Adobe Marketo Engage vs. OutboundEngine

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Marketo Engage
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Marketo Engage (acquired by Adobe in 2018) is a marketing automation platform whose basic features include email marketing, drip nurturing, landing pages, and lead scoring, but other editions offer additional advanced features. Typical customers are B2B firms with complex sales cycles.N/A
OutboundEngine
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
OutboundEngine provides a hands-off way for small business owners to market and grow their business. The product aims to provide small businesses with what big companies have achieved with marketing automation. The service aims to help users keep in touch with clients and prospects with professionally designed, branded campaigns. Benefits include: driving engagement, surfacing warm leads from current contacts, generating referrals and repeat business from their existing contacts, social…
$199
per user
Pricing
Adobe Marketo EngageOutboundEngine
Editions & Modules
Growth
Pricing based on database size.
per month
Select
Pricing based on database size.
per month
Prime
Pricing based on database size.
per month
Ultimate
Pricing based on database size.
per month
Essential
$199
per user
Value
$299
per user
Premium
$499
per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe Marketo EngageOutboundEngine
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptional$99 per user
Additional DetailsMore information is available on the vendor's website.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe Marketo EngageOutboundEngine
Considered Both Products
Adobe Marketo Engage
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
It is much better in everything: integration, personalization, and automation.
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Outreach, Salesloft, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, HubSpot CRM and Salesforce Lightning Platform
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
We previously used Pardot so our ability to use more dynamic and smart list building has been a game changer to our marketing efforts.
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Salesforce Experience Cloud and Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Salesforce Marketing Cloud doesn't allow for form fill capabilities.
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Existing platform at my role, though in comparison to something like SFMC it did not make a huge distinction and I think we get more flexibility out of Marketo since we need an application that was not so bound to a OOB CRM
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Marketo was selected before I started this role. I much prefer HubSpot's user-friendly layout and modern functions, email editor, landing page editor, and visual workspaces. It's also a much more searchable tool that's easier to navigate. If I could switch to HubSpot I would …
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Adobe Experience Manager
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Pardot LeadDeck (discontinued) and Informatica Customer 360 for Salesforce
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Better control on data and many options for lead scoring, email optimization is great and tracking email Deliverability is just awesome
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Adobe Marketo Engage is more powerful. With the time and money invested it provides more functionality compared to a platform such as Hubspot, which is in some ways easier to use.
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Salesforce Lightning Platform
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Marketo is the most comprehensive and robust marketing automation platform that I've worked in. It has everything that an organization may need from your standard marketing functions (i.e. email campaigns, landing pages, forms) to automated workflows. One downside is that there …
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Marketo provides a more comprehensive marketing automation solution compared to Act-On or Oracle's Eloqua, however, the latter are more user-friendly. Once you've rounded the learning curve with Marketo, it provides many more opportunities for customization, and the level of …
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Salesforce Lightning Platform
Chose Adobe Marketo Engage
Marketo Web Personalization has better and more flexible personalization options than Acquia Lift.
OutboundEngine
Chose OutboundEngine
I do not use any other similar products at this time. Several of the options that are available to me (CRMs) offer similar options but are more effort on my side. OutboundEngine is more or less automatic and I love that!
Chose OutboundEngine
I've always done my own newsletters etc. so I don't have experience with other companies that provide content services.
Chose OutboundEngine
I selected it for the ability to have an automated system do 3 things all at once, social media posts, emails and the instant communication with the chat box. I have never seen a chat come through that lead to a helpful client touchpoint. I have never used another product but …
Chose OutboundEngine
I have not opted for others. However, I do add my own offerings and content making me realize just how easy and cost-effective this is to do in spite of the volume OE provides. I do like postings to attract others and not be the same as others in my community.
Chose OutboundEngine
OutboundEngine is more of a general information program that with more frequent postings. My clients are more interested in this type of postings, than one on a home I sold or open house that I am doing. However, I do have a free email program that I use several times a month …
Chose OutboundEngine
have used others in the past Personally I have not received any benefit in productivity from the program yes it tells me who is looking and who is most active. but that is it
Chose OutboundEngine
I also use PressLike. What I like about OutboundEngine is it uses my email database to send relative topics to my clients along with social media postings. PressLike offers primarily social media, but offers more customizable ways to market myself, my listings and any other …
Chose OutboundEngine
Intouch systems was a service I used but I don't think it is any of the ones referenced in the list. I constantly had to go in and repost things because it couldn't post to my accounts. It did also send out emails, but it wasn't getting on my social media. It was 1/3 the price …
Chose OutboundEngine
It’s easier for me. They handle everything and they notify me and send me my stats and it’s more affordable.
Chose OutboundEngine
N/A never tried anyone else.
Chose OutboundEngine
BNTouch is great for creating and sending mass emails but misses the automated feature entirely.
Chose OutboundEngine
There really aren't a lot of companies out there with good Real Estate Chat solutions.
