The best marketing automation platforms for 2026 (and how to choose)

Disclaimer: this blog was written in collaboration with SmartSites. No compensation was exchanged for this collaboration.

Choosing a marketing automation platform isn’t just about today’s sends. It’s about how efficiently you can turn visitor intent into long-term customer value as you scale.

As director of email marketing at SmartSites, a digital marketing agency based in the NYC metropolitan area, I guide brands through the purchase of a new marketing automation platform regularly.

Below I’ll walk through the key criteria I use when recommending platforms, then share my top picks for 2026 with quick pros, cons, and who each one is best for.

5 criteria for choosing the best marketing automation platform

1. Cost and scalability

Pricing models for marketing automation platforms vary wildly, by contacts, sends, credits, or “super messages.” Look for transparent pricing that scales with your list growth and channel mix, so you’re not migrating again after a year.

2. Complexity vs. speed

Some teams need power and deep configurability. Others need to launch in hours, not weeks. Balance enterprise bells and whistles with how quickly your team can execute.

3. Integrations and data access

Native ecommerce and CRM integrations (or a well-documented API) are non-negotiable in a marketing automation platform. Good data in = good personalization out.

4. Data infrastructure

Look for:

• Segmentation power (beyond tags and static lists)
• Easy list management and intuitive list cleaning
• Clear, durable consent/opt-in metadata (timestamps, method)
• Identity resolution (first-party identity graph)

“When brands switch marketing automation platforms, the biggest gains usually come from better deliverability and smarter segmentation, not just flashy features,” says Mike Tatum, lifecycle marketing lead at Prismfly.

5. UX/UI for day-to-day work

If the marketing automation platform is clunky, you won’t use the features you’re paying for. Builders, reporting, and troubleshooting should feel intuitive.

“Most teams overbuy complexity and underinvest in execution,” says Ben Zettler, founder of Zettler Digital. “The best system is the one your team can actually use every day.”

To that end, “look for speed to launch, accessible data, and transparent pricing before you chase advanced features you’ll never operationalize,” Zettler suggests. “Marketing automation only drives growth when the team can move fast without calling an engineer.”

4 of the top marketing automation platforms for 2026

Klaviyo: best for B2C growth and B2C lifecycle marketing

Why I like it: Klaviyo is purpose-built for B2C commerce with deep segmentation, predictive analytics, and native support for email, text messaging, WhatsApp, and mobile push, plus strong ecommerce integrations and templates. Unified profiles (with historic and real-time events) make advanced personalization far easier than most stacks.

Reporting and attribution are closer to industry norms, and the new omnichannel campaign builder brings email, SMS, push, RCS, and WhatsApp into one canvas with combined reporting and AI-powered channel affinity controls.

Best for: DTC brands, multi-brand retailers, and marketplaces that want speed to value, strong revenue attribution, and an omnichannel lifecycle strategy

More than 50,000 brands have switched from Mailchimp or Salesforce to Klaviyo, seeing an average 48x ROI after consolidation. Klaviyo retains event-level data indefinitely, unlike competitors that purge after 30–90 days. This gives brands more power to segment by behavior, SKU, lifetime value, and more.

Klaviyo supports not just email, but also SMS/RCS, mobile push notifications, and WhatsApp, all from a unified platform. You can build flows that trigger an email to a subscriber, then a rich text message if they don’t engage, then a push notification via your mobile app, all tied to the same customer profile and data.

Klaviyo’s WhatsApp functionality, meanwhile, allows for two-way, conversational messaging (e.g., rich media, quick replies) that’s tied into the same data engine powering email and SMS, so your support, marketing, and commerce teams can speak with one voice.

With mobile app channels (push/in-app messaging) included in the same flows, brands can reach customers at key moments, whether they’re opening mail, browsing on mobile, or logged in to your app.

K:AI Marketing Agent builds on-brand flows, segments, and content through natural language, while K:AI Customer Agent provides 24/7/365 customer support that drives revenue, including personalized product recommendations and quick answers for customers who need shopping assistance. Klaviyo Helpdesk, meanwhile, connects marketing and service teams with full customer context in one view.

The bottom line: “The right automation platform shouldn’t just send messages,” says Zettler. “It should become the backbone of your customer data. Klaviyo’s advantage is that it was built for ecommerce from day one. Every SKU, order, and signal feeds back into segmentation and personalization automatically, which is why brands that switch stop wasting time trying to duct-tape tools together.”

