Top 10 Marketing Automation Tools to Use in 2026

Managing social media and digital marketing manually can take a lot of your time and overwhelm you. Marketers struggle in posting, engaging, and analyzing performance. Customers today expect personalized, timely, and engaging interactions across multiple platforms. This makes social media automation important. It allows brands to maintain a consistent online presence without wasting their time on repetitive work. 

The right social media automation software can help businesses:

• Schedule content
• Automate engagement
• Track analytics
• Create custom workflows

Leveraging digital marketing automation tools can help:

• Save time
• Improve strategy
• Improve outcomes

The digital marketing landscape has evolved tremendously with:

• CRM,
• Email marketing
• Social media automation tools
• AI marketing tools in 2025

Let’s explore the best tools to automate your social media marketing and maximize your efficiency. 

What is Digital Marketing Automation?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by endless tasks of sending emails, scheduling posts, following up leads, and tracking analytics? Then, digital marketing automation platforms are for you.

Digital marketing automation is about using technology and marketing automation software to automate repetitive marketing activities, like:

• Sending follow-up emails
• Scheduling social media posts
• Segmenting leads
• Tracking customer behaviors

With automation tools, you don’t have to manage every campaign manually. Also, you don’t have to juggle between a dozen tools. Automation enables the creation of intelligent marketing workflows. It brings everything under one roof:

• CRM & email automation
• Social media automation tools
• Analytics
• AI marketing tools

Key Benefits of Marketing Automation Software

There are many benefits of marketing automation software. Here are some key benefits:

1. Time & Cost Efficiency

Repetitive tasks can take your hours every week. Automation software helps automate those repetitive tasks, like:

• Scheduling posts
• Sending emails
• Updating contact listers
• Follow-ups
• Data entry

Marketing workflow automation frees up your team's time. This provides them with more time to focus more on strategy and creativity. 

2. Lead Nurturing Automation

Not every lead will convert into sales. Automation helps move prospects smoothly down the sales funnel with personalized journeys. 

3. Improved personalization

Today, customers expect customized experiences. AI marketing tools in 2025 help brands customize campaigns to deliver hyper-personalized content at scale. 

4. Better Data-Driven Decisions

Automated reporting and analytics provide clear insights about the strategies. This makes optimization easier. 

5. Scalability

The right marketing automation software grows with your needs, whether you’re a small startup or an enterprise with millions of leads. 

Common Features in Digital Marketing Automation Platforms

Most of the best automation tools for marketing offer a suite of features that help streamline campaigns and thereby improve ROI. Some of the most common are:

1. CRM & Email Marketing Automation

While syncing the customer data, it helps automate:

• Email sequences
• Newsletters
• Drip campaigns

2. Social Media Automation Tools

These tools help:

• Schedule & manage posts
• Track engagement
• Analyze performance

3. Lead Nurturing Automation

It creates workflows that send targeted messages according to the behavior of customers.

4. Multi-Channel Marketing Automation

This feature helps coordinate campaigns across:

• Emails
• SMS
• Push notifications
• Ads

5. AI Marketing Tools

AI Marketing tools in 2025 help provide:

• Predictive analytics
• Smart segmentation
• Generative content creation

6. Analytics & Reporting

Automation tools provide real-time insights into:

• Campaign performance
• ROI
• Customer behavior

Why Businesses Need Marketing Automation in 2025

If one thing is clear about digital marketing, it never stands still, as every year:

• Algorithms change
• Customer expectations rise
• Competition gets tougher

In 2025, businesses can’t rely on manual campaigns or universal strategies. To stay ahead of the curve, they need digital marketing automation platforms that combine:

• CRM & email marketing automation
• Social media automation tools
• AI-driven personalization
• Multi-channel campaigns

The following points will make you understand why marketing automation is no longer an option, but an essential for growth.

1. Time Efficiency & Cost Savings

Marketers are involved in a ton of repetitive tasks, like:

• Sending follow-up emails
• Segmenting leads
• Posting on social media
• Generating reports

If all the work is done manually, it will waste your precious hours and will require larger teams. Automation in marketing saves the time and money of the businesses by automating these repetitive tasks.

2. Personalization and Improved Customer Journeys

Today, customers expect more than generic emails. They want to experience emails tailored just for them. The rise of AI marketing tools in 2025 has made personalization go from being a “nice touch” to an absolute necessity.

Automation creates lead-nurturing automation workflows. This helps businesses adjust messages according to customer behaviors. 

