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CRM vs Marketing Automation: Difference and Interplay
CRM and marketing automation are often mentioned in the same breath, yet they do different jobs. We explain when you need which and how the two work together.
Quick comparison
| Criterion | CRM (customer relationship management) | Marketing automation |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Sales and customer relationships | Lead generation and nurturing |
| Typical users | Sales team | Marketing team |
| Contact focus | Qualified leads and customers | All leads, including cold ones |
| Email features | One to one emails, templates | Bulk sending, sequences |
| Automation | Sales workflows | Marketing workflows |
| Lead scoring | Often an add-on | Core function |
| Landing pages | Rarely | Core function |
| Pipeline and deals | Core function | Not available |
Detailed ratings
Feature comparison
| Feature | CRM (customer relationship management) | Marketing automation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact management | |||
| Deal and pipeline management | Core CRM function | ||
| Email tracking | Different focus | ||
| Email sequences | MA: more extensive | ||
| Landing pages | Core MA function | ||
| Forms | MA: more options | ||
| Lead scoring | MA: core function | ||
| A/B testing | |||
| Multi-channel campaigns | |||
| Customer journey builder | |||
| Forecasting | |||
| Quote management | |||
| Activity tracking | |||
| Social media integration |
Price comparison
| Plan | CRM (customer relationship management) | Marketing automation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $15-50/user/month | $50-200/month | MA: often contact based |
| Professional | $50-100/user/month | $200-800/month | |
| Enterprise | $100-200/user/month | $800-3,000/month | |
| All-in-one | $50-150/user/month | – | Both combined |
Pros and cons
CRM (customer relationship management)
Pros- Contact and deal management
- Pipeline overview
- Track sales activities
- Forecasting and reporting
- One to one communication with customers
- Quote and contract management
- Limited email marketing features
- No landing page builder
- Less automation for marketing processes
- No lead scoring without an extension
Marketing automation
Pros- Email campaigns and sequences
- Landing pages and forms
- Lead scoring and nurturing
- Multi-channel campaigns
- A/B testing
- Marketing analytics
- Automated customer journeys
- No real deal or pipeline management
- Less focus on one to one selling
- No activity documentation for sales
- No forecasting
Our verdict
Choose CRM (customer relationship management) if:
Choose Marketing automation if:
Frequently asked questions
If you run active inbound marketing and have a structured sales process, you benefit from both. Marketing automation qualifies leads and the CRM takes over the sales process.
Yes, some CRM platforms offer both areas from a single source. That simplifies the integration considerably.
Marketing automation qualifies leads through lead scoring, qualified leads are handed over to the CRM automatically, and sales takes it from there.
With outbound focused sales: CRM first. With an inbound marketing focus, marketing automation could come first.
Native integrations between well known platforms are often included. Custom integrations cost $2,000 to $10,000.
Align marketing and sales properly?
We help you find the right system combination, whether that is separate systems with an integration or a single all-in-one platform.