Salesforce
Free planCRM with email campaigns and lead scoring for small teams, plus Marketing Cloud for large marketing teams.
Best for companies whose sales teams already run on Salesforce CRM
Facts checked November 4, 2026 · First written by Mutuo Mbilla
The short answer
Salesforce sells marketing at two different sizes. For small teams, Starter Suite puts email campaigns, segmentation and lead scoring on the Salesforce CRM for $25 a user a month, and the Free Suite covers 2 users with up to 100 marketing emails a month. For larger companies, Marketing Cloud Next starts at $1,500 an org a month and Account Engagement, the B2B tool once called Pardot, at $1,250 with 10,000 contacts, both billed yearly. It pays off when your sales data already lives in Salesforce and you have an admin or partner to set it up; a small team that wants detailed automation on its own will get there faster with HubSpot or ActiveCampaign.
Choose it if
- Your sales team already works in Salesforce and you want marketing data on the same records
- You want a CRM for a small team with simple email campaigns and lead scoring, from $25 a user a month
- You run B2B lead nurturing and scoring and can budget $1,250 a month or more for Account Engagement
- You want email, SMS, WhatsApp and RCS messages planned by AI campaign agents, which come with Marketing Cloud Next Advanced
- You have a Salesforce admin or implementation partner to build and maintain it
Skip it if
- You want a free plan for more than 2 users
- You want marketing automation priced for a few thousand contacts, since Marketing Cloud editions start at $1,250 to $1,500 a month
- You want to pay Pro Suite month to month, because it is billed yearly with a contract
- You only send newsletters; MailerLite or Mailchimp do that for far less
- You want to see contact and email send limits before you talk to sales, because the pricing pages don't list them
Main features
Salesforce CRM records
Leads, contacts, accounts and opportunities sit in one CRM, so marketing sees what sales is working on and sales sees which campaigns a lead answered.
Email campaigns and builder
Starter Suite includes email campaigns, premade templates, a drag-and-drop email builder, send-time suggestions from Einstein AI and campaign analytics.
Segmentation and lead scoring
Build segments from CRM data, run email nurture campaigns that adapt to each lead, and score leads so sales knows who to call first.
Account Engagement for B2B
The tool once called Pardot handles B2B lead nurturing and scoring on larger lists, from 10,000 contacts on Growth+ to 75,000 on Premium+. Salesforce says it has no end-of-life or end-of-sale plans for it.
Marketing Cloud Next
The newer Marketing Cloud editions plan campaigns with AI, build forms and landing pages, manage consent and report on attribution. Advanced adds AI campaign agents and two-way messages over email, SMS, WhatsApp and RCS.
Slack built in
Starter Suite includes Slack conversations linked to your CRM records, so a team can discuss a deal or campaign beside the data.
Mobile app
The Salesforce mobile app runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, and admins can shape what it shows with Salesforce's mobile builder tools.
AgentExchange marketplace
Salesforce's app marketplace, renamed from AppExchange to AgentExchange, adds third-party apps and agents. Pro Suite includes access.
Paid add-ons for large teams
Personalization, Marketing Intelligence and Loyalty Management add real-time site personalization, cross-channel reporting and loyalty programs at enterprise prices.
Pricing
US dollar prices from salesforce.com, checked November 4, 2026. Starter and Pro Suite are priced per user; Marketing Cloud editions are priced per org (your whole company account). Personalization ($8,000 a month), Marketing Intelligence ($10,000) and Loyalty Management ($20,000) are add-ons, billed yearly. Salesforce lists marketing email sends as an add-on but does not publish send or contact limits for the small business suites.
