Pardot
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About Pardot
Pardot (now officially named Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement) is Salesforce's B2B marketing automation platform, originally founded as Pardot in 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia, and acquired by ExactTarget in 2012 for $95.5 million. Salesforce acquired ExactTarget in 2013 for $2.5 billion, bringing Pardot into the Salesforce family. In 2022, Salesforce rebranded Pardot to 'Marketing Cloud Account Engagement' (MCAE) as part of a broader Salesforce Marketing Cloud consolidation — though 'Pardot' remains widely used by practitioners. Pardot is the native B2B marketing automation solution for Salesforce CRM users, providing the tightest possible integration: leads, contacts, opportunities, and campaigns sync natively without middleware. Core features: email marketing, landing pages and forms, lead scoring and grading (combining behavioral score + ideal customer profile grade), automation rules, engagement programs (drip campaigns), Pardot Einstein (AI lead scoring and behavior scoring), and B2B Marketing Analytics for revenue attribution. Pardot is sold exclusively alongside Salesforce Sales Cloud: Growth ($1,250/month, 10,000 contacts), Plus ($2,500/month, 10,000 contacts), Advanced ($4,000/month), Premium ($15,000/month). These tiers require existing Salesforce Sales Cloud contracts. Pardot's primary competitor is Marketo (Adobe) — both target Salesforce-using enterprises, though Marketo has a broader integration ecosystem. HubSpot competes at lower price points.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pardot vs HubSpot: which is better?
Pardot is better for organizations already deeply invested in Salesforce Sales Cloud — the native data sync (no middleware), Salesforce-native reporting in Salesforce dashboards, and tight opportunity revenue attribution make Pardot the natural choice when Salesforce is your CRM. Pardot's lead scoring + grading system is well-suited for complex B2B qualification processes. HubSpot is better for organizations without Salesforce (or willing to replace it) — it's more user-friendly, includes a built-in CRM, has transparent pricing starting at lower tiers, and doesn't require a separate CRM license. For teams evaluating both, the key question is: are you committed to Salesforce? If yes, Pardot. If no or unsure, HubSpot.
What is Pardot called now?
In 2022, Salesforce renamed Pardot to 'Marketing Cloud Account Engagement' (MCAE) as part of consolidating its marketing products under the Salesforce Marketing Cloud umbrella. However, 'Pardot' remains the widely used name in the practitioner community — most marketers, job listings, Salesforce certifications, and industry discussions still use 'Pardot.' The Salesforce Pardot Specialist certification was renamed to Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Specialist. In practice, Salesforce itself still references Pardot in many contexts because the rebrand has been slow to penetrate the market. When searching for jobs, documentation, or community support, using both 'Pardot' and 'Marketing Cloud Account Engagement' yields the most results.
Does Pardot require Salesforce?
Yes — Pardot (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement) is exclusively sold as an add-on to Salesforce Sales Cloud and requires an active Salesforce Sales Cloud contract. You cannot purchase Pardot without Salesforce. The Pardot-Salesforce connector is the core of the platform — leads and contacts sync bidirectionally, Pardot activity appears in Salesforce records, and Salesforce opportunity data feeds Pardot's revenue attribution. This tight coupling is both Pardot's strength (seamless for Salesforce users) and limitation (you're locked into the Salesforce ecosystem). Organizations evaluating marketing automation without existing Salesforce should consider HubSpot or ActiveCampaign to avoid mandatory Sales Cloud licensing costs.
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