The 2025 MarTech Replacement Survey, which provides a look at which app marketing teams will be replaced in 2025 and why, has achieved a level of stability unprecedented in its history.
Over the past five years, a survey found marketing automation platforms (MAPs) were the most used tool in martech. But in 2025, the survey found that SEO tools were the most replaced applications, but not for the reason you might expect.
Yes, SEO is going through a tough time, as LLMs and zero-click searches are disrupting an industry built around keyword tracking and traditional search. But SEO tools are actually being replaced at a lower rate in 2005 than they were in 2025.
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The Martech revolution took a big turn in 2025 when many of the most superseded applications of previous years found stability. Get all the details in this free report.
The number of changes in SEO tools has increased over the years. In addition to MAPs, CRM, email distribution platforms and content management systems (CMS) all saw a decline in their replacement compared to 2024.
CRM replacement is down more than 12% from 2024 to 2025, which puts CRM replacement at the lowest level in the history of the MarTech Replacement Survey.
How is AI affecting the evolution of martech applications?
For the first time in the history of the MarTech Replacement Survey, respondents with martech applications in 2025 were asked about the role of artificial intelligence in their decision.
- 37.1% cited AI capabilities as an important factor in their decision to switch.
- 33.9% said they wanted AI capabilities as a reason to change their application.
- 2.1% of all changes involved home applications built specifically with AI (either replacing commercial platforms with home-built solutions built with AI or replacing old platforms with AI-built versions).
On that last point, the 2025 survey showed an increase in replacing martech solutions with in-house solutions, a trend that had almost disappeared a few years ago.
Replacing commercial martech tools with home tools accounted for 8.1% of all replacements in 2025, up from 3.4% in 2024 and 5% in 2023, suggesting that a small percentage of organizations are reevaluating their “build vs. buy” strategy.
“AI-assisted coding is changing the build-versus-buy equation,” said martech analyst Scott Brinker in his analysis of the findings. “It’s easier and faster to build than ever before. Companies still have to buy applications where they don’t have a comparative advantage. But in cases where they can adjust capabilities to differentiate their operations or customer experience, custom-built software is an increasingly attractive option.”
Cost is always an important factor when martech applications are changed
By 2025, 43.8% of marketers who switched to a marketing martech application cited cost reduction as the reason. This is a significant increase from 23.0% in 2024 and 22% in 2023, indicating that cost management and improving the martech stack are becoming top concerns for marketing leaders.
Invitations to take the 2025 MarTech Replacement Survey were distributed via email, website and social media in Q4 2025. In total, 207 marketers responded to the survey. The data in this report is based on 154 respondents (60%) who said they changed their martech application in the last 12 months.
Download the 2025 MarTech Replacement Survey, no registration required.
