages, social media, SEO tools, content management, and advanced marketing automation. Known for its inbound marketing methodology, powerful automation workflows, and seamless CRM integration.
Customer.io
Customer.io is a marketing automation platform built for tech-savvy teams. It excels at event-driven messaging, allowing you to trigger emails, push notifications, SMS, and in-app messages based on user behaviour. Popular with SaaS companies and product-led growth teams for its flexibility and developer-friendly approach.
Omnisend
Omnisend is a marketing automation platform built for e-commerce businesses. It combines email marketing, SMS, push notifications, and automation workflows with deep e-commerce integrations. Known for its pre-built automation workflows designed specifically for online stores, including abandoned cart, welcome series, and browse abandonment.
Marketo
Marketo Engage (by Adobe) is an enterprise-grade marketing automation platform designed for large B2B organisations. It offers lead management, email marketing, revenue attribution, account-based marketing, and advanced analytics. Known for its depth of functionality and scalability for complex marketing operations.
Pardot
Pardot (now Marketing Cloud Account Engagement by Salesforce) is a B2B marketing automation platform deeply integrated with Salesforce CRM. It offers lead generation, email marketing, lead scoring, ROI reporting, and AI-powered insights. The natural choice for businesses already invested in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Autopilot
Autopilot (now Ortto) is a visual marketing automation platform that combines customer data, messaging, and analytics. Known for its beautiful visual journey builder that makes creating complex automation workflows intuitive. It connects customer data from multiple sources to power personalised multi-channel campaigns.
Marketing Automation Software at a Glance
| Platform | Starting Price | Free Plan | Best For | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Marketing | £0/month | Yes | Mid-size businesses wanting powerful marketing automation wi... | ★ 4.4 |
| Customer.io | £79/month | No | SaaS and product-led teams wanting event-driven, behaviour-b... | ★ 4.3 |
| Omnisend | £0/month | Yes | E-commerce businesses wanting affordable multi-channel marke... | ★ 4.2 |
| Marketo | Custom (from ~£800/month) | No | Large B2B enterprises wanting comprehensive marketing automa... | ★ 4.1 |
| Pardot | £1,000/month | No | Salesforce customers wanting native B2B marketing automation | ★ 4 |
| Autopilot | £449/month | No | Marketing teams wanting visual automation with built-in cust... | ★ 4 |
Popular Marketing Automation Comparisons
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