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Let’s be real—sorting through sales and marketing tools that promise to do it all is no small task. One promises better lead tracking, the other swears it’ll skyrocket your campaign ROI. Meanwhile, you’re stuck trying to juggle it all—managing leads, running campaigns, and keeping an eye on revenue. Sound familiar? The right tool could save you hours, but the wrong one might just add to the chaos. So, how do you decide which one will actually solve your headaches?

That's where I come in. I've spent the time setting up, wrestling, and testing enough software to know what’s worth your time (and what’s not).

In this article, I’ll break down the top software solutions for tackling your sales and marketing challenges. Think clear insights, best use cases, and pricing comparisons to help you make the right call. Here are my top picks for the best sales and marketing software solutions.

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We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different Revenue Operations use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & check out our software review methodology.

Best Sales And Marketing Software Summary

This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top sales and marketing software selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs.

Tool Best For Trial Info Price
1
EngageBay

EngageBay simplifies customer management, marketing automation, and sales.

Best for small business affordability

Free demo + free plan available

From $12/user/month (billed annually) Website
2
Ortto

Ortto automates customer engagement, personalizes journeys, and integrates data.

Best for automating customer journeys

Free trial available

From $509/month (billed annually) Website
3
Insightly

Insightly integrates CRM, sales tracking, and project management into one platform for SMBs.

Best for project management integration

Free trial available

From $29/user/month (billed annually) Website
4
Constant Contact

ConstantContact is an email platform for managing campaigns and event marketing.

Best for event marketing tools

Free demo available

From $12/month (billed annually) Website
5
Bitrix24

Bitrix24 is a versatile platform for team communication, project management, and CRM.

Best for team collaboration features

Free plan available

From $43/organization/month (billed annually) Website
6
Adobe Marketo Engage

Adobe Marketo Engage is a platform for B2B marketers to manage leads and analytics.

Best for advanced analytics

Free demo available

Pricing upon request Website
7
Salesforce

Salesforce is a CRM tool for managing relationships, automating tasks, and analytics.

Best for large enterprise teams

30-day free trial

From $165/user/month Website
8
Nutshell

Nutshell is a CRM for SMBs, supporting sales and enhancing team collaboration.

Best for ease of use

14-day free trial

From $19/user/month Website
9
ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign supports email marketing, automation, and customer tracking.

Best for email marketing automation

14-day free trial

From $15/month Website
10
Brevo

Brevo offers multi-channel communication for businesses in one platform.

Best for multi-channel messaging

Free plan available

From $25/month (billed annually) Website

How to Choose Sales and Marketing Software

It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:

FactorWhat to Consider
ScalabilityEnsure the software can grow with your business. Look for tools that can handle increased data and users without performance issues.
IntegrationsCheck if it integrates with your existing tools like CRM, email, and analytics platforms for smooth data flow and efficiency.
CustomizabilityLook for software that lets you tailor features to fit your business processes. Custom dashboards and reports are a plus.
Ease of UseChoose a user-friendly interface that your team can adopt quickly without extensive training.
BudgetConsider both upfront costs and ongoing expenses. Make sure the software fits your budget without cutting essential features.
Security SafeguardsPrioritize tools with strong data protection measures, especially if you handle sensitive customer information.

Best Sales and Marketing Software Reviews

Below are my detailed summaries of the best marketing and sales tools that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer a detailed look at the key features, pros & cons, integrations, and ideal use cases of each tool to help you find the best one for you.

Best for small business affordability

  • Free demo + free plan available
  • From $12/user/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.7/5

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and service platform targeting small businesses. It helps manage customer interactions, automate marketing campaigns, and streamline sales processes.

Why I picked EngageBay: It's ideal for small businesses due to its affordability and comprehensive feature set. EngageBay combines CRM, marketing automation, and helpdesk tools in one package, providing excellent value. You can automate your marketing campaigns with ease, saving time and effort. The platform's capability to manage customer interactions makes it a practical choice for small teams.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a landing page builder that lets you create and customize pages without coding. The CRM component offers contact management and deal tracking to keep your sales organized. Its marketing automation tools allow you to nurture leads through email sequences.