Free Suite
$0
2 users, contact tracking, simple email templates and up to 100 marketing emails a month
Starter Suite
$25 / user a month, billed monthly or yearly
CRM for marketing, sales, service and commerce, with email campaigns, segmentation, templates, a drag-and-drop builder, email nurture and lead scoring; transaction fees apply
Pro Suite
$100 / user a month, billed yearly with a contract
Everything in Starter plus real-time chat, more automation and access to AgentExchange apps
Account Engagement Growth+
$1,250 / org a month, billed yearly
B2B marketing automation (formerly Pardot) with 10,000 contacts; Plus+ is $2,750, Advanced+ $4,400 and Premium+ $15,000 with 75,000 contacts
Marketing Cloud Next Growth
$1,500 / org a month, billed yearly
AI campaign content, multi-channel campaigns, forms and landing pages, consent management and attribution reporting
Marketing Cloud Next Advanced
$3,250 / org a month, billed yearly
Everything in Growth plus AI campaign agents, email, SMS, WhatsApp and RCS messaging, custom automation events and AI engagement scoring
Reviews
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Alternatives to Salesforce
| Product | Choose it instead if | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | You want a free start and a CRM a small team can set up without an admin | Free |
| Zoho CRM | You want a customizable sales CRM at a lower per-user price | Free for up to 3 users |
| ActiveCampaign | Email automation matters more to you than a full sales CRM | $15 a month for 1,000 co... |
| Platformly | You want email, automations, a deals pipeline and a shared inbox in one account, with each sale tracked back to the email, link or source behind it |
Questions people ask
Does Salesforce have a free plan?
Yes. Free Suite gives 2 users contact tracking and up to 100 marketing emails a month with simple templates. It has no expiry date as long as you sign in at least once every 60 days, and it needs no contract or credit card. Advanced automation and AgentExchange apps need a paid suite.
How much does Salesforce cost for marketing?
As of November 4, 2026, Starter Suite costs $25 a user a month and Pro Suite $100 a user a month billed yearly. Marketing Cloud Next starts at $1,500 an org a month and Account Engagement at $1,250 an org a month, both billed yearly. Large add-ons such as Personalization run from $8,000 a month.
Does Salesforce have a free trial?
Yes. Starter Suite has a 30-day free trial with no credit card and no obligation to buy. Pro Suite also offers a trial, but Salesforce doesn't state its length, and the Marketing Cloud Next editions list no trial.
What happened to Pardot?
Pardot is now Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. It is still sold, from $1,250 an org a month with 10,000 contacts, and Salesforce's FAQ says it has no end-of-life, end-of-sale or end-of-roadmap plans for it.
Is Salesforce or HubSpot better for a small business?
HubSpot is usually easier for a small team to set up alone, and its free tools cover email and forms for 2 users. Salesforce Starter Suite makes more sense if you want Salesforce's CRM itself, or expect to grow into the wider Salesforce platform later.
Does Salesforce Starter include email marketing?
Yes. Starter Suite includes email campaigns, segmentation, premade templates, a drag-and-drop builder, email nurture campaigns, lead scoring and campaign analytics. Salesforce also sells extra marketing email sends as an add-on.
Sources we checked 10
- salesforce.com/marketing/pricing for Marketing Cloud Next Growth and Advanced prices and contents, add-on prices, Starter price, success plans, which plans have trials checked November 4, 2026
- salesforce.com/marketing/b2b-automation/pricing for Account Engagement edition prices and contacts, no end-of-life plans checked November 4, 2026
- salesforce.com/small-business/pricing for Starter and Pro Suite prices and billing, Starter marketing features, Premier support add-on checked November 4, 2026
- salesforce.com/small-business for Free Suite for a maximum of two users checked November 4, 2026
- salesforce.com/free-suite for Free Suite 2 users, 100 marketing emails a month, no expiry with sign-in every 60 days, no card checked November 4, 2026
- salesforce.com/small-business/starter/free-trial for 30-day Starter Suite trial, no credit card checked November 4, 2026
- salesforce.com/products/mobile for iPhone, iPad and Android app, App Store and Google Play links, mobile builder tools checked November 4, 2026
- appexchange.salesforce.com for AppExchange renamed AgentExchange (no app count stated) checked November 4, 2026
- salesforce.com/company/about-us for founded 1999 checked November 4, 2026
- salesforce.com/company/locations for San Francisco headquarters checked November 4, 2026