Today, there are dozens of options when it comes to inbound marketing, each equipped with features that’ll enhance and support your marketing strategy.
Whether you’re focused on email marketing, rebranding yourself, increasing organic traffic, or streamlining your project management, there are endless software choices at your disposal. Choosing the tool that will work best for you can be daunting.
In this article, you’ll discover the best inbound marketing software solutions and get a close look at their features, functionalities, and unique offerings. With this information, you’ll feel confident and most importantly, informed, when making your decision on the software that’ll work best for your business.
What is inbound marketing software?
Inbound marketing software is designed to attract, engage, and delight potential customers through non-intrusive strategies.
Unlike traditional outbound approaches that rely on direct advertising and cold calling, inbound marketing aims to draw individuals organically by creating valuable and relevant content tailored to their interests. The software facilitates this process by seamlessly integrating various tools and functionalities, streamlining marketing efforts for businesses seeking a more customer-centric approach.
At its core, inbound marketing software serves as a comprehensive solution for managing various aspects of the marketing funnel. It typically includes content creation, social media management, email marketing, lead nurturing, and analytics features.
Businesses leverage these tools to create compelling content that resonates with their target audience, promote it through various channels, and then nurture leads through personalized communication. It also plays a crucial role in tracking and analyzing user interactions, providing valuable insights to refine and optimize marketing strategies over time.
What are the benefits of inbound marketing software?
Inbound marketing software offers a myriad of benefits that you’ll see firsthand when adopting a tool. These include:
- Targeted audience engagement: Businesses can identify and understand their audience’s preferences and behaviors through data-driven insights and analytics. This enables the creation of personalized and relevant content, fostering stronger connections with potential customers who are genuinely interested in the offerings.
- Cost-effectiveness: Instead of spending resources on mass advertising campaigns with uncertain outcomes, businesses can invest in creating quality content that attracts and retains a qualified audience. This targeted approach ensures that resources are allocated efficiently, focusing on individuals more likely to convert into customers.
- Lead nurturing and conversion: Through personalized emails, social media engagement, and other tailored content, businesses can guide leads through the sales funnel, increasing the likelihood of conversion. This ensures consistent and timely interactions, enhancing the overall customer experience.
- Measurable ROI and analytics: Inbound marketing software provides robust analytics tools that allow businesses to measure the return on investment (ROI) of their marketing efforts. By tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, lead conversion rates, and engagement metrics, businesses gain actionable insights. This data-driven approach enables continuous refinement of strategies, ensuring ongoing improvement and adaptation to changing market dynamics.
- Brand authority and long-term growth: Building a reputation for expertise and trust contributes to long-term growth by fostering customer loyalty and advocacy. As customers become brand advocates, they not only contribute to ongoing revenue but also attract new leads through positive word-of-mouth referrals, creating a sustainable cycle of growth.
How to choose the best inbound marketing software
Selecting the right inbound marketing software for your business is a pivotal decision that requires careful consideration of several key factors to ensure alignment with your specific needs and goals.
- Scalability and flexibility: It’s crucial to choose a platform that can scale with the growth of your business. Consider your current needs and anticipate future requirements. A flexible software solution allows for seamless integration with other tools and adaptability to evolving marketing strategies.
- Feature suitability: Different businesses may prioritize various aspects, such as email marketing, social media management, lead nurturing, or analytics. Ensure that the software aligns with your specific marketing goals and provides the necessary tools for successful implementation.
- User-friendliness: A user-friendly interface streamlines workflows and reduces the learning curve for your team. Look for software that offers intuitive navigation, clear reporting dashboards, and comprehensive support to empower your team to make the most of the platform.
- Integration capabilities: The chosen software should easily integrate with your customer relationship management (CRM) system, content management tools, and other essential applications. This ensures a cohesive and efficient marketing ecosystem, preventing silos and enhancing overall productivity.
