Before you make a costly investment in a new marketing software platform, you probably plan to research and compare potential vendors, to avoid pouring money into a system that doesn't support your needs. But the research itself can be pricey-- with individual subscriptions to Gartner Reports starting around $20,000 per year. That's a hefty price tag for most small-to-medium size businesses, but the insight and criteria-based comparison Gartner offers can be hard to beat. Fortunately, many Gartner Reports are available to read or even download, free of charge, if you know where to look.

Here’s a list of marketing-relevant Gartner reports, available for free, courtesy of the software vendors credited below...

1. 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Content Marketing Platforms

(Source: Contently)

2. 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Web Content Management

(Source: Zaelab)

3. 2019 Gartner Sales Force Automation Magic Quadrant

(Source: Gartner)

4. 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Ad Tech

(Source: AdForm)

5. 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Mobile Marketing Platforms

(Source: AirShip)

6. 2019 Gartner’s Market Guide for Conversational Platforms

(Source: SmartBotHub)

7. 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs

(Source: Marketo)

8. 2018 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce

(Source: commercetools)