Eloqua vs HubSpot vs Braze: The 2025 Buyer’s Guide

How to Choose the Best Marketing Automation Platform: A Decision Framework

When it comes to marketing automation you have likely heard of Eloqua, HubSpot, and Braze. All promise smarter campaigns, tighter customer journeys, and better ROI. But each platform is for very different types of teams, budgets, and goals.

Each tool approaches marketing automation from a different angle. Your decision should match your team size, sales cycle, data maturity, and growth goals. In this guide, we break down how these platforms stack up so you can pick the tool that fits—not fights—your growth strategy.

Data Model & Identity Resolution

Your data model is the backbone of personalization. It determines how you store, track, and unify customer information.

• Eloqua: Built for B2B enterprises that need complex account structures. Track contacts at both the account and individual level. Custom objects and advanced segmentation make Eloqua a powerhouse—if you have the ops team to manage it.
• HubSpot: Uses a simple, CRM-first model that’s perfect for small to mid-sized teams. A startup running inbound campaigns can capture leads, sync them to sales, and run nurture sequences without needing a data engineer.
• Braze: Event-based at its core. Thrives on real-time behavioral data like “user opened app” or “user abandoned cart.” You can trigger a push notification seconds after a user drops off. For traditional B2B sales teams, this can feel limiting without a CDP.

Channels & Orchestration

It’s not just where you talk to customers, but how seamlessly those channels work together.

• Eloqua: Dominates in email marketing for complex nurture streams. Companies running multi-step approval and education journeys will find Eloqua’s orchestration unmatched. Weaker on mobile push/SMS unless heavily customized.
• HubSpot: Balanced multi-channel approach—email, forms, landing pages, some SMS integrations, and ad retargeting. Great for inbound-driven businesses like digital agencies.
• Braze: Built for omnichannel consumer engagement. Email, push, SMS, in-app, and even webhooks flow together in real time. A food delivery app can trigger a push + SMS the moment dinner orders dip in a given region.

Journey Building

The way you structure and automate customer journeys defines how smooth they feel.

• Eloqua Campaign Canvas: Highly customizable with advanced branching logic. Great for long B2B buying journeys—e.g., a 12-month enterprise software sale requiring multiple touches, events, and webinars.
• HubSpot Workflows: Simple, visual, and quick to deploy. A lean B2B team can spin up onboarding or re-engagement flows in minutes.
• Braze Canvas: Shines with real-time event triggers. A fitness app can message users after they complete a workout, nudging them to share or upgrade.

Governance & Compliance

Managing permissions, data consent, and compliance keeps you on the right side of regulations and trust.

• Eloqua: Enterprise-grade controls with granular permissions. Multinationals in regulated industries can control who edits, publishes, or approves campaigns.
• HubSpot: Straightforward consent tracking and user roles. Ideal for scaling teams with important—but not extreme—governance needs.
• Braze: Handles consent for push/SMS well, but needs integration with a CDP/CRM to ensure enterprise-level compliance, especially in B2B.

Integrations & Ecosystem

No platform works in a vacuum—your tech stack needs to connect.

• Eloqua: Deep integrations with Oracle and Salesforce products. Best if you already operate in an enterprise environment.
• HubSpot: Plug-and-play app marketplace. A mid-market business can connect Slack, Zoom, or Google Ads in minutes.
• Braze: Shines when paired with a CDP like Segment or an enterprise data warehouse. Consumer brands with strong product analytics see the most value.

Cost, Time-to-Value & Resources

Your choice isn’t only about licensing fees—it’s about how fast you can see ROI.

• Eloqua: High upfront costs and long implementations; pays off in sophisticated, global campaigns for Fortune-level teams.
• HubSpot: Transparent pricing and fast ROI. A mid-sized eCommerce brand can be up and running in weeks, not months.
• Braze: Pricing grows with users and message volume. Great for subscription apps at scale; can be expensive at low volumes.

Platform Deep Dives

Cost of Ownership (12–24 Months)

The “sticker price” of a marketing automation platform is only part of the story. To get a realistic view, consider total cost of ownership (TCO)—all the hidden and ongoing expenses that come with the platform.

Here’s what usually makes up the bill:

• Licensing fees (baseline subscription)
  • Eloqua: Premium pricing, often six figures annually
  • HubSpot: Tiered pricing—affordable at entry but grows with contacts and add-ons
  • Braze: Scales with users and messaging volume, which can spike costs for consumer apps
• Implementation & onboarding (configuration, integrations, training)
  • Expect ~3–6 months for Eloqua, ~1–3 months for HubSpot, and ~2–4 months for Braze (data complexity dependent)
• Data infrastructure (warehousing, CDPs, CRM integrations)
  • Eloqua assumes an enterprise stack
  • HubSpot can replace multiple tools
  • Braze shines with Segment or mParticle
• Team roles (people cost money too)
  • Eloqua: marketing ops, admins, often developers
  • HubSpot: generalist marketers
  • Braze: lifecycle marketers + data engineers

Rule of thumb: Year one can cost roughly 1.5–2× your annual license when you factor in people, setup, and infrastructure. By year two, costs normalize, but you’ll still want budget for optimization.

How to Migrate (High-Level)

Switching from one platform to another isn’t a “flip a switch” experience—it’s more like moving houses. You have to think about the boxes, the utilities, and the cat hiding under the bed.

1. Data mapping
   • Identify what lives where: contacts, custom fields, subscription preferences, consent states.
2. Journey documentation
   • Catalog every active nurture, workflow, or campaign canvas; decide what to keep or sunset.
3. Consent & compliance
   • Ensure opt-ins, GDPR flags, and unsubscribes carry over correctly.
4. Build for parity, not perfection (at first)
   • Recreate the critical 80%; save “nice-to-haves” for phase two.
5. Testing & QA plan
   • Run pilots; validate data syncs, triggers, and reporting.
6. Phased rollout
   • Run old and new systems in parallel briefly to catch issues before fully migrating.

FAQs

Which is better for B2B—Eloqua or HubSpot?

Eloqua suits complex enterprise B2B, while HubSpot is perfect for SMBs and mid-market.

Is Braze a CDP or a marketing automation platform?

Braze is a marketing automation platform, but it works best paired with a CDP.

Can Braze replace HubSpot for B2B?

Not really. Braze shines in B2C and product-led growth; it lacks the CRM-driven backbone B2B teams need.

How long does a platform migration usually take?

Anywhere from 3–6 months, depending on data complexity and team resourcing.

What skills does my team need for each platform?

• Eloqua: Marketing ops, Salesforce admins, technical resources
• HubSpot: Generalist marketers, inbound pros
• Braze: Data engineers + lifecycle marketers