3. Data-Driven Decision Making

Data is the superpower of marketing in 2025. Marketing automation software provides detailed analytics to the businesses. These analytics help businesses understand what’s working and what isn’t. 

Digital marketing automation platforms turn raw data into actionable insights by using:

• Built-in analytics
• AI-powered insights

These analytics and insights will help businesses make data-backed decisions. 

4. Scalability for Small to Enterprise-Level Businesses

One of the biggest strengths of multi-channel marketing automation is scalability. From startups to large enterprises, the right tools grow with them. 

 Affordable tools like CRM and email marketing automation benefit small businesses. While for a complex sales cycle, enterprises can leverage advanced features like:

• Predictive analysis
• Segmentation
• B2B marketing automation software

5. Competitive Edge in Digital Marketing

You must be lagging behind your competitors if you’re not using automation. Automation helps ensure that your brand is present across every customer touchpoint, like:

• Email
• SMS
• Social media
• Ads

With the embracing of the best automation tools for marketing, businesses can gain a competitive advantage through:

• Faster responses
• Smarter targeting
• More personalized campaigns

Criteria for Choosing the Best Marketing Automation Software

There are so many digital marketing automation platforms available in 2025. SO, it might feel overwhelming to choose the right one. There is no universal solution. The best platform depends on your business:

• Size
• Goals
• Budget

The following key factors must be kept in mind before investing in the best marketing automation software:

1. Ease of Use and Learning Curve

A powerful tool is of no use if your team doesn't know how to use it. You must look for tools that have an intuitive interface and a gentle learning curve.

You must keep in mind that the marketing automation tool should simplify your life, not complicate it.

2. Integration with Other Platforms

An automation platform must not exist in a silo. But the best tool must integrate seamlessly with your:

• CRM
• E-commerce store
• Payment gateways
• Social media accounts
• Analytics tools

The smooth integration makes your lead nurturing automation work better across the customer journey.

3. Features (AI, Analytics, Segmentation, Multi-Channel)

You must prioritize your needs as your features are not created equal. In 2025, here are the must-haves:

• AI Marketing tools:
  • Predictive analysis
  • SMart segmentation
  • Automated content suggestions
• Analytics & reporting: Data-driven decisions will be made using real-time dashboards.
• Advanced Segmentation: Targeting is done based on:
  • Behavior
  • Demographics
  • Purchase history
• Multi-Channel Marketing Automation: It helps manage all in one place, like:
  • Email
  • SMS
  • Social media
  • Push notifications
  • Ads

4. Pricing and Scalability

Automation platforms come in free starter plans to expensive enterprise solutions. The key is to find a tool that fits in your budget and can grow your business.

Also, you must think of the long-term, as you can’t switch easily when your business grows. 

5. Customer Support and Community

Even the best software can have issues. So, strong customer support and an active user community are important. You must look for:

• 24/7 chat support
• Onboarding tutorials & documentation
• Forums or groups to learn from other users

A responsive team makes your automation tools run smoothly without disrupting campaigns.

10 Best Digital Marketing Automation Tools in 2025

Here’s the heart of the post. Let’s explore the top marketing workflow automation tools in 2025.

1. HubSpot Marketing Hub

HubSpot is one of the most popular CRM and email marketing automation platforms. It is a versatile digital marketing automation tool. It offers an all-in-one solution for:

• Inbound marketing
• CRM
• Customer service

It has an intuitive interface that allows businesses to streamline:

• Email marketing
• Social media campaigns
• Lead nurturing

It is designed to help businesses to gain customers with ease. HubSpot’s scalability makes it an ideal choice for small and large enterprises. 

Key Features:

• Comprehensive CRM + Marketing Hub integration
• Automated email & social media management
• AI-powered analytics
• Multi-channel marketing automation
• In-depth analytics & reporting tools
• Content marketing & SEO optimization features

Pros:

• Beginnerfriendly
• User-friendly
• Rich in features
• All-in-one solution
• Strong integration ecosystem
• Seamless integration with CRM, CMS, customer support, & other solutions

Cons:

• Very expensive
• May require a separate Hub for the automations

Pricing: 

Free Tools	Marketing Hub Starter	Starter Customer Platform	Marketing Hub Professional	Marketing Hub Enterprise
₹0/mo	₹752/mo/seat	₹752/mo/seat	₹66,697/mo	₹300,000/mo
Free for up to 2 years	Includes 3 core seats	Includes 5 core seats

