Is Pardot Being Discontinued? Salesforce Says No
No end date: Salesforce says it has no end-of-life plans for Pardot. What was retired, what changes with Marketing Cloud Next, and your options now.
No: in its pricing FAQ for Account Engagement (Pardot), Salesforce states there are "no End-of-Life (EOL), End-of-Sale (EOS), or End-of-Roadmap (EOR) plans for Marketing Cloud Account Engagement." Pardot is still sold, has new items in each of the last four Salesforce releases, and keeps running when you add Marketing Cloud Next to your org.
- Salesforce states it has no end-of-life, end-of-sale or end-of-roadmap plans for Account Engagement (Pardot), and still sells it.
- What Salesforce did retire are parts around the product: the old Classic app inside Salesforce, the Pardot name and, from 1 February 2027, the Consultant certification.
- Each of the last four Salesforce releases has new items for Pardot, most of them linking it to Marketing Cloud Next and Data 360.
- Most Pardot licences already include Marketing Cloud Next, but using it costs extra in credits, and nothing forces you to move.
- Staying, adding Marketing Cloud Next beside Pardot or moving step by step are all valid; doing nothing is a valid outcome too.
Is Pardot Going Away?
No. Salesforce answers the question in the FAQ on its Account Engagement pricing page, in one sentence:
"No, there are no End-of-Life (EOL), End-of-Sale (EOS), or End-of-Roadmap (EOR) plans for Marketing Cloud Account Engagement."
Salesforce's page "What is Marketing Cloud?" adds that Account Engagement is "still sold."
The doubt has real sources, though. Salesforce calls Marketing Cloud Next "the recommended starting point for new customers across both B2B and B2C", it renamed Pardot in 2022, and one Pardot certification is being retired. None of these ends the product.
What Has Salesforce Retired, and What Is Still There?
Salesforce has retired parts around Pardot, never the product itself. The table lists the changes we could confirm on a Salesforce page.
| What | Status today | Salesforce source |
|---|---|---|
| The product (Marketing Cloud Account Engagement) | Still sold; no end-of-life, end-of-sale or end-of-roadmap plans | Account Engagement pricing FAQ |
| The name "Pardot" | Renamed Account Engagement, announced on 6 April 2022; "Pardot" still lives on in pi.pardot.com, go.pardot.com and, as Salesforce notes, in places in the app | Salesforce blog on the 2022 naming; Knowledge articles 000389663 and 000392389; Account Engagement Setup Implementation Guide |
| Pardot Classic app inside Salesforce | Retired on 17 October 2022 | Knowledge article 000389663 |
| Standalone app at pi.pardot.com | "Remains available to all customers" | Knowledge article 000389663 |
| Account Engagement Lightning app | Where new development happens | Knowledge article 000389663 |
| Classic builders (emails, forms, landing pages) | Still available in both interfaces, but get no new functionality | Help: Automation and Asset Builder Versions |
| Logging in without Salesforce | Not possible today: every version requires Salesforce single sign-on and a valid Salesforce connector | Help: Account Engagement Interface Versions |
| Editions ending in "-LP" | No longer sold, and they don't include Marketing Cloud Next access | Help: Feature Availability by Account Engagement Edition |
| Account Engagement Consultant certification | Exams closed on 31 August 2026; retires on 1 February 2027; stays valid | 2027 Certification Retirements FAQ |
| Account Engagement Specialist certification | Not on the 2027 retirement list | 2027 Certification Retirements FAQ |
Does the Certification Retirement Mean Pardot Is Ending?
No. Salesforce's certification FAQ says of the retirements: "It does not mean the underlying product is unsupported." It also states that "a retired certification is still a valid certification." For the Account Engagement Consultant exam, Salesforce says it is assessing the skills it tests for a new certification launching in late 2026.
Is Pardot Still Being Developed?
Yes. Each Salesforce release since Winter '26 has a section of new items for Account Engagement. Most of them connect Pardot to Marketing Cloud Next and Data 360 (formerly Data Cloud), Salesforce's data layer that brings CRM and other data together for segments and personalisation.
- Winter '26: Agentforce actions in Account Engagement, so you can build your own Lead Management Agent; email consent matching with Marketing Cloud Next.
