Pardot vs Marketing Cloud vs HubSpot - Features and Benefits

HubSpot’s customers can create beautiful emails without ever learning a line of code, then select from dozens of actions, conditions and triggers to send the right emails to the right prospects at the right time. 

HubSpot also includes a visual editor that allows users to envision workflows in real-time – whether they’re creating a simple follow-up sequence or a complex, multi-stage journey with several paths. Users can manage all marketing campaigns, inbound and outbound, in one place. You can associate specific prospects with individual campaigns to ensure you aren’t assaulting potential leads with too many email campaigns. It integrates seamlessly with Salesforce CRM systems (Pardot was purchased by Salesforce in 2013), combining all your needs in a single place. 

HubSpot may have more than enough for a small business, but medium businesses and enterprises may find they need a more comprehensive features list. Pardot is once again more comprehensive than the more basic HubSpot platform. 

Pardot Integration with Salesforce 

Pardot provides B2B companies a win-win situation when it comes to Salesforce integration. Its effortless integration with Salesforce depicts that all data is synchronized, with no duplicate records. Any activity accomplished in Pardot is delivered to the user’s Salesforce, building customer and prospect records in detail. Also, when a user creates forms, landing pages, and emails with Pardot, Salesforce records can be taken in use create custom fields. 

A robust CRM 

CRM is where Pardot and Marketing cloud, and their direct integration with Salesforce, really shines. Salesforce has a robust CRM with integrations with most other platforms currently available out there, including HubSpot. It is also customizable and able to fit any company's needs.       

Users have a definite advantage with Pardot and Marketing cloud. Because they are a part of the Salesforce team, they have the most direct connection. They even share the same contact database. 

While HubSpot does have a free CRM, it’s not as robust as Salesforce. There are not as many integrations with other developers, and you cannot customize it to the same degree as Salesforce. You can integrate Salesforce with HubSpot, but they have different contact databases and only some of the information syncs between the two platforms. 

Reporting capabilities

Out of the box, HubSpot offers better reporting than Pardot, letting you see what needs attention from a big-picture perspective. Pardot’s reports can give you similar information but need more customization to be actionable. 

From a pure performance and customization standpoint, Salesforce's reporting capabilities are far superior to HubSpot's. In fact, reporting and dashboard creation in Salesforce is basically limited to one's imagination. Salesforce can generate advanced, granular reports and dashboards of things like lost opportunities by geographic territory, highest sales value by customer segment or industry, and which lead source yields the most valuable deals. 

Both systems come with out-of-the-box reports that can help you get started if you're new to dashboards and reporting, but Salesforce also offers more options for how you can visualize the data on your dashboard (e.g., funnels, pie charts, odometers). HubSpot's reports are typically limited to standard bar graphs, line graphs, and numerical counters. 

Pipeline Management 

The more complex your sales processes are, the better Salesforce performs. For small companies with basic sales cycles, HubSpot streamlines the process. 

When it comes to pipeline management, Salesforce is more customizable in configuring deal stages that match the sales processes of your business. (That, in turn, leads to the more personalized reporting capabilities described above.) If your process is very granular, you can account for that without losing the nuance of your reps' actions. And if you want to add a lead to a later stage of the pipeline, you have that flexibility. 

While HubSpot allows users to edit and add to their seven pre-configured sales pipeline stages (Appointment, Qualified, Presentation Scheduled, Decision Maker Brought In, Contract Sent, Closed Won/Lost), the system only allows for one pipeline per organization. That means if you have one sales process for one product, and a different sales process for another, you're out of luck with HubSpot unless you purchase an add-on or premium bundle that allows for multiple pipelines. 

Even the premium HubSpot pipeline management functions don't match Salesforce's functionality. With Salesforce, documents can be associated with each deal stage, tasks automated as deals move along, and an unlimited number of products associated with each deal (associating products with deals is a premium HubSpot feature). 

Pricing models 

Both HubSpot and Pardot have a tiered pricing model. HubSpot starts at $200 for the basic model and increases in cost the more contacts you add. Pardot begins at $1,000. You also need to add on the cost of Salesforce for your CRM. Both systems also offer various add-ons, which will affect your cost. HubSpot is a less expensive solution, especially as you’re starting out. 

In conclusion, making the final selection

Pardot, Marketing Cloud and HubSpot are geared toward different types of businesses and users. If you're a small-to-medium-sized business that wants a cost-effective tool, help with marketing efforts, and a relatively simple solution, HubSpot is your CRM.  

For businesses with complex sales processes, a rapidly expanding customer base, and the desire for in-depth reporting and analytics, Marketing Cloud will cover all the bases. 

If your company's primary goal is to nurture leads in order to pass them off at a certain “qualification point” to a specific person or team, Pardot is your tool as it focuses condensing important information to improve the ease of access and optimization.