Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pardot VS Eloqua

Compare Pardot VS Eloqua and see what are their differences

Pardot logo Pardot

Salesforce B2B marketing automation

Eloqua logo Eloqua

Eloqua is a marketing automation and revenue performance management platform. Develop marketing campaigns with simple segmenting and filtering features. Track revenue down the marketing funnel to drive insights.
  • Pardot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-17

Accelerate pipeline, drive revenue, and align marketing and sales with Pardot marketing automation​, a Salesforce.com company. Track all prospect interactions on your site — from downloads to page views — then score prospects based on parameters you set. Put time back into your sales reps’ day with automated lead nurturing and real-time sales alerts, which allow reps to prioritize their time. Then, measure the true ROI of your marketing efforts with closed-loop reporting.

  • Eloqua Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-09

Pardot features and specs

  • Integration with Salesforce
    Pardot seamlessly integrates with Salesforce CRM, providing a unified platform for sales and marketing teams to collaborate, share data, and streamline workflows.
  • Robust Analytics and Reporting
    Pardot offers detailed analytics and reporting tools that help track campaign performance, measure ROI, and gain insights into customer behavior.
  • Lead Nurturing Capabilities
    The platform has powerful lead nurturing features that allow users to create automated drip campaigns, segment leads, and personalize messaging to enhance engagement.
  • Ease of Use
    Pardot has a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
  • Advanced Email Marketing
    Pardot provides tools for designing, testing, and automating email marketing campaigns, including A/B testing and dynamic content personalization.

Possible disadvantages of Pardot

  • High Cost
    Pardot can be expensive, particularly for small businesses and startups, as it has a higher price point compared to some other marketing automation solutions.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, new users may require time and training to fully utilize all of Pardot’s features and capabilities.
  • Limited Customization
    Some users find Pardot's customization options limited, especially in comparison to other marketing automation tools that offer more flexible design and integration options.
  • Dependency on Salesforce
    While the integration with Salesforce is a major advantage, it also means that organizations heavily rely on the Salesforce ecosystem, which could be restrictive if they are using other CRMs.
  • Slow Customer Support
    Users have reported slow response times from Pardot’s customer support, which can be an obstacle when trying to resolve urgent technical issues.

Eloqua features and specs

  • Comprehensive Campaign Management
    Eloqua offers a wide range of tools for managing email marketing campaigns, from segmentation to personalization and automation, providing marketers with robust capabilities to create and track campaigns effectively.
  • Advanced Analytics
    Eloqua provides detailed analytics and reporting features, allowing marketers to track the performance of their campaigns and understand customer behavior, enabling data-driven decisions.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Eloqua integrates with a wide variety of third-party applications, including CRM systems like Salesforce, allowing seamless data flow and enhancing overall marketing and sales alignment.
  • Scalability
    Eloqua is designed to handle the marketing needs of large enterprises, making it a scalable solution for growing companies that require robust and flexible marketing automation tools.
  • Lead Management
    With efficient lead scoring and nurturing features, Eloqua helps in effectively managing leads throughout the customer lifecycle, improving conversion rates and sales efficiency.

Possible disadvantages of Eloqua

  • Complexity
    Eloqua can be complex and challenging to use, especially for small teams or businesses with limited resources or experience in marketing automation, requiring significant time and training to manage effectively.
  • Cost
    As a premium enterprise solution, Eloqua can be expensive, particularly for smaller businesses or those with limited marketing budgets.
  • User Interface
    Some users report that the user interface is not as intuitive as other marketing automation platforms, which can slow down workflows and require more time investment in learning the system.
  • Customization Limitations
    While Eloqua offers a range of features, some users find that there are limitations in customization options, which can restrict specific business needs or advanced personalization efforts.
  • Support Challenges
    Users have reported that Eloqua’s customer support can be slow or difficult to navigate, which can lead to delays in resolving issues or implementing new features effectively.