- Cost and ROI: Evaluate the cost of the software against the return on investment (ROI) it promises. Consider not only the upfront expenses but also any potential hidden costs. Assess the value the software brings to your marketing efforts and weigh it against the overall budget.
The best inbound marketing software
Inbound marketing software can come in different forms, from content optimization tools to design platforms to marketing automation software. As you search for the right solution for you, you’ll be met with dozens of options that can support different marketing efforts. While it can be overwhelming to research and select the right solution for your business, there are a few inbound marketing software solutions that stand above the rest.
These are our top picks:
- ActiveCampaign
- ClickUp
- HubSpot
- Marketo
- Canva
- Hotjar
- Semrush
- Zapier
ActiveCampaign
G2 Rank: 4.5/5 stars
ActiveCampaign excels in providing a seamless integration of email marketing, marketing automation, and sales automation, allowing businesses to orchestrate personalized and targeted campaigns efficiently. Plus, the platform has a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for both marketing professionals and beginners.
The features that set ActiveCampaign apart:
- Automation workflows: ActiveCampaign offers robust automation capabilities, allowing users to create intricate workflows that automate various marketing processes. This includes personalized email sequences, lead nurturing, and behavioral-triggered responses.
- Dynamic content: The platform enables the creation of dynamic content that adapts based on user behavior and preferences, ensuring that each interaction is tailored to the individual’s journey.
- Split testing: ActiveCampaign empowers users with the ability to conduct split testing on emails, allowing for data-driven optimization of campaign elements to enhance engagement and conversion rates.
- Reliable deliverability: If your emails aren’t landing in recipients’ inboxes, your marketing efforts are going to waste. This is why email deliverability is so important. In Emailtooltester’s 2024 deliverability test, ActiveCampaign came first among competitors with an average deliverability rate of 89.6%.
ActiveCampaign primarily caters to small to midsize businesses (SMBs) and growing enterprises. Its versatility makes it suitable for businesses looking to leverage sophisticated marketing automation without the complexity often associated with larger enterprise solutions. ActiveCampaign provides the tools needed to streamline marketing efforts, nurture leads effectively, and drive meaningful engagement with your target audience.
What languages does ActiveCampaign support?
ActiveCampaign fully supports English Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, and French and partially supports Russian, Indonesian, Danish, Polish, Dutch, Hungarian, and Czech.
Which currencies does ActiveCampaign accept?
ActiveCampaign accepts the US Dollar (USD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Australian Dollar (AUD), and Brazilian Real (BRL).
What is the entry-level pricing for ActiveCampaign?
ActiveCampaign’s entry-level pricing starts at $15/month. With the Starter plan, you get multi-step automation, email sends 10x your contact limit, site and event tracking, basic reporting and analytics, access to 900+ integrations, A/B testing, hundreds of beautifully designed email templates, and more.
Plus, no matter what plan you choose, you’ll enjoy features like:
- Accelerated onboarding
- Contact migration
- Chat and ticket support
- Customer enablement workshops
- And video tutorials
Find all plans on the ActiveCampaign pricing page.
ClickUp
G2 Rank: 4.7/5 stars
ClickUp offers a versatile and collaborative platform designed to streamline project management and enhance team productivity. One of its key strengths is its all-in-one approach, providing a centralized hub for marketing teams to plan, execute, and analyze campaigns seamlessly.
Unique features of ClickUp:
- Customizable workspaces: ClickUp allows users to create customizable workspaces tailored to their specific workflows. This flexibility is invaluable for marketing teams with diverse needs, enabling them to adapt the platform to their unique processes.
- Time tracking and reporting: The software includes robust time tracking and reporting features, empowering marketing teams to monitor project timelines, track work hours, and generate insightful reports. This functionality aids in optimizing resource allocation and ensuring projects stay on schedule.
- Integrations: ClickUp offers a wide range of integrations with popular tools and apps, enhancing its compatibility with existing software ecosystems. This flexibility is advantageous for marketing teams looking to integrate ClickUp seamlessly into their tech stack.