Chose OutboundEngine
OBE has automated emails, that are industry-specific, so I don't have to create them. On the surface, this is a plus, but my lead generation results have been very poor. Started writing my own emails, now the advantage from OBE is gone. OBE has social media posts, this is a …
Chose OutboundEngine
Much easier to use. Representative actively engages and schedules monthly meetings and training.
Chose OutboundEngine
Affordability is important and OutboundEngine is affordable. I like the expertise in this field they have. I really appreciate they don’t constantly bother me trying to sell me more services, etc. Any time I have needed to call the company, their reps are always available. …
Chose OutboundEngine
OutboundEngine has better staff support, a higher level of website maintenance/knowledge for future clients.
Chose OutboundEngine
My company offers a service called Octopost where they post to my social media platforms, but I don't feel like the content is as good and it doesn't reach as much of my database as the OutboundEngine newsletters do.
Chose OutboundEngine
I selected OutboundEngine after hearing about it from a friend. I had never used a similar product before.
Features
Adobe Marketo EngageOutboundEngine
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Marketo Engage
7.8
Ratings
3% above category average
OutboundEngine
8.1
Ratings
10% above category average
WYSIWYG email editor8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Dynamic content6.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content6.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization7.80 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting6.40 Ratings7.80 Ratings
List management8.80 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Marketo Engage
7.8
Ratings
0% below category average
OutboundEngine
5.6
Ratings
19% below category average
Lead nurturing automation8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Data quality management6.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks7.30 Ratings5.60 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Marketo Engage
7.7
Ratings
4% above category average
OutboundEngine
-
Ratings
Calendaring7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Marketo Engage
7.5
Ratings
0% below category average
OutboundEngine
7.8
Ratings
16% above category average
Social sharing and campaigns7.80 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Social profile integration7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Marketo Engage
8.0
Ratings
9% above category average
OutboundEngine
-
Ratings
Dashboards8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Marketo Engage
7.9
Ratings
6% above category average
OutboundEngine
-
Ratings
API8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com9.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Microsoft Dynamics CRM7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with SugarCRM7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Adobe Marketo EngageOutboundEngine
Small Businesses
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.9 out of 10
LocaliQ
LocaliQ
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
LocaliQ
LocaliQ
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
Kentico Xperience
Kentico Xperience
Score 8.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe Marketo EngageOutboundEngine
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
6.4
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(0 ratings)
7.9
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
6.7
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
6.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
1.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe Marketo EngageOutboundEngine
Likelihood to Recommend
If you are looking to, you're looking to scale up your lead gen work. Adobe Marketo was a very good tool for that. You're looking to deliver leads to a sales team from marketing campaigns. It's a very good tool for that. It runs everything we do on the marketing side and I think a small lead gen team or a very large one could use an equally well.
Read full review
OutboundEngine does a referral campaign and I've been able to close a couple of deals based on getting in touch with people who engage with this campaign and state they could use my services in the next 6 months. This is a great follow up tool for those you may or may not know are going to be needing your services.
Read full review
Pros
  • Adobe Marketo Engage is a great platform for custom email design. The user interface is simple and easy to navigate.
  • With Campaign Optimization, Adobe Marketo Engage allows for real-time adjustments, ensuring my campaigns remain relevant and effective.
  • With Advanced Analytics, Adobe Marketo Engage provides robust marketing data analysis, helping us better understand our campaigns' effectiveness.
Read full review
  • The content that they generate to send to our clients is relevant and the clients want to engage with us. It makes us appear more professional and consistent, even though we are a smaller company.
  • It helps us stay in touch with clients and helps us stay top of mind. We are able to generate more new business leads if we are in consistent contact with current, former, and potential clients.
  • Their customer service and support is outstanding. All my questions were answered and I went into the program feeling confident and knowledgeable.
Read full review
Cons
  • Marketo's email editor is basic in comparison to other cheaper alternatives out there.
  • Marketo doesn't work as well in B2C scenarios as it does in B2B. One of the painpoints of this is it's difficult to showcase a selection of product recommendations based on purchase behaviour without a very time consuming workaround. It's manageable if you're only selling a handful of products, but it's inefficient when dealing with a large catalogue.
  • Marketo's form and landing page builder are also behind the times. Perhaps not as bad as the Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform, but for an enterprise company the product should be much better.
Read full review
  • Logging into Outbound Engine on my phone is difficult because I can't save the login name and password. Being able to save it would be very helpful.
  • Posting my new listings on social media would help if that's possible.
  • Being informed of what you're posting on social media and when would also be helpful.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
We're likely to renew for several reasons:
  • Now that it's been implemented, I can't imagine not having marketing automation and the easy interface that Marketo provides to run our campaigns
  • Marketo's community and customer service is fantastic; I know that when I need help, I'll get it
  • Marketo continues to improve the product, so I know that I can expect it to be even more useful in the future
Read full review
AS my business is beginning to change and with volatility in the market, I have to rely seriously on a budget. That and nearing retirement consideration has me more likely to opt out in the near future.
