Benchmark Email vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Benchmark Email is a email marketing platform while Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a all-in-one marketing platform. Salesforce Marketing Cloud has been around since 1999, giving it a 5-year head start over Benchmark Email (founded 2004). Benchmark Email starts at $27/mo versus custom pricing for Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Benchmark Email offers a free plan (500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user), while Salesforce Marketing Cloud does not. Salesforce Marketing Cloud has the edge with SMS marketing, ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
Benchmark Email wins on rating, integrations, free tier.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud wins on deliverability.
Best for most users: Benchmark Email (beginners).
Benchmark Email
Straightforward email marketing with all features on every plan
Benchmark Email is a multilingual email marketing platform founded in 2004 that takes an all-features-included approach, giving every user access to automation, A/B testing, and analytics regardless of plan tier. Available in 9 languages with global support, it appeals to international teams and nonprofits, though its significantly below-average deliverability rate (47.1% in third-party testing) is a serious concern that undermines its otherwise user-friendly design.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Personalize every moment with the #1 AI CRM for marketing
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is the enterprise marketing automation suite within the Salesforce ecosystem, offering email, SMS, social, advertising, and journey orchestration at massive scale. Powered by Einstein AI, it is the platform of choice for large organizations already invested in Salesforce.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Benchmark Email | Salesforce Marketing Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Starting Price | $27/mo | Custom |
| Free Plan | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user | No free plan |
| Founded | 2004 | 1999 |
| Email Templates | 200 | 200 |
| Integrations | 1,500 | 300 |
| Deliverability Rate | 47.1% | 97% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| A/B Testing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMS Marketing | ✕ | ✓ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✕ | ✓ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✓ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
Benchmark Email: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +All features included on every plan including free -- no feature gating between tiers
- +Available in 9 languages with live customer support in each, making it ideal for international teams
- +Intuitive drag-and-drop editor with mobile-optimized templates and device previews
- +Generous free plan with 500 contacts and 2,500 emails per month including AI content generation
- +Simple contact-based pricing that scales predictably without hidden charges for features
Cons
- −Extremely poor deliverability rate of 47.1% in EmailToolTester's January 2024 independent test, consistently ranking near the bottom
- −Segmentation is limited to within individual lists only -- cannot create cross-list segments for flexible targeting
- −Fewer than 30 pre-designed email templates despite marketing claims of 200+, limiting design variety
- −Slow product development cycle with features lagging behind competitors in automation and ecommerce capabilities
- −No migration support for non-enterprise customers when switching from another email platform
Salesforce Marketing Cloud: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Deepest integration with Salesforce CRM and the entire Salesforce ecosystem
- +Enterprise-grade cross-channel capabilities across email, SMS, push, social, and ads
- +Einstein AI provides predictive scoring and send time optimization
- +300+ integrations through AppExchange
- +Native Salesforce CRM integration eliminates data sync issues
Cons
- −Starts at $1,250/month with most features requiring higher tiers
- −Steep learning curve requiring certified specialists
- −No free plan or self-serve trial
- −Impractical for SMBs; value is mainly realized by large Salesforce organizations
- −Admin overhead is high — often requires a dedicated specialist
The Verdict
Benchmark Email edges ahead with a 4.3/5 rating compared to Salesforce Marketing Cloud's 4.1/5. The gap comes mainly from value for money (4.6 vs 2.8) and ease of use (4.9 vs 3.2). On deliverability, Salesforce Marketing Cloud reports 97% compared to 47.1% for Benchmark Email — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Benchmark Email | Salesforce Marketing Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $27/mo | $1250/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 47.1% | 97% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.3/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 1500 | 300 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Benchmark Email if…
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You're a beginners
- + You're a small businesses
Choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud if…
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a large enterprises
- + You're a Salesforce CRM users