Makesbridge vs. PFL Direct Mail Platform

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Makesbridge
Score 8.5 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
Makesbridge is a marketing automation product designed for SMBs, featuring core marketing capabilities. It is an on-demand product that is delivered without long-term contracts via a monthly subscription.
$29
per month (1 account)
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
PFL helps businesses deliver authentic moments by creating impactful direct mail that is data-driven, bringing measurement, personalization, and predictability from digital to direct mail. PFL offers direct mail that is... Simplified: PFL simplifies direct mail execution by managing the entire process under one roof from strategy and production to delivery and measurement. Engaging: Supports engagement that results in action by paring digital tactics with memorable…N/A
Pricing
MakesbridgePFL Direct Mail Platform
Editions & Modules
Mini
$29
per month (1 account)
SMB
$75
per month (1 account)
MKS PRO
$150
per month (5 accounts)
Enterprise
$500
per month (10 accounts)
Engage
$1,500
per month (25 accounts)
Pay As You Go
$0
Custom Pricing
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MakesbridgePFL Direct Mail Platform
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee$10,000
Additional DetailsMakesbridge offers a range of pricing plans and packages to comfortably accommodate any combinate of needs and budget. Pay As You Go plans are just that - companies only pay for what they use in a given month. Alternative packages - PRO, Enterprise and Engage - are for companies with consistent use patterns and willingness to pay a minimum monthly fee. In all cases there is no long term obligation; 30 days notice is all that's required to cancel a PRO, Enterprise or Engage.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MakesbridgePFL Direct Mail Platform
Considered Both Products
Makesbridge
Chose Makesbridge
Good support that makes me feel comfortable talking with them and trying their service.
Chose Makesbridge
Support...unmatched, personalized, and always there for you. Have yet to find another company that comes close. They are at a great price too!
Chose Makesbridge
When I first got started I used Zoho. I was frustrated because the customer service was non existent. Whenever I take on a new project that is a little out of my scope I need to have someone who can walk me thorough it. Makesbridge does that better than any other company that I …
Chose Makesbridge
Makesbridge was easier to use and has a much better help desk. We were originally impressed with sales and then the technical side. At one point we handled e-mails with an internal program, what a headache, especially the list management.
Chose Makesbridge
Makesbridge had forms capability, nurture/drip campaigns and the price was much more reasonable when compared to other Salesforce-integrated systems. The capabilities were more robust and allowed for automation.
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
I was not a part of the evaluation process.
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
We selected PFL against Lob largely because of pricing and automation capabilities. We felt the team at PFL had our best interests at heart and could provide the robust automation we were looking for.
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
We evaluated Lob. Lob was more complicated and required a separate software agreement to match what PFL was offering. It was also more expensive.
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL doesn’t stand a chance against postal & reachdesk, from a new seamless UI, on demand customization based on new logos, customer service, and the ability for customers to enter their own size and address with a link are a few reasons why.
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
I have not tried other solutions and honestly, there is no reason to at this point. this is a new tactic we are outsourcing for the first time and still in a trial phase but the results have been solid.
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL is the best platform we've used for direct mail and much better than doing things in house
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
JourneyMail is one I have evaluated. It did not seem as full featured as PFL Direct Mail Platform, nor did it integrate with the rest of the Salesforce products like PFL Direct Mail Platform (journeymail ONLY integrates to marketing cloud). My customers tend to be cross-cloud …
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
ReachDesk is a good solution for one-to-one strategic gifting for sales to utilizing and eGifting solutions, but I do not find it to work as well for one-to-many direct mail marketing campaigns, specifically on triggered, always on Evergreen campaigns and being able to do …
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
Unfortunately, we have decided to move away from PFL Hybrid Experience Platform and to Sendoso. In my opinion, the platform is more intuitive, and campaigns are easier to launch. We are able to move around funds instantaneously and get a project set up within a day. This is …
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
I have never used anything similar to PFL Hybrid Experience Platform.
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
While there is some overlap in services and capabilities, PFL stands out in it's Tactile Automation Platform and customer success/support. They are truly part of our team and we look to them for new ideas, guidance, and opportunities we have not yet thought of internally.

