13 Best Marketing Automation Software Platforms (2026 Tested & Compared)
Marketing automation has become one of the most valuable investments a business can make. Whether you're capturing leads through landing pages, nurturing prospects with email sequences, sending SMS reminders, or moving deals through a sales pipeline, automation helps you do more with less manual effort. After testing 13 visual workflow builders, here is our report.
Our Top Pick for Most Users
After extensive testing, GoHighLevel stands out as the ultimate marketing automation suite. Instead of patching together separate email, SMS, and funnel tools, you get native multi-channel triggers, calendars, CRM updates, and white-label options under a flat rate.
Try GoHighLevel for FreeWhat Is Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation software helps businesses automatically communicate with customers based on specific actions or events. Instead of manually sending emails, updating spreadsheets, assigning leads, or reminding customers about appointments, automation platforms handle those tasks in the background.
A simple workflow might look like this: a visitor submits a contact form (Trigger), the platform creates a CRM profile, tags the contact, shoots out a welcome email, waits 24 hours, sends an SMS follow-up, assigns a sales rep, updates the opportunity pipeline, and alerts your team (Actions).
How We Compared These Platforms
When evaluating each platform, we focused on workflow builder flexibility, CRM database integrations, email marketing, SMS marketing, AI features, ease of use, pricing, and scalability.
Quick Comparison Table
| Platform | Best For | Starting Price | Native SMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoHighLevel | Agencies & All-in-One Automation | $97/mo | ✅ |
| HubSpot | Best for enterprise marketing and sales teams | Free plan available | ❌ |
| ActiveCampaign | Best for advanced email marketing automation | Starts at $29/mo | ❌ |
| Brevo (Sendinblue) | Affordable email volume campaigns & transactional API | Free plan available | ❌ |
| Mailchimp | Easiest builder for email newsletters & blasts | Free plan available | ❌ |
| Klaviyo | Ecommerce metrics & purchase-based behavior syncs | Free plan available | ✅ |
| Omnisend | Email and SMS marketing built for online shops | Free plan available | ✅ |
| GetResponse | Email marketing with landing pages & webinars | Starts at $19/mo | ❌ |
| Keap | CRM and invoice triggers for service businesses | Starts at $159/mo | ❌ |
| Drip | Ecommerce customer journey automation editor | Starts at $39/mo | ❌ |
| Customer.io | Developer-friendly in-app and behavioral loops | Custom enterprise pricing | ❌ |
| Ortto | Visual customer journey map dashboards | Custom pricing | ❌ |
| Salesforce Marketing Cloud | Sophisticated cross-channel marketing at corporate scale | Custom enterprise pricing | ✅ |
Detailed Automation Platform Audits
Listed in order of our overall recommendation for most users.
GoHighLevel
Editor's ChoiceBest all-in-one automation, CRM, and funnel builder
Starts at $97/mo (Flat rate)
Pros
- Advanced visual automation with branching logic
- Native CRM database integrated directly with pages
- Built-in call tracking, telephony & native SMS
- Drag-and-drop website & funnel builder
- Rebrandable white-label SaaS options for resellers
- Client appointment scheduling & calendars
- Native conversational AI assistant features
Cons
- Initial learning curve to learn all sub-account settings
- More powerful than basic landing page requirements demand
Our Verdict
🏆 Overall Winner for Agencies & Multi-Channel Marketing. For agencies and service businesses, GoHighLevel offers one of the best balances of features, scalability, and value.
HubSpot
Best Enterprise CRM & WorkflowsBest for enterprise marketing and sales teams
Free plan available · Paid from $20/mo
Pros
- Outstanding, polished CRM database
- Highly powerful and customizable marketing workflows
- Excellent visual forecasting dashboards
Cons
- Pricing scales quickly on contact count and features
- No white-label CRM options
Our Verdict
A leading choice for growing corporate and enterprise marketing operations.
ActiveCampaign
Best Email SegmentationBest for advanced email marketing automation
Starts at $29/mo
Pros
- Advanced email automation sequence builder
- Excellent customer segmentation and tags
- Highly reliable inbox deliverability
Cons
- Very limited landing page and funnel features on lower tiers
- No built-in CRM comparable to GoHighLevel
Our Verdict
The top pure email campaigns platform, but lacks native SMS and white-labeling.
Brevo (Sendinblue)
Best Budget SMS & EmailAffordable email volume campaigns & transactional API
Free plan available · Paid from $25/mo
Pros
- Generous free plan with basic tools
- Native SMS and WhatsApp campaigns
- Affordable scaling based on volume, not contacts
Cons
- Basic CRM contact records
- Simpler automation triggers
Our Verdict
An excellent, budget-friendly bulk messaging platform.
Mailchimp
Best Newsletter EditorEasiest builder for email newsletters & blasts
Free plan available · Paid from $13/mo
Pros
- Extremely easy to use for beginners
- Polished, visual newsletter email builder
- Strong library of modern design templates
Cons
- Limited branching automation flows
- Contact-based pricing becomes expensive on list growth
Our Verdict
Great for basic newsletter list blasts, but lacks full CRM capability.