- Spring '26: Engagement Studio steps that trigger SMS and WhatsApp sends through Marketing Cloud Next On-Demand Flows. These sends use add-on credits.
- Summer '26: a Refresh Sync button for all connected campaigns, consent matching for public lists, and switches per business unit to turn off open and click tracking, added "to support evolving tracking and privacy regulations in the EU".
- Winter '27: Account Engagement customers also get the Winter '27 features of Marketing Cloud Next, among them deliverability monitoring and completion actions.
Salesforce also says where the work happens: "The future of Account Engagement development is within the Lightning app." If your team still builds everything in the classic builders, that part of your setup gets no new features. Salesforce's Account Engagement setup guide also has a current Winter '27 edition, updated on 22 July 2026.
What Changes With Marketing Cloud Next, and What Doesn't?
Marketing Cloud Next is a second marketing app in the same Salesforce org; adding it doesn't switch Pardot off. Salesforce's getting-started guide for Pardot customers says Marketing Cloud Next "works with, and augments" your Pardot investment: "This is not a rip-and-replace." When you renew or buy Account Engagement, you get both apps.
What Changes
Salesforce calls the Pardot editions that include Marketing Cloud Next "Account Engagement+". Pardot Growth gets Marketing Cloud Next Growth Edition; Plus, Advanced and Premium get Advanced Edition, through permission set licences, which switch the features on for named users.
Salesforce's conditions: you run Sales Cloud or Service Cloud Enterprise Edition or higher (Professional Edition has to upgrade), and editions ending in "-LP" are excluded. Access comes with the licence, but usage doesn't: Salesforce's pricing page says Pardot customers "will need to purchase Einstein Request Credits, Messaging Credits, and Data 360 Credits" to use it.
What Stays the Same
Salesforce states that "B2B automation including lead scoring, nurturing, and attribution continue to run as configured". Your Engagement Studio programs, lists and forms keep working, and Salesforce's B2B product page says no migration is required.
What This Means for Sales
The end-of-life question changes nothing for sales. Scores, grades, lead assignment and the sync to leads and contacts work as they do today. Salesforce's setup guide for running both apps keeps it that way: "Account Engagement is your source for scoring and grading information."
AI account scoring also stays in Pardot, because Marketing Cloud Next doesn't offer it (as of February 2026). Change starts only when a process moves into Marketing Cloud Next, where scores run from 0 to 100 without a documented letter grade.
What Are Your Options Now?
Three paths fit most B2B teams.
- Stay: for teams whose Pardot does what they need. The useful work is cleaning up what has grown over the years, and our Pardot consulting fixes scoring, sync and nurtures in the setup you already pay for.
- Add: for teams that want SMS, WhatsApp or data from other systems, and already own Marketing Cloud Next through their licence. The free Marketing Cloud Next self-check tells you in ten questions whether your licence includes it, and Marketing Cloud Next consulting sets up Data 360 and your first campaign next to Pardot.
- Move: for teams that want their programs in Marketing Cloud Next over time. Our guide on what moves from Pardot to Marketing Cloud Next and what stays covers the setup order and the traps.
For a side-by-side view of features, data and prices, see Pardot, Marketing Cloud Engagement and Marketing Cloud Next compared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pardot Still Exist?
Yes. Pardot is called Marketing Cloud Account Engagement today, and Salesforce still sells it. The rename was announced on 6 April 2022; the product stayed the same.
What Is Pardot Called Now?
Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, usually shortened to Account Engagement. "Account Engagement+" is Salesforce's term for the editions that add Marketing Cloud Next access; the product keeps its name. Our article on which Salesforce marketing name means what sorts out the rest.
Is pi.pardot.com Going Away?
No. Salesforce says the standalone app at pi.pardot.com "remains available to all customers." It encourages customers to use the Account Engagement Lightning app inside Salesforce, where new development goes.
Do Pardot Customers Have to Move to Marketing Cloud Next?
No. Salesforce says Account Engagement+ needs no migration. Marketing Cloud Next runs beside Pardot, and you decide what, if anything, moves.
Does Salesforce Still Sell Pardot to New Customers?
Yes, Account Engagement is still sold, from $1,250 per org per month (Growth+, list price, billed annually). For new customers, Salesforce recommends starting with Marketing Cloud Next.