It's a …
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
They may not have had all the advanced features we would have wanted, but the price point made it worth using it.
Chose PFL Direct Mail Platform
I've never used any other competitive solutions.
Features
MakesbridgePFL Direct Mail Platform
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Makesbridge
7.7
Ratings
1% above category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
WYSIWYG email editor6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Dynamic content8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
List management7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead Management
Comparison of Lead Management features of Product A and Product B
Makesbridge
8.1
Ratings
4% above category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Lead nurturing automation8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Lead scoring and grading7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Data quality management8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Automated sales alerts and tasks8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Campaign Management
Comparison of Campaign Management features of Product A and Product B
Makesbridge
8.1
Ratings
9% above category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Calendaring7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Event/webinar marketing8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Social Media Marketing
Comparison of Social Media Marketing features of Product A and Product B
Makesbridge
8.8
Ratings
16% above category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Social sharing and campaigns8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Social profile integration9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Makesbridge
8.0
Ratings
9% above category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
Dashboards7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Makesbridge
7.6
Ratings
2% above category average
PFL Direct Mail Platform
-
Ratings
API7.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-based workflow & approvals8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizability7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with Salesforce.com8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
MakesbridgePFL Direct Mail Platform
Small Businesses
Vbout
Vbout
Score 9.9 out of 10