HubSpot: best all-in-one for B2B

Why I like it: HubSpot is a practical, approachable, all-in-one CRM for B2B brands that combines sales workflows and marketing automation. The platform offers great documentation and an easy learning curve for lean teams focused on lead nurture.

Best for: SMB and mid-market B2B teams that want a single pane of glass for sales and marketing without heavy development work.

The bottom line: HubSpot is ideal for inbound lead generation and nurturing, not transactional commerce. It lacks native support for order events or product-based triggers, and adding advanced automation requires upgrading to Marketing Hub tiers that can quickly increase total cost.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud: best for complex enterprise brands already deeply invested in the Salesforce ecosystem

Why I like it: Salesforce Marketing Cloud provides enterprise-grade automation and personalization at scale, especially when tightly integrated with Sales and Service Cloud. If you have experienced developers and a larger budget, it can power sophisticated programs.

Caveat: Brands need to be using Salesforce heavily in order to make this happen. Even then, it requires a lot of work.

Best for: large organizations standardized on Salesforce, with in-house technical resources and long, complex buying cycles.

The bottom line: Salesforce Marketing Cloud is built from multiple acquisitions—ExactTarget, Pardot, Evergage, Datarama, among others—each running on different architectures. That means data lives in silos called “data extensions,” requiring developers or IT to unify profiles. Creating journeys or complex automations can require dev work and be costly, and ongoing maintenance often demands certified partners or additional Data Cloud licenses. While it’s a capable system, it’s heavy for teams that need speed and autonomy.

Mailchimp: best entry point for simple programs and small lists

Why I like it: Mailchimp provides a familiar, approachable starting point for basic newsletters and straightforward automations, especially for early-stage B2B and lead generation.

Best for: early-stage teams with simple newsletter workflows who don’t need deep ecommerce data or advanced automation—yet

The bottom line: Mailchimp’s data retention varies widely by plan, from 30 days on free accounts to 18 months on premium tiers. This makes historical segmentation difficult. Many users report lacking SKU-level detail for purchase events, limiting targeted campaigns by product type or variant. Its pop-up builder, now powered by Amped, offers advanced design features but a clunky dual-layout editing experience. Reporting uses generous 30-day click and 5-day SMS windows, which can inflate attribution metrics compared with industry standards.

Want a single view you can talk through with your team?

Check out this comparison table:

Why these comparisons matter

Many brands underestimate how quickly complexity and cost creep in once they scale. “Marketing automation isn’t just about sending messages,” says Tatum. “It’s about timing, segmentation, and relevance. The right platform makes that seamless.”

Over 50,000 companies have switched from Mailchimp or Salesforce Marketing Cloud to Klaviyo, citing segmentation, data access, and usability as top reasons. Klaviyo processes 2.5 billion daily events and sent over 22 billion messages total during BFCM 2025, demonstrating proven scalability for brands of all sizes.

If you’re an ecommerce brand that wants advanced personalization, measurement you can trust, and faster iteration, Klaviyo is the most pragmatic choice.

Marketing automation platform buying checklist: use this before you sign

• Data access: Can marketing teams build segments without a sales qualified lead? Can you see segment size instantly?
• Identity: Does the platform resolve identities across devices/channels?
• Attribution and reporting: Are windows configurable and close to industry norms? Can non-technical teammates self-serve answers in minutes? Does the attribution support more advanced use cases, like multi-touch, omnichannel attribution?
• Omnichannel: Can you coordinate email, text messaging, WhatsApp, and push on one canvas, with shared reporting and channel affinity?
• Ecommerce depth (if relevant): Does the marketing platform offer pre-built flows like back-in-stock and low inventory, product feeds, SKU-level segmentation, and return/subscription signals?
• Total cost of ownership: What are the costs, including licensing plus add-ons, data/credit overages, implementation, and ongoing developer/agency time?
• Time to first value: How long from contract to first automated revenue?

FAQs

Is Klaviyo only for “big” brands?

No. Klaviyo serves many audiences, with a clear path from launch to enterprise without changing platforms. Many brands switch to Klaviyo from entry-level tools once they need more reliable attribution and segmentation.

Will HubSpot work if we add ecommerce later?

HubSpot excels for B2B. If ecommerce is on the roadmap, map the data you’ll need (e.g., orders, SKUs, returns, subscriptions) and confirm how those events will populate customer profiles for segmentation and flows.

Is Mailchimp “bad” for segmentation?

It’s fine for basic lists and tags. If you plan to personalize by SKU/variant, predictive propensity, or multi-event behaviors across channels, you’ll hit limits quickly.