ClickUp is a good choice for marketing teams and businesses seeking a comprehensive project management solution. Its flexibility and scalability make it suitable for both small businesses and larger enterprises looking to streamline collaboration, manage marketing campaigns efficiently, and gain valuable insights with deep reporting.
What languages does ClickUp support?
ClickUp supports the English language.
What currencies does ClickUp accept?
ClickUp accepts a handful of currencies including the US Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), Swedish Krona (SEK), Swiss Franc (CHF), Brazilian Real (BRL), Polish Zloty (PLN), Canadian Dollar (CAD), and more.
What is the entry-level pricing for ClickUp?
ClickUp’s entry-level pricing plan, the Unlimited plan, is best for small teams and starts at $7/member per month. This plan gives you access to features like unlimited storage, unlimited integrations, unlimited dashboards, column calculations, goals and portfolios, resource management, agile reporting, and more.
See all plans and pricing on the ClickUp pricing page.
Does ClickUp integrate with ActiveCampaign?
ClickUp does not integrate with ActiveCampaign. However, you can find similar software that does integrate on the ActiveCampaign Marketplace.
HubSpot
G2 Rank: 4.4/5 stars
One of HubSpot’s standout features is its all-in-one platform, which seamlessly integrates various functions, including content creation, social media management, lead generation, and customer relationship management (CRM). This integration fosters a cohesive approach to inbound marketing, allowing businesses to manage their entire customer journey from a single platform.
HubSpot’s best features:
- Marketing Hub: HubSpot’s Marketing Hub provides a centralized space for creating, managing, and analyzing marketing campaigns. It includes features such as email marketing, lead nurturing, analytics, and automation, enabling businesses to execute targeted and personalized marketing strategies effectively.
- Sales Hub: The platform extends beyond marketing with its Sales Hub, offering tools for lead tracking, deal management, and sales automation. This integration between marketing and sales functionalities ensures a smooth transition from lead generation to conversion.
- Service Hub: HubSpot’s commitment to the entire customer lifecycle is evident in its Service Hub, which focuses on customer support and engagement. Businesses can manage customer interactions, resolve issues, and build lasting relationships through this comprehensive service platform.
HubSpot caters to a broad audience, including small to large businesses, marketers, and sales teams seeking an integrated and user-friendly solution. It’s particularly well-suited for businesses looking to consolidate their marketing, sales, and service efforts into a unified platform.
What languages does HubSpot support?
HubSpot supports multiple languages in its user interface, including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Italian.
In addition to the interface language, HubSpot allows content, such as emails, landing pages, and forms, to be created in numerous other languages. The system can recognize and categorize contacts based on their preferred language, enabling businesses to deliver personalized content to their audience.
What currencies does HubSpot accept?
HubSpot accepts payment in several major currencies, which include the US Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), British Pound (GBP), Australian Dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), and Japanese Yen (JPY).
What is the entry-level pricing for HubSpot?
HubSpot offers a tiered pricing structure to cater to different business needs which may be confusing at first glance. If you are a small business or individual, the Starter plan starts as low as $15 per month if you commit annually.
It’s important to note that the prices and features offered by HubSpot can change over time.
You can view updated pricing details here.
Does HubSpot integrate with ActiveCampaign?
While HubSpot does not integrate with ActiveCampaign, ActiveCampaign offers many of the same features as HubSpot at a lower cost.
If you’re considering migrating away from Hubspot, ActiveCampaign offers free migration for qualified customers. Check your migration options here.
Marketo
G2 Rank: 4.1/5 stars
Marketo is geared towards businesses aiming for comprehensive marketing automation. At its core, it excels in lead management and nurturing, providing businesses with the ability to create personalized customer journeys. One of its key features is the Marketo Engagement Platform, which enables users to design and execute complex marketing campaigns, integrating various channels and touchpoints to deliver a seamless brand experience.
