It’s a difficult business to be successful in sales. It is competitive and requires dedication and hard work to succeed. While sales professionals may have their own preferences and methods, there are two CRM platforms that stand out: Hubspot and Pardot. Both excel at their respective tasks, but which CRM platform is best for you? Let’s take a closer glance.

Pardot and Hubspot are hot topics in the Salesforce ecosystem. This is because you manually manage all your contacts. If a user updates their LinkedIn information, it will automatically be updated in the HubSpot databank without the administrator having to do anything.

We want to synchronize marketing automation and lead nurture so that our team is notified when leads go cold. Pardot offers marketing automation and lead-nurturing capabilities right out of the box and advanced targeting options, such as those that are based on company size or industry vertical.

Administrators can stay on top of important business initiatives like B2B product launches or extensive marketing campaigns.

HubSpot also includes lead nurturing and marketing automation capabilities. However, it is up to you to search for a third-party solution. HubSpot Ecosystem can be integrated with CRM software like Marketo or Salesforce.

If you are already using one of these tools, the data will sync automatically between your CRM/marketing automation platform (HubSpot, Pardot), etc.

This allows for complex integrations that are impossible with Pardot. Each integration is a bit more work for you (and can often be more expensive), so many users opt to integrate HubSpot with their CRM only, rather than their marketing automation tools.

HubSpot users will be more likely to be able to use advanced targeting capabilities when they also use an outside marketing automation tool.

Both platforms offer advanced A/B testing capabilities for landing pages, pop-ups, and other purposes. HubSpot currently does not provide A/B testing for email campaigns. This feature will be available in 2016 but it is unlikely they will offer as many options to test your emails as Pardot (which currently offers).

HubSpot offers paid ads management tools such as Facebook and Google Ads. It also includes SEO tools such as Moz’s Open Site Explorer. These features enable you to manage multiple accounts simultaneously, without the need for another agency or service.

Hubspot makes it easier to group your contacts into meaningful groups. You can segment your contacts by industry, company size, or purchase history. Marketers can easily strike the right chord with their target audience by doing this.

Pardot lets users segment their contact lists according to any criteria (e.g. company size). Administrators can also create custom segments based on these criteria, and target specific audiences with dynamic content in an email campaign – features not available from HubSpot.

Yes! Yes! HubSpot provides Pardot feature parity through integration with Marketo and Salesforce CRM platforms. However, this comes with an additional cost.

The best platform for you will depend on many factors such as your organization’s size, complexity, current marketing automation and CRM tools, and budget. It’s a good idea to test both platforms to determine which one is better for you.

HubSpot is a great platform that offers a lot of features and is growing, while Pardot provides a simpler experience with fewer integrations. No matter which platform you choose to use, be sure to take advantage of every feature it has!

Pardot and Hubspot: Customization

Pardot and HubSpot both offer high levels of customization. However, there are key differences.

HubSpot gives you more control over the permissions and roles of users. This allows you to fine-tune what each user can see and do on the platform.

You can allow your marketing team to access all features and limit access to administrative functions to a select few people. These settings can be easily modified as needed.

Pardot doesn’t offer the same level of role-based permissions. Administrators have complete control over what users see and can do. This may seem a little too powerful for some organizations. You can’t change permissions easily as your needs change. Instead, you have to either delete users and add them with the new role or give all the permissions to the user.

Pardot and HubSpot both offer customization. However, there are key differences. HubSpot gives you more control over permissions and user roles. This allows you to fine-tune what each user can see and do on the platform.

You can allow your marketing team to access all features and limit access to administrative functions to a select few people. These settings can be easily modified as needed.

Pardot doesn’t offer the same level of role-based permissions. Administrators have complete control over what users see and can do. This may seem a little too powerful for some organizations. You can’t change permissions easily as your needs change. Instead, you have to either delete users and add them with the new role or give all the permissions to the user.

HubSpot’s ease of use is a hallmark of the platform. It makes it easy to create marketing automation workflows.

Pardot will require more technical knowledge to start with marketing automation workflows. It allows you to implement complicated tracking mechanisms that need coding knowledge.

JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a prerequisite for creating custom behaviors on the platform. Pardot has a robust API that can be used to create complex integrations by developers.

User Interfaces

Both HubSpot, as well as Pardot, have user interfaces that are simple and intuitive. There are however some key differences.

HubSpot’s interface looks modern and sleek. It emphasizes visuals to help you understand your data. It is fully responsive so it looks great on any device.

