Marketo or Mautic: which fits a B2B marketing team that is weighing a switch
If your Marketo Engage renewal, a pricing change or a data residency requirement has forced the question, the short answer is this: Marketo Engage fits teams that want a hosted, vendor-supported platform inside the Adobe Experience Cloud and no server administration, while Mautic fits teams that need to own their data, run the platform on their own infrastructure and have people, in-house or from a partner, to operate it. Adobe places Marketo Engage within Adobe Experience Cloud, which matters if your web content, analytics or advertising already sit in that ecosystem. Marketo's own platform handles hosting, upgrades and the vendor relationship, so your team's effort goes into campaigns rather than servers.
Mautic is the better fit when data ownership is the driver. Its code is licensed under GPL-3.0, and the project offers a free self-hosted download with no paid edition of the software itself. You then carry the hosting, database, cron scheduling, upgrades and email delivery yourself. The Mautic requirements page is explicit that it should not run on shared hosting, so budget for a VPS or dedicated server and confirm your PHP, database and web server versions against the release you choose. Check the support window of that release before committing, since security support dates differ between Mautic versions.
The decision turns on four questions. First, campaign complexity: how many smart campaigns, scoring models and nurture branches do you run, and can your team rebuild them. Second, Salesforce sync depth: Marketo's sync is central to many Salesforce setups, and Mautic's Salesforce plugin needs its field and campaign membership mapping verified against your current behavior. Third, deliverability ownership: with Mautic you manage sending domains, authentication records, bounce handling and reputation yourself, so confirm who owns that work. Fourth, staffing: count the people who will run cron, queues, upgrades and incident response, because that capacity, not the software licence, is usually the hidden constraint.
Which option fits which scenario
This table maps common Marketo Engage decision scenarios to the option that usually fits better, with the condition that makes the reason true. Read each row against your own renewal terms, data obligations, staffing and Salesforce setup, because the right answer shifts when those conditions change.
| Scenario | Better fit | Reason and condition |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal driven by price | Mautic, after a costed review | Mautic has no paid edition of the software, so cost shifts to hosting, sending, integration upkeep and staff time. This holds only if you can staff those duties and your email volume is modest. |
| Data residency mandate | Mautic | Self-hosting lets you choose where the database and files sit. Confirm with Adobe where Marketo data is stored and whether your residency rule permits that location. |
| No infrastructure staff | Marketo Engage | Adobe hosts the platform, so you do not run servers, patches or cron jobs. This holds unless you buy a managed Mautic hosting service, which changes the comparison. |
| Complex Salesforce sync | Marketo Engage, unless the sync is simple | Marketo's sync is mature and widely used. Mautic's Salesforce plugin can work for standard objects, but confirm field mapping, campaign membership and conflict rules with a test org before committing. |
| Heavy Adobe Experience Cloud dependency | Marketo Engage | Marketo sits inside Adobe Experience Cloud, so shared identity, data and reporting may depend on it. Moving to Mautic means rebuilding those links with other tools. |
| Team already runs its own servers | Mautic | Your team can take on the PHP, database, cron and queue upkeep that Mautic needs. This holds when someone owns upgrades, since Mautic 7.2 security support runs through 30 September 2026. |
| Need for raw data access | Mautic | Mautic runs on your own database, so SQL access and warehouse feeds are direct. Marketo offers the Bulk Lead Extract API with a 31-day window per job, which needs scripted pulls. |
How Mautic's campaigns, cron jobs and sending fit together
Mautic does not run its campaigns on its own. Segment membership, campaign membership and campaign triggers are updated by scheduled cron jobs, and the project's documentation says these jobs should be staggered so they do not all compete for the same database resources. Segment emails are sent through a broadcasts command, and when emails are queued for delivery a messenger consumer has to be running to pick them up. In a hosted engine such as Marketo Engage, the vendor runs this scheduling and queuing for you. In Mautic, each of these processes is a component your team installs, schedules, restarts and watches, so your operating model has to include them from day one.
The practical change is that a campaign can look healthy in the user interface while nothing is moving. If the segment update job stops, contacts who qualify for a nurture track never enter it. If the campaign trigger job stops, scheduled steps are delayed without any error shown to a marketer. If the messenger consumer stops, queued emails accumulate and go out late or not at all. Before cutover, confirm with your Mautic administrators which cron entries, console commands and worker processes will run in your environment, who receives alerts when one fails, and how long a missed run can be tolerated before a campaign is affected. Ask your hosting or platform team to check the cron and worker logs as part of routine monitoring, not only when a campaign complaint arrives.
