15 Best Customer Data Platform (CDP) Companies for 2023

Comparison of top Customer Data Platforms with features, pros, cons, client details, etc. to identify the best CDP software as per your requirement:

CDP stands for Customer Data Platform.

It refers to the software that provides its users with the features like collecting and classifying customers’ data, 360° view of customers’ journeys, knowledge of customer interaction, and so on. It gathers information from different sources and creates unique customer profiles to be analyzed further.

It helps in understanding the customers in a better way, providing personalized experiences, optimizing marketing strategies, and so on.

Customer Data Platforms – Review

Types of CDPs:

There are different types of CDPs:

• Solely Data CDPs: This type of CDP includes only core components of a customer data platform like collecting data from different sources, providing a 360° view of the customer’s journey, segmentation of data, and integration with other applications.
• Data and Analytics CDPs: This type of CDP provides a more robust view of customers’ journeys, along with data reports, to understand the customers in a better way. This includes more advanced analytics.
• Data, Analytics, and Engagement CDPs: This type of CDP can execute cross-channel CDP marketing campaigns, along with all features provided under other CDPs. This includes customer experience optimization, marketing automation, predictive product recommendations, and more.

In this article, we explained the meaning of CDP with its different types following market trends, expert advice, and some FAQs for better understanding. We have provided a list of the best CDPs, with a comparison table of the top five among them. Each CDP is then reviewed individually.

In the end, we have mentioned the conclusion and the review process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q #1) Why is CDP popular?

Answer: CDP is popular due to its effective services, like eliminating data silos, delivering consistent messaging across all channels, journey personalization, compliance, real-time decision-making, and more.

Q #2) Who are the top CDPs?

Answer: The top CDP platforms are as follows:

• Segment
• Bloomreach Engagement
• Oracle CX Marketing
• ActionIQ
• Totango

Q #3) What are the 4 types of customer data?

Answer: The four types of customer data are:

1. Basic Data: Basic data can be termed as identity data that includes basic information about the customers like name, phone number, email address, LinkedIn profile, gender, income, etc.
2. Engagement Data: This is defined as data showing how customers are engaging with your brand across different platforms through liking, sharing posts, etc. This is also called interaction data.
3. Behavioral Data: This refers to data that includes information like purchase history, abandoning shopping carts, and renewing subscriptions. This shows how the customers are interacting with your brand.
4. Attitudinal Data: It refers to the data that lets you know about the opinions of customers. It can be collected through surveys, comments, online reviews, etc.

Q #4) What is the difference between CDP and DMP?

Answer: CDP stands for Customer Data Platform and it pursues structured, semi-structured, and unstructured first-party data. This is beneficial for social media websites, offline interactions, and insights into customer needs and purchase behavior. This includes long-term data retention.

DMP stands for Data Management Platform. It pursues third-party data like cookies, segmented customer IDs, etc. They are effective for digital channels and audience segmentation. This includes short-term data retention.

Q #5) How to choose the best customer data platform?

Answer: To choose the best customer data platform, you can follow the given steps:

1. Bring stakeholders from different departments on the same page.
2. Define the objective, i.e., the need to have a CDP.
3. Evaluate and determine the tools and requirements you need for your CDP.
4. Compare the different software available in the market.
5. Select the best fit software along with considering the ROI.

Q #6) What is a Customer Data Platform?

Answer: A customer Data Platform is one that enables its users to provide a better customer experience to its users through services like drafting customer journeys, providing personalized experiences, optimizing marketing strategies, and so on.

Q #7) What are the benefits of the Customer Data Platform?

Answer: Customer Data Platform helps its users in many ways, including eliminating data silos, protecting data, providing privacy, building customer journeys, increasing operational efficiency, and so on.

List of Best Customer Data Platforms

Here are some popular platforms for CDP Marketing:

1. Segment
2. Bloomreach Engagement
3. Oracle CX Marketing
4. ActionIQ
5. Totango
6. Insider
7. Tealium AudienceStream CDP
8. Blueshift
9. Emarsys
10. Listrak

Comparison of Some Best Platforms for CDP Marketing

Detailed reviews:

#1) Segment

Best for creating meaningful interactions based on data insights.

The segment is a leading platform that helps in collecting, cleaning, and activating the customer’s data for its users. It helps in developing a good customer experience by creating meaningful interactions through relevant ads and tailored web pages.

It works in four simple steps: collecting and organizing data, analyzing and eliminating irrelevant data, building profiles with the selected data, and finally using these profiles wherever needed.