Marketo’s unique features:
- Marketing automation: Marketo’s strength lies in its advanced marketing automation capabilities. Users can automate repetitive marketing tasks, nurture leads through personalized workflows, and engage with prospects at the right time and through the right channels.
- Account-based marketing (ABM): Marketo offers robust features for account-based marketing, allowing businesses to target and personalize their marketing efforts towards specific accounts. This is particularly beneficial for B2B businesses aiming to engage and convert high-value accounts.
- Analytics and reporting: The platform provides in-depth analytics and reporting tools, allowing businesses to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns, track lead interactions, and gain valuable insights for continuous optimization.
Marketo primarily caters to midsize to large enterprises and B2B businesses seeking a sophisticated marketing automation platform. Its extensive features make it well-suited for organizations with complex marketing needs, including those looking to implement comprehensive lead-nurturing strategies and manage large-scale campaigns.
What languages does Marketo support?
Marketo supports English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), and Korean.
What currencies does Marketo accept?
Marketo supports the US Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), British Pound (GBP), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Australian Dollar (AUD), Japanese Yen (JPY), Swiss Franc (CHF), Chinese Yuan (CNY), Indian Rupee (INR), and Brazilian Real (BRL).
What is the entry-level pricing for Marketo?
Marketo offers different pricing options tailored to the specific needs and requirements of businesses. As an enterprise-grade lead management software, Marketo’s pricing is customizable and based on factors such as the size of the organization, the desired features, and the level of support needed.
Due to the customizable nature of Marketo’s pricing, there is no specific entry-level pricing. Instead, it’s best to contact Marketo directly or visit their website to get detailed pricing information based on your specific business needs.
Does Marketo integrate with ActiveCampaign?
Marketo does not integrate with ActiveCampaign. However, you can find similar software that does integrate on the ActiveCampaign Marketplace.
Canva
G2 Rank: 4.7/5 stars
Canva enables marketers and businesses to craft engaging visuals without the need for advanced graphic design skills. One of its key strengths is the extensive library of templates, which spans various marketing materials such as social media posts, presentations, infographics, and more, providing a valuable resource for consistently producing professional-looking content.
Unique features you’ll get with a Canva subscription:
- Template library: Canva’s vast collection of templates serves as a creative treasure trove, offering pre-designed layouts for a wide range of marketing collateral. From Instagram posts to business cards, users can easily customize these templates to suit their brand and campaign needs.
- Collaboration tools: Canva emphasizes collaboration with features that facilitate teamwork on design projects. Multiple team members can work on a design simultaneously, providing a collaborative environment for marketing teams to create cohesive and visually appealing content.
- Brand kit: The Brand Kit feature allows businesses to maintain brand consistency by storing brand colors, logos, and fonts in one centralized location. This ensures that all marketing materials align with the brand identity, contributing to a cohesive and professional image.
Canva primarily caters to marketers, small businesses, and individuals seeking an accessible and efficient tool for creating visually striking marketing materials. Its user-friendly interface makes it suitable for those with varying levels of design expertise, from beginners to experienced designers.
What languages does Canva support?
Canva supports many languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, and more.
What currencies does Canva accept?
Canva supports multiple currencies including the US Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), British Pound (GBP), Australian Dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), Japanese Yen (JPY), Singapore Dollar (SGD), New Zealand Dollar (NZD), Indian Rupee (INR), Brazilian Real (BRL), and more.
What is the entry-level pricing for Canva?
Canva offers a free plan that allows users to access a wide range of basic features and templates at no cost. This free plan is a great starting point for individuals and small businesses looking to create simple designs and graphics.
Canva entry-level plan is called Canva Pro and starts at $14.99/month for one user or $119.99 for the year. This plan gives you access to premium content, more sophisticated design tools, AI features, 100M+ photos, videos, graphics, audio, and much more.
For more information, visit the Canva pricing page.
Does Canva integrate with ActiveCampaign?
While Canva does not integrate with ActiveCampaign, ActiveCampaign has many integrations with similar software. Check out the ActiveCampaign Marketplace for more information.
