Marketing

Best Marketing Software

Marketing software spans email, automation, landing pages, SEO, and paid campaign management. Most growing businesses start with email and forms, then add automation as their list and lifecycle become more complex.

Shortlist

Top Marketing Picks

The two products we recommend first in marketing, based on our standard scoring.

Best for Beginners

Wix

Best for Owner-built sites and small catalogs

SR SCORE

8.6

Very good

Stacker Review Score 8.6 out of 10, Very good

Wix is the easiest starting point for owners who want to build the site themselves. Design freedom is high and commerce, bookings, and marketing tools are bundled.

  • Fastest path from blank page to published site
  • Bookings, forms, and marketing tools included
  • Predictable flat monthly pricing
  • Commerce depth trails dedicated ecommerce platforms

Partner link. Our score and verdict are set independently.

Best CRM for Small Business

HubSpot

Best for Teams that want CRM and marketing in one place

SR SCORE

8.9

Very good

Stacker Review Score 8.9 out of 10, Very good

HubSpot is the easiest suite to start on because contact management and pipelines are free, and marketing and service tools attach to the same record. Watch the upgrade path: costs step up sharply once you need automation and reporting.

  • Free tier is genuinely usable for contacts and pipelines
  • One contact record across marketing, sales, and support
  • Large integration directory
  • Paid tier pricing escalates faster than most competitors

Partner link. Our score and verdict are set independently.

Side by side

Comparison Table

Every product in this category on the same criteria.

WixVery good

SR SCORE

8.6

Very good

Stacker Review Score 8.6 out of 10, Very good
SR Score
8.6 / 10
Best For
Owner-built sites and small catalogs
Ease of Use
9.3
Features
8.4
Integrations
7.9
Starting Price
$
Support
8.3
HubSpotVery goodOverall winner

SR SCORE

8.9

Very good

Stacker Review Score 8.9 out of 10, Very good
SR Score
8.9 / 10
Best For
Teams that want CRM and marketing in one place
Ease of Use
8.8
Features
9.1
Integrations
9.2
Starting Price
$$
Support
8.6
MailchimpVery good

SR SCORE

8.2

Very good

Stacker Review Score 8.2 out of 10, Very good
SR Score
8.2 / 10
Best For
First email marketing platform
Ease of Use
8.6
Features
8.2
Integrations
8.9
Starting Price
$
Support
7.8

Methodology

How We Evaluate Marketing Software

The criteria below are weighted equally and applied to every product in the category.

  1. 01

    Pricing transparency

    We record published list pricing, plan limits, and the add-ons most businesses end up paying for.

  2. 02

    Feature depth

    We map documented capabilities against the jobs small teams actually need to complete.

  3. 03

    Integrations

    We check the size and quality of the app ecosystem, plus native connections to common business tools.

  4. 04

    Support and scalability

    We look at documented support channels, response commitments, and how plans grow with headcount and revenue.

In depth

Product Summaries

Scores, strengths, drawbacks, features, and pricing for each product we cover here.

#1Best for Beginners

Wix

Best for: Owner-built sites and small catalogs

SR SCORE

8.6

Very good

Stacker Review Score 8.6 out of 10, Very good

Wix is the easiest starting point for owners who want to build the site themselves. Design freedom is high and commerce, bookings, and marketing tools are bundled. It is a weaker fit if product catalogs or fulfillment rules get complex.

Strengths

  • Fastest path from blank page to published site
  • Bookings, forms, and marketing tools included
  • Predictable flat monthly pricing

Drawbacks

  • Commerce depth trails dedicated ecommerce platforms

Key features

  • Drag-and-drop editor. Pixel-level layout control without code.
  • Built-in bookings. Appointment scheduling for service businesses.
  • Commerce basics. Catalog, cart, and checkout for smaller stores.

Pricing summary

Business plans are typically in the $20 to $50 per month range. Pricing placeholder pending verification.

Visit Wix(opens merchant site in a new tab)Full Wix review

Partner link. Scores and verdicts are set independently of commercial relationships.

#2Best CRM for Small Business

HubSpot

Best for: Teams that want CRM and marketing in one place

SR SCORE

8.9

Very good

Stacker Review Score 8.9 out of 10, Very good

HubSpot is the easiest suite to start on because contact management and pipelines are free, and marketing and service tools attach to the same record. Watch the upgrade path: costs step up sharply once you need automation and reporting.

Strengths

  • Free tier is genuinely usable for contacts and pipelines
  • One contact record across marketing, sales, and support
  • Large integration directory

Drawbacks

  • Paid tier pricing escalates faster than most competitors

Key features

  • Contacts and deals. Pipelines, tasks, and activity timeline.
  • Email and forms. Lead capture that writes into the CRM.
  • Reporting dashboards. Prebuilt sales and marketing dashboards.

Pricing summary

Free CRM tier, with paid hubs priced per seat and per contact tier. Pricing placeholder pending verification.

Visit HubSpot(opens merchant site in a new tab)Full HubSpot review

Partner link. Scores and verdicts are set independently of commercial relationships.

#3Best Starter Email Platform

Mailchimp

Best for: First email marketing platform

SR SCORE

8.2

Very good

Stacker Review Score 8.2 out of 10, Very good

Mailchimp remains a reasonable first email platform: templates are quick, reporting is clear, and most ecommerce and website tools connect natively. Costs scale with contact count, so plan for list growth.

Strengths

  • Fast template and campaign setup
  • Connects to most storefronts and form tools
  • Clear campaign reporting

Drawbacks

  • Contact-based pricing gets expensive as your list grows

Key features

  • Campaign builder. Templates, segments, and scheduling.
  • Automations. Welcome, abandoned cart, and lifecycle flows.

Pricing summary

Free tier for small lists, then contact-based monthly pricing. Pricing placeholder pending verification.

Visit Mailchimp(opens merchant site in a new tab)Full Mailchimp review

Partner link. Scores and verdicts are set independently of commercial relationships.

How to Choose Marketing Software

Price by contact count, not features

Nearly all marketing platforms price on list size or monthly sends. Project 12 months of list growth before comparing plans.

Look for automation you will actually build

Visual automation builders are common. What differs is how easily you can trigger flows from purchases, forms, and CRM changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should marketing and CRM be one tool?
Combined suites reduce integration work and give you one contact record. Separate best-in-class tools give you more depth. Team size and technical capacity usually decide it.

Stacker Review publishes placeholder demo content while our research database is being populated.