Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic vs. Lightning: Which One Powers Your Marketing Better?

If you’re a marketing pro working within the Salesforce ecosystem, chances are you’ve heard the buzz around Pardot Lightning (now officially called Marketing Cloud Account Engagement). It’s modern, it looks sleek, and it’s deeply integrat
ed into Salesforce CRM. Salesforce is pushing hard in this direction, and it’s easy to see why.

But wait, here’s where it gets interesting: many teams still swear by Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic. And they’re not just resisting change for the sake of it. 

Classic still gets the job done, and well, to burst a few bubbles, in some cases, it does it even better.

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So, what gives? Should your team jump on the Lightning train or stick with the trusted Classic experience?

Pratik Bhatt, our in-house web dev ninja, will help you unpack the differences, debunk some myths, and help you figure out what actually works best for your unique marketing setup.

Let’s be honest: What does your team actually need?

Before we get lost in the weeds comparing buttons, builders, and backend bells and whistles, let’s take a breath and get real for a second. The most important question isn’t which version of Marketing Cloud Account Engagement has the most features, it’s what do you need out of a marketing automation platform?

Every team is different. Some are scrappy and move at lightning speed. Others are highly creative, with designers and developers who want the freedom to fine-tune every email and landing page down to the last pixel. Then there are teams with plenty of Salesforce resources on hand, and those where a single marketer is juggling everything from email strategy to campaign reporting solo.

So, before choosing between Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic and Lightning, ask yourself a few honest questions:

~ How fast does your team need to launch campaigns? If your boss wants three emails out the door by Friday, speed and ease of use might matter more than customization.

~ Who’s on your team? Do you have in-house designers and developers who like to build things from scratch? Or are you a lean marketing team that just wants to drag, drop, and go?

~ Do you have access to a Salesforce admin? Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Lightning plays nicely with Salesforce, but that usually means you’ll need someone to configure and manage those integrations. If that person isn’t you or doesn’t exist on your team, it’s something to consider.

~ What’s your relationship with your tech stack? Are you deep in the Salesforce ecosystem, syncing everything from leads to pipeline reports? Or are you using Marketing Cloud Account Engagement more independently?

Your answers will shape everything. The “right” version of Marketing Cloud Account Engagement isn’t about which one is newer; it’s about which one fits your team’s day-to-day reality.

Now that we’ve had that little reality check, let’s break down how Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Lightning stack up in the areas that matter most.

Why are some teams still using Classic

Despite all the sparkle around Lightning, Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic is far from obsolete. In fact, for a lot of teams, it’s the better fit, and here’s why.

1. It feels familiar (and that’s a good thing)

If you’ve been using Marketing Cloud Account Engagement for years, Classic likely feels like second nature. It’s simple, clean, and not tightly intertwined with Salesforce CRM.

This is a huge win for teams that aren’t living inside Salesforce every day. It’s less cluttered, easier to navigate, and doesn’t require a steep learning curve. For smaller or more nimble marketing teams, Classic still offers everything you need without the extras that can sometimes get in the way.

2. No full Salesforce licenses required

Let’s talk money.

Classic lets you operate without needing full Salesforce licenses for every user. That means if your marketers are working primarily within Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, you don’t have to invest in additional Salesforce user seats. That can translate to serious cost savings, especially for small-to-midsize businesses.

3. You can fly solo without a Salesforce admin

Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic is more self-contained. That means you’re not constantly calling your Salesforce admin to help you set up campaigns or adjust settings.

For teams without a dedicated admin, this flexibility is golden. You can move fast, iterate quickly, and keep projects in-house.

4. It handles legacy assets with grace

If you have email templates, automation rules, landing pages, or forms that have been around for a while, Classic is far more forgiving.

Lightning, on the other hand, often requires reformatting or migration work that eats up time and resources. If you’re sitting on a treasure trove of legacy content that still works, Classic is your friend.

Where Classic really shines: A playground for developers and designers

Let’s talk about a part of marketing that doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves—design freedom. And if your team includes designers, developers, or even just a detail-obsessed marketer who wants full control over every pixel… then Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic is your happy place.

Unlike the more locked-down experience in Lightning, Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic doesn’t box you in. It opens the door and says, “Here’s the raw canvas. Go paint.”

With Classic, you’re not stuck dragging pre-built blocks into pre-set layouts. Instead, you can:

~ Hand-code your emails and landing pages from scratch using clean HTML and CSS.

~ Use your favorite frameworks like Bootstrap or Foundation to speed up development while keeping code maintainable and responsive.

~ Make it pixel-perfect—no surprises, no “well, it looks good in the editor, but breaks on mobile” scenarios.

