Marketo is an enterprise-focused marketing automation platform excelling in complex B2B workflows and account-based marketing, while Klaviyo is a specialized email and SMS marketing platform optimized for e-commerce with superior segmentation and deliverability for online retailers.
Marketo vs Klaviyo — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise marketing automation platform for B2B companies with advanced lead management and ABM capabilities.
Email and SMS marketing platform built specifically for e-commerce with native Shopify integration and real-time analytics.
Primary Use Case. Email Deliverability Rate. Starting Price (Monthly). Lead Scoring Capabilities. Shopify Integration Quality. Account-Based Marketing Features. E-commerce Revenue Tracking
Choose Marketo if you're an enterprise managing complex B2B sales cycles, need advanced lead scoring, or require account-based marketing with sophisticated attribution modeling. Choose Klaviyo if you're an e-commerce business seeking affordable, high-deliverability email and SMS marketing with native Shopify integration and real-time revenue tracking.
Marketo: Limited mobile functionality | Klaviyo: N/A
Marketo: No, requires integration | Klaviyo: N/A
Marketo: Advanced Adobe Sensei AI | Klaviyo: N/A
Marketo: Not primary focus | Klaviyo: 98%
Marketo: 0 (no free plan) | Klaviyo: 500
Marketo: Predictive, behavioral, demographic, account-level | Klaviyo: Basic behavioral and manual only
Marketo: Third-party connectors required | Klaviyo: Native built-in integration
Marketo: Full ABM module with company data | Klaviyo: Not supported
Marketo: 8-12 weeks | Klaviyo: 1-2 weeks
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: All email features included
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: eCommerce-optimized templates
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Advanced behavior-led segmentation
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Unified customer data foundation
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Basic email features only
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Extensive custom via API
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Real-time behavioral graphs with continuous updates
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Email, SMS, push, in-app, direct mail
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Higher minimum investment required
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Mid-to-large ecommerce, Shopify Plus, data-driven brands
Average eCommerce Email Revenue Per Send
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: $20/month (500 contacts)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Varies by plan features
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: B2C customer data platform
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Included in all plans
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Native with product catalog sync, dynamic blocks, and product recommendations
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 4,200% ROI (industry average)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Email, SMS, push (native)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Limited 2-way capability
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Native email + SMS + pop-ups
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Yes, multi-channel A/B testing
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Smart scheduling with AI optimization
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Active profiles (contacts with behavior)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Limited (plan-dependent)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Included (higher plans only)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Advanced behavioral data segmentation
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 3 (Email, SMS, WhatsApp)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Personalized send time optimization
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Built-in CDP as core foundation
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Steeper learning curve (data-focused)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Predictive send-time optimization (Q4 2025), AI-driven personalization
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Enterprise-grade, proven at scale with dedicated infrastructure
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Unlimited triggered sequences with advanced conditional logic
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: SMB to Enterprise (all Shopify store sizes)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: $72 per email sent
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Industry average 4,200%
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Deep native with purchase-event segmentation
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Behavioral purchase-event segmentation
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: North America eCommerce focus
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: $20+ (usage-based)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Email, SMS, Web Push, Forms
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 24/5 email, phone 9-5 EST
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Behavioral, predictive, e-commerce segments, custom attributes
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 150,000+ e-commerce merchants
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Advanced multi-channel
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Native integration with major platforms
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: AI-powered with customer data platform
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: No, third-party required
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Native SMS included
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 200+ Shopify-optimized
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Unlimited with predictive optimization
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 10-15% with predictive send time
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: None (paid only)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 5 active automations
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 150+ with AI generation
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: $20 (for 500 contacts)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: 1-2 weeks (visual setup)
Mid-Tier Price (5K contacts/subscribers)
Enterprise Price (100K+ contacts/subscribers)
Marketo: N/A | Klaviyo: Basic customer profiles only
How to choose between Marketo and Klaviyo
Marketo vs Klaviyo — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Marketo vs Klaviyo. Contains 118 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Marketo vs Klaviyo — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Marketo vs Klaviyo.
Which platform is better for Shopify stores?
Klaviyo is significantly better for Shopify stores. It offers native, first-class integration with automatic product syncing, real-time revenue attribution, and pre-built e-commerce segments. Marketo requires third-party connectors and manual setup for Shopify, making it poorly suited for e-commerce businesses.
Klaviyo is not designed for B2B marketing. It lacks lead scoring, account-based marketing features, and complex sales cycle management. While you can send B2B emails with Klaviyo, you won't have the sophistication Marketo offers for managing multiple decision-makers and long sales cycles typical in B2B.
Klaviyo delivers superior email deliverability at 98.5-99.2% compared to Marketo's 94-96%. This 4-5% difference is significant at scale; for every 10,000 emails sent, Klaviyo gets approximately 400-500 more emails delivered to inboxes than Marketo.
What's the total cost of ownership after setup?
Marketo typically costs $1,250-$5,000+ monthly plus 200-400 hours of implementation and ongoing ops management (equivalent to $30,000-$60,000 annually in labor). Klaviyo costs $20-$1,200 monthly depending on list size with minimal setup required, making it 10-30x cheaper for small-to-mid-sized e-commerce businesses.
Which platform has better automation workflows?
Marketo excels at complex B2B automation with advanced conditional logic, account-level triggers, and multi-step nurture campaigns. Klaviyo's automation is simpler and optimized for e-commerce flows like cart abandonment, post-purchase sequences, and customer lifecycle campaigns. Choose Marketo for complexity; Klaviyo for e-commerce simplicity.
How to Choose Between Marketo and Klaviyo
Primary Use Case: Marketo has Enterprise B2B marketing automation, while Klaviyo has E-commerce email and SMS marketing.
Email Deliverability Rate: Marketo has 94-96%, while Klaviyo has 98.5-99.2%.
Starting Price (Monthly): Marketo has $1,250, while Klaviyo has $20.
Lead Scoring Capabilities: Marketo has Advanced predictive scoring with AI, while Klaviyo has Basic manual and behavioral scoring.
Shopify Integration Quality: Marketo has Limited native integration, while Klaviyo has Native first-class integration.
Consider: Account-Based Marketing Features
Account-Based Marketing Features: Marketo has Comprehensive ABM module with reporting, while Klaviyo has Not designed for ABM.
E-commerce Revenue Tracking: Marketo has Requires manual setup and connectors, while Klaviyo has Native real-time revenue attribution.