Act-On vs Adobe Marketo Engage (2026)
The decision is whether the marketing program needs focused demand automation around an existing CRM or a larger operations platform with account and attribution packages. Act-On offers lead nurture, Adaptive Send and True Open alongside several named CRM connections. Marketo Engage extends Smart Campaigns into predictive audiences, account programs and Marketo Measure through its edition structure. Their cost models favor different planning approaches. Act-On starts at $900 per month on annual billing for 2,500 active contacts, counting people emailed during the month. Marketo quotes packages by database size and configuration, with explicit user and API allowances but no standard dollar rate. Both require attention to campaign execution rather than just feature availability. Marketo's triggered campaign deactivation blocks new entrants while existing members can continue, and its Salesforce accounts and opportunities synchronize inward only. Act-On's Salesforce list path creates campaigns and can add Leads, but it bypasses the unified All Contacts list. Neither supplies a complete provider specific AI retention schedule. A focused demand team can run Act-On without much overhead, while more complex marketing operations justify Marketo's depth.
- Active contact pricing matches a database with a smaller regularly mailed audience.
- The team needs demand automation connected to Salesforce, Dynamics, SugarCRM or NetSuite.
- Adaptive Send and True Open are more relevant than a larger account and attribution package.
- Account programs, predictive audiences and advanced attribution shape the purchase.
- Named Salesforce object direction and campaign control behavior support a dedicated operations team.
- The organization can plan database, user and API capacity within a negotiated package.
This comparison is published by GTM Tech Index, an independent research platform that compares go to market software vendors objectively. Act-On and Adobe Marketo Engage are each graded against the same capability taxonomy, from each vendor's own public materials, under the GTM Tech Index verification standard. No vendor pays for placement, and no vendor has reviewed this page. How this evidence is graded
Plain facts
| Act-On | Adobe Marketo Engage | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Marketing Automation & ABM | Marketing Automation & ABM |
| Founded | Not published | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Not published | San Jose, California, United States |
| Website | act-on.com | business.adobe.com/products/marketo/adobe-marketo.html |
Side by Side
| Axis | A Act-On |
A Adobe Marketo Engage |
|---|---|---|
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AI Capability
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| AI Centrality | ||
| Autonomy and Oversight Model | ||
| AI Disclosure and Model Transparency | ||
| Operational and Outcome Evidence | ||
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Compliance and Risk
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| Outreach Compliance Posture | ||
| Data Privacy Posture | ||
| Data Licensing and Provenance | ||
| Platform Terms Exposure | ||
| AI Safety and Data Stewardship | ||
| Recipient Disclosure and Authenticity | ||
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Integration and Deployment
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| Ecosystem and Integration Depth | ||
| Deployment Model and Data Residency | ||
| Security Certifications and Trust Center | ||
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Commercial and Operational
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| Commercial Transparency | ||
| Exit and Data Portability | ||
| Deliverability and Sending Discipline | ||
| Segment and Market Coverage | ||
The short version of each
Act-On
Act-On serves a demand generation team that needs nurture and email optimization alongside its existing CRM. Salesforce, Dynamics, SugarCRM and NetSuite are named connections, with Adaptive Send and True Open supporting campaign operations. Against Adobe Marketo Engage on the GTM Tech Index, the Act-On purchase is more focused and built on an active contact allowance that counts people emailed during the month. Marketo instead quotes database and package configurations. Act-On's optional modules still affect the total, while Marketo's broader account marketing and attribution structure serves a different level of operational complexity.
Source: GTM Tech Index, 2026
Adobe Marketo Engage
Adobe Marketo Engage supports complex nurture, account programs, predictive audiences and CRM connected marketing operations. Its package structure defines users and API allowances and can extend into Marketo Measure attribution. For GTM Tech Index readers, Marketo is the larger configuration and administration decision of the two. Salesforce accounts and opportunities flow inward, and deactivating a triggered campaign does not stop existing flow members. Pricing is negotiated by database size and package. Act-On offers active contact billing and a more focused demand automation purchase, while Marketo's broader platform answers account and attribution requirements large enough to justify it.
Source: GTM Tech Index, 2026
Common questions
How do Act-On and Marketo charge for contacts?
Act-On's active allowance counts contacts emailed in a month. Marketo uses database size within negotiated packages. The distinction matters when a team stores many people but regularly communicates with a smaller subset. Graded by GTM Tech Index against seventeen capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 12, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Does Marketo include attribution in every package?
Its package structure separates capabilities. Prime adds account and journey features, while Ultimate includes Marketo Measure attribution. A core automation subscription is not the same configuration as the full attribution package. Graded by GTM Tech Index against seventeen capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 12, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Does deactivating a Marketo campaign stop existing members?
No. Triggered campaign deactivation blocks new entrants, while existing members can continue through the flow. Remove from Flow is a separate action. This control distinction matters when editing or stopping a running program. Graded by GTM Tech Index against seventeen capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 12, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
How do their Salesforce integrations differ?
Marketo synchronizes leads, contacts and campaigns both ways, with accounts and opportunities flowing inward. Act-On separates Lead synchronization from Campaign audience workflows. The two connectors do not expose every Salesforce object through the same path. Graded by GTM Tech Index against seventeen capability axes from each vendor's own published materials, verified October 12, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Related comparisons
Other published head to head assessments involving these vendors or their closest peers. The full set for this category is on the Marketing Automation & ABM page.
Marketo Engage is an Adobe product; Marketo Measure affects packaging separately from core campaign automation. Act-On's proposed Banzai acquisition was terminated. Neither gives a provider by provider schedule for AI data retention. Their AI tools use different provider and input arrangements, rather than one equivalent assistant architecture.