If you're a B2B company trying to get your go-to-market (GTM) stack right, you know the feeling: too many tools, vague promises, and not enough straight talk. This guide is for folks who want a clear-eyed look at Segment and how it stacks up against other GTM software options. No fluff, just what you need to make a decision that actually makes sense.
Why B2B GTM Software Is a Mess (and Why You Should Care)
Let’s be honest: “GTM software” is a catch-all term. For B2B teams, it usually means tools that help you collect, organize, and activate customer data so sales and marketing don’t operate in a fog.
But here’s the kicker: Most tools promise a “single view of the customer.” Few actually deliver it, at least without a lot of duct tape. So before you get wowed by feature lists, let’s get clear on what really matters.
- You want: Reliable data, fewer silos, less busywork for your team.
- You don’t want: Hours lost debugging integrations, surprise costs, or vendor lock-in.
That’s the lens we’ll use to compare Segment and other tools.
What Is Segment, Really? (And What’s It Good At?)
You’ll hear a lot about CDPs (customer data platforms) in the GTM world. Segment is probably the best-known CDP—think of it as the plumbing that routes customer data from all your sources (website, product, CRM, ads, etc.) to all your destinations (analytics, email, sales tools).
Where Segment shines: - Data collection and routing: You send data to Segment once, then pipe it anywhere. This saves hours you’d otherwise spend wiring up each tool separately. - Identity resolution: Helps tie together what the same user does across different devices and channels—a must for B2B sales cycles that drag out over weeks or months. - Ecosystem: Lots of integrations, solid docs, and a big enough user base that most wonky issues are already solved on Stack Overflow.
Where Segment falls short: - Cost: Can get expensive, fast. Especially if you’re tracking lots of events or have high-traffic sites. - No built-in analytics or engagement: Segment doesn’t give you dashboards, email campaigns, or lead scoring out of the box. You’ll need to connect other tools for that. - Setup isn’t “set and forget”: Data mapping and QA still take real work. If you feed Segment garbage, you’ll get garbage out.
Pro tip: Don’t buy Segment hoping it will magically clean your data. It’s powerful, but it won’t fix sloppy naming conventions or inconsistent tracking.
Segment vs. Other GTM Solutions: The Big Contenders
There’s no shortage of GTM tools out there. Here’s how Segment stacks up against the main categories you’ll run into:
1. All-in-One Platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud)
These tools promise to do everything—CRM, email, analytics, automation, and sometimes even the data plumbing.
Strengths: - Single login, one vendor: Integration is easier if you go all-in. - Built-in features: Lead scoring, nurturing, campaign tracking, etc.
Weaknesses: - Data silos: If you use only their tools, great. The second you need to connect something outside the suite, you’re back to custom integrations. - Less flexible: You play by their rules—custom data models and workflows can be a pain. - Pricing creep: Once you’re in deep, switching is tough (and expensive).
How Segment compares: - Segment is best if you want a best-of-breed approach, picking the right tool for each job and keeping your data portable. All-in-ones are good for teams with simple needs who want fast setup and fewer moving parts.
2. Other CDPs (e.g., mParticle, RudderStack, BlueConic)
CDPs promise to unify customer data and push it wherever you want.
Strengths: - Similar functionality: Most offer data collection, identity resolution, and integrations. - Open-source options: Tools like RudderStack can be self-hosted for more control.
Weaknesses: - Ecosystem and support: Segment has a head start on integrations and documentation. Some competitors are catching up, but you’ll hit more rough edges. - Maturity: Not all features are created equal—expect bugs or missing connectors with newer players.
How Segment compares: - Segment still has the largest connector library and market share, but if you have strict data residency or budget concerns, open-source CDPs could be worth a look. Just know you’ll be trading some polish for flexibility.
Pro tip: If your team is technical and wants to keep costs down, open-source CDPs might be a better fit. For everyone else, Segment’s “it just works” factor is real (most of the time).
3. Point-to-Point Integration Tools (e.g., Zapier, Tray.io, Workato)
These tools help you connect apps without writing code.
Strengths: - Fast to set up: Great for getting data from A to B in a pinch. - No engineering required: Non-technical folks can automate a lot.
Weaknesses: - Hard to scale: Lots of manual mapping and maintenance as your stack grows. - Not built for heavy data: If you need to track millions of events and tie them to users, these tools struggle.
How Segment compares: - Segment is built for high-volume, structured event data. Zapier and its friends are great for automating workflows, but not for building a reliable data layer.
Ignore the hype: If someone tells you Zapier can replace a CDP for B2B data, they’re either confused or overselling.
4. Reverse ETL Tools (e.g., Hightouch, Census)
Reverse ETL pushes data from your warehouse (Snowflake, BigQuery, etc.) back into SaaS tools.
Strengths: - Powerful for data teams: Lets you use SQL to define audiences, push them to CRM, email, ad platforms. - Keeps your warehouse as the “source of truth.”
Weaknesses: - Not for real-time: Data syncs are usually batched, not instant. - Setup is technical: Not a plug-and-play solution for most marketers.
How Segment compares: - Segment’s strength is real-time event data collection and delivery. Reverse ETL is about operationalizing data you’ve already cleaned and modeled. They can work together—Segment pipes data in, reverse ETL pipes it back out.
Pro tip: If your analytics team lives in the warehouse, you’ll probably want both: Segment for collection, reverse ETL for activation.
Common Segment Use Cases for B2B GTM Teams
If you’re wondering “Do we even need Segment?”—here’s where it actually adds value for B2B companies:
- Multi-touch attribution: Stitching together data from ads, product, and CRM to see what’s driving revenue.
- Account-based marketing: Identifying companies browsing your site and pushing that info to sales tools.
- Personalized onboarding: Feeding product usage data into email or chat tools for smarter onboarding flows.
- Sales alerts: Notifying reps when target accounts hit key milestones (like requesting a demo or hitting a usage threshold).
If these sound like headaches you actually have, Segment’s worth a look. If not, you might get by with simpler tools.
What to Watch Out For (And What to Ignore)
Here’s the part most vendors gloss over:
- Data hygiene is everything: If your data tracking is sloppy, any GTM tool will disappoint you. Segment just makes your mess more visible.
- Integration ≠ insight: Routing data is only half the battle—you still need analytics and action on top.
- Pricing is unpredictable: Segment bills by event volume, so costs can spike as you scale. Watch your usage and audit what you’re actually tracking.
- Vendor lock-in is real: The more deeply you wire everything through one platform, the harder it is to migrate later.
Ignore: Shiny dashboards and AI features unless they directly solve your team’s daily pain points. Most of the time, they don’t.
Making the Call: When Segment Makes Sense (And When It Doesn’t)
Use Segment if: - You have multiple tools and want a single, reliable data pipeline. - Your sales and marketing teams need consistent, unified data. - You’re ready to invest in setting up good tracking and naming conventions.
Skip Segment if: - You’re just starting out and only use a couple of tools. - Your marketing and product data don’t need to talk to each other (yet). - You don’t have someone who “owns” data quality—it’ll turn into a mess.
TL;DR: Keep It Simple, Iterate As You Grow
Don’t buy into the hype that you must have a CDP from day one. Start simple, focus on solving your team’s actual data pain, and only add complexity (like Segment) when it’s really needed. The best GTM stack is the one your team actually uses—and understands.