Integrations include Mailchimp, Zapier, Xero, Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Twilio, Mandrill, SendGrid, and Docusign.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Affordable for small businesses
  • Effective deal tracking
  • Customizable landing pages

Cons:

  • Steeper learning curve for new users
  • Limited advanced features

Best for automating customer journeys

  • Free trial available
  • From $509/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

Ortto is a marketing automation tool designed for businesses looking to automate customer engagement. Its main user base includes marketers and sales teams focused on creating personalized customer journeys. The platform excels at integrating customer data and automating marketing processes.

Why I picked Ortto: Ortto specializes in automating customer journeys with features like personalized messaging and notifications. Its customer data platform enables you to integrate and segment customer data efficiently. AI-powered tools assist in creating optimized messages and emails. The platform's analytics provide insights to visualize data, supporting marketers in decision-making.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include customer data integration, personalized messaging, and AI-driven email creation. Ortto's analytics help visualize customer data, making it easier to understand trends and behaviors. The platform supports no-code integrations, enhancing its usability across various applications.

Integrations include Shopify, Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Zapier, Google Analytics, Slack, WordPress, Zendesk, and Intercom.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Strong customer support
  • Scales well with growth
  • Easy to set up

Cons:

  • Integration with existing tech stack can be tricky
  • Limited customization options

Best for project management integration

  • Free trial available
  • From $29/user/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.2/5

Insightly is a CRM and project management tool designed for small and mid-sized businesses. It helps teams manage customer relationships, track sales, and oversee projects from start to finish.

Why I picked Insightly: It combines CRM with project management, making it ideal for businesses needing both functionalities in one platform. You can track sales opportunities and manage detailed project timelines effectively. The tool provides deep reporting features to analyze business performance. Its pipeline management helps prioritize tasks and improve workflow efficiency.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a customizable dashboard that allows your team to focus on important metrics. The workflow automation tool helps automate repetitive tasks, saving you time. Insightly also offers email templates to streamline communication with clients.

Integrations include QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Microsoft Outlook, Google Workspace, Slack, Dropbox, Evernote, Xero, Zapier, and PieSync.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Workflow automation capabilities
  • Detailed project timelines
  • Combines CRM and project management

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve initially
  • Requires technical setup

Best for event marketing tools

  • Free demo available
  • From $12/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4/5

ConstantContact is an email marketing platform primarily used by small businesses and nonprofits. It offers tools to create and manage email campaigns and event marketing.

Why I picked ConstantContact: It's ideal for businesses focused on event marketing. The tool provides features to create and promote events, track registrations, and manage attendees. You can easily design custom emails with its drag-and-drop editor. The reporting features give insights into campaign performance, helping you refine your strategies.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a drag-and-drop email editor for easy customization. The event management tools let you create, promote, and track events. You also get access to social media posting and monitoring from within the platform.

Integrations include Shopify, WooCommerce, Eventbrite, Facebook, Salesforce, WordPress, QuickBooks, Zapier, Google Analytics, and Outlook.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Social media tools included
  • Easy email customization
  • Strong focus on event marketing

Cons:

  • Can be pricey at scale
  • Limited advanced features

Best for team collaboration features

  • Free plan available
  • From $43/organization/month (billed annually)

Bitrix24 is a complete business management platform suitable for teams of various sizes. It provides tools for communication, project management, CRM, and collaboration in one place.

Why I picked Bitrix24: It's ideal for teams who need extensive collaboration features. You can manage tasks and projects while keeping all team members in sync. The platform offers a variety of communication tools, including chat and video calls. Its CRM functionality integrates well with project management, ensuring your team stays organized and efficient.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a built-in task and project management system, which helps you keep track of deadlines and responsibilities. The platform offers a customizable CRM to manage customer relationships effectively. You also have access to a unified communication system, including chat, video calls, and social network-like features for team interaction.

Integrations include Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, Mailchimp, Slack, Zoom, QuickBooks, Dropbox, Zapier, Trello, and Evernote.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Suitable for remote work
  • Customizable CRM system
  • Integrated project management

Cons:

  • Resource-intensive on larger teams
  • Complex interface

Best for advanced analytics

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request

Adobe Marketo Engage is a marketing automation platform designed for large enterprises and B2B marketers. It helps manage customer engagement, lead nurturing, and analytics for effective marketing strategies.