2. Marketo Engage (Adobe)

Adobe acquired Marketo in 2018. it is a premium digital marketing automation platform. It caters mainly to large enterprises. It is a powerhouse in B2B marketing automation software. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools that help marketers attract, nurture, and convert leads effectively. It provides advanced tools for:

• Lead management
• Account-based marketing
• Detailed reporting

Key Features:

• Account-based marketing capabilities
• AI-powered lead nurturing
• Advanced segmentation 
• Multi-channel campaigns
• Seamless integration with CRM systems

Pros:

• Excellent for a complex B2B funnel
• Enterprise-grade features

Cons:

• Steep learning curve
• Higher cost

Pricing: Custom pricing on request.

3. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is amongst the best automated marketing software solutions. It offers tools for:

• Email marketing
• Customer experience automation
• CRM

It is a versatile automation tools that empowers businesses to:

• Create targeted marketing campaigns
• Automate repetitive tasks
• Engage with audience across multiple channels

It offers robust email marketing capabilities that allows users to create and send highly personalized email campaigns. This tool helps users create engaging mails by providing a:

• User-friendly drag-and-drop builder
• Customizable templates
• Dynamic content options

It has sophisticated automation workflows and personalization options. These options make it a favorite choice among businesses aiming to build meaningful customer relationships. It is best suited for SMEs that need email automation plus CRM integration.

Key Features:

• Customer journey mapping
• Advanced email marketing & segmentation tools
• CRM capabilities
• Detailed analytics for campaign performance tracking
• Customer experience automation

Pros:

• Great balance of price and features
• Strong personalization
• Huge library of multilingual workflow automations
• AI functionality for:
  • Email content generation
  • Predictive email sending
  • Automation building

Cons:

• May be overskill for beginners
• Limited predictive AI sending to the two highest tiers

Pricing: 

Enterprise	Pro	Plus	Starter
$145/mo, billed annually	$79/mo, billed annually	$49/mo, billed annually	$15/mo, billed annually
Run email marketing at scale with enterprise-level support.	Unlock enhanced email orchestration.	Go further with automation & powerful customer insights.	Get started with personalized email marketing campaigns.

4. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a widely used digital marketing automation software. It excels in email marketing automation. It is a go-to email marketing automation platform. It provides tools for creating:

• Personalized campaigns
• Advanced audience segmentation

It is an all-in-one tool for all your marketing needs as it offers other marketing tools for:

• Social media
• eCommerce
• Lead forms
• Landing pages
• Websites

It is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses that want to scale their marketing efforts. 

Free plan of this app includes a:

• Landing page builder
• Customer journey mapping
• List segmentation
• Email templates
• Branding tools

Key Features:

• Advanced email marketing automation tools
• Basic social media automation tools
• Personalization & segmentation capabilities
• Pre-designed templates for faster campaign creation
• Detailed campaign analytics
• Performance tracking
• User-friendly interface

Pros:

• Very beginner-friendly
• Affordable
• All-in-one marketing automation
• Reasonable costs, when scaling
• Easy-to-use advanced features

Cons:

• Limited advanced features

Pricing: 

Premium	Standard	Essentials	Free
₹11,500/mo for first 12 months	₹575/mo for first 12 months	₹385/mo for first 12 months	₹0/month

5. Pardot (Salesforce)

Pardot is a part of the Salesforce ecosystem. It is a powerful B2B marketing automation tool that is designed to pipeline growth and revenue. It helps businesses offer personalized marketing campaigns to:

• Generate leads
• Nurture prospects
• Drive revenue

With features like lead scoring and nurturing, Pardot empowers marketers:

• Identify high-quality leads
• Engage with personalized content
• Accelerate through sales funnel

Pardot integrates seamlessly with Salesforce CRM. This allows businesses to sync lead and contact data between the two platforms and gain a holistic view of their customers. These interactions make the collaboration more effective between the sales and marketing team. 

Key Features:

• Advanced lead nurturing automation
• ROI reporting & attribution
• Salesforce CRM integration

Pros:

• Enterprise-level analytics
• Ideal for complex B2B journeys

Cons:

• Expensive
• Requires technical setup

Pricing: Starts at $1,250/month.

Growth	Plus	Advanced
$1250+/month	$2,500+/month	$4,000+/month

6. GetResponse

GetResponse is an all-in-one online marketing platform. It is designed to help businesses of all sizes:

• Grow audience
• Engage with customers
• Drive sales

This platform is primarily known for its email marketing tools. But today, it has expanded to offer a comprehensive suite of features to create and manage online campaigns. It has unique features like webinar hosting. 