Recovery is also an operating task. After an outage, restart the queue consumer and the scheduled jobs in a controlled order, then confirm that segment counts and campaign step timing match what the database shows. Check the Mautic release notes and the cron documentation for your installed version before changing schedules, because the supported setup can change between releases. Document a runbook that names the owner for each job, the expected run frequency and the steps to replay or re-evaluate contacts after an interruption. Teams that already operate queues and scheduled batch jobs will find this familiar. Teams that expected a campaign engine to be invisible should budget time to build that visibility before they move live programs.
Where your data sits and who controls access
Marketo Engage keeps your lead database in Adobe's hosted environment, while Mautic places it in a database you run. Each card below covers a decision point where that difference changes who holds keys, logs and records, and what your team must check before committing.
Data location in Marketo's hosted environment
Marketo Engage is part of Adobe Experience Cloud, so lead, activity and program data sit in Adobe-operated infrastructure under your Adobe contract. Ask Adobe in writing which regions host your instance, where backups are kept, and how data is returned to you if the contract ends. Under Mautic, the location is whatever you choose for the database and file store, which is a question your own team answers.
Self-hosted Mautic on a VPS or dedicated server
Mautic's requirements page says it should not run on shared hosting and recommends a VPS or dedicated server. You will need PHP, a supported MySQL or MariaDB database, a web server, and cron jobs for segment and campaign updates. Patching the operating system, PHP and Mautic itself becomes part of your change process, and that work falls to your infrastructure team.
Managed Mautic as a separate option
Managed Mautic hosting is offered by providers promoted on mautic.org, and it is separate from the free self-hosted download. A managed provider can change the data location, subprocessors and administrative access model. Before choosing one, request the hosting region, the list of subprocessors, the backup and restore terms, and the named staff who can access your database.
Identity and access administration
Marketo controls user roles, permissions and single sign-on in Adobe's admin consoles, and your audit depends on how Adobe exposes those logs to you. Mautic gives you control over its user accounts, roles and authentication method, so you define who can edit campaigns, export contacts or change integrations. Document the admin roles, the review cadence for access, and how departing staff lose their accounts.
Audit and compliance evidence
DeployOpen prepares systems, controls and evidence for compliance assessments, including access reviews, logging, backup records and change history for a Mautic deployment. DeployOpen does not issue audit reports, attestations or certifications, and independent auditors make that determination. For Marketo, ask Adobe for its current compliance reports and confirm which of your controls it covers, and do not assume they transfer to your self-hosted replacement.
Decision points for regulated organizations
Before moving, decide who owns the database backups, the patching window, and the incident response for the mail server and web tier. Confirm whether your data protection terms require data to stay in named regions, whether your sending domain and subprocessor list need updates, and whether the Mautic version you choose is still in security support. Mautic 5.2 security support ends 30 June 2026, so plan the upgrade path early.
What a move from Marketo to Mautic involves at a high level
The sequence moves your audience, program logic and CRM connection from Marketo Engage to a self-hosted Mautic instance you operate, in an order that keeps sending domains and sales data trustworthy throughout.
Inventory campaigns, forms, scoring and sync
Marketing operations lists every smart campaign, smart list, form, landing page, scoring model and Salesforce sync rule in the current Marketo instance, noting which ones are actively used. Sales operations confirms which fields and campaign memberships the CRM depends on. The output is a written inventory that becomes the rebuild checklist and shows what has no direct equivalent in Mautic and needs redesign.
Export leads and activities with Bulk Extract
An administrator with API access runs the Bulk Lead Extract REST API in jobs covering 31 days or fewer each, because Adobe limits each job's date range to that window. Activity and program member exports follow the same pattern. Files are pulled to storage you control before the Marketo file retention period ends. The check is a row count per date range that matches Marketo reports, with each file stored and checksummed.
Build and install Mautic
The platform team provisions a server that meets the Mautic 7.0 requirements, which the project says should be a VPS or dedicated server rather than shared hosting, and installs Mautic using the web installer, the command-line installer or a Composer project, as the installation docs describe. Cron jobs for segments, campaigns and broadcasts, and the messenger consumer for queued email, are configured and staggered. The output is a working instance with cron running and a test campaign that executes on schedule.