Why I picked Adobe Marketo Engage: It's tailored for those needing advanced analytics to drive marketing decisions. The platform offers detailed reporting and insights to optimize your campaigns. Its lead nurturing capabilities allow for personalized customer journeys. You can analyze customer behavior deeply to refine your marketing strategies continuously.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a powerful email marketing tool that helps you deliver personalized campaigns. The platform's lead management system ensures that you can score and prioritize leads effectively. You also have access to a robust event marketing tool to manage webinars and in-person events.

Integrations include Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, LinkedIn, Facebook, Zoom, GoToWebinar, Slack, Eventbrite, Optimizely, and ON24.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Scales well with enterprise needs
  • Detailed analytics and reporting
  • Extensive lead management options

Cons:

  • Requires technical expertise
  • Steep learning curve

Best for large enterprise teams

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $165/user/month

Salesforce is a comprehensive CRM and marketing tool designed for large enterprises. It helps salespeople manage customer relationships, automate marketing tasks, and analyze data for better forecasting.

Why I picked Salesforce: Its vast suite of tools caters to large enterprise teams, offering unparalleled scalability and customization. Salesforce provides detailed customer insights, enabling you to tailor marketing strategies effectively. You can automate complex workflows, reducing manual tasks and increasing efficiency. Its extensive analytics offer deep insights into customer behavior, making it ideal for large teams looking for more ways to close deals.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include advanced reporting tools, customizable dashboards, and AI-driven insights. Salesforce's marketing automation capabilities allow you to create personalized journeys for customers. The platform's collaboration tools support teams to work together.

Integrations include Slack, Tableau, Mailchimp, Marketo, LinkedIn, Zoom, Google Workspace, QuickBooks, Docusign, and Dropbox.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Frequent updates and improvements
  • Scales with large data sets
  • Highly customizable workflows

Cons:

  • Can be overwhelming for small teams
  • Steep learning curve

Best for ease of use

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $19/user/month

Nutshell is a CRM platform designed for small to medium-sized businesses. It focuses on improving sales processes and team collaboration.

Why I picked Nutshell: It's designed to be user-friendly, which is a significant advantage for teams that want a straightforward CRM solution. Nutshell offers customizable sales pipelines to fit your business process. The reporting tools provide insights into sales performance without overwhelming complexity. Its collaborative features help your team stay connected and informed.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a visual sales pipeline that helps you track deals efficiently. The email sync option allows you to manage communications seamlessly within the platform. You also have access to lead management tools that help prioritize and follow up on prospects effectively.

Integrations include Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook, Mailchimp, Slack, QuickBooks Online, Zapier, Constant Contact, Zendesk, Unbounce, and Intercom.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Real-time collaboration features
  • Effective sales pipeline tracking
  • Simple and intuitive design

Cons:

  • Basic reporting capabilities
  • Limited advanced customization

Best for email marketing automation

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $15/month

ActiveCampaign is an email marketing and automation sales software platform designed for small to medium businesses. It helps your team manage email campaigns, track customer interactions, and automate various marketing tasks.

Why I picked ActiveCampaign: It excels in email marketing automation, making it ideal for businesses that rely heavily on email engagement. Its automation workflows allow you to send targeted messages based on customer behavior. You can create personalized campaigns without coding skills. The platform's segmentation features help tailor communications to specific audience segments, enhancing your email marketing efforts.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include a visual automation builder, which simplifies creating complex workflows. Its CRM capabilities let you manage customer relationships right alongside your marketing efforts. The email design tools make it easy to create professional-looking emails without any design experience.

Integrations include Shopify, Salesforce, WordPress, Zapier, WooCommerce, Facebook, Stripe, PayPal, Google Analytics, and Eventbrite.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Advanced email tracking
  • Effective customer segmentation
  • Flexible automation workflows

Cons:

  • Requires time to master features
  • Can be overwhelming at first

Best for multi-channel messaging

  • Free plan available
  • From $25/month (billed annually)

Brevo is a marketing platform designed to help businesses communicate across multiple channels. It serves marketing teams that want to manage email, SMS, and chat interactions all in one place.

Why I picked Brevo: It excels in providing a unified platform for multi-channel messaging. Brevo enables you to send targeted emails, SMS, and chat messages, helping you meet your customers where they are. The platform's automation tools simplify managing complex campaigns across these channels. You can track customer interactions in real-time, allowing for timely follow-ups and engagement.

Standout features & integrations:

Features include an intuitive drag-and-drop editor for creating email campaigns. The SMS marketing tool lets you send personalized text messages to your audience. Its live chat feature allows for real-time customer support and engagement, enhancing your team's ability to respond promptly.

