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Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Dynamics CRM enhances operations and efficiency, outweighing high costs with improved sales, automation, and data collection.
Sentiment score
6.5
Salesforce Marketing Cloud enhances marketing effectiveness through personalization, automation, and centralized data, although precise ROI figures remain elusive.
I recommend that those considering Microsoft Dynamics CRM conduct an ROI exercise to determine scalability and complex business needs because it is indeed a fantastic tool, especially if Microsoft can provide a better commercial model, which can significantly impact cost-effectiveness.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
I have seen some return on investment with Salesforce Marketing Cloud through features such as reporting, automation, and Journey parts that save resources.
Consultant at SNDT
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.6
Microsoft Dynamics CRM service receives mixed reviews; praised for responsiveness but criticized for delays and varying technical expertise.
Sentiment score
6.5
Salesforce Marketing Cloud's support quality varies by license, with premium support offering faster, more knowledgeable service than standard.
I would rate customer support as ten out of ten.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
While the support operates within their standard SLA, it can be difficult to speak directly with someone over the phone.
Head of Digital Transformation at Simplified Consulting
Sometimes the technical support for Microsoft Dynamics CRM is not qualified enough, and in some situations, we know the tool better than they do.
Head Of Development at Aleman Software Group
Customer support could be improved, especially for new features.
Practice Manager at Katzion
Salesforce customer service is excellent.
Lead BSA at cloudperitus
I have communicated with the technical support of Salesforce Marketing Cloud and would give them a rating of 9.5 since they have resolved my issues most of the time and are quite responsive.
Consultant at SNDT
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers strong scalability and adaptability, despite challenges with customization and costs, enhancing sales and marketing departments.
Sentiment score
7.8
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is highly scalable for various business sizes, integrating well with Salesforce CRM, though costly for smaller companies.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is highly scalable, rated at ten, even fifteen out of ten.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
I would give it a ten out of ten for scalability.
Head of Digital Transformation at Simplified Consulting
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is scalable; it's easy to scale, but when customizations become extensive, maintainability can become challenging.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
The scalability of Salesforce is very good.
Practice Manager at Katzion
On a scale of one to ten, I rate its scalability at 9.5.
Lead BSA at cloudperitus
Not everyone can use Salesforce Marketing Cloud unless they have some exposure to the platform and understand how it works, which informed my scalability rating.
Consultant at SNDT
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Dynamics CRM is stable and reliable, handling workloads well, with Azure integration enhancing resilience despite occasional peak load issues.
Sentiment score
8.2
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is highly stable, reliable, and consistently improved, with minor issues mitigated by recommended Chrome usage.
I would rate it ten out of ten.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
There have been instances where issues with Microsoft Azure have affected Dynamics due to the infrastructure layer.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is highly stable.
Practice Manager at Katzion
The maximum downtime I faced was about two to three hours.
Consultant at SNDT
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Dynamics CRM needs better integration, user-friendliness, expanded AI, customization, and cost-effective options for small business adaptability.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud requires improved user experience, analytics, security, integration, pricing, and development environments with enhanced AI and CDP solutions.
More use-case-oriented material should be provided to help users and implementers learn how to do more, faster.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Microsoft Dynamics CRM needs improvement in simplifying the setup and configuration process, which can be relatively complex when we want all features to work properly.
Head of Digital Transformation at Simplified Consulting
Microsoft Dynamics CRM doesn't provide solutions that allow you to transform easily if you have a heterogeneous mix of technologies or if your contact center is on analog and you try to digitize it.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
It takes the default language and doesn't accept custom language specifications, which creates discomfort in certain scenarios.
Lead BSA at cloudperitus
There are inaccuracies in how AgentForce retrieves information or interprets data.
Practice Manager at Katzion
We cannot debug the AM Script or SSJS code, which makes code debugging manual.
Consultant at SNDT
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is considered pricey, with flexible licensing but possible high costs for small to medium businesses.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is costly yet valuable for automated journeys, offering flexible, negotiable pricing models focused on enterprise needs.
The pricing of Microsoft Dynamics CRM can be complex due to Microsoft's complicated licensing model.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Microsoft Dynamics CRM costs about $110 to $115 per user per month, following a recent price increase.
Head of Digital Transformation at Simplified Consulting
Although it is a good tool, it is costly.
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
The pricing is around $10,000 per annum per user.
Practice Manager at Katzion
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Dynamics CRM offers customizable, user-friendly features with seamless Microsoft integration, robust security, and enhances customer management and operational efficiency.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud excels in seamless automation and multichannel engagement, offering powerful analytics and integration for personalized marketing.
The backend storage integrates seamlessly with OneDrive, and the solution offers robust security features, including Azure integration, two-factor authentication (2FA), and comprehensive audit trails.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
The CRM is very fast, which is the most important aspect, and it's very handy.
Data Scientist at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is its integration with Outlook and other Microsoft products like Microsoft 365, which includes emails, Teams, and SharePoint.
Head of Digital Transformation at Simplified Consulting
The feature of Salesforce Marketing Cloud that has had the largest impact on improving my campaign outcomes is the recent WhatsApp integration, which allows Salesforce to connect with subscribers through different channels such as SMS, email, or WhatsApp.
Consultant at SNDT
The most valuable features of Salesforce Marketing Cloud include the timely alerts and notification systems, which greatly enhance communication not only with customers but also within dealerships.
Practice Manager at Katzion
Salesforce Marketing Cloud integrates with multiple systems seamlessly, enabling effective lead management.
Lead BSA at cloudperitus
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Ranking in Marketing Management
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
79
Ranking in other categories
CRM Customer Engagement Centers (2nd), CRM (2nd), Local Government CRM (1st), Sales Force Automation (2nd)
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Ranking in Marketing Management
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
Social CRM (2nd), Marketing Automation (1st), Social Media Management Solutions (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Marketing Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Dynamics CRM is 16.3%, down from 24.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is 15.5%, up from 14.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Marketing Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Salesforce Marketing Cloud15.5%
Microsoft Dynamics CRM16.3%
Other68.2%
Marketing Management
 