Import contacts and validate records
Contacts are loaded from the exported files, using the CSV import in the user interface for small batches and the mautic:import console command run by cron for large files, which Mautic processes in batches of 100 rows by default. Field mapping is reviewed before each run and duplicates are checked against the expected count. The check is a reconciled contact total, plus a spot check of consent and opt-out status on a sample of records.
Rebuild campaigns, scoring and forms
Marketing operations recreates the smart campaigns as Mautic campaigns and segments, rebuilds the scoring rules as points and triggers, and migrates forms and landing pages. Each rebuilt journey is tested with internal contacts before any live audience is added. The output is a signed-off test log that compares each Marketo program with its Mautic counterpart, including any logic that was simplified or dropped.
Move the Salesforce sync
Integration engineers configure the Salesforce plugin documented by Mautic, map fields and campaign membership, and decide which objects sync in each direction. This is the step most likely to change what sales sees, so it runs in a sandbox first. The check is a set of test leads that flow to Salesforce with the expected owner, status and campaign membership, confirmed by a sales user.
Warm sending domains and run parallel sends
Deliverability owners set up sending domains, authentication records and a gradual volume ramp on the new sending service before live sends move. For a period, both platforms run in parallel on defined segments, and bounce, complaint and unsubscribe rates are compared. Marketo is switched off only after results match and the cutover checklist is signed. The output is a documented cutover decision with monitoring in place.
What running Mautic yourself requires month to month
Running Mautic yourself is an ongoing operations job, not a one-time install. The project's stated cadence is monthly patch releases, minor releases every three months and major releases every two years, so someone must own a recurring upgrade cycle. Check which line you are on before you plan anything. Mautic 7.2 (Absolunto) has active and security support until 30 September 2026, Mautic 7.3 is planned as the long-term support release with security support through 31 December 2027, Mautic 6.0 has security support until 30 September 2026, and Mautic 5.2 until 30 June 2026. A team that installs 5.2 today will be off support within months, so the choice of starting version is a decision with a dated end.
The platform requirements set the size of that upkeep. Mautic 7.0 requires PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 or 8.5, MySQL 5.7 or higher with InnoDB or MariaDB 10.2 or higher, and Apache, Nginx or IIS, with npm needed from Mautic 5.0 onward. The project also advises against shared hosting. Each PHP or database version change must be tested against the Mautic release and any plugins you use, including the Salesforce plugin. Campaigns also depend on cron jobs for segment updates, campaign updates and triggers, plus a broadcasts command and a messenger consumer when email is queued. Failed or overlapping cron runs stop nurture logic silently, so monitor job completion and queue depth, not only server uptime. Confirm the exact cron schedule and staggering against the Mautic cron jobs documentation for your version.
Staffing decides who carries this work. In an internal model, a platform or marketing operations engineer owns patching, backups of the database and file store, cron health and the upgrade calendar, and the cost is salary time that recurs every month. In a managed hosting model, a provider runs the servers, but you still own the Mautic configuration, plugin compatibility and the Salesforce sync. In a partner-supported model, an implementation partner such as DeployOpen can run a retainer for upgrades, backups and monitoring under a written scope. Ask any provider for their patch window, restore test frequency, cron alerting and who signs off a major upgrade. Those answers, not the license fee, determine your month-to-month effort.
Questions buyers ask before choosing Mautic over Marketo
How much effort does a switch from Marketo to Mautic take?
The effort depends mainly on how much history you need, how many smart campaigns and scoring rules you rebuild, and how many integrations sit on top of Marketo. Lead and activity extraction uses Marketo's Bulk Lead Extract API, which returns CSV, TSV or SSV files and limits each job to date ranges of 31 days or fewer, so long histories need multiple jobs. Mautic imports contacts from CSV with automatic column mapping, but large files should run through the mautic:import console command. Campaigns, scoring logic, forms and landing pages are rebuilt by hand, so that work usually dominates the schedule. Ask any provider to split the estimate into extraction, data mapping, campaign rebuild, integration work and testing.
How long does a Mautic migration take?
