GoHighLevel Vs. ClickFunnels

updated on
June 21, 2023
Terry Williams
Disclaimer: A few of the links you'll stumble upon here are my affiliate buddies. Meaning, if you decide to join their premium crew, I might get a little thank-you bonus – without any extra penny from your pocket! Just know, I only give shout-outs to tools and products I truly believe in and have used.
Candidate #1
GoHighLevel logo wide
Candidate #2
ClickFunnels lofo
VS.

Criteria

GoHighLevel logo wideClickFunnels lofo
Pricing
GoHighLevel - 
$97
ClickFunnels - 
$127
Best For
GoHighLevel - 
Agencies seeking a comprehensive digital marketing solution
ClickFunnels - 
Businesses hoping to increase lead generation and conversion
Features
GoHighLevel - 
Page Builder, Funnel Builder, CRM, Automation, Analytics, Reputation Management, Calendars, Multi-Channel Outreach, White Labeling, and more...
ClickFunnels - 
Page Builder, Funnel Builder, Membership Sites, E-commerce, email marketing, and more...
Pros
GoHighLevel - 
All-in-one digital marketing solution, customizable, flexible, unlimited scalability, SaaS Mode
ClickFunnels - 
User-friendly, e-commerce solutions, membership site building, wide variety of pre-made templates
Cons
GoHighLevel - 
Steep learning curve, not a solution for e-commerce
ClickFunnels - 
Limited customization, flexibility, and scalability; limited scope and features
Ease of Use
GoHighLevel - 
Involves a learning curve but offers more flexibility in return
ClickFunnels - 
Very user friendly but less flexible
CRM
GoHighLevel - 
CRM software and automation is GoHighLevel's heartbeat
ClickFunnels - 
Limited CRM options, limited to sales funnel building
Customer Support
GoHighLevel - 
Help Center, Live Chat, Facebook group network, and one-on-one live support via Zoom
ClickFunnels - 
Live chat support, ticket support, and resource library

As an SEO expert for a major agency and the mastermind behind SerpFocus, I'm pretty well versed in the realities of helping people establish successful digital marketing strategies. I've experienced and witnessed the pitfalls, been privy to the rigorous and necessary planning, monitoring, and scaling, and celebrated the sweet successes.

Digital marketing is a multi-faceted undertaking with a whole lot of moving parts, and you've got to have the vision, determination, and courage to really put yourself in the driver's seat and hang on for the ride if you're going to succeed. Along the way, you'll want a reliable guide and a knowledgeable, innovative, and supportive team around you.

You know what else you'll want? Top-notch software.

Digital marketing software platforms are forever evolving, and new products are constantly coming to market. Nothing stagnates for long in this industry! With this reality in mind, it's not surprising that some of the most frequent questions I field from clients are about which software solutions are really worth investing in.

In particular, I am often asked about the comparative benefits of GoHighLevel vs. ClickFunnels.

So, here it is—my comprehensive comparison of the two platforms. I'll walk you through an overview of both programs taking their pricing, features, ease of use, customer support, and target audience into consideration.

I'll also give you a clear verdict on which one I think is the much superior option. (Hint: It starts with a G, not a C.)

The Winner

GoHighLevel logo wide

GoHighLevel

Price
Features
Accuracy
try it today

Overview

GoHighlevel and ClickFunnels are both digital marketing software solutions that integrate website and funnel-building, facilitate sales and marketing, and help businesses eliminate (or reduce) the need for a dedicated tech team. And from an outsider's perspective, it's not surprising that the two platforms appear to compete in the same functional niche.
But, in my opinion, they actually don't—at least, not directly. Admittedly, there’s some clear overlap between the services and features provided by both GoHighLevel and ClickFunnels. Ultimately, however, they're conceptually different programs at their cores and are geared toward different target audiences.
By the end of this comparative review, I think you'll agree with my preference and will be able to identify the fit that'll be best for your specific circumstances. But to start off with, let's get a bird's eye view of both platforms:

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
GoHighLevel is a comprehensive digital marketing platform that aims to encompass all the tools required for agencies to manage their clients' leads, websites, funnels, calendars, and much more.
Founded by Shaun Clark in 2018, HighLevel (known now as GoHighLevel because the highlevel.com domain was already owned by another company) emerged as a solution to his own frustrations in seeking an all-in-one digital sales and marketing platform. In the end, he created his own...and it has really exploded!
Designed by marketers and currently used by thousands of marketing agencies around the world, GoHighLevel has quickly become a force to be reckoned with and a marketing industry standard.
Price
Features
Accuracy
read gohighlevel review