Hotjar
G2 Rank: 4.3/5 stars
Hotjar offers visual analytics, allowing marketers to see how visitors interact with their site through heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys. This data-driven approach provides crucial insights into user behavior, helping businesses identify areas for improvement and tailor their content to better meet the needs and preferences of their audience.
Features that make Hotjar stand out:
- Heatmaps: Hotjar’s heatmaps offer a visual representation of user interactions on a website, highlighting areas that attract the most attention or engagement. This feature aids marketers in optimizing the placement of key elements, such as calls-to-action or important content, to enhance user experience and drive conversions.
- Session recordings: The platform enables businesses to view session recordings of user interactions, offering a firsthand look at how visitors navigate their site. This feature is invaluable for identifying usability issues, understanding user journeys, and making informed decisions for website optimization.
- Feedback surveys: Hotjar facilitates direct communication with users through customizable feedback surveys. This feature allows businesses to gather qualitative insights, understand user preferences, and uncover potential pain points that might not be evident through quantitative data alone.
Hotjar is a good choice for digital marketers, web designers, and businesses of various sizes aiming to improve their online presence. Their user-friendly interface and focus on visual analytics make it accessible to marketers with varying levels of technical expertise, providing a valuable tool for optimizing websites and increasing engagement.
What languages does Hotjar support?
Hotjar, being a web-based tool, supports all languages that can be displayed in a web browser. This means that users can interact with their website visitors in virtually any language.
However, the Hotjar interface itself (the dashboard you interact with) is primarily in English. It’s important to note that while the tool can track and record user interaction in all languages, for the proper interpretation of feedback and surveys, you might need to have proficiency in the language used by your website visitors.
What currencies does Hotjar accept?
Hotjar primarily bills its customers in US dollars (USD). This is a common practice among many international software as a service (SaaS) companies due to the widespread acceptance and stability of the US dollar.
However, the exact currency options may depend on the payment method used, such as credit card, PayPal, or other online payment platforms. While the invoice will be generated in USD, the actual amount debited will be in the local currency of the user, with the conversion rate depending on the specific rates offered by the user’s bank or financial institution.
What is the entry-level pricing for Hotjar?
Hotjar offers a free Basic plan for users who wish to try out the platform’s features. This includes up to 35 daily sessions and unlimited heatmaps. Entry-level pricing starts with their Plus plan at $32 per month paid annually This includes up to 100 daily sessions, the ability to filter and segment data, and the ability to plug into their Events API to track custom user sessions.
For more pricing information visit Hotjar’s pricing page.
Does Hotjar integrate with ActiveCampaign?
Hotjar does not integrate with ActiveCampaign at the moment. You can find a list of our integrations by visiting the ActiveCampaign Marketplace.
Semrush
G2 Rank: 4.5/5 stars
Semrush provides a holistic approach to digital marketing, offering a wide array of features that cater to diverse marketing needs. Their strength lies in the ability to conduct in-depth competitor analysis, keyword research, and comprehensive SEO audits, making it an invaluable asset for businesses looking to enhance their search engine visibility and drive organic traffic.
Features that make Semrush a worthwhile investment:
- Competitor analysis: Semrush goes beyond traditional SEO tools by offering powerful competitor analysis features. Businesses can gain insights into their competitors’ strategies, keywords, and backlink profiles, allowing for strategic decision-making and a competitive edge in the market.
- Content marketing toolkit: The platform includes a content marketing toolkit that assists businesses in creating and optimizing content. Users can identify relevant topics, analyze the performance of existing content, and ensure that their content aligns with SEO best practices.
- Social media toolkit: Semrush extends its reach to social media management, providing tools for scheduling posts, tracking performance, and conducting competitive analysis on various social platforms.
Semrush primarily caters to digital marketers, SEO professionals, and businesses of all sizes aiming to strengthen their online presence. It’s incredibly beneficial for marketing teams seeking a solution that combines SEO, content marketing, and social media management.