No duration can be stated in general terms because it depends on data volume, the number of active campaigns, the depth of CRM integration and how much your team can test in parallel. Plan the work in phases: extract and validate data, stand up and harden the Mautic instance, rebuild campaigns and scoring, move the CRM sync and then warm sending domains before cutover. Sending reputation takes time to build, so start that phase early rather than at the end. Ask for a phased plan with milestones and a clear list of what each phase depends on.
Can our team migrate to Mautic without outside help?
A team with PHP, database and mail administration skills can run a Mautic instance, but the migration itself touches more areas than the platform install. Mautic requires PHP 8.2 to 8.5, MySQL 5.7 or higher with InnoDB or MariaDB 10.2 or higher, and a web server such as Apache or Nginx, and the project advises against shared hosting in favor of a VPS or dedicated server. It also relies on cron jobs for segment updates, campaign updates and triggers, plus a messenger consumer for queued email. Your team needs to own those operational pieces and test them. Outside help is most useful for the campaign rebuild, CRM mapping and deliverability setup, where mistakes are hardest to see.
Does Mautic keep our Salesforce sync?
Mautic documents a Salesforce plugin, but its sync behavior is not the same as Marketo's continuous sync, so you should not assume a field-for-field match. Before you choose, list which objects, fields and campaign memberships Marketo writes to Salesforce and in which direction. Then compare that list with what the Mautic plugin configuration supports in your Salesforce edition and version. Sales users often notice changes in lead ownership, activity visibility and scoring fields first, so involve them in testing. Confirm each mapping in a sandbox before cutover.
Who owns email deliverability after moving to Mautic?
You do. With Marketo, the vendor operates the sending infrastructure within its service terms, while with self-hosted Mautic your organization chooses the mail transport, configures authentication for your sending domains and manages bounce, complaint and unsubscribe handling. Warming new domains and IP addresses takes sustained, measured volume, so plan that work before the first live campaign. Ask your email delivery provider which authentication records, feedback loops and suppression features they support, and confirm them against your own tests.
What does ongoing support need from our team?
Running Mautic in production is recurring work: applying patch releases, planning minor and major upgrades, monitoring cron and queue jobs, backing up the database and reviewing security advisories. The project publishes monthly patch releases, minor releases every three months and major releases every two years, and each version has its own support window, so check which version you run against the current release page. Decide who receives alerts, who approves upgrades and how restores are tested. Support retainers can cover some of this, but the budget owner still needs to know which tasks stay internal.
What should a quote for a Marketo to Mautic move include?
A useful quote lists scope, deliverables, assumptions and exclusions in writing before work starts. Ask for line items covering the hosting architecture and setup, data extraction and import, campaign and scoring rebuild, forms and landing pages, CRM integration and testing, deliverability configuration, cutover and rollback, documentation, and training. Ask which items are one-time and which recur, such as upgrades, monitoring and support hours. Also ask what you must provide, including Marketo API access, a Salesforce sandbox and sending domain access, because those dependencies drive timelines. DeployOpen works from a fixed written scope, and a quote follows from that scope.
How DeployOpen helps evaluate, implement or migrate
DeployOpen is a Chainscore Labs company that plans, implements, integrates, hardens, backs up, upgrades and documents self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure, including your cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. For a Marketo to Mautic decision, that usually means three separate pieces of work: an evaluation of whether Mautic's campaign builder, scoring model and Salesforce integration cover what your teams actually run today, a build of the Mautic environment on hosting you control, and a migration plan that covers history extraction, campaign rebuilds and sending domain warm-up. Each piece can be scoped on its own, so you can buy the evaluation before committing to the rebuild.
Most engagements are fixed-scope. Before work starts, the deliverables, the systems in scope, the milestones and the timelines are agreed in writing, along with who on your side signs off each stage. Ask for the same written scope from any implementation partner you consider. Items to confirm in that scope include which Marketo assets are inventoried (smart campaigns, forms, landing pages, scoring rules and program membership), how the Salesforce field and campaign-membership mapping is tested, who owns sending domain reputation during cutover, and what evidence is delivered to your security or compliance team. Ongoing support, version upgrades and continuous testing after go-live are available as retainers, which suits teams that keep Mautic running after the project closes. DeployOpen does not publish a price list. A quote follows from the written scope, so the quote will depend on the systems, data volumes and integrations you name. DeployOpen is not an Adobe, Salesforce or Mautic partner, so do not assume partner pricing or partner-led support, and ask any provider to state its own relationship with each vendor in writing.