~ Bypass the WYSIWYG editor completely, pasting in fully custom designs without a fight.

It’s the kind of control that makes creative teams breathe a sigh of relief. You’re not settling for “close enough.” You’re building exactly what you envisioned.

Why this matters more than ever

Today’s customers are sharp. They notice when a brand nails the little things, such as consistent spacing, button styles, and email headers that match your site perfectly. That kind of precision? It’s only possible when you’re not being forced to build within rigid, limited templates.

So if you’re working in a high-brand-integrity environment, think SaaS, agencies, or premium B2B services, Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic gives your creatives the freedom they crave, without needing to hack their way around a template editor.

It’s not just about being able to code, it’s about owning the full visual experience.

Enter Lightning: Where speed meets simplicity

Source (Yep, sorry folks, we couldn’t miss the Lightning pun! 😉 )

Alright, so you’ve got the full story on Classic, one of total control, creative freedom, and a developer’s heaven. But what if your team needs to focus more on getting things out the door fast rather than hand-coding every landing page?

That’s where Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Lightning steps in.

If Classic is your trusty, well-worn toolkit full of custom options, Lightning is the sleek, modern toolbox with everything pre-assembled and ready to go. It’s built for marketers who want results without wrestling with HTML.

Lightning moves fast (Really fast)

Lightning’s biggest superpower? Speed.

Instead of spending hours building out templates and checking mobile responsiveness manually, Lightning offers:

~ Drag-and-drop email and landing page builders – no devs required

~ Real-time previews – see your updates instantly

~ Built-in A/B testing – test subject lines, buttons, layouts, and more

~ Zero coding – seriously, not a single line

This is gold for lean marketing teams, solo practitioners, or any team that’s juggling multiple campaigns at once. You can iterate quickly, try new layouts, and adapt messaging on the fly without ever opening a code editor.

Seamless Salesforce integration? Yes, please!

Now here’s the part that gets Salesforce-first organizations excited.

Since Lightning is built directly into the Salesforce Lightning Experience, everything talks to everything. Your leads, campaigns, reporting, and segmentation all live in the same ecosystem.

What does that mean for you? Well,

~ You can build a campaign and immediately sync it with Salesforce data

~ Sales gets real-time visibility into marketing efforts

~ Reports become more accurate and insightful

~ Team collaboration improves, especially between sales and marketing

If your organization is already knee-deep in Salesforce CRM, Lightning doesn’t just fit in; it amplifies your existing systems. It makes everything feel like one smooth operation, instead of jumping between platforms.

A dream for newer marketing teams

Let’s face it, not every team has a designer on standby or the budget for a dedicated developer.

For those just getting started with marketing automation or teams where non-technical users are running the show, Lightning offers a soft learning curve and lots of hand-holding (in a good way).

It’s like marketing with training wheels, but the bike still goes fast.

But Lightning isn’t all sunshine and rainbows

No tool is perfect, and Lightning comes with a few trade-offs.

1. Less customization

One of the biggest gripes? Design restrictions. Lightning’s block editor makes it easy to build emails, but at the cost of creative flexibility.

~ You can’t write full custom HTML/CSS

~ Media queries aren’t supported (which limits mobile responsiveness)

~ Layouts can behave unpredictably across devices

If brand consistency or advanced customization is a top priority for your team, Lightning might feel like putting on a one-size-fits-all sweater.

2. Requires more Salesforce access

Lightning is deeply integrated with Salesforce, which is great, until you realize it often means needing full Salesforce licenses and more admin involvement.

For budget-conscious or low-admin teams, that can create bottlenecks.

Let’s now have a quick face-off between the two “contestants!” (If you may!)

How to decide: A quick framework

Still unsure? Here’s a handy checklist to help you get off the fence and choose that perfect Marketing Cloud Account Engagement fit.

Choose Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Classic if:

Here are some signs that you might want to bat for Team Classic;

~ You want full control over email and landing page design

~ You have legacy assets you’re still using

~ Your team includes devs or designers who like to build from scratch

~ You want to save on Salesforce licensing costs

~ You don’t have regular Salesforce admin support

Choose Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Lightning if:

On the other hand, here’s how to know if Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Lightning might be a better option;

~ You need to move quickly and launch campaigns fast

~ You prefer drag-and-drop simplicity

~ Your team is already inside the Salesforce CRM ecosystem

~ You don’t need pixel-perfect designs

~ You’re onboarding new marketers who need an intuitive UI

The road ahead

Are you overwhelmed with yet another Salesforce release? We have all the tea about it here ~ Salesforce Spring Release 2025: 7 Key Updates for Marketers.