What languages does Semrush support?
Semrush supports English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Turkish.
What currencies does Semrush accept?
Semrush accepts a variety of currencies including but not limited to the US Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), Brazilian Real (BRL), Australian Dollar (AUD), Hong Kong Dollar (HKD), Indian Rupee (INR), Japanese Yen (JPY), Norwegian Krone (NOK), and more.
What is the entry-level pricing for Semrush?
Semrush’s Pro plan starts at $117/month billed annually and includes a range of features including 500 keywords to track, competitor analysis, keyword research, website auditing, advertising and social media tools, and more.
Find all plans and pricing on the Semrush pricing page.
Does Semrush integrate with ActiveCampaign?
Semrush does not integrate with ActiveCampaign.
Zapier
G2 Rank: 4.5/5 stars
Zapier gives you the ability to create automated workflows called “Zaps” which facilitate the smooth transfer of data and actions between different applications. Marketers can leverage Zapier to automate repetitive tasks, ensuring efficient communication between various tools in their tech stack and allowing for a more focused and strategic allocation of resources.
Zapier’s stand-out features:
- Automation workflows (Zaps): Zapier’s core functionality lies in its automation workflows, or Zaps, which enable users to connect apps and automate tasks effortlessly. This feature is particularly beneficial for marketers looking to streamline their processes and ensure that data flows seamlessly between different platforms.
- Multi-step Zaps: Zapier allows the creation of multi-step Zaps, enabling users to automate complex workflows that involve multiple actions across various applications. This feature enhances the platform’s flexibility and capability to handle intricate automation scenarios.
- Extensive app integration: With support for over 3,000 apps, Zapier provides unparalleled flexibility in-app integration. Marketers can connect a wide array of tools, from CRM systems and email marketing platforms to social media and project management tools, creating a unified and efficient marketing ecosystem.
Zapier’s versatility makes it suitable for businesses of all sizes and industries looking to enhance productivity by automating routine tasks. It empowers users to tailor their automation processes to meet specific marketing needs, making it a great choice for those who want to optimize their inbound marketing strategies through seamless integration and efficient data management.
What languages does Zapier support?
Zapier provides support primarily in English.
However, due to its API-based structure, it allows the interconnection of thousands of apps that might be available in different languages. This means that while the Zapier interface and support are in English, the apps and workflows you create can handle data in numerous languages as dictated by the integrated applications themselves.
What currencies does Zapier accept?
While Zapier accepts payments in various currencies, all transactions are processed in US Dollars (USD). This means that whether you’re paying from Europe, Asia, Africa, or any part of the world, your local currency will be converted to USD at the current exchange rate provided by your bank or credit card company.
Please note that any charges related to currency conversion are typically handled by your financial institution, and not Zapier itself.
What is the entry-level pricing for Zapier?
Zapier offers a free plan that gives you access to two-step Zaps, a visual editor, and unlimited Zaps. Their entry-level pricing starts at $19.99 per month when billed annually. This Starter plan is a great upgrade and gives you access to multi-step Zaps, Zapier data tools, Zap versions, and more.
Find more plan information on the Zapier pricing page.
Does Zapier integrate with ActiveCampaign?
Zapier does integrate with ActiveCampaign. With this integration, you’ll be able to automate all your workflows and connect your apps with a few simple clicks. By doing this, you’ll save hours of time of manual entry, allowing you to spend more time selling. Plus, you’ll be able to follow your customers’ journey and create new deals automatically when prospects submit your demo request meeting form.
You can find more information about the integration here.
Test drive your software
If you’re eager to test run a particular software, the vast majority of these solutions have free trials so you can get a feel for each tool and determine which might be the best fit for your business.
ActiveCampaign’s 14-day free trial gives you a full view of the interface and showcases the power of segmentation, advanced automation, and smart customer communication. If email is a focus for you in your inbound marketing strategy, sign up today and see what you’ll be able to achieve with powerful email automation.