Key Features:

• Email automation + webinar hosting
• Conversion funnels
• AI-driven personalization
• Landing pages
• E-commerce integrations

Pros:

• Affordable all-in-one tool
• Strong webinar support

Cons:

• Less advanced for enterprises

Pricing: 

Starter	Marketer	Creator	Enterprise
Grow with AI-powered email marketing & unlimited monthly sends	For marketers & ecommerce businesses to promote & sell across channels	Everything you need to create, market, & monetize your knowledge	Maximize revenue with tailored solutions & premium support
₹1382/mo	₹4298/mo	₹5020/mo	Custom

7. Omnisend

Omnisend is an eCommerce-focused best automated marketing software. It helps simplify email and SMS campaign management. It allows businesses to:

• Deliver personalized messages
• Improve customer retention
• Drive sales

Omnisend has an easy integration with e-commerce platforms. This makes it a must-have for online stores. It is ideal for eCommerce brands that are looking for multi-channel marketing automation.

Key Features:

• Automation of email & SMS campaigns
• E-commerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce)
• Segmentation and analytics
• Personalized product recommendations
• Cart abandonment & re-engagement tools

Pros:

• Great for online stores
• Easy to set up
• Strong integrations
• Excellent support
• Multi-channel marketing
• Affordable pricing

Cons:

• Not ideal for enterprises
• Limited app library
• Less multilingual support
• High SMS costs

Pricing: Free plan available.

Custom Pricing	Pro	Standard
Best for businesses with custom needs, a large amount of contacts or email volumes	Best for high-volume senders aimed at adding extra power with SMS	Best for growing and medium-sized businesses focused on email marketing
Customized	$41.40/mo	$11.20/mo

8. Zoho Marketing Automation

Zoho Marketing Automation is a multi-channel marketing automation software. It helps users successfully manage marketing activities across different channels. It helps marketers to:

• Attract audience
• Engage with the audience
• Convert audience into customers

Using Zoho Marketing Automation, users can build customized marketing solutions that best suit their industry requirements. It can be used by users from various industries, such as:

• Finance
• Retail
• Consumer electronics
• Information technology
• Healthcare Manufacturing

Zoho Marketing Automation is Zoho’s newer multichannel automation tool. It helps businesses:

• Generate leads
• Nurture with workflows
• Track customer behavior
• Run campaigns across diverse channels

Overview:
A budget-friendly option for SMEs.

Key Features:

• Multi-channel campaigns
• Analytics and reporting
• Lead scoring & nurturing
• Budget-friendly for SMEs
• Marketing planner
• Website tracking
• Centralized dashboard
• Zoho CRM integration

Pros:

• Affordable
• Easy integration with other Zoho apps

Cons:

• Less robust than enterprise tools

Pricing:

Standard	Professional	Enterprise
₹855/mo, billed annually	₹1,305/mo, billed annually	₹2,655/mo, billed annually
For businesses who are just starting to implement marketing.	For growing businesses that need to plan, collaborate, & hyper-personalize every marketing experience.	For advanced businesses that require customization & advanced metrics to track every customer touchpoint.

9. Sendinblue (Brevo)

Sendinblue is now known as Brevo. It is a comprehensive digital marketing automation software that automates email marketing and SMS campaigns. It’s perfect for businesses that want to streamline communication and deliver personalized experiences without breaking the bank. It is an all-in-one platform with email, SMS, and chat automation. 

Key Features:

• Marketing workflows
• Multi-channel 
• CRM 
• Email & SMS campaign automation tools
• Contact management
• Audience segmentation
• Customizable templates
• Detailed performance analytics
• Heatmap tracking

Pros:

• Affordable for startups
• Strong SMS & chat capabilities

Cons:

• Limited advanced AI features

Pricing: 

Free	Starter	Business	Enterprise
₹0/mo	₹562/mo	₹1,210/mo	Custom
Discover Brevo	Ideal for growing businesses	Built for managers & ecommerce pros	Tailored solutions to fit your needs

10. Keap (Infusionsoft)

Infusinsoft was an all-in-one sales and marketing automation software for small businesses. It was rebranded as Keap in 2019. This platform was once formerly known as Infusionsoft. It is not specifically referred to as Keep Max Classic.

