Composite case study based on a real engagement. Industry, ARR, and headline metrics are real; specifics anonymized to protect client confidentiality. Named-client references available on request under MNDA.
The situation
$50M ARR B2B cybersecurity company. Pardot deployed for 5+ years with deep Salesforce integration. Team was reduced from 14 to 6 people during an org change; the remaining 6 needed a platform they could operate without dedicated MOPs headcount. Drivers:
- Salesforce deprecated standalone Pardot pricing; current contract becoming uneconomic at renewal
- Team reduction: 14 → 6, no dedicated MOPs lead remaining
- Operational simplicity: HubSpot's all-in-one fit the new operating model
- Speed: needed to migrate within current contract term, ~3 months runway
Complexity: 12 active integrations (Salesforce, Drift, ZoomInfo, 6sense, Bizible, LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads, Webinar tool, etc.), 200+ active Pardot programs, ~180k contacts, multi-region subscription preferences.
What we did
Week 1: Scoping & Discovery
Full Pardot inventory. HubSpot architecture designed (lifecycle stages, lead status, properties, scoring, workflows). Integration migration plan sequenced by risk.
Week 2: Foundation & Salesforce
- HubSpot portal provisioned and authenticated
- Salesforce-HubSpot two-way sync rebuilt from scratch (not lifted from Pardot mappings)
- Custom properties, lifecycle stages, lead status, deal pipelines configured
Week 3: Data & Critical Integrations
- 180k contacts + 22k companies + 4k open deals migrated with deduplication
- Top-priority integrations rebuilt: Drift, ZoomInfo enrichment, 6sense intent
- Subscription preferences mapped per region (CASL, GDPR, CCPA compliance preserved)
Week 4: Asset & Workflow Migration
- Email templates, forms, landing pages rebuilt to HubSpot best practices (not lifted)
- 200+ Pardot programs consolidated into ~60 HubSpot workflows (most Pardot programs were redundant)
- Lead scoring rebuilt — calibrated against 24 months of historical SQL conversion data
Week 5: Parallel Run
Routed select campaigns through HubSpot while Pardot continued production. Validated data flow, scoring accuracy, Salesforce sync, and email deliverability. Caught and fixed two integration mapping issues before cutover.
Week 6: Cutover & Decommission
Full cutover Friday afternoon. Pardot archived to read-only. Team enablement Monday-Tuesday. Two-week post-launch support window.
The results
| Outcome | Result |
|---|---|
| Migration timeline | 6 weeks (target was 8) |
| Data loss | 0% — every contact, deal, opt-in preserved |
| Production downtime | ~4 hours during Friday cutover (planned) |
| Integrations migrated | 12 of 12 (Salesforce, Drift, ZoomInfo, 6sense, Bizible, etc.) |
| Pardot programs → HubSpot workflows | 200+ → 60 (consolidation eliminated dead/duplicate programs) |
| Annual MAP license savings | $84K/year (Pardot Plus → HubSpot Marketing Hub Pro) |
| Time to first new campaign post-launch | 3 days (vs. average of 14 days post-migration) |
| MQL volume change, 60 days post-launch | +22% (cleaner scoring + faster campaign cadence) |
Why it worked
- Designed FOR HubSpot, not lifted from Pardot. This is where most migrations fail. Pardot's campaign and engagement structure is fundamentally different from HubSpot's workflow model. Lifting structure creates a Frankenstein that takes 12+ months to clean up.
- Salesforce sync rebuilt from scratch. Pardot's tight Salesforce integration creates assumptions that don't hold in HubSpot. We rebuilt sync logic for HubSpot's bidirectional model rather than trying to translate Pardot mappings.
- Parallel run caught two breaking issues before cutover. The 1-week parallel-run cost is cheap insurance.
- Program consolidation. 200+ Pardot programs were mostly redundant. Consolidating to 60 workflows made the new instance maintainable for a 6-person team.
What it cost
Fixed-price project at ~$72K. Pardot license savings of $84K/year paid back the project in less than 11 months. Six months of light retainer ($12K/mo) followed for ongoing operations support during the team's ramp-up. Total first-year cost: ~$144K against $84K annual savings + better operational fit.
Considering off Pardot?
If your contract is up for renewal in the next 12 months, the math probably already favors a move. The 30-min scoping call covers timeline, cost, and target platform fit.
Read more on our migration service — Pardot → HubSpot follows similar methodology with Pardot-specific scoping. Or see all case studies.