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Oracle Eloqua vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud 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

Oracle Eloqua
Ranking in Marketing Automation
4th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Ranking in Marketing Automation
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
58
Ranking in other categories
Social CRM (2nd), Marketing Management (2nd), Social Media Management Solutions (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Marketing Automation category, the mindshare of Oracle Eloqua is 9.6%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is 22.4%, down from 24.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Marketing Automation
 

Featured Reviews

Aniket Sukale - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers the ability to create lesser campaigns and drip campaigns, flexible to use and robust
Eloqua's reporting is very strong. Oracle, by default, provides many out-of-the-box reports – probably more than 150 – that cover the most common use cases. Additionally, there's a feature called Insight, where you can build customized reports without any coding. These reports can be scheduled for delivery to your inbox at regular intervals – monthly, weekly, etc.
SantoshKrishna - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to deploy, stable, and scalable
The encryption and decryption have room for improvement. We need to be confident that the customer's data is secure when shared outside of the organization. I would like to request additional mobile app features that go beyond push notifications. As the mobile development industry continues to advance with new technologies, such as AI components, it is important to consider these advancements when setting up campaigns. Currently, campaigns are scheduled to be sent to customers at a prescribed time, but they may not be relevant to the customer unless they see them as valuable. For example, if I want to run a campaign offering loans, I would need to consider the customer's needs and balance. In the future, I hope Salesforce can incorporate an AI component that utilizes the shared data, rather than just scheduling campaigns.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The initial setup was straightforward."
"It is a user-friendly product."
"I've used other marketing automation tools, like Marketo, that require more technical knowledge. Eloqua is straightforward and user-friendly."
"The ease of maintenance is the most valuable feature."
"​Lead scoring is very useful for both measuring the effectiveness of campaigns as well as deciding which leads to send sales’ way."
"The solution is good for B2B email marketing."
"The solution is stable."
"The solution's engine framework is quite simple, giving you the agility you need in the business."
"Email Studio is one of the core parts of Salesforce Marketing Cloud."
"It's a software-as-a-service solution. Everything is managed centrally from the cloud. As far as I can tell, installation is relatively simple."
"Marketing Cloud has improved our productivity and our team enjoy using it."
"The Journey Builder and the Email Studio features are most valuable."
"I like the user interface it has a nice look and feel."
"We haven't had any issues with integration."
"It has excellent lead and opportunity tracking."
"The most valuable feature of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the seamless conversion of lead to opportunity, in relation to orders is good. That seamless connection is beneficial and simple."
 

Cons

"The reporting features should be improved."
"The solution could improve by having a more user-friendly interface."
"The solution does not have a good database architecture."
"There are some things where improvement is needed. For me, it would be great if they integrated a tool like AI configuration capabilities within Eloqua itself."
"Eloqua doesn't have built-in features for WhatsApp marketing or SMS functionality."
"​Reporting is very clunky and not user friendly.​"
"This product hasn't kept up to date on features."
"The product's initial setup process could be better."
"The general setup and understanding of how to use it can be improved. There should be easier self-service for setting up dashboards. Currently, we have someone setting them up for us. I wish it was easier."
"Salesforce Marketing Cloud should provide some debugging facilities for every user."
"The main action I want to do in Salesforce Marketing Cloud is to export data into Excel and use it. My company may have that feature locked down, or if the Excel data exporting function still isn't available in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, that's the feature I want."
"The quality of support for this solution has been decreasing over time and the support team are sometimes more focused on closing tickets that resolving issues. Often the support team is not well trained or aware of the new features or products released by Salesforce."
"The technicality of the solution can be streamlined."
"There could be easier tools to configure the product and to create landing pages to better handle large data sets."
"The UA could be better designed for a mobile connection."
"It's a very good solution, but the way the prices are structured is not always good, and I feel like that is a problem."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Oracle Eloqua can be expensive compared to alternatives."
"The tool is pricey compared to products like Marketo."
"The solution is expensive."
"Our licensing costs are yearly."
"Oracle Eloqua is quite an affordable solution."
"It's quite expensive."
"Oracle Eloqua's pricing is medium."
"This is a low cost solution suited to larger organizations."
"The solution's pricing is very high and should be more flexible for smaller companies."
"Salesforce is an expensive solution."
"The licensing cost for the solution is on a yearly basis."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"Salesforce Marketing Cloud is affordable, considering the significant improvements it brings to our campaign results."
"My company pays to use this solution."
"It is a license per user."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
70%
Financial Services Firm
5%
Computer Software Company
5%
Healthcare Company
3%
Educational Organization
54%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Manufacturing Company
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Oracle Eloqua?
Eloqua doesn't have built-in features for WhatsApp marketing or SMS functionality. They provide SMS, but you need to purchase it as an add-on. It would also be helpful to have a social media manage...
What is your primary use case for Oracle Eloqua?
We generally use it for B2B (business-to-business) marketing automation. We can build customer journeys and generate emails. And we can do email marketing. It also has the ability to create Lead ca...
What do you like most about Oracle Eloqua?
I've used other marketing automation tools, like Marketo, that require more technical knowledge. Eloqua is straightforward and user-friendly.
What do you like most about Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Datorama is part of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which is quite a valuable feature that provides customer analytics.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Salesforce is one of the most expensive tools. The pricing is around $10,000 per annum per user. It is a very expensive solution that I would rate a nine out of 10 in terms of cost.
What needs improvement with Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
I would like to see improvements in the integration between Salesforce platforms and AgentForce. There are inaccuracies in how AgentForce retrieves information or interprets data. It still shows so...
 

Also Known As

Eloqua, Oracle Marketing Cloud
ExactTarget
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Thomson Reuters, The Dow Chemical Company, Avid, LifeSize, and Avalara.
American Express, Financial Conduct Authority, KPN, Merck KGaA, Peterborough City Council, The Chapar, ADP, Financial Times, Stanley Black & Decker, SureFlap, Western Union, Philips
Find out what your peers are saying about Oracle Eloqua vs. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.