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”.
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
| Functionality | Hightouch | Salesforce 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:
- 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
- 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
- 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.