Features:

• Helps in measuring and improving KPIs.
• Enables you to make data-driven decisions.
• Automates and organizes data collection.
• Creates robust customer analytics to be used by every team for marketing, product, sales, and more.
• Ensures privacy with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy laws.
• Customizable solutions for developers are available with features like data collection & integration, profile aggregation, and tools & privacy.

Customer Support: Email and Tickets.

Deployment: Windows, Linux, Mac, Web-based, and Cloud Hosted.

Clients: IBM, Bonobos, DigitalOcean, Domino’s, Levi’s, and more.

Suitable For: Small, medium, and large businesses.

Pros:

• GDPR and CCPA compliant.
• Can gather data analytics from different places.
• It can be integrated with existing CRM and other tools.

Cons:

• Errors in documentation features have been reported.

Verdict: Segment is recommended for its features tailored to customer journeys, customer insights, measuring & improving KPIs, and more. These features empower the teams to derive insights.

There are some of its downsides, like its onboarding process, are a bit confusing and there is a need for insertion of code snippets.

Pricing:

• A 14-day free trial is available.
• Free: $0 per month
• Team: Starts at $120/month
• Business: Contact for pricing.

Website: Segment

---

#2) Bloomreach Engagement

Best for drag-and-drop personalized Omnichannel journeys.

Bloomreach Engagement is a customer data management platform that helps in creating marketing campaigns across channels by optimizing the customer experience. It organizes all customer data in one place, generates actionable insights with the collected data, and builds unique customer experiences across all channels and devices.

It includes features like SQL reporter, precise segmentation, tailor-made reports and analytics, attribution models, and many more.

Features:

• Unify all customer data in one place.
• Delivers remarkable customer experience across channels.
• Built-in integrations and API is available.
• Builds unique customer experiences with features like personalized omnichannel, recommendations, and advanced predictions.
• Real-time analytics will be provided for insightful reports.
• Enables you to personalize the web experience.

Customer Support: Email, Phone, Live Support, Training, and Tickets

Deployment: Windows, Mac, Web-based, Cloud Hosted, On-Premise, and Open API.

Clients: Puma, Staples, M&S, BOSCH, and more.

Suitable For: Small, medium, and large businesses.

Pros:

• Marketing automation is available.
• Real-time analytics with better insights.
• Personalized Omni channel customer experience
• Seamless integration between data collection, analytics, and execution.

Cons:

• Automatic dashboards are not present.

Verdict: Bloomreach Engagement is best for creating marketing campaigns across channels through the use of marketing automation, web personalization, AI, messaging, ads, and more.

Its marketing automation feature is also recommended. It is just that it has complex web layers that need to be simplified.

Pricing:

• A 45-minute demo is provided.
• Contact for pricing.

Website: Bloomreach Engagement

---

#3) Oracle CX Marketing

Best for automation and data analytics to segment audiences, and target recipients and craft personalized content and messaging.

Oracle CX marketing is a solution that ensures the best customer experience at every touchpoint in the customer journey. It provides integrated marketing solutions with unified customer prospects to ensure omnichannel experiences for customers.

It offers services like Automation, Cross Channel Marketing, Content Marketing, Mobile Marketing Channels, Real-time Analytics, Social Marketing, an effective email response management system, Next Best Sales Action suggestions, and more.

Features:

• Creates customer centric-campaigns with different customer attributes.
• Generates real-time analytics with valuable insights.
• Analyze data with the help of machine learning from multiple touchpoints.
• Enables profile enrichment.
• Smart segmentation and deep customer analytics are available.
• Industry-specific CX solutions are provided.

Customer Support: Phone support and chat.

Deployment: Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based, windows, and android.

Clients: BOSCH, Broadcom, Bruno Fritsch, CRITEO, and more.

Suitable For: Small, medium, and large enterprises.

Pros:

• Increase customer reach and effectiveness.
• Automated lead nurturing campaigns are available.
• Can integrate with applications like Oracle JDeveloper, IBM WebSphere, Microsoft.NET, BEA WebLogic, and more.
• Advanced reporting.

Cons:

• Complex interface with expensive pricing.
• Improvement in customer support is needed.

Verdict: Oracle CX marketing is recommended for delivering personalized customer experiences with real-time intelligence and customer signals. It is best for its services like audience segmentation, outbound emails, etc. Its interface is a bit complex and expensive comparatively.

Pricing: Starts with $2000 per 10 users per month

Website: Oracle

---

#4) ActionIQ

Best for discovering audiences and orchestrating experiences at scale.

ActionIQ is a customer data support platform that transforms customer data into valuable experiences by managing data governance, costs, and performance. It unifies data from any source, does audience segmentation, launches omnichannel journeys, and provides real-time experience. It serves industries including media, retail, B2B, and financial services.

