Keap vs Marketo Engage

Keap logovsME
Keap is a single system for a small service business: contacts, follow-up, appointments, invoices and payments. Marketo Engage is Adobe's platform for larger B2B marketing teams with a CRM.
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The verdictSide by sidePlans and pricingWho each is forOther options

The verdict

For a small team, I'd pick Keap. You can start self-serve and it covers the whole path from lead to paid invoice.

I'd pick Marketo Engage only when marketing operations is a real job in your company, you run Salesforce or Dynamics, and you need attribution that sales trusts.

Marketo comes with a sales process, no listed prices and a platform that needs an owner. Without one it becomes an expensive email tool. Keap has the opposite risk: a single plan priced by contact count and an early termination fee on annual contracts, so trial it before you commit for a year. If you want a CRM-led option with marketing built in, look at HubSpot before either.

What the data says
  • Both cover 3 of the 3 features we compared.
  • Only Marketo Engage has an MCP server, so an AI employee can work in it directly.
  • In our Marketing automation ranking, Marketo Engage places 4 and Keap 1 of 13.

Side by side

Keap and Marketo Engage compared
7 points compared
Keap logoKeap
MEMarketo Engage
Starts at$249/moNot known yet
Free planNoNo
APIYesYes
MCP serverNoYes
Built-in outreach/sequencesYesYes
SMS / multi-channelYesYes
Visual automation builderYesYes
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Plans and pricing

Keap logo

Keap

  • KeapStarting price with 2 users included; extra users $39 per month. Price grows with number of contacts.$299/mo
ME

Marketo Engage

Pricing not in our catalogue yet.

Prices as the vendors list them. They change often; the final price is on their sites.

Who each is for

Keap logo

Choose Keap if…

Pick Keap when you run a small service business, such as coaching, consulting or an agency, and the pain is follow-up that never happens because nobody owns it.

Leads are tagged, nudged, booked and invoiced by the system. A drag-and-drop campaign builder needs no code, SMS is an add-on to the automations, and a Business Line keeps calls and texts on the contact record. The vendor lists over 5,000 integrations, including Zapier.

It is a sales-and-follow-up tool more than an email design tool. Skip it if you need heavy reporting, complex account structures or advanced email design. If you already use a CRM you like, adding Keap on top is usually a mistake.

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ME

Choose Marketo Engage if…

Pick Marketo Engage when you are a B2B team with volume, a CRM it integrates with natively and someone who will own the platform.

Every lead gets a score, a source and a history. Nurture runs by rules, sales gets alerts and reporting links campaigns to revenue. Custom data objects, listed with 10 objects and 2 million records, let the data model follow your business. There is a documented REST API and an official MCP server.

The four packages are Growth, Select, Prime and Ultimate. Account-based marketing, advanced analytics and sandboxes sit on some only, so map your must-haves before you sign. Ask early what contact volume and API limits mean for your cost.

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Other options worth a look

  • Postscript logo
    ToolClient acquisition
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    From $100/moFree plan
    Sign up on Postscript
  • Omnisend logo
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    Omnisend
    Email, SMS and web push marketing for online stores, with ready-made automations and a free plan to start.

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    From $16/moFree planAffiliate link
    Sign up on Omnisend
  • ActiveCampaign logo
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    Automates email, SMS and sales follow-up through visual workflows with a built-in CRM and contact lists.

    Marketing automation

    From $15/moAffiliate link
    Sign up on ActiveCampaign
  • P(
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    Pardot (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement)
    Salesforce's B2B marketing automation for lead generation, scoring, nurture and sales alignment on top of the CRM.

    Marketing automation

    From €1,250/mo yearly
    Sign up on Pardot (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement)
  • GI
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    GetResponse Inc.
    Combines AI-powered email marketing with landing pages, webinars, and ecommerce tools to automate customer journeys and nurture leads.

    Marketing automation

    From $15.58/mo yearlyFree plan
    Sign up on GetResponse Inc.
  • SE
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    Sender
    Sends newsletters, automates behavioral workflows, and delivers transactional emails via drag-and-drop editor with segmentation.

    Marketing automation

    From $6.33/mo yearlyFree plan
    Sign up on Sender