Analysis of Pardot

Overall verdict

  • Pardot is considered a strong choice for businesses focused on B2B marketing automation and looking for a deep integration with Salesforce. Its feature-rich platform, particularly in lead management and nurturing, supports sophisticated marketing strategies. However, its cost might be prohibitive for smaller businesses, and there can be a learning curve for those new to marketing automation tools.

Why this product is good

  • Pardot, by Salesforce, is a well-regarded marketing automation tool known for its robust features tailored to B2B marketing. It excels in lead nurturing, scoring, and management, providing deep insights into customer behavior. The integration with Salesforce CRM is seamless, creating a unified platform for sales and marketing teams. Pardot also offers comprehensive analytics and reporting tools, A/B testing, and dynamic content customization, making it a favorite among businesses looking to enhance their marketing strategies.

Recommended for

    Pardot is recommended for mid-sized to large enterprises, particularly those that are already using Salesforce CRM or plan to, and are looking to streamline their marketing and sales alignment. It's ideal for teams that need advanced lead nurturing capabilities, robust analytics, and a platform that can scale with business growth.

Pardot videos

Pardot Review - CRM software review

More videos:

  • Review - Basics of Pardot
  • Review - Hubspot vs Salesforce Pardot (BEST) 🏆 Review Eloqua Marketo Alternatives

Eloqua videos

Eloqua Product Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Oracle Eloqua - My Eloqua Overview
  • Review - 4Thought Marketing's Health Check For Eloqua Overview

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pardot and Eloqua)
Email Marketing
90 90%
10% 10
Marketing Automation
86 86%
14% 14
Email Marketing Platforms
Business & Commerce
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Pardot and Eloqua

Pardot Reviews

The 36 Best Marketing Automation Tools to Use in 2020
If you run a B2B SaaS, rely heavily on Salesforce, and you’re able to pay $15,000 per year for a marketing automation tool, Pardot could be a good choice for your SaaS. Otherwise, skip to some of the less expensive options in this post.
Source: encharge.io
The 11 Best Marketing Automation Software Tools in 2020
It's important to note, Pardot is a powerful enterprise, but lacks lead generation functionality and may not be as accessible or affordable for smaller businesses, or entrepreneurs.
The Best Email Marketing, Sales Prospecting, and Email Automation Software
I hadn’t heard of Zoho before creating this list. But it seems to be a pretty decent tool. I would say it sits somewhere between and email marketing software and an email automation software in both functionality and price. The automations are more limited than a Salesforce Marketing Cloud or a Pardot, but the features are more robust than some smaller solutions like Mailchimp.
Five Automation Tools to Make B2B Marketing Easy
Pardot: Pardot, a B2B marketing automation platform by Salesforce, allows you to reach the potential leads via social, paid marketing or email campaigns. Pardot provides the added benefit of syncing with a user’s current clients in Salesforce too, thus enhancing the communication scale.

Eloqua Reviews

The 36 Best Marketing Automation Tools to Use in 2020
As one of the most expensive tools on this list, it’s unlikely that Eloqua is going to be the first choice for your SaaS. Eloqua is primarily used by Enterprise level companies with more than 1,000 employees.
Source: encharge.io

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pardot and Eloqua, you can also consider the following products

HubSpot - Grow Better With HubSpot: Software that's powerful, not overpowering. Seamlessly connect your data, teams, and customers on one CRM platform that grows with your business.

Adobe Marketo Engage - Adobe Marketo Engage is a tool that offers multi-channel marketing automation, campaign and leads nurturing, and analytics.

ActiveCampaign - Integrated email marketing, marketing automation, and small business CRM. Send beautiful newsletters, setup behavioral based automations, and benefit from sales automation.

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

SharpSpring - Simple Marketing Automation for Agencies and SMBs

GetResponse - Email marketing from GetResponse. Send email newsletters, campaigns, online surveys and follow-up autoresponders. Simple, easy interface. FREE sign up.