Klaviyo vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Klaviyo 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 13-year head start over Klaviyo (founded 2012). Klaviyo is the more affordable option at $20/mo — that's $1230 less per month than Salesforce Marketing Cloud's $1250/mo entry point. Klaviyo offers a free plan (250 subscribers), while Salesforce Marketing Cloud does not.
Quick Verdict
Klaviyo wins on deliverability, rating, integrations, free tier.
Best for most users: Klaviyo (ecommerce).
Klaviyo
The platform for unified customer data
Klaviyo is the gold standard for ecommerce email and SMS marketing, particularly for Shopify stores. Its deep integration with ecommerce platforms enables sophisticated automated flows like abandoned cart, post-purchase, and win-back sequences based on real purchase data.
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 | Klaviyo | Salesforce Marketing Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Starting Price | $20/mo | Custom |
| Free Plan | 250 subscribers | No free plan |
| Founded | 2012 | 1999 |
| Email Templates | 100 | 200 |
| Integrations | 350 | 300 |
| Deliverability Rate | 99% | 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
Klaviyo: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Best-in-class ecommerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce)
- +Powerful segmentation with predictive analytics
- +Excellent deliverability (99%+)
- +Revenue attribution for every email and SMS
- +Deep customer data platform capabilities
Cons
- −Expensive for large lists
- −Steep learning curve
- −Free plan very limited (250 contacts)
- −SMS credits sold separately
- −Can be overkill for non-ecommerce businesses
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
Klaviyo edges ahead with a 4.6/5 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 (4.6 vs 3.2). On deliverability, Klaviyo reports 99% compared to 97% for Salesforce Marketing Cloud — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Klaviyo | Salesforce Marketing Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $20/mo | $1250/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 99% | 97% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.6/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 350 | 300 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Klaviyo if…
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You're a ecommerce
- + You're a shopify
Choose Salesforce Marketing Cloud if…
- + You're a large enterprises
- + You're a Salesforce CRM users
- + Deepest integration with Salesforce CRM and the entire Salesforce ecosystem