Integrations include Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento (now Adobe Commerce), PrestaShop, Google Analytics, Zapier, Facebook, Pipedrive, and Salesforce.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Intuitive campaign editor
  • Real-time customer interaction tracking
  • Effective multi-channel management

Cons:

  • Steeper learning curve for beginners
  • Limited advanced analytics

Other Sales and Marketing Software

Here are some additional sales and marketing software options that didn’t make it onto my shortlist, but are still worth checking out:

  1. SugarCRM

    For customization options

  2. Freshsales

    For AI-driven sales insights

  3. HubSpot CRM

    For free CRM tools

  4. Zoho CRM

    For multichannel communication

  5. Keap

    For small business automation

  6. Zoho Campaigns

    For email marketing analytics

  7. Close CRM

    For inside sales teams

  8. HubSpot Sales Hub

    For inbound sales teams

  9. monday.com

    For team workflow management

  10. Pipedrive CRM

    For visual sales pipeline

Sales and Marketing Software Selection Criteria

When selecting the best sales and marketing software to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like the need for smooth integration with existing tools and the challenges of managing customer data effectively. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair: 

Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:

  • Lead management
  • Email marketing
  • CRM integration
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Campaign management

Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:

  • Advanced automation
  • AI-driven insights
  • Multi-channel communication
  • Customizable dashboards
  • Event management tools

Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:

  • Intuitive interface
  • Easy navigation
  • Minimal learning curve
  • Responsive design
  • Clear user guides

Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:

  • Availability of training videos
  • Interactive product tours
  • Access to webinars
  • Comprehensive templates
  • Support from chatbots

Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:

  • 24/7 availability
  • Live chat support
  • Detailed knowledge base
  • Response time
  • Personalized assistance

Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:

  • Competitive pricing
  • Features included in base plans
  • Scalability of pricing
  • Discounts for annual billing
  • Return on investment

Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:

  • Overall satisfaction ratings
  • Commonly mentioned strengths
  • Frequently cited weaknesses
  • Ease of implementation feedback
  • Long-term user experiences

In my research, I sourced countless product updates, press releases, and release logs from different sales and marketing software vendors. Here are some of the emerging trends I’m keeping an eye on:

  • AI-driven personalization: More tools are using AI to tailor marketing messages based on user behavior. This makes campaigns more effective by reaching the right audience with the right message. 
  • Voice search optimization: As voice-activated devices become common, optimizing content for voice search has become a more common tactic. This trend helps businesses capture leads from voice queries. Some CRM systems are beginning to incorporate features that support voice data entry and retrieval.
  • Data privacy enhancements: With stricter regulations worldwide, vendors are improving data privacy features. This ensures compliance and builds trust with users. Many companies are now providing secure data handling options and transparent privacy policies.
  • Unified customer profiles: Combining data from different channels into a single profile is gaining traction. This trend helps businesses get a holistic view of customer interactions. Vendors like HubSpot are working on creating more integrated profiles to enhance user experience.
  • Video marketing integration: As video content becomes more popular, incorporating video into marketing strategies is key. Sales and marketing software are adding video creation and management features.

What Is Sales and Marketing Software?

Sales and marketing software is a set of tools that help businesses manage customer relationships, marketing campaigns, and sales processes. These tools are generally used by sales teams, marketers, and customer service professionals to increase efficiency and improve customer interactions. Features like lead management, email marketing, and analytics support building customer relationships and executing effective campaigns. Overall, these tools help businesses grow by optimizing sales and marketing efforts.

Features of Sales and Marketing Software

When selecting sales and marketing software, keep an eye out for the following key features:

  • Lead management: Tracks and organizes potential customers to ensure timely and effective follow-up actions, whilst supporting efficient lead generation and nurturing those top-quality leads.
  • Email marketing: Automates sending personalized emails to engage with customers at various stages of the sales funnel, enhancing the overall customer experience.
  • Analytics and reporting: Provides data insights using advanced analytics tools to monitor sales and marketing activities, ensuring informed decision-making and optimization of the sales cycle.
  • CRM integration: Connects well with CRM software to maintain a centralized and unified customer database, simplifying workflows and data access.
  • Project management: Helps manage tasks and timelines to execute marketing campaigns smoothly, ensuring alignment with broader team objectives.
  • Multi-channel communication: Enables interaction with customers across various platforms to enhance engagement throughout the sales funnel.
  • Customizable dashboards: Allows users to tailor their interface to focus on the most relevant metrics and data, improving visibility and usability.
  • Workflow automation: Streamlines processes using automation software, reducing manual tasks and boosting team productivity with effective sales automation.
  • Event management tools: Supports planning and execution for both webinars and in-person gatherings, improving campaign reach and coordination.
  • Collaboration features: Facilitates team communication and coordination, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned for greater efficiency and better results.