Pardot’s interface looks a little more outdated, but it is still very easy to use. Although it doesn’t focus as much on visuals as HubSpot, Pardot makes up for this with its many data fields and options. It is also not responsive so it may not look great on smaller screens.

Reliability and Performance:

HubSpot and Pardot both have 99.9% uptimes, making them extremely reliable platforms. There are however some key differences.

HubSpot is more accommodating when it comes to errors. HubSpot will often fix any issues with email campaigns or workflows. If this fails, HubSpot will log the error and you can try to fix it yourself.

Pardot takes errors much more seriously. Pardot won’t send an email campaign if something goes wrong in a workflow. It is up to you to fix it and find the root cause.

Digital Marketing:

Both HubSpot and Pardot are powerful digital marketing platforms with many features. You can create landing pages or manage paid ads. There are however some key differences.

HubSpot offers a more extensive set of tools to help with search engine optimization (SEO). It comes with built-in tools to optimize your website, track your keyword rankings, and build backlinks.

Pardot doesn’t have many of the same SEO features as HubSpot, but it integrates with popular SEO tools such as Moz and RavenTools.

Search Marketing: Pardot or Hubspot

Search Marketing at Hubspot

HubSpot pulls data from Google Analytics so that you can see how many people visit your site. You can then create and manage search advertisements to drive traffic to certain pages on your website.

The platform also offers keyword research tools that will help you determine the keywords you should target for better organic rankings. You can also track their performance to find out if they are helping or hurting.

Search Marketing in Pardot

Pardot’s search marketing capabilities are a little lacking. Although it allows you to add “tags”, (pieces of information to contacts) to paid search ads, this feature is not as powerful as traditional email marketing platform tagging.

File Hosting Capabilities

HubSpot doesn’t allow file hosting beyond its platform. Users can still access any files they have uploaded previously if needed.

After you have uploaded a file to Pardot it will appear under the Documents section. These documents can be accessed at any time. They are also indexed by Google so anyone looking for them can find them quickly. However, you’ll need to be careful about your storage limits. While Pardot allows for 15 GB total space, it caps individual file sizes at 250MB.

Dynamic content:

Although both HubSpot and Pardot provide extensive support for dynamic content creation, there are key differences.

HubSpot allows users to create custom fields which allows them more control over the information that is used in campaigns. This is a great feature for businesses that have complex targeting requirements.

Pardot users can dynamically pull contact data from web forms right in their emails. This can increase conversions by up to 10%

These forms are not customizable as easily. You’ll need to set them up on Pardot and create an integration into your email marketing platform. You can’t add metadata such as tags or Webhook attachments directly to the interface.

Blog Platform Forms:

HubSpot is a blog platform that allows you to create and manage posts, upload images and videos, track reader engagement, and track them. You can also create customized forms with the form builder to collect information from your readers. This data can be used to create targeted emails or to add leads to your CRM.

Pardot’s blog platform, however, is simpler. You can create and manage posts, add images and track reader engagement. It doesn’t have a built-in form creator, so you will need to use an external solution. For businesses looking to gather lead information from blog readers, this can be a problem.

Landing pages:

HubSpot makes it easy to create landing pages. Drag-and-drop editing is available to create pages, add custom HTML and CSS, or use pre-built templates. You can also create A/B testing and track conversion rates.

To gather leads, you can also easily integrate HubSpot forms into your landing pages.

Pardot offers both a range of templates for landing pages and the ability to create custom ones. It doesn’t have a drag-and-drop editor so you will need to be familiar with HTML and CSS to create your pages. It doesn’t support A/B testing and conversion rate tracking.

Graphics and Images:

Both Pardot and HubSpot offer image hosting and editing. HubSpot allows you to crop, resize, add filters, and create text overlays. It also has a built-in photo editor that allows you to create graphics for your emails, blog posts, landing pages, and emails.

Pardot has a lot more functionality in graphics design. Pardot offers more than just the standard resizing and cropping options. It also allows you to create multiple types of graphics, including custom forms, graphs, charts, logos and infographics, and animations.

All filters are not destructive to original images. You can’t use the built-in photo editor, like HubSpot.

Video Hosting and Management:

HubSpot’s video hosting options include unlimited bandwidth, custom URLs per page of your site, and an easy interface that allows you to upload large videos quickly. It also offers a video editing tool that allows you to edit your videos or create effects with one of the pre-built templates.