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
Founded by Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson in 2014, ClickFunnels is an online tool for building high-converting websites and sales funnels. It integrates the process of website and sales funnel building (which was a game-changer when the software was first released) and has a reputation for being extremely user-friendly, especially for beginners.
Because of its straightforward and effective sales funnel templates, ClickFunnels has quickly become a giant in the e-commerce niche. It’s also well respected as a membership site builder and includes some integrated features such as email marketing and CRM (add-ons, in some cases).
Price
Features
Accuracy

Pricing

If you're flat out looking for the least expensive option, you may be a little flummoxed to note that: It's GoHighLevel. I know—it surprises me too. With its broad scope, you'd expect GoHighLevel's price point to be a strike against it. But, actually, ClickFunnels is pricier.
With these two platforms, though, you really have to consider what you're getting in return for your money—because the products are not directly comparable.
Read the information below carefully, and remember that while GoHighLevel includes its core bundle of functions at all levels (CRM, pipeline management, website builder, email builder, standard connectors, and more), many of these functions are paid add-ons in the ClickFunnels universe. Also, while GoHighLevel provides unlimited client sub-accounts at higher payment tiers, ClickFunnels caps sub-user accounts (even at its most premium tier).
Let's take a more in-depth look:

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
GoHighLevel currently has 3 main subscription packages: Starter, Freelancer, and Agency Pro. There are some pretty dramatic differences between the packages, so you should have a good sense of your goals with GoHighLevel before deciding what level to subscribe at.
Thankfully, GoHighLevel does offer a free 14-day trial subscription, so you can try out your package before committing to it. Also worth noting is that, though GoHighLevel is not inexpensive, it’s quite generous in providing annual discounts if you're willing to sign up for a whole year all in one shot. This is what I do.
Lastly, consider subscription upgrades before selecting a package. GoHighLevel offers several subscription upgrades, two of the most popular being HIPAA compliance and the White Label Mobile App. Both of these require you to be subscribing to the Freelance Account at a minimum.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
Take note that, overall, ClickFunnels puts limits on almost everything, while GoHighLevel offers unlimited growth potential and scalability. Just saying.
Like GoHighLevel, ClickFunnels offers a free, 14-day trial to get familiar with the platform's full complement of features before investing. In addition, it also offers a thirty-day money-back guarantee. So, in total, you can try out ClickFunnels for up to forty-four days, risk-free.
Its three main plans (Basic, Pro, and Funnel Hacker) all offer website and funnel-building features plus course-building software, basic analytics, and unlimited pages, products, and emails. Higher-level plans offer increased funnel-building caps, admin users, domains, courses, students, and contacts, plus perks like API and affiliate program access, advanced analytics, and more.
ClickFunnels' pricing starts at $127 per month and ranges up to $208 per month. These rates drop significantly if you subscribe annually, but remember that none of them include unlimited sub-user accounts like GoHighLevel.

Pros and cons

GoHighLevel Pros and Cons

Though I'm a pretty big fan of GoHighLevel, no program is perfect. Let's dig in and see how it really measures up when the rubber hits the road:

Pros

  • Cost Saving: GoHighLevel bundles so many tools, services, and platforms under one umbrella that the savings are pretty astronomical—even if you only use a portion of what's offered.
  • You Don't Have To Be a Techie: Obviously, there's a caveat here. You do need to have a lot of knowledge and skills to put the GoHighLevel platform to work for you effectively, and there can be a steep learning curve. But you don't need to be a coder, developer, or technological wizard to get the most out of the program.
  • Excellent Support: My experiences with GoHighLevel's support team have been prompt, responsive, and solution-oriented. This is not something to take for granted when selecting marketing software!
  • Mobile App: The mobile version of GoHighLevel is accessible and really handy. I believe GoHighLevel is unique among other marketing programs in having such a mobile-friendly interface, and it’s definitely appreciated. When I'm on the go, I can still manage my dashboard and chats, view and reply to requests, connect to the calendar features, organize my contacts, and much more.
  • SaaS Mode: White labeling GoHighLevel as your own tool is a phenomenal way to boost your revenue while also providing customized solutions to your clients. For agencies, especially, this can be a game changer for customer retention.
  • Automation Is Key: The more processes and interactions are automated for your business, the more time is freed up for you to work on your business instead of in it. With a heavy emphasis on automation, GoHighLevel shines in this regard.
  • Infinitely Scalable: You're not going to outgrow GoHighLevel. With unlimited accounts available starting at the Agency plan, you can use it for your website, client accounts, lead generation, and more.

