Keap vs Competitors How to Choose the Right B2B GTM Software for Your Business

Picking the right B2B go-to-market (GTM) software is enough to make your head spin. Every vendor promises to “streamline” your sales, automate your marketing, and boost your revenue, all before lunch. But let’s be honest: Most tools do a few things well, a lot of things you’ll never use, and almost nothing perfectly.

If you’re weighing Keap against its main competitors—think HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, Zoho CRM, and Salesforce—this guide is for you. We’ll cut through the hype, break down what actually matters, and help you pick software that fits your business (not just your wishlist).

1. Get Clear On What “GTM Software” Actually Means

Let’s start by decoding the jargon. “Go-to-market” software is just a catch-all term for platforms that help you:

  • Attract leads
  • Nurture prospects
  • Close deals
  • Keep customers happy

Most B2B GTM tools blend some combo of CRM, marketing automation, sales pipeline, and email tools. The problem? No two businesses need the exact same blend.

Pro tip: Write down your top 3 must-haves and 3 nice-to-haves before you even look at feature lists.

2. The Main Players: Keap and Its Biggest Competitors

Here’s the real-world shortlist for small to mid-sized businesses:

  • Keap (formerly Infusionsoft): All-in-one CRM, sales, and marketing automation. Focus on small business.
  • HubSpot: Known for marketing automation; CRM is “free,” but advanced features get pricey fast.
  • ActiveCampaign: Strong email marketing and automations; CRM is an add-on, but not the main event.
  • Zoho CRM: Lots of features, very customizable, budget-friendly, but can be clunky.
  • Salesforce: The 800-pound gorilla. Powerful, flexible, and complex—often overkill for small teams.

All of these promise similar outcomes. The devil’s in the details.

3. What Actually Matters (And What Doesn’t)

Features That Actually Move the Needle

  • Easy contact management that your team will actually use
  • Pipeline/sales tracking that matches your sales process
  • Automations that save you real time (think: lead follow-up, not just fancy email sequences)
  • Integrations with your website, email, and whatever else you already use
  • Reporting that’s clear and helps you make decisions, not just pretty charts

Stuff That Sounds Good But Rarely Matters

  • “AI-powered insights” (usually just recycled analytics with a new label)
  • Dozens of pre-built templates (you’ll tweak or ignore most)
  • Social media posting from your CRM (these tools are rarely best-in-class at it)
  • Huge app marketplaces (nice, but most companies only connect a handful of tools)

Honest take: Most teams use 10–30% of their GTM platform’s features. Pay for what you’ll use now, not what you might use someday.

4. Keap vs. HubSpot vs. ActiveCampaign vs. Zoho CRM vs. Salesforce

Let’s get real about what each tool does well—and where they fall short.

Keap

  • Strengths: Easy automations, solid email marketing, simple pipelines, built for small businesses. Good onboarding.
  • Weaknesses: Can get expensive as you grow. Reporting is basic. UI is a bit dated.
  • Best for: Service businesses, solopreneurs, and small teams who want sales and marketing in one place without a learning curve.

HubSpot

  • Strengths: Slick interface, strong marketing tools, lots of educational resources. Free CRM (but the catch is in upgrades).
  • Weaknesses: Gets expensive—fast—once you need automation or reporting. Can feel overwhelming.
  • Best for: Teams that care most about marketing automation and want lots of integrations.

ActiveCampaign

  • Strengths: Excellent email automation, affordable pricing, good deliverability.
  • Weaknesses: CRM and sales features are basic. Not a full GTM suite.
  • Best for: Businesses focused on email marketing first, CRM second.

Zoho CRM

  • Strengths: Inexpensive, highly customizable, solid core CRM features.
  • Weaknesses: Clunky interface, setup can be a pain, support is hit-or-miss.
  • Best for: Teams with weird processes or tight budgets who don’t mind tinkering.

Salesforce

  • Strengths: Insanely customizable, integrates with everything, great for complex sales orgs.
  • Weaknesses: Overkill for most small businesses. Expensive, steep learning curve.
  • Best for: Larger companies with complicated sales structures (and someone dedicated to running it).

5. How To Choose: A Step-by-Step, No-Nonsense Approach

Step 1: Map Your Real Process

  • Write down how leads come in, how you qualify them, and how a deal closes.
  • Be honest about what actually happens—not what you wish happened.

Step 2: List Your “Non-Negotiables”

  • Do you need texting? Appointment scheduling? Invoices?
  • Is integration with QuickBooks or Gmail a must?
  • How much automation is too much (or too little) for your team?

Step 3: Take the Top 2–3 Platforms for a Test Drive

  • Don’t just watch demos. Set up a trial and run a real lead through your sales process.
  • Invite at least one teammate who’ll actually use it—don’t go it alone.

Step 4: Talk to Other Users

  • Skip the vendor case studies. Find a peer (or read real reviews) in your industry and ask, “What’s annoying about this tool?”
  • Pay attention to complaints about customer support, bugs, or surprise costs.

Step 5: Compare Pricing—The Real Way

  • Look past the sticker price. Factor in:
  • Add-on fees (extra users, emails sent, integrations, etc.)
  • “Hidden” costs (training, migration, paying someone to untangle a mess)
  • Future needs (will you outgrow the plan in a year?)

Step 6: Make a Choice—Then Actually Use It

  • Don’t get stuck in “analysis paralysis.” No tool is perfect.
  • Set a 90-day window. If you’re not seeing value by then, bail.

6. Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Buying for features you’ll never use (“We might want SMS campaigns someday…”)
  • Ignoring adoption: If your salespeople hate it, you’ll end up back at square one.
  • Chasing the big names: The “industry standard” isn’t always the right fit for your size.
  • Underestimating setup: Even “easy” tools take time. Budget for onboarding and cleanup.

Pro tip: The best GTM software is the one your team uses without groaning.

7. What About Integrations and “All-in-One” Hype?

Vendors love to claim you’ll never need another tool. In reality:

  • Most “all-in-one” platforms are mediocre at some things (think: landing pages, texting, quoting).
  • Best-in-class tools play well with others. Don’t be afraid to use 2–3 focused apps that actually work, instead of cramming everything into one.

8. The Bottom Line: Keep It Simple, Get Moving

You’re not picking a spouse—you’re picking a tool. The perfect GTM platform doesn’t exist, just one that’s “good enough” for your team, your process, and your budget right now.

Start small, focus on your real needs, and don’t be afraid to change if it’s not working. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll know what matters for your business—and what you can safely ignore.