Pardot has similar video hosting capabilities to HubSpot, but it isn’t as user-friendly. You can upload unlimited bandwidth and create custom URLs for each page of your website. Additionally, you have the option to edit your videos using the built-in editor or one of its pre-built templates. It doesn’t allow you to upload large files as fast as HubSpot, and it doesn’t provide custom URL domains.

Email Management and Creation:

HubSpot uses Campaign Monitor to manage its email marketing platform. It’s part of the Marketing Hub plan. This is one of the most user-friendly platforms on the market today. You can design emails with HTML and CSS, run A/B tests, schedule campaigns, and much more.

It also integrates with many other sites, allowing you to easily add content from your blog or social media accounts.

Pardot uses Campaign Monitor as an email marketing platform. It offers many of the same features that HubSpot has, including the ability to create HTML and CSS emails, schedule campaigns, and run A/B tests. It doesn’t offer as many integrations to HubSpot and is therefore less user-friendly.

Email Subscription Feature: Pardot or Hubspot

HubSpot offers an email unsubscribe option that allows users to unsubscribe with just one click. This feature is particularly useful if you send multiple emails per week. You want to ensure that people who don’t want your emails any longer receive them.

Pardot has an email resubscribe option, but it isn’t as intuitive as HubSpot’s. The reader must enter their email address, then click the link in an email they will receive. This may be more complicated than HubSpot’s 1-click unsubscribe.

Pardot and HubSpot are great marketing automation platforms that offer a wide range of features that can help you create successful campaigns. HubSpot, however, is more user-friendly, with more features like image and video hosting and A/B testing.

HubSpot is the ideal platform for creating marketing materials. Pardot might be a better option if you are looking for a more flexible platform with more integrations.

Email A/B Test:

HubSpot’s email testing tool allows you to compare up to five versions of the same email to determine which one performs best. The test results can be used to send the winning email out to your other subscribers.

Pardot offers email A/B Testing, but only two email versions can be tested at once. You can’t track conversions and set multiple goals in your tests. This tool is also not as comprehensive as HubSpot.

Automated email responses:

HubSpot’s automatic email response allows you to create an automated series of emails that will go out after people sign up for your mailing list or download your ebooks. This is a great way for new subscribers to get a taster of your content.

Pardot offers an automated email reply tool as well, however, it is not as intuitive as HubSpot’s. You will need to set up rules that define the email types and conditions you wish to send them. It doesn’t allow you to track conversions and use multiple goals in your tests.

Email Template:

HubSpot provides a range of email templates you can use for creating your emails. These templates come pre-designed, so you can add your content. This makes it simple to create professional-looking emails with no design skills.

Pardot offers email templates as well, although they aren’t as easy to use as HubSpot’s. First, you need to choose a template and then modify it with HTML and CSS code. This may be more challenging than the pre-designed templates from HubSpot.

Lead Management: Pardot or Hubspot

Pardot and HubSpot both have great lead management tools. However, HubSpot is slightly ahead of Pardot because of its lead-scoring feature.

Contact Management

Pardot and HubSpot both have great tools for managing contacts, but HubSpot is easier to use. You can add notes to each contact, track their interactions and assign them to specific teams or individuals.

Lead Nurturing

Pardot and HubSpot both offer lead nurturing tools. However, HubSpot’s tool is more user-friendly. You can create an automated series of emails that will be sent after people sign up for your list or download your ebooks. This is a great way for new subscribers to get a taster of your content.

Lead Scoring:

HubSpot’s lead scoring software automatically ranks leads based on their sales potential or likelihood of conversion. It is based on what activity they have engaged in, such as downloading an ebook or requesting more information.

The program then uses this score to create segments in your customer list by highest value customers. This allows you to send more personal emails to the most relevant customers and follow up with those who are most likely to become customers.

Pardot also has a lead scoring tool but it is not as intuitive as HubSpot. Manually ranking leads by sales value are required and then sorting them manually into lists. This takes a lot of time.

Automated Notifications and Alerts:

HubSpot’s automated notifications and alerts tool allows you to set up an automated email that will be sent to the top-ranking member of your sales team when certain criteria have been met. For example, a new lead becoming a Lead or a lead scoring over a threshold.

You can also get text message alerts regarding certain events in your HubSpot account. For example, when someone visits your site from a mobile device.

Pardot offers automated alerts and notifications, but it isn’t as user-friendly as Hubs. It does not allow you to send text message alerts and it doesn’t allow you to set up an automated email.

