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Act-On Software vs Pardot comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 6, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Act-On Software
Ranking in Marketing Automation
14th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.7
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Pardot
Ranking in Marketing Automation
7th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Marketing Automation category, the mindshare of Act-On Software is 1.8%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Pardot is 2.9%, down from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Marketing Automation Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Pardot2.9%
Act-On Software1.8%
Other95.3%
Marketing Automation
 

Featured Reviews

it_user82449 - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Systems Manager at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
The adaptive nurturing, segmentation, multiple lead scoring rules, and simple CRM integration stood out the most.
The CRM integration with Act-On is better with Salesforce and had more value for sales representatives than it did with Microsoft Dynamics CRM; that was MS CRM's downfall. Act-On Anywhere is a nice feature for general users, but the tracking in CRM is lost, and Marketing team subject lines do not carry over on the email templates.
PradeepKumar25 - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Manager at Tech Mahindra Limited
Allows seamless integration but lacks email design
Pardot needs many improvements in terms of email design and design studio functionalities. It lacks a robust design studio, limiting our ability to perform various design activities efficiently. You don't need to write any HTML code, but designing a banner for a website involves creating a landing page within Pardot. The platform's drag-and-drop features are not as advanced as those in other marketing platforms like Marketo, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, or Eloqua. Pardot's landing page and form-building features are pretty basic, requiring web developers or skilled users to build elements from scratch and perform extensive testing using tools like Litmus before deployment. This is a significant drawback of the platform. Additionally, Pardot's integration with third-party applications is limited because it operates on top of CRM systems. However, data integration between Pardot and CRM is seamless, reducing the need to worry about data errors once the configuration is complete.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Before I joined, my company used a larger, more expensive but more popular software, and after switching to this, my team can still do everything it needs to for cheaper."
"Act-On has an outstanding customer support team and they escalate issues to their technical teams before the frustration level."
"Act-On is simple to use and it makes campaign development a breeze."
"Our organization was operating blindfolded before implementing Act-On."
"It is now much easier for us to send and segment emails, analyze our results and make smarter decisions."
"However, you are going to receive good value for money."
"Pardot's most valuable feature is its B2B marketing capabilities."
"It's easy to create email templates and landing pages."
"Pardot directly integrates with CRM, specifically Salesforce, which has an excellent R&D team."
"The tracking and automation of outbound messaging is the solution's most valuable aspect."
"The implementation process is easy, it's easy to learn, the dashboards are very convenient when you go from one option to another option, the dashboard is very neat, and the UI is very easy to understand."
"Our ROI is huge, not just in cost avoidance, but also in increased sales."
"For me, the best thing is the Custom Redirect. That's one key thing I like because using that particular Custom Redirect, I can track a link wherever I'm sharing it. I can track how and when people are accessing it."
 

Cons

"The CRM integration with Act-On is better with Salesforce and had more value for sales representatives than it did with Microsoft Dynamics CRM; that was MS CRM's downfall."
"One area of improvement would be ability to use dynamic content fields. It is available, but not to the fullest extent where it would help me."
"Pardot must be synced with Salesforce."
"Needs to improve list building."
"Lacks sufficient free custom fields."
"The solution lacks integration with Instagram, which is our top problem with the product."
"The solution lacks integration with Instagram, which is our top problem with the product."
"When we compare it to other automation tools, in Pardot, I'm not able to see any drag-and-drop options. We have to work on an HTML template itself."
"The reporting features of the Pardot system could be improved to provide better and more data."
"When it comes to integration with third-party tools, Pardot's APIs are not that robust."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"In terms of pricing, Pardot is cheaper than Marketing Cloud."
"We pay about $4000 a month."
"The price of this solution is expensive. However, you are going to receive good value for money. They could improve by reducing the price."
"​Make sure you do not pay for features that you may not need​."
"It is a competitively priced product, considering what it provides."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
13%
Construction Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Retailer
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What do you like most about Pardot?
It has no limit for sending marketing emails.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pardot?
Pardot was somewhat costly for our requirements, nonetheless, the capacities of the item were limited.
What needs improvement with Pardot?
Pardot needs many improvements in terms of email design and design studio functionalities. It lacks a robust design studio, limiting our ability to perform various design activities efficiently. Yo...
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

NYU, Tableau, Xerox, ASPCA, Lego Education, Hoopla, Avery Dennison and SolarWorld.
Arketi Group
Find out what your peers are saying about Act-On Software vs. Pardot and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.