It offers services like multi-channel campaign measurement and management, intuitive and flexible audience creation, actionable intelligence, and more.

Features:

• Ensures security with GDPR & CCPA compliance and other privacy laws.
• Unify data in one place.
• Multi-channel campaign management.
• Creates new audience attributes with zero ETL data mapping
• Actionable insights on customer behavior are designed.
• Comprehensive testing and management are provided.

Customer Support: Email, Chat, Phone support, and Tickets.

Deployment: Cloud, SaaS, and Web-Based.

Clients: Shopify, elf, The New York Times, Pandora, and more.

Suitable For: Large businesses.

Pros:

• Customer support is excellent.
• Seamless multi-channel customer experience.
• GDPR and CCPA compliant.

Cons:

• The flight process and reporting needs improvement.

Verdict: ActionIQ is recommended to collect and organize first-party consumer data, create multi-channel campaigns, and measure lift across all offline and digital channels. It is also good for automating marketing measurement (KPIs) and analytics.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: ActionIQ

---

#5) Totango

Best for orchestrate winning customer experiences.

Totango is a CDP software that helps in easily designing and running the customer journey at scale. It is trusted by more than 5000 customers, including popular ones like Zoom, Google, Trustpilot, and more. It lets you start customer journey mapping in minutes with in-built journey templates.

It offers features like detecting churn risk, managing to onboard, improving NPS, customized onboarding options, custom metrics, and many more.

It manages onboarding projects with services like Goals & KPIs, customer segments, success plays, campaigns, and resources.

Features:

• Pre-built journey templates are available to kick start data management.
• Integrate with applications including Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Dropbox, Google Cloud Storage, and more to have a unified view of customers.
• Orchestrate customer experiences.
• Automated workflows with personalized communication are provided.
• Other features include engagement score, dynamic filter, customer segmentation, customer success campaigns, and more.

Customer Support: Email, Phone, Live Support, and Tickets

Deployment: Windows, Linux, iPhone/iPad, Mac, Web-based, Cloud Hosted, and Open API

Clients: Google, Zoom, Trustpilot, SAP, NTT, and more.

Suitable For: Medium and large enterprises.

Pros:

• Customer health score tracking and other metrics are available.
• Automated workflows.
• Robust customer segmentation is available.

Cons:

• Slow page loading is reported.
• Has limited UI customization.

Verdict: Totango is best for orchestrating customer experiences with its in-built journey templates. It is trusted by over 5000 customers, from start-ups to fast-growing enterprises.

Famous brands that have chosen this platform include Zoom, Google, Trustpilot, SAP, NTT, Aircall, and more.

Pricing:

• A 14-day free trial is available.
• Pricing plans are:-
  • Community: Free
  • Starter: $199 per month
  • Growth: $899 per month
  • Enterprise: Contact for pricing.

Website: Totango

---

#6) Insider

Best for personalization and AI-powered optimization capabilities.

Insider is a customer data support platform that delivers individualized customer experiences. It works in three simple steps:

• Connects data across channels to understand customers’ needs, interests, and preferred touchpoints with features like unified profiles, customer segmentation, and integrations.
• Predict customers’ future intentions and actions by analyzing customers’ historical data with the help of AI and features like metrics, custom conversion, and insights.
• Individualize customer experience with the use of built-in AI and features like optimize, engage, discover, experiment, and orchestrate.

Features:

• Collect data from different locations and create unified profiles with a holistic view of each customer’s experience.
• Customer segmentation is available.
• Can integrate with other applications and stitch together offline and online customer data.
• Design individualized cross-channel customer experiences.
• Analyzes customers’ real-time actions with its predictive marketing engine.
• GDPR and CCPA compliant.

Pros:

• In-app templates.
• Mobile app
• Cross-channel journey orchestration.

Cons:

• Problems in implementing new APIs are reported.
• The interface is not intuitive.

Verdict: Insider is trusted by over 1000 brands including IKEA, TOYOTA, AVON, Samsung, and many more. It has been awarded #1 on G2 for mobile marketing software and personalization grids.

It is best for its features like unified profiles, customer segmentation, predictive marketing engine, and more.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: Insider

---

#7) Tealium AudienceStream CDP

Best for integrated infrastructure and identity resolution.

Tealium AudienceStream CDP is a customer-first CDP platform that unifies customer data and produces real-time customer insights to provide the best customer experience. It works in 3 simple steps: Collect data from different sources, build customer insights and send this data for analysis and action.