Chatbots and Live Chat:

HubSpot provides a live chat feature that allows you to chat with website visitors in real-time. This is a great tool to answer customer questions and close more deals.

Pardot offers a live chat option, however, it is not as intuitive as HubSpot’s. You will need to set up rules to determine the type of chats that you would like to have and the conditions in which they should be started. It doesn’t allow you to track conversions and use multiple goals.

Reporting and Analytics:

Pardot and HubSpot both have great analytics and reporting tools. However, HubSpot’s dashboards are a little more user-friendly. You can view dashboards that provide a detailed overview of your website traffic, leads, and email marketing performance. You can also create customized reports that are based on the most important information to you.

Pardot offers analytics and reporting tools as well, but they are not as intuitive as HubSpot’s. It is not easy to use the reporting interface and you have limited customization options.

Web Analytics

Both HubSpot and Pardot offer web analytics tools. However, HubSpot’s tool is more user-friendly. This tool provides detailed reporting of which pages visitors visit and how long they spend on each page. This can be used to identify problems in the structure or design of your website and help you fix them.

Pardot offers web analytics as well, although it isn’t as user-friendly as HubSpot’s. It doesn’t even offer web analytics tools, so you will need to use a third-party tool such as Google Analytics.

Email Reporting:

Pardot and HubSpot both offer email reporting tools. However, HubSpot’s tool is more user-friendly. It automatically tracks opens, and link clicks, and allows you to create reports to segment your click-throughs. This will allow you to see which emails get the most engagement. This allows you to optimize your email campaigns and subject line for better results.

Pardot offers an email reporting tool as well, although it is not as user-friendly as HubSpot’s. You will need to use MailChimp or another third-party tool such as MailChimp to track click-throughs and open rates.

ROI Analytics:

Both HubSpot and Pardot offer excellent ROI analytics tools. HubSpot however is more user-friendly. It tracks conversions through your AdWords and Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads, outbound hyperlinks (like phone calls), website visitors (sessions), and emails. This is a lot of information. You can track everything on one platform.

Pardot offers excellent ROI analytics tools but doesn’t offer the same level of detail as HubSpot. It tracks clicks to your website and blog posts you share on social media, or other websites (like someone clicking an ad). This may be sufficient for some marketers. Others will require more advanced tracking options to analyze their campaigns.

Pricing: Pardot vs Hubspot

HubSpot and Pardot have one thing in common: their pricing. Although HubSpot costs a little more than Pardot for the same features and is more user-friendly, it is still a more affordable option. HubSpot is the best choice if you are looking for an all-in-one marketing platform. Pardot might be a better choice if you need only basic lead management and contact management features.

There are three different pricing options for HubSpot Marketing Hub. Each one has a different price. The pricing is based upon a monthly fee, even though an annual subscription is required.

Noting that these costs are based upon the maximum number of contacts your account can have, 1000, is important. The membership fee for every additional 1,000 contacts will go up by $50 each month if it exceeds this limit.

There are three plans available for HubSpot Marketing Hub. Each plan has its price. The price for HubSpot Marketing Hub is based on a monthly fee, despite the requirement of a yearly subscription. Notable is also the fact that prices are determined by the number of contacts (1,000) that your account cannot have.

The membership fee will increase by $50 per month if it exceeds the limit.

Pardot plans are similar to HubSpot’s. Pardot has three plans, each with different levels. Pardot, however, provides 10,000 contacts in all three plans. This is not HubSpot’s list price which includes 10,000 contacts, but only HubSpot’s Enterprise Plan.

This is a summary of Pardot’s pricing:

Pardot Growth Plan The growth plan from Pardot is $1,200 per Month

Pardot PLUS Package – The Plus plan from Pardot is $2,500 per month.

Pardot Advanced Plan- The Advanced plan from Pardot is $4,000 per month.

Pardot and Hubspot: Conclusion

HubSpot and Pardot have one final difference: their pricing. Although HubSpot costs a little more than Pardot for the same features and is more user-friendly, it’s still a more affordable option. HubSpot is the best choice if you are looking for an all-in-one marketing platform. Pardot might be a better choice if you need only basic contact management and lead management features.

It all comes down to your need for advanced reporting and analytics, as well as powerful tools for lead management. Customers who just need these features will be fine with either service. However, customers who require advanced reporting and analytics should choose HubSpot as they provide the most comprehensive ROI Analytics in the market.