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
Sendoso
Sendoso
Score 9.4 out of 10
Enterprises
PFL Direct Mail Platform
PFL Direct Mail Platform
Score 9.0 out of 10
Sendoso
Sendoso
Score 9.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
MakesbridgePFL Direct Mail Platform
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(0 ratings)
9.4
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.5
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.9
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
MakesbridgePFL Direct Mail Platform
Likelihood to Recommend
Well, Makesbridge provides fast response and good support from their support team. Everything in their platform is fine; just maybe need more user friendly ways to create templates or HTML. Once you click return error, you will need to redo your template again.
Read full review
The reason it's not a seven or above is purely because of the timing of a solution we had requested originally back in August 2023. It's now February 2024, and we're waiting for a wow-factor pitch deck. Previously, we only received a demo recording and an order form quote. These truthfully aren't helpful enough to convince and sway our senior leaders into spending the $35k+ investment into the PMC.
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Pros
  • Service: I have been so impressed by the service team. They are extremely responsive and knowledgeable!! Probably the best phone/chat tech support I have ever utilized.
  • Segmenting by targets, lists and tags. We can divide and target our contacts by who they are, how they interact with us, what URLs they visit and their activities.
  • Forms. I use their forms for subscriptions and surveys, as well as to take in information about meal and seating preferences for our events. I love that the forms can update contact records in Salesforce.
  • The system appearance. Love the graphic presentation.
  • Did I mention how good their phone/chat tech support team is?!! Fantastic (Ehsan and Mansoor are fantastic!)
Read full review
  • Personalization: It allows us to create highly personalized direct mail pieces tailored to individual recipients. For instance, we can include the recipient's name, relevant product recommendations, or even custom images that resonate with their preferences.
  • Multi-Channel Integration: The platform seamlessly integrates with our existing digital marketing tools and CRM systems. It enables us to orchestrate cohesive campaigns that combine email, social media, and direct mail to reach our target audience through multiple touchpoints.
  • Automated Workflows: PFL offers robust automation capabilities, streamlining the entire direct mail process. We can set triggers, such as website visits or email engagement, to automatically trigger the sending of personalized direct mail pieces, ensuring timely and relevant outreach.
  • Variable Data Printing: The platform simplifies variable data printing, enabling us to print custom content for each recipient efficiently. This is particularly useful for A/B testing different messaging or designs within a single campaign.
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Cons
  • I want them to do ALL My marketing :-).
  • I want them to update and send messages on social media and track responses.
  • I want to be able to sort Targets by email opens and clicks.
Read full review
  • There is no built-in functionality to automate direct mail; this has to be created through triggers in Salesforce.
  • The sales cloud integration didn't give us the syncing or reporting we thought would be available.
  • We would like to see more support from team members in the post-onboarding process.
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Likelihood to Renew
Great product, exceptional support. I'm going to be honest and say that I was apprehensive that the Makesbridge team was actually as wonderful as the app exchange reviews claim...How often does that actually happen?! But now, I can honestly say that the glowing reviews are spot-on, and my only concern is that they do not do justice in describing the product, support and service Makesbridge provides.
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I will continue to use the platform as long as my employer provides access, but I do not have purchasing power myself.
Read full review
Usability
I'm not an IT guru. The layout and workflows make sense, and I appreciate not having to involve a developer for every change I'd like to make.
Read full review
The UI is friendly, clear, and accessible, and I access it directly through the interface (Salesforce) that I perform my function in every day. It is intuitive to navigate, and I am able to find most functionalities I need without the need to consult an admin and/or support teams.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Their tech support staff is the BEST I have worked with!
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Performance
Best tech support in the software industry.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Ehsan has provided incredible training, making sure my team understood the application. And if at any point you have questions, or need help, they're immediately available. It's like having fractional marketing FTE's on call.
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Only thing holding me back from a perfect 10 would be the timelines for involving the technical team on occasion. There have been a few times where the PFL technical support team has been booked up for days or more than a week out which can delay our project timelines. This doesn't happen often, let me be clear. But when it does, it's usually at the worst time for our campaigns.
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Alternatives Considered
When I first got started I used Zoho. I was frustrated because the customer service was non existent. Whenever I take on a new project that is a little out of my scope I need to have someone who can walk me thorough it. Makesbridge does that better than any other company that I have worked with
Read full review
JourneyMail is one I have evaluated. It did not seem as full featured as PFL Direct Mail Platform, nor did it integrate with the rest of the Salesforce products like PFL Direct Mail Platform (journeymail ONLY integrates to marketing cloud). My customers tend to be cross-cloud and own multiple products and want solutions that can integrate across their stack easily.
Read full review
Scalability
No answers on this topic
It does take a while to launch or re-launch a campaign, which can make it difficult to pivot quickly. However, if you're integrated with Marketo, then PFL is as scalable as your database and marketing strategy! The sky is the limit in terms of creativity. Post launch, the program is hands-off apart from report monitoring and potential optimization tweaks.
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Return on Investment
  • The list management is important to us. We need to make sure that the opt-out lists are maintained and this is done automatically for us. In addition, we can create multiple lists and each e-mail is only sent once. This has saved many headaches.
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  • Increased live webinar attendees that lead to booked meetings
  • Increased client satisfaction and rapport with sales teams and leadership
  • Increased pipeline generation from events we are a sponsor of
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ScreenShots

Makesbridge Screenshots

Screenshot of B2B marketing automation is mostly about delivering leads on a silver platter.  Your sales Reps reap the benefits of an automation platform that drives digital engagement, intelligently tags contacts based on rules and tells sales who to call.Screenshot of Sales reps view tags, scores and alert messages. They know what prospects are hot for because they can filter activity by web visits, email clicks and alerts messages.Screenshot of Maximize campaign response with dynamic content blocks.Screenshot of The world's easiest drag-and-drop HTML Editor speeds campaign and landing page production. There are dozens of mobile compatible templates to make publishing even easier!Screenshot of Marketers see how drip messages perform with opens, clicks, social shares, web visits generated and conversions. You can even view populations of who's taken action.Screenshot of X-Ray Vision of interest! Drill down into the report even further to see a complete history of a prospect's web visits history and duration spent on each page.

PFL Direct Mail Platform Screenshots

Screenshot of Custom kits available for useScreenshot of Entering the sender addressScreenshot of Personalization at scale with custom messaging and signaturesScreenshot of Product selection with product details, template data, and advanced options