The difference between Pardot Editions

Let’s cover the elephant in the room. We use the historical term of “Pardot” where it’s now “Marketing Cloud Account Engagement powered by Pardot“. While the new title is probably easier to understand for newbies, it’s harder to easily communicate the underlying product and technical terms, therefore this post simplifies using the term “Pardot“. There are multiple Pardot Editions and this post explains the differences.

The other key term is that Pardot has a “T” sound on the end. It’s a Latvian word so don’t try and make it sound fancy with a French accent. https://thespotforpardot.com/2017/09/19/a-surprisingly-faq-how-do-you-pronounce-pardot/

If you want to learn Pardot, the Pardot Trailhead trails include: Pardot Lightning App Basics, Pardot Email Sending, Pardot Email Marketing, Pardot Engagement Studio for Pardot Lightning App (and many more!)

This article focuses on the functionality however cost is often a key consideration. Pardot Growth usually has a great ROI for those small organisations who use it actively with landing pages, engagement journeys and segmentation. Like all investments, if you don’t use it then it’s not going to provide value. Of all Pardot Editions, Two21 typically recommend learning with Pardot Growth and increasing the functionality as required. ROI is always the most significant factor without our implementation approach.

Pardot Growth Edition

Pardot Growth edition is entry point with basic functionality to get you started.

CRM Integration
In-depth Tracking
Lead Scoring and Grading
Email Marketing
Lead Nurture
Engagement Reporting
Email A/B Testing

Not included: advanced dynamic content, Google Ads connector, API access, advanced email analytics, multiple scoring categories, custom roles and permissions, Einstein, B2B Marketing Analytics, and Pardot Premier Plus support, B2B Marketing Analytics Plus, Salesforce Engage

Limitations

Great for NFPs, small businesses and those starting their journey with Marketing Automation. This option is suitable for a part-time administrator.

Pardot Plus Edition

Pardot Plus has all the features of Growth edition, plus access to B2B Marketing Analytics (B2BMA) and API access. This is an advanced marketing analytics tool for a dive deeper into how their marketing is performing. :

Not included: dedicated IP address, custom roles, and permissions, custom object integration, Pardot Einstein, Pardot Business Units, Pardot Premier Plus Support, B2B Marketing Analytics Plus, Salesforce Engage

Limitations

10 Tracker Domains
100 Automation Rules
25 competitors
25,000 API Calls/Day
5 licenses to B2B Marketing Analytics
10 Engagement History Dashboards

Suited for small marketing teams that has some complexity in their programs.

Pardot Advanced Edition

The Advanced edition of Pardot includes the features of Growth and Plus, but also AI-powered capabilities like Einstein Attribution, Predictive Lead Scoring, Behavior Scoring, and Campaign Insights. The big advantage here is Business Units.

Not included: Pardot Premier Plus support, B2B Marketing Analytics Plus, Salesforce Engage

Limitations

10 Tracker Domains
150 Automation Rules
100 competitors
100,000 API Calls/Day
2 Pardot Business Units
2 Developer Sandbox for Pardot
5 B2B Marketing Analytics licenses
20 Engagement History Dashboards

Type of Business That’d Benefit: Medium to Large Sized businesses (also if you want to manage multiple brands since you get two Pardot business units you can use a business unit for one brand and another unit for another brand. More info on that here.)

Pardot Premium Edition

The Premium edition is suited for complex marketing teams to assist with digital transformation and scaling. We typically see that Marketing Cloud (ExactTarget) is considered an alternate option here. This Pardot Edition includes:

Pardot Business Units
Developer Sandboxes
B2B Marketing Analytics Plus
Pardot Premier Support

Not included: Salesforce Engage

Limitations

10 Tracker Domains
150 Automation Rules
100 competitors
100,000 API Calls/Day
5 Pardot Business Units
5 Developer Sandbox for Pardot
5 B2B Marketing Analytics licenses
20 Engagement History Dashboards
5 B2B Marketing Analytics Plus licenses