It includes solutions like identity resolution, active & orchestration, consent management & regulatory compliance, and leveraging predictive machine learning.

Features:

• Create accurate, comprehensive, and actionable customer profiles to define their value and engagement.
• Enables you to personalize every interaction across any channel.
• Creates a complete view of the customer by collecting data from any source.
• High-quality machine learning insights are provided.
• Over 1,300 integration options are available, including Google Sheets, Google Analytics, Facebook, etc.
• Provides relevant experience to the customers by using complete and up-to-date data.

Pros:

• Provides data privacy with regulations like HIPAA, ISO 27001 and 27018, Privacy Shield, and SSAE18 SOC 2 Type I & II.
• Personalized customer experience is provided.
• Predictive machine learning is used.

Cons:

• Intimidating the user interface.

Verdict: Tealium AudienceStream CDP is trusted by famous brands globally like Barclays, Hotwire, New Balance, and Bed Bath & Beyond. It is recognized with top 20 marketing vendor awards, Top 50 Best Software Awards 2020, and so on.

It can be integrated with more than 1,300 applications including Adobe Analytics, Salesforce, Marketo, Google Cloud Platform, Google Sheets, Facebook, and many more.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: Tealium AudienceStream CDP

---

#8) Blueshift

Best for predictive intelligence, audience segmentation, and one-on-one personalization.

Blueshift is a simple customer data platform that engages customers intelligently and drives growth. It creates relevant content, orchestrates user experiences, and unifies customer data. It provides services like integration, support, library, data security & privacy with regulations like GDPR, CCPA, SOC2, HIPAA, and so on.

It offers solutions like email automation, mobile marketing, website personalization, audience targeting, and contextual text.

Features:

• Creates and delivers personalized content at scale in real-time.
• Orchestrates seamless customer experiences.
• Collected and unified customer data in one place.
• Builds omnichannel experience through integrations, support & community, and resources and library services.
• Integrate seamlessly with marketing apps including Facebook, Shopify, Instagram, Criteo, and more.
• Compliance with regulations like GDPR, CCPA, SOC2, and HIPAA.

Pros:

• Compliant with industry regulations.
• Build and customize recommendations.
• Centralize and distribute data across channels.

Cons:

• Analytics capabilities are suggested.

Verdict: Blueshift has been recognized as a leader in Customer Data Platforms and Marketing Automation by G2, ” Cool Vendor in AI for marketing” by Gartner, etc.

It is best for its services like Omni channel orchestration, SmartHub CDP, customer single view, and more.

Pricing:

• A free trial is available.
• Contact for pricing.

Website: Blueshift

---

#9) Emarsys

Best for personalization engines, customer lifecycle management, and omnichannel integrations.

Emarsys is a leading Customer Engagement Platform that helps in accelerating business outcomes through its personalized and 1:1 customer experience solutions across channels, including email, web, SMS, mobile, in-store, etc.

It helps in building, launching, and scaling impactful personalized campaigns. It has over 1500 customers worldwide and represents 53+ nationalities. It covers industries like retail and commerce, travel and hospitality, communications and media, and so on.

Features:

• Derive personalized experiences across multiple channels including email, web, SMS, mobile, in-store, etc.
• Generate AI-powered analytics for impactful marketing.
• Cross-channel marketing automation is provided.
• Consolidate enriches and activates sales, product, and customer data easily.
• Unifying data through its omnichannel integrations solution.
• Makes impactful interactions with customers with customer lifecycle management.

Pros:

• Provides very good customer support.
• Training is also available through in-person live online webinars, documentation, and videos.
• Drives loyalty by engaging in real-time.

Cons:

• In basic reporting, more metrics can be introduced.

Verdict: Emarsys is trusted by leading brands like Sephora, Puma, Shein, Pizza Hut, Canon, and many more. It is a cloud-hosted web-based software that supports Windows and Mac. It is suitable for medium and large-sized businesses.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: Emarsys

---

#10) Listrak

Best for crafting personalized solutions.

Listrak is a leading customer engagement platform that helps in increasing customer engagement by delivering seamless personalized interaction across channels and devices. This includes automated behaviourally triggered campaigns and reduced workload. It connects customers with optimized emails, SMS/MMS, and mobile push messages.

This includes services like email automation, text message marketing, customer insights, AI recommendations, and many more.

Features:

• Collects data from every touchpoint and creates a unified 360° customer data.
• With the help of AI, machine learning and statistics predicts future customer behavior.
• Generates behavioral triggers from browsing, engagement activities, purchases, and lifecycle events.
• Growth Xcelerator Platform (GXP) improves growth and onsite conversations.
• Designs customer journeys.
• Other services include email automation, text message marketing, AI recommendations, and more.

