Skip to main content
Log inGet a demo
Compare more CDPs

Compare Hightouch and Salesforce CDP

Salesforce CDP is a Traditional CDP. Hightouch is a Composable CDP and is ranked the #1 CDP on G2 for fastest implementation and highest ROI.

Hightouch
Salesforce CDP

The world's most innovative companies choose Hightouch as their Composable CDP

Spotify.
NBA.
PetSmart.
Weight Watchers.
Ramp.
Calendly.
GitLab.
Grammarly.
Spotify.
Betterment.
NBA.
PetSmart.
Tripadvisor.
GameStop.
Cars.com.
Weight Watchers.
Iterable.
Ramp.
Plaid.
Calendly.
GitLab.
Malwarebytes.
Greenhouse.
Grammarly.

Hightouch and Salesforce CDP (now known as Salesforce Data Cloud for Marketers) both are tools that allow you to sync data to downstream marketing destinations like CRM tools, email tools, and advertising platforms. Both platforms have the functionality to collect events via an SDK, resolve identities, and sync data to downstream tools tools.

However, the devil is in the details. The architecture of each are vastly different. Salesforce CDP is a “traditional CDP” while Hightouch is a warehouse-centric, “composable CDP”.

Composable CDP Architecture Diagram

Traditional CDP Architecture Diagram

This architectural difference leads to massive differences in cost, implementation time, and usability despite the fact both platforms allow you to do a similar thing at a high-level.

Additionally, Salesforce CDP is built to consolidate customer data across your Salesforce organizations, not all of your data from all sources.

Compare Hightouch and Salesforce CDP

FunctionalityHightouchSalesforce CDP
Data Collection
Client-side, server-side, & other 3rd-party sources
Client-side, server-side, & other 3rd-party sources
Data Storage
Your existing data infrastructure (data warehouse, data lake, or database)
Salesforce's managed infrastructure
Data Retention
Unlimited lookback & history
Variable
Data Schema
Controlled by you (supports any custom entity or object)
Controlled by Salesforce (Standard 360 data model for all customers)
Audience Management
No-code audience builder (supports any online or offline data stored in your data warehouse)
No-code audience builder (limited to data stored in Salesforce)
Journey Orchestration
Yes
Yes (add-on product)
Identity Resolution
No-code tool to define exact or fuzzy-match rules to build owned identity graphs within your data warehouse
Deterministic IDR managed in Salesforce's infrastructure
Identity Graph Storage Location
Lives in your warehouse
Owned by Salesforce
Reverse ETL
Core sync engine that integrates with existing toolsets & workflows
Extremely limited (all data must be replicated to Salesforce first)
Real-Time Audience Computation
Dependent upon data landing in the warehouse
Not supported (minimum sync cadence is 15 minutes to 1 hour)
Real-Time Streaming (Event Forwarding)
Yes
Yes
Low-Latency Profile API
Yes
Yes
Streaming Reverse ETL
Yes
No
Data Activation Flow
Warehouse to destination (no data is stored in Hightouch)
Salesforce Data Cloud to destination
Activation Destinations
250+
Salesforce ecosystem (limited support for external destinations)
Source of Truth
Single: Your owned data warehouse
Multiple: Salesforce & your owned data warehouse
Security & Compliance
Data lives in your infrastructure (can be configured to be GDPR, CCPA, & HIPAA compliant)
Data lives outside of your cloud infrastructure (can be configured to be GDPR, CCPA, & HIPAA compliant)
Pricing
Unbundled: individually priced features with no MTU billing
Bundled: variable-based pricing (typically the most expensive CDP option)
Proof of Concept (POC)
Less than 1 month
4-6+ months

Pros and Cons of Hightouch

Pros

  • Most powerful point & click audience builder (supports any offline & online customer data)
  • Warehouse-native campaign analytics to experiment, measure & analyze audiences
  • Publicly available customer support metrics (99% CSAT Score)

Cons

  • Newer vendor in the CDP market
  • Must have actionable data available in a data platform

Pros and Cons of Salesforce CDP

Pros

  • Strong integrations with the Salesforce ecosystem (Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, CRM, etc.)
  • Access to Salesforce partner ecosystem & solutions experts
  • Familiarity
  • Ability to negotiate licenses for free products (Slack, Tableau, etc.)

Cons

  • Very expensive (lots of add-on products required)
  • Limited integration support for external tools & systems
  • Inflexible data data model/schema (cannot support custom objects & entities)
  • Long implementation time & difficult setup process
  • Data is stored outside of your cloud infrastructure

Should I Buy Hightouch or Salesforce CDP?

When deciding whether to invest in a Hightouch (a Composable CDP) or Salesforce CDP (a Traditional CDP), it's important to consider the unique needs of your business. Although a packaged Traditional CDP might appear simpler, Composable CDPs are more flexible and scalable.

The main areas Hightouch wins against Salesforce CDP are:

  1. Implementation Time: With Hightouch you are live at the time of contract signature. With Salesforce CDP, there is typically a 6-12 month implementation process after contract signature
  2. Flexibility: With Hightouch, you can use any data in your data warehouse vs Salesforce CDP where you can only use data that has been collected into your CDP
  3. Source of Truth: With Hightouch, your retain a single source of truth in your cloud data warehouse.

Salesforce CDP historically was considered a safe option for executives looking to bring in a known brand to solve for data activation.

However, in recent years, stories of failed implementations have plagued Salesforce CDP leading to companies finding alternatives.

Most data-focused companies are now adopting Composable CDPs, such as Hightouch, because they offer greater flexibility, security, time-to-value, and interoperability at a far lower cost. If you’re interested in learning more about the Composable CDP, book a demo with one of our solution architects today to see how we can help.

200%

boost in
engagement


PetSmart.

1 day

migration


Minno.

52%

increase
in ROAS


Lucid.

Start syncing data in minutes

Check out this 5 minute interactive demo to learn how you can sync customer data to any business tool.

Hightouch Audiences user interface.

Recognized as an industry leader by industry leaders

Iterable logo.

Technology Partner
of the Year

Hightouch doesn’t store your data

Composable CDPs are more secure because no duplicate storage is required. Instead, we simply read from your data warehouse, where it stays safe and sound.


Connect to 200+ tools

Send any data to any tool. Skip building and maintaining pipelines, uploading CSVs, and having data silos across marketing, sales, customer success, finance, and analytics.

PostHog
Facebook Custom Audiences
PostgreSQL
Slack
Redis
Retention Science
Adobe Target
Stripe
MongoDB
Salesforce Pardot (Sandbox)
HubSpot
Mailchimp
NCR Advanced Marketing Solution
Salesforce (Sandbox)
Amazon Ads DSP and AMC
Zoho CRM
Gladly
Webflow