Featured Reviews

NavinJacob - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief Digital Officer at Cipher7
Has enabled seamless integration across platforms while supporting advanced analytics for customer insights
Microsoft Dynamics CRM doesn't provide solutions that allow you to transform easily if you have a heterogeneous mix of technologies or if your contact center is on analog and you try to digitize it. A lot of custom work is needed if you have to integrate heterogeneous technologies with the Microsoft suite, but if you are using the Microsoft suite, then it's quite seamless. Microsoft Dynamics CRM should add commercial models that allow smaller companies to use it because it can get pretty expensive. Better commercial options for smaller implementations may be helpful. There should be commercial options for smaller companies, as the overheads and costs of Dynamics can be quite high.
PG
Consultant at SNDT
Enhanced connectivity across multiple channels while benefiting from insightful reports
The features I found most valuable in Salesforce Marketing Cloud include auto-generated reports for the Journey, which are quite helpful, and the reports are sufficient, though I am not able to recollect much currently. The feature of Salesforce Marketing Cloud that has had the largest impact on improving my campaign outcomes is the recent WhatsApp integration, which allows Salesforce to connect with subscribers through different channels such as SMS, email, or WhatsApp. Regarding customer engagement, personalization capabilities in Salesforce Marketing Cloud enhance engagement because when customers feel that a brand knows them better, they recognize their choices better. In Marketing Cloud, I am able to personalize based on user choices and address them directly without coming across as a bot message.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise29
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Dynamics CRM?
The most valuable features of Microsoft Dynamics CRM are all the filters and possible reports.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Dynamics CRM?
Microsoft Dynamics CRM doesn't provide solutions that allow you to transform easily if you have a heterogeneous mix of technologies or if your contact center is on analog and you try to digitize it...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Dynamics CRM?
I have been working with Microsoft Dynamics CRM for five or six years for various customers. I work with CRM and some amount of Microsoft communication server to integrate it. I focus on the area o...
What do you like most about Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Datorama is part of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which is quite a valuable feature that provides customer analytics.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
I did not work on any pricing or implementation aspects but learned on my own when dealing with Revenue Cloud products.
What needs improvement with Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
I would recommend that Salesforce Marketing Cloud improve on three-dimensional or 360-degree reporting, as I feel that is something missing. Salesforce Marketing Cloud is expensive; it can be more ...
 

Also Known As

Dynamics CRM, MS Dynamics CRM
ExactTarget
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Metro Bank, Nissan, Pandora, Delta, Haynes International, City of London, Trek and many more market leaders.
American Express, Financial Conduct Authority, KPN, Merck KGaA, Peterborough City Council, The Chapar, ADP, Financial Times, Stanley Black & Decker, SureFlap, Western Union, Philips
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs. Salesforce Marketing Cloud and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.