Pros:

• Good customer support with email, phone, training, and ticketing services.
• Can be integrated with other applications like Google Analytics, Salesforce, etc.
• Automated campaigns are available.
• Excellent functionality.

Cons:

• Overpriced as compared to its competitors.

Verdict: Listrak is trusted by more than 1000 retailers and brands, including Poppin, Theory, Marmot, Splendid, and so on. It is best for its services like AI recommendations, GXP, behavior triggers, and more.

Pricing: Contact for pricing.

Website: Listrak

---

Other Noteworthy Tools

#11) Lytics

Best for data-driven behavioral and intent-based personalization.

Lytics is a simple data-driven customer data platform that provides personalized customer experience. It is trusted by best-in-class brands like Lovepop, TIME, Livenation, General Mills, and so on.

It helps in improving email open rates & conversion rates along with optimizing the advertising spend. It can be integrated with 80 leading tools including Google Analytics, Google Ads, Instagram, Looker, and so on.

We offer a free starter pack with a free 30-day trial. It helps in elevating email strategies to drive conversions and optimizes ad spending by identifying and engaging targeted audiences.

Website: Lytics

---

#12) Optimove

Best for mapping customers’ journeys with AI-led orchestration.

Optimove is an industry-leading CDP that helps in mapping personalized customers’ journeys with the help of customer insights and AI-led orchestration. It has been recognized as the leader in cross-channel campaign management by Forrester.

It enables you to keep your customers coming back through practices like discovery, optimization, orchestration, and attribution.

It provides various products and services, including multichannel decisioning, customer insights, AI optimization, in-app messaging, digital ads, mobile push, bespoke predictive modeling, and many more.

Website: Optimove

---

#13) Salesforce Interaction Studio

Best for Salesforce Interaction Studio automates customer moments in real-time for marketing, sales, and services.

It helps in creating personalized web experiences, connecting journeys across channels, making real-time offers to drive conversions, reaching customers at the perfect moment, automating AI-driven customer journeys, and so on. It is trusted by top brands like Zebra, Cinemark, Mercedes-Benz, PayPal, and more.

This includes effective services like behavioral and product triggers, 1-to-1 AI recommendations, smarter engagement, A/B testing with personalization, and more.

Website: Salesforce Interaction Studio

---

#14) Treasure Data

Best for balancing privacy and data to power a great customer experience in Marketing, Service, and Sales.

Treasure Data is a CDP that empowers users with actionable insights to drive effective customer experiences. It is trusted by famous brands globally including LG, Canon, Maruti Suzuki, and more.

It has been awarded with the best customer data platform by MarTech Click Awards and with Best Marketing Solution” CODiE Award by Software and Information Industry Association 2020.

It offers CDP solutions for marketing, service, and sales. This includes services like customer propensity scoring, customer journey identification, personalized recommendations, and many more.

Website: Treasure Data

---

#15) BlueConic

Best for Unified and actionable customer data.

BlueConic is a customer data platform that librates first-party data to make it accessible from anywhere. It is trusted by 300 brands globally, including Hearst, ING, Moen, Heineken, and many more. It includes services like unified customer profiles, multidimensional segmentation, customer lifecycle orchestration, and predictive modeling & analytics.

It provides solutions related to data depreciation, acquisition, engagement, and retention.

It is a web-based platform and is cloud-hosted. It is suitable for small, medium as well as large enterprises. It offers good customer support through email, training, and tickets. It can be integrated with applications like MailChimp, Marketo, Qubit, Facebook Advertising, and so on.

Website: BlueConic

---

Conclusion

Through the above research, we concluded that a Customer Data Platform is very essential for any business that needs to manage customer data in a way to attain maximum engagement and conversions. They provide services like integrations, data gathering, security & compliance, identity resolution, and so on.

Here, we have researched various customer data platform companies. Each company offers different sets of services with different pricing plans. Some offer a free trial and some include a free demo.

Some are good at unifying customer data like- Oracle CX Marketing, Totango, etc. Some are good at personalization of Insider, Emarsys, etc. In this way, they all offer various effective services that ultimately lead to managing customers’ data to its best.

Among all the tools we researched, we found the following are the best:-

1. Segment
2. Bloomreach Engagement
3. Oracle CX Marketing
4. ActionIQ
5. Totango

Our Review Process:

• Time is taken to research this article: We spent 36 hours researching and writing this article so you can get a useful summarized list of tools with a comparison of each for your quick review.
• Total tools researched online: 25
• Top tools shortlisted for review: 15