Klaviyo
Best for EcommerceEcommerce metrics & purchase-based behavior syncs
Free plan available · Paid from $20/mo
Pros
- Granular Shopify and BigCommerce metrics
- Robust revenue tracking dashboard
- Advanced SMS triggers
Cons
- Steep pricing structures on high databases
- Lacks visual funnel builders
Our Verdict
The gold standard for Shopify stores wanting purchase-based automation workflows.
Omnisend
Best Klaviyo AlternativeEmail and SMS marketing built for online shops
Free plan available · Paid from $16/mo
Pros
- Quick integration with e-shops
- Very affordable premium tiers
- Good pre-built workflows
Cons
- Primary focus is solely ecommerce
- Rigid CRM deal tracking
Our Verdict
A solid budget competitor to Klaviyo for ecommerce marketing automation.
GetResponse
Best Webinars + EmailEmail marketing with landing pages & webinars
Starts at $19/mo
Pros
- Integrated visual autoresponders
- Good webinar hosting dashboards
- Visual funnel pipeline tracking
Cons
- Rigid page designer modules
- Limited native SMS rules
Our Verdict
A good middle ground for creators wanting webinar and email integrations.
Keap
Best Service AutomationCRM and invoice triggers for service businesses
Starts at $159/mo
Pros
- Detailed contact logs and tasks
- Excellent quote and invoice tools
- Highly customizable pipelines
Cons
- Very high starting price brackets
- User interface feels crowded
Our Verdict
A capable client database builder for local service operations, but lacks white-label options.
Drip
Best Ecom JourneysEcommerce customer journey automation editor
Starts at $39/mo
Pros
- Aesthetic visual builder interfaces
- Outstanding customer behavior tracking
- Easy Shopify sync
Cons
- Lacks native SMS and calling triggers
- Limited CRM pipelines
Our Verdict
Great choice for online shop startups seeking a simple customer journey editor.
Customer.io
Best SaaS Behavior TriggersDeveloper-friendly in-app and behavioral loops
Custom enterprise pricing
Pros
- Granular user activity triggers
- Multi-channel in-app pushes
- Reliable segment syncs
Cons
- Highly technical setup requirements
- Expensive for basic websites
Our Verdict
The leading developer-focused engine for product-action email and SMS triggers.
Ortto
Best Customer JourneysVisual customer journey map dashboards
Custom pricing
Pros
- Beautiful, clean journey builder canvas
- Excellent user action tracking analytics
- Good data integrations
Cons
- Custom setups take significant engineering time
- Premium pricing models
Our Verdict
Outstanding visual journey canvas for medium-to-large business marketing campaigns.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Best Enterprise ScaleSophisticated cross-channel marketing at corporate scale
Custom enterprise pricing
Pros
- Virtually unlimited customization limits
- Massive corporate data management tools
- Enterprise data security protocols
Cons
- Extremely complex to maintain
- Requires certified engineers to configure
Our Verdict
The absolute standard for Fortune 500 automation, but too heavy for typical agencies.
Email Marketing vs Marketing Automation
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Email marketing platforms focus primarily on newsletters, bulk broadcast campaigns, subscriber lists, and email templates (e.g. Mailchimp, Brevo).
Marketing automation platforms handle much more than email. They combine CRM databases, Twilio SMS, voice dialers, sales pipelines, custom landing page funnels, calendars, and AI follow-up scripts (e.g. GoHighLevel, HubSpot).
Which Platform Should You Choose?
Choose GoHighLevel if you run a marketing agency or manage client sub-accounts under a rebrandable portal, and need flat-rate pricing. Choose ActiveCampaign if your priority is pure advanced email newsletters, or Brevo for a budget-friendly volume model. HubSpot remains the choice for enterprise corporate organizations requiring custom sales hubs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best marketing automation software for agencies?
For agencies, GoHighLevel is our top recommendation. It combines CRM, workflow automation, email marketing, SMS campaigns, funnels, appointment scheduling, white-label capabilities, and client management into one platform—making it an excellent choice for businesses managing multiple clients.
What's the difference between email marketing and marketing automation?
Email marketing focuses on creating and sending newsletters or promotional campaigns to subscribers. Marketing automation goes much further by connecting emails with CRM data, customer behavior, SMS messages, sales pipelines, appointments, AI, and automated workflows that react to customer actions across multiple channels.
Which platform is best for small businesses?
It depends on your needs. Mailchimp and Brevo are great for businesses that mainly need email marketing, while GoHighLevel offers more comprehensive automation if you want CRM, funnels, SMS, and customer management in one place.
Is GoHighLevel worth it for automation?
If you're currently using several separate tools for CRM, email marketing, SMS campaigns, landing pages, appointment booking, and automation, GoHighLevel can often simplify your workflow while reducing software costs. Its visual workflow builder and multi-channel automation make it one of the strongest all-in-one options available.
Ready to Build Automated Workflows?
Consolidate your CRM database, calendars, funnel pages, and automated workflows under GoHighLevel. Test Twilio SMS triggers and white-label client logins with a 14-day free trial.