Today, Keap offers a variety of products with features that were originally a part of the Infusion platform. 

It is a CRM, marketing automation, and sales automation platform for small to medium businesses. It helps:

• Manage contacts
• Send automated email & SMS
• Handle appointments, invoicing, & leads

Keap helps streamline business workflows so you can focus on growth. 

Key Features:

• CRM integration
• Email and SMS campaigns
• Contact & lead management
• Landing pages & forms
• Sales & pipeline management
• Reporting & analytics

Pros:

• Excellent for small business growth
• All-in-one tool for SMBs
• Very powerful automations
• Built-in payments/invoicing
• Strong sales + marketing alignment

Cons:

• Not ideal for enterprises
• High cost for small businesses
• Steep learning curve
• Hidden/extra costs

Pricing: Starts at $249/month.

Comparison Table of Top 10 Tools

Tool	Best For	Features	Pricing
HubSpot	All-in-one CRM + Marketing	CRM, email, multi-channel, analytics	From $45/mo
Marketo Engage	Enterprise B2B	AI, lead nurturing, segmentation	Custom
ActiveCampaign	SMEs & CRM users	Email + CRM, journey mapping	From $29/mo
Mailchimp	Small businesses	Email campaigns, templates, & social media	From $13/mo
Pardot	Enterprise B2B	ROI reporting, Salesforce CRM	From $1,250/mo
GetResponse	Webinars + emails	Funnels, webinars, & AI-personalization	From $19/mo
Omnisend	E-commerce brands	SMS + email + push	From $16/mo
Zoho	SMEs on budget	Multi-channel, analytics, lead scoring	From $15/mo
Brevo	Startups & SMEs	Email + SMS + chat automation	From $25/mo
Keap	Small businesses	CRM, lead nurturing, workflows	From $159/mo

Future of Digital Marketing Automation

The future of digital marketing automation is shaping up to be:

• Smarter
• More personalized
• Deeply customer-centric

In 2025, AI marketing tools are transforming the way brands are connecting with their audience. Today, businesses don’t rely only on pre-set workflows. But the automation platforms will use predictive analytics for anticipating the customer behavior and delivering the right message at the right time.

One major shift in marketing will be the rise of multi-channel marketing automation. Businesses won’t just send emails; they’ll engage customers through:

• SMS
• WatsApp
• Social media
• Voice assistants

This helps create a seamless and consistent experience across every touchpoint. This level of integration will also extend to sales and service teams, with CRM and email marketing automation working together to:

• Nurture leads
• Close deals faster
• Strengthen long-term relationships

Also, the privacy-first strategies will shape the way data will be collected and used. With strict regulations and growing customer awareness, future automation tools will emphasize:

• Transparency
• Ethical tracking
• First-party data

At last, the future is about moving from campaign management to intelligent marketing workflow automation. Businesses will not tell the software what to do, but they’ll rely on automation platforms for optimization, prediction, and execution of the strategies on their behalf. Companies that will adopt these innovations initially will gain efficiency and also build stronger, more authentic connections. 

Conclusion

In 2025, marketing is no longer about broadcasting. But it’s about engagement that is:

• Personalized
• Automated
• Data-driven

By leveraging the best automation tools for marketing, businesses can:

• Improve efficiency
• Build stronger customer relationships
• Scale faster

There’s a solution tailored for you for every size of business looking for:

• Small business for affordable social media automation tools
• E-commerce store focusing on multi-channel marketing automation
• Enterprise in need of B2B marketing automation software

Now it’s time for you to explore these digital marketing automation platforms, test them, and see which one is the best one for your business to thrive in 2025 and beyond. 

FAQs

1. What features should I look for in a digital marketing automation platform?

The best marketing automation software should include:

• Email campaigns
• CRM integration
• Lead nurturing automation
• Analytics
• Segmentation
• Multi-channel support

2. Is HubSpot better than Mailchimp for automation?

It depends on your business needs. HubSpot is more advanced, offering deep:

• CRM and email marketing automation
• Sales alignment
• B2B workflows

On the other hand, Mailchimp is a beginner-friendly, affordable software for small businesses that need email and basic social media automation tools.

3. Are marketing automation tools worth the investment for startups?

Yes, the right digital marketing automation tools can save a startup’s time and help scale faster. 

4. How do AI-powered tools change marketing automation?

AI marketing tools 2025 are revolutionising automation by:

• Predicting customer behavior
• Optimizing send times
• Creating personalized campaigns
• Generating content