Marketo is an enterprise-grade marketing automation platform designed for complex B2B campaigns with advanced lead scoring and multi-touch attribution, while Mailchimp is a user-friendly email marketing and automation tool built for small-to-mid-size businesses and e-commerce companies. Marketo costs 3-5x more but offers significantly deeper personalization and analytics capabilities.
Marketo vs Mailchimp — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Marketo if you're an enterprise organization running complex, multi-touch B2B campaigns requiring predictive analytics, sophisticated lead nurturing, and deep Salesforce/Dynamics integration—the investment pays off through superior attribution and revenue impact. Choose Mailchimp if you're a growing small business, e-commerce brand, or startup needing affordable, easy-to-use email marketing with basic automation and no implementation complexity.
Enterprise marketing automation platform for B2B companies with advanced lead management and predictive analytics.
Accessible email marketing and automation platform for small businesses, e-commerce, and creators.
Structured comparison data for Marketo vs Mailchimp with 203 attributes.
Contact List Size Limit (Standard Pricing)
Price Scaling Factor at 5,000 Subscribers
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)
Marketo vs Mailchimp — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Marketo vs Mailchimp.
Which platform is better for B2B lead generation?
Marketo is significantly better for B2B. Its predictive lead scoring, account-based marketing (ABM) capabilities, and native Salesforce integration are purpose-built for enterprise sales cycles. Mailchimp lacks behavioral scoring and multi-touch attribution, making it unsuitable for complex B2B funnels. Marketo users report 50% faster lead qualification cycles.
Can I use Mailchimp if my company grows beyond 10,000 contacts?
Yes, Mailchimp scales to 500,000+ contacts on its Pro and Standard plans. At $350-1,050/month for 500k contacts, Mailchimp remains 3-4x cheaper than Marketo's entry point. However, you'll still lack predictive lead scoring and true CRM integration. Consider migrating to Marketo only if you need sophisticated lead management or account-based marketing.
Mailchimp integrates with Salesforce via third-party connectors (native app in AppExchange) or Zapier, but it's one-way contact sync only—not true two-way synchronization. Marketo offers native, bidirectional Salesforce integration with lead status updates, campaign membership, and field mapping built-in. If Salesforce is your primary CRM, Marketo eliminates manual data entry and sync delays.
What's the realistic cost difference at scale?
For 50,000 contacts: Mailchimp costs ~$500/month; Marketo costs $2,500-4,000/month. For 100,000+ contacts, the gap widens further. However, Marketo typically delivers 2-3x better ROI through improved attribution and lead quality, making it cost-effective for revenue-focused enterprises despite the higher absolute spend.
Which platform has better customer support?
Marketo offers 24/7 phone and live chat support included in enterprise plans, plus dedicated success managers. Mailchimp's free tier has email-only support (24-48 hour response); paid plans get chat support during business hours. For implementation, Marketo requires (or strongly recommends) hiring an Adobe Marketo Certified Expert consultant; Mailchimp is self-serve with free onboarding webinars.