Comparison of automation platforms for marketing teams

Marketing automation is a major lever for optimizing marketing workflows and improving the effectiveness of campaigns run by SME teams. This comparison of marketing automation platforms will help you make the right choice according to your specific needs, company size and available budget.

• Marketing automation platforms offer a wide range of functions, from email campaign management to advanced customer journey personalization.
• The choice of platform depends on criteria such as company size, team technical skills, budget and CRM integration requirements.
• French and European solutions offer RGPD compliance guarantees and tailored local support.
• No-code platforms such as Zapier and Make enable you to create flexible multi-tool automations without any programming knowledge.
• A precise analysis enables you to select the most appropriate tool to improve the efficiency of your marketing campaigns and workflows.

Lead

Comparing marketing automation platforms is an essential tool for SMEs wishing to optimize their marketing workflows. These platforms can centralize campaign management, automate communications and improve the effectiveness of marketing actions by integrating CRM and customer data.

Marketing automation means time savings, more personalized messages and precise lead follow-up. This is all the more relevant for SMEs, where control over budget and human resources is a crucial issue.

Introduction: why choose a marketing automation platform?

SMB marketing teams are often faced with the challenges of managing multiple campaigns, segmenting audiences and tracking customer interactions. Marketing automation offers a suitable solution by simplifying and orchestrating these tasks.

The use of automation platforms also improves campaign consistency, reduces manual errors and accelerates the lead-to-customer cycle. The choice of platform will depend on the company’s level of digital maturity, its size and its strategic objectives.

Smaller teams are often looking for easy-to-use, cost-effective tools, while larger organizations prefer more comprehensive, modular solutions with advanced integrations.

Marketing automation platforms: the main solutions in 2025

HubSpot Marketing Hub

HubSpot Marketing Hub is a complete marketing automation solution designed to manage integrated campaigns, lead generation and customer engagement. It is aimed primarily at fast-growing SMEs and advanced marketing teams.

• Key features: visual creation of conditional workflows, email automation, live chat, onsite activities, HubSpot CRM integrations and third-party tools.
• Benefits: comprehensive, integrated platform, free version available, scalable Pro and Enterprise options for growth.
• Limitations: high average price (around $50/month), sometimes too powerful and costly for small teams.

HubSpot is recommended for organizations looking for a solid ecosystem with in-depth CRM support and full automation.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign combines marketing automation, CRM and emailing in a versatile platform designed primarily for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a good balance between cost and functionality.

• Key features: advanced email campaign management, customer interaction tracking, flexible automation with segmentation.
• Advantages: ease of use, attractive price starting at €15/month, good value for money for small structures.
• Limitations: limited basic formulas, rates rise rapidly above €50/month.

ActiveCampaign is ideal for teams looking for an efficient, accessible tool without excessive technical complexity.

Brevo (ex Sendinblue)

Brevo is a complete all-in-one French solution, geared towards accessible use, with emailing and marketing automation functionalities particularly adapted to the French-speaking market.

• Advantages: competitive pricing, good local integration, RGPD compliance.
• Comparison: distinguishes itself from ActiveCampaign by a better reputation in emailing and automation, while ActiveCampaign excels in CRM and ease of use.

This solution is recommended for French-speaking SMEs and SMIs who prefer a local partner.

Marketo (Adobe)

Marketo, now under the Adobe banner, is aimed primarily at large enterprises with complex automation needs.

• Key features: advanced management of complex campaigns, lead management, advanced analytics.
• Limitations: complex to use, with a steep learning curve.
• Target audience: large, demanding companies with dedicated marketing automation teams.

Zapier & Make (ex Integromat)

These two no-code platforms automate workflows between several digital applications without programming.

• Zapier: simplicity for connecting over 5,000 applications, suitable for small teams and B2C.
• Make: more powerful visual interface for creating complex, customized scenarios.
• Advantages: extreme flexibility, easy creation of automations (“Zaps” or scenarios), time savings.
• Limitations: costs can rise rapidly, integrations can be limited, Make requires a good understanding of workflows.

Webmecanik

Webmecanik is a French platform dedicated to SMEs and startups, focused on B2B, with an emphasis on RGPD compliance.

• Features: unlimited emailing, landing page creation, AB testing, lead scoring, multi-channel communication, integrated CRM.
• Advantages: accessibility, strict RGPD compliance, features/price ratio for the French-speaking market.
• Target audience: B2B SMEs looking for a complete, customizable local solution.

Actito

Actito is a Belgian solution focused on advanced personalization through the use of customer data and behavior prediction.

• Features: multi-channel management (SMS, push notifications), customer datamart, integrations with Magento, Prestashop, Microsoft Dynamics.
• Advantages: multilingual interface including French, enhanced support, RGPD compliance.
• Limitations: on-demand pricing, less well-known than the big American platforms.
• Target audience: French-speaking companies wishing to benefit from a predictive approach to customer data.

Other noteworthy solutions

• Plezi: growing French solution, popular ergonomics, suitable for SMEs.
• Sharpspring, Pardot, Eloqua: platforms for large enterprises with advanced functionality, high cost and complexity.
• Klaviyo: used in e-commerce, specializing in email marketing and segmentation.
• n8n: open-source, self-hosting platform offering advanced technical flexibility.

Synthetic comparison of platforms

Platform	Target	Highlights	Price guide
HubSpot Marketing Hub	SMEs / Medium to large agencies	Complete, integrated, scalable solution	From €50/month
ActiveCampaign	VSE / SME	Easy, integrated CRM, good value for money	From €15/month
Brevo	SME / SMI	French solution, competitive prices	Variable, often low
Marketo (Adobe)	Large-scale enterprises	Powerful, adapted to complex uses	On quotation
Zapier / Make	All types, B2C	No-code, extreme flexibility	Variable according to use
Webmecanik	SMEs / B2B Startups	B2B marketing features, RGPD	On quotation
Actito	Adapted French-speaking companies	Customization and prediction	On request

Conclusion and outlook

The choice of a marketing automation platform should always be guided by a precise analysis of the specific needs of each marketing team, the company’s size and sector of activity, and budgetary constraints. The main objective remains to optimize marketing workflows and improve campaign efficiency.

For SMEs looking for an integrated, scalable solution with a high-performance CRM, HubSpot remains a safe bet. Smaller teams on a tight budget will find ActiveCampaign and Brevo to be efficient, easy-to-use and affordable platforms. Marketo is aimed primarily at large enterprises with demanding applications, while Zapier and Make stand out for their flexibility and ability to automate cross-application processes without coding.

Finally, French and European solutions such as Webmecanik and Actito offer the guarantee of strict RGPD compliance and personalized local support, increasingly strategic criteria for French-speaking companies.

This comparison invites further analysis according to sectoral, technical and organizational specificities, in order to select the most suitable platform and optimize marketing performance.