Benefits of Sales and Marketing Software

Implementing sales and marketing software provides several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:

  • Improved customer engagement: Multi-channel communication features help reach customers where they are, fostering better relationships.
  • Increased efficiency: Workflow automation reduces manual tasks, freeing up time for more strategic efforts.
  • Better decision-making: Analytics and reporting provide insights to guide marketing strategies and sales efforts.
  • Enhanced collaboration: Team collaboration tools keep everyone aligned and working toward common goals.
  • Personalized marketing: Email marketing and lead management allow for tailored communication, increasing conversion rates.
  • Streamlined processes: CRM integration ensures customer data is organized and accessible, improving overall operations.
  • Effective event planning: Event management tools simplify organizing and executing marketing events, both online and offline.

Costs and Pricing of Sales and Marketing Software

Selecting sales and marketing software requires an understanding of the various pricing models and plans available. Costs vary based on features, team size, add-ons, and more. The table below summarizes common plans, their average prices, and typical features included in sales and marketing software solutions:

Plan Comparison Table for Sales and Marketing Software

Plan TypeAverage PriceCommon Features
Free Plan$0Basic email marketing, limited CRM, and basic analytics.
Personal Plan$10-$30/user/monthEmail automation, contact management, and basic reporting.
Business Plan$50-$100/user/monthMulti-channel communication, advanced reporting, and project management.
Enterprise Plan$100-$300/user/monthCustomizable dashboards, workflow automation, and dedicated support.

Sales and Marketing Software FAQs

Here are some answers to common questions about sales and marketing software:

What does a sales and marketing SLA require sales to do?

A sales and marketing SLA, or service-level agreement, requires your sales team to follow specific guidelines set by marketing. Typically, this means contacting leads generated by marketing within a certain timeframe. It may also require closing a set number of deals from those leads. This ensures alignment between your sales and marketing teams, optimizing the lead conversion process.

Which system is used to support sales and marketing activities?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are commonly used to support sales and marketing activities. These systems manage business interactions and the sales pipeline for current and future customers. CRMs help your team keep track of customer data and interactions, ensuring a more personalized and efficient sales process.

How do sales and marketing systems drive earnings growth?

Sales and marketing systems drive earnings growth by creating a repeatable process for reaching, engaging, and enrolling clients. These systems are designed to produce specific outcomes that align with your business objectives. By maintaining financial and operational constraints, they help your team increase revenue efficiently.

What are important considerations when choosing sales and marketing software?

When choosing sales and marketing software, consider factors like integration capabilities, ease of use, and scalability. Look for tools that align with your business processes and can grow with your team. Evaluate customer support and training resources to ensure a smooth transition and ongoing success.

How can sales and marketing software improve team collaboration?

Sales and marketing software can improve team collaboration by providing shared access to customer data and communication tools. Features like shared dashboards and task management promote transparency and accountability. This helps your team work together efficiently, ensuring consistent messaging and follow-ups.

What role does data privacy play in sales and marketing software?

Data privacy is crucial in sales and marketing software as it helps protect customer information and maintain trust. Compliance with regulations like GDPR ensures that your data handling practices are secure. This safeguards your business and reassures your customers that their information is safe.

What's Next?

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Phil Gray
By Phil Gray

Philip Gray is the COO of Black and White Zebra and Founding Editor of The RevOps Team. A business renaissance man with his hands in many departmental pies, he is an advocate of centralized data management, holistic planning, and process automation. It's this love for data and all things revenue operations landed him the role as resident big brain for The RevOps Team.

With 10+ years of experience in leadership and operations in industries that include biotechnology, healthcare, logistics, and SaaS, he applies a considerable broad scope of experience in business that lets him see the big picture. An unapologetic buzzword apologist, you can often find him double clicking, drilling down, and unpacking all the things.