Read full review
Usability
In some aspects, the tool can feel quite clunky in parts. But with the rich feature set it has, it's understandable. There is a lot of room for improvement for the user interface. The system itself doesn't have a slick or modern feel, so the usability could feel nicer to use with these areas considered.
Read full review
Overall, OutboundEngine is very user friendly. It is simple to set up and explore, and if there are any issues or questions, the customer service team and account managers are always available to help. They are very knowledgeable and were able to explain everything in detail to me. The program is easy to navigate and helps me stay organized, and an uncomplicated and straightforward solution was exactly what I was looking for
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Marketo provides different way and abilities to connect. If you are having product support or unexplained errors you can get someone on Marketo support 24 hours a day. One of Marketo's greatest assets in my opinion however would be the community. Often times our company is just looking for case success stories from someone else. In the community you can search for problems you are currently facing and see others having the same issue and solutions for those issues. If not, you can pose a question to the whole community and champions of the product and others can chime in to provide suggestions to fix your needs. The community is truly a 24/7 place to get your answers quickly.
Read full review
I don't recall having any issues needing to contact OutboundEngine. I believe maybe I once emailed about an issue and got a quick response. I also believe I may have messaged through the app and gotten a response. To my knowledge, there has been nothing like app errors or outages.
Read full review
Performance
There are times when it is slightly slow for us, where we sit on a screen waiting for it to load. This could be our internet since we have had the same issue occasionally with other systems, but it is enough to make you crazy.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
On multiple occasions we've had Marketo support (technical and license based) issues. Technical issues were minor and resolved within a day. License based issues (even things encouraged by Marketo for partners, like provisioning another license) took WEEKS. They actually took so long to respond that the client we were working with withdrew from the contract because they were no longer convinced Marketo was capable of supporting their business. As an agency trying to sell the software, you can only explain away so much before they just made us look silly.
Read full review
The customer service was excellent! Everyone I spoke to was kind and knowledgeable. My account manager was easily reachable. Setup of the OutboundEngine program was explained really thoroughly, and we knew how we could best use the product to meet the needs of our clients and get our online and social media presence off the ground.
Read full review
In-Person Training
If you are first time user then the training is perfect, but the advance training is not that effective. After working in Marketo for 5 years there is nothing new to learn. The new tools that Marketo have are expensive and too difficult to use. + I would recommend to learn the basic and use Marketo on the daily bases as you will forget everything in a month if you don't use it.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Online Training
You can get 100% of your training done online. Marketo's community is filled with experts and they list free training videos on marketo.com. They also have user groups in every major city that help you get the most out of your Marketo instance and Marketing Automation in general. It's really easy to pick up this tool and start running on day one.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
1. Have a content marketing plan to run in parallel with the marketing automation installation--you'll need a lot of content to make full use of Marketo's capabilities. 2. Work with sales (and ISRs) to define and document a workflow--build your Marketo installation around how you do business--not figure out how to apply your business to the tools 3. Spend time of data cleaning--both an initial project as well as a strategy for ongoing data management. We found some change manaement issues (no more appending ZZZ to the first name to identify contacts who have left the company, for example, or prohibiting the entry of "info@company.com" email addresses). 4. Find some champions in the sales and ISR teams. You'll have both fans and detractors--work with the fans to build some success stories
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
[...] is a partner of HubSpot, and we are mutual customers of each other. This may be because HubSpot is a [...] investor, but roughly half of [...]'s customers are Adobe Marketo Engage customers (the other half being HubSpot customers).
Read full review
I selected it for the ability to have an automated system do 3 things all at once, social media posts, emails and the instant communication with the chat box. I have never seen a chat come through that lead to a helpful client touchpoint. I have never used another product but have since begun to weigh some of the less expensive options.
Read full review
Scalability
As we have grown, Marketo has grown with us. We started with simple single email campaigns and are now doing complex campaigns with multiple emails and tracks that we send a contact to if they take certain actions within our emails. We also have a complex integration with several systems and have the visibility into our marketing activities throughout our organization.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Generated a 35% higher return on investment (ROI) in demand generation in the company.
  • The focus on the accounts that presented a greater sales potential, allowed us to prioritize and reduce costs by 20 Million USD.
  • Being personal and optimized. reduced efforts towards a more personalized customer experience, in working hours by almost 100 h.
Read full review
  • Outbound Engine keeps me top of mind by automatically sending articles to my database and posting to my facebook.
  • I spend zero time researching and writing articles.
  • I spend zero time taking great pictures.
  • I spend zero time dealing with mailing lists.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Adobe Marketo Engage Screenshots

Screenshot of the Contact Timeline in Adobe Marketo EngageScreenshot of the Audience Feature in Adobe Marketo EngageScreenshot of Progressive Profiling in Adobe Marketo EngageScreenshot of the Insights Dashboard in Adobe Marketo EngageScreenshot of Sources in Adobe Marketo EngageScreenshot of Metrics in Adobe Marketo Engage

OutboundEngine Screenshots

Screenshot of Automated Social Media MarketingScreenshot of A personalized snapshot of your account activity and warmest leads.Screenshot of Personally designed, tested, and automated emails