Cons

  • Steep Learning Curve: GoHighLevel contains a lot of tools. While this can ultimately translate to increased flexibility, customization, and scalability, it can be overwhelming at the beginning. Don't expect to master GoHighLevel and have it working for you right out of the box.
  • Not Conducive to E-commerce: If e-commerce is your game, GoHighLevel likely is not the right fit for you. Aimed at marketing agencies, it doesn't provide a strong foundation for online shop development.
  • No Elementor Integration: If you use the popular website builder Elementor, you may be disappointed to know that you can’t directly transfer contact information to GoHighLevel. I would like to see GoHighLevel improve in this regard.

ClickFunnels Pros and Cons

ClickFunnels may not be my go-to software of choice, but it definitely holds its own in the industry for a reason. Let's take a look:

Pros

  • Incredibly User-Friendly - ClickFunnels is super straightforward and easy to use, even for complete beginners. Pre-built templates, drag and drop builder technology, and an intuitively organized interface make this program a perfect choice for people just entering the world of digital marketing.
  • Excellent Training - With a well organized library of lessons and instructional videos, ClickFunnels doesn't leave you wondering how to use its software. Tap into training on almost any topic and improve your skills quickly and efficiently.
  • Funnels, Funnels, Funnels - ClickFunnels may not have the same breadth of scope as GoHighLevel, but it does do sales funnels really, really well. If your main goal is to integrate smart funnel-building into your website's design, you'll love what ClickFunnels has to offer.
  • Strong E-commerce Features - Unlike GoHighLevel, ClickFunnels offers a whole suite of tools perfect for growing your online store.
  • Strong Membership Sites/Funnels - If you want to build a straightforward membership site without a lot of customization, this is ClickFunnels' bread and butter.

Cons

  • Limited Customization - ClickFunnels may be perfect for beginners, but it doesn't provide much flexibility or many customization options for more experienced site builders. To my mind, it's a bit of a one trick pony and you can hit its ceiling pretty quickly and be left wishing for more.
  • Limited Scalability - As I've already mentioned a few times, ClickFunnels puts limits on almost everything. I don't like that. It cramps growth potential and makes it hard to view ClickFunnels as the right solution for larger agencies.
  • Surprisingly Pricey - I don't know about you, but for me $127 per month is a lot for a starter plan. To my mind, ClickFunnels' selection of features doesn't justify the cost.

Features

I've already established that GoHighLevel and ClickFunnels share many features but are also fundamentally different programs. In this section, let's compare their major features head-on to get a better sense of exactly what each platform can do (but keep in mind that some standalone features won't overlap):

Page Building

When it comes to building websites, both programs offer a great selection of design templates, options for drag and drop building, and mobile-friendly layouts. That being said, you probably won't be too surprised to hear that GoHighLevel offers more flexibility and opportunities for customization than ClickFunnels.

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
Customize as much or as little of your web page as you wish. The site builder offers templates, but also allows for custom menu design, membership areas, landing pages (including integrated surveys and capture forms), and much more. All design tools and options are available at your fingertips.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
All of ClickFunnels' website templates revolve around a three-page sales funnel integration model. While this structure may lead to successful conversions in many cases, it’s also seriously lacking in flexibility and marries you to ClickFunnels' vision for your business. Beginners may appreciate the rigidity, but I'm not a fan.

Funnel-Building

ClickFunnels is literally designed around funnel-building, so it's no surprise that it excels in this realm. That being said, I think GoHighLevel also shines.

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
Funnel-building is only one of GoHighLevel's many offerings, but that doesn't translate to the feature being less-than. GoHighLevel's funnel builder offers a drag and drop builder for standard circumstances, but (you guessed it) is also fully customizable as needed. You can access unlimited mobile-responsive sales funnels and import funnels from other builders with ease (including from ClickFunnels, by the way).

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
Funnel-building is the star of the ClickFunnels platform, and it is definitely done well—if you don't want to customize much of anything. From ClickFunnels, you get a limited number of mobile-responsive funnels (depending on your subscription level), a wide selection of pre-designed templates, and a very simple user experience that can have your funnel up and running in no time.

Membership Sites

Membership sites are a strength for ClickFunnels. As with its website and funnel builders, it offers ready-to-go membership site templates that can rapidly begin generating leads and converting them to paying members. GoHighLevel offers no such equivalent feature.

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
If you want to build a membership site on GoHighLevel, you've got to start from scratch. The platform provides all the tools necessary, but you won't have a template to rely on. Depending on your goals and skill level, this can be either a disappointment or a relief.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
Select your template and begin converting leads. It may not be an elegant solution, but if it works, does it really matter? ClickFunnels may be a good choice for technologically inexperienced business owners looking for a basic and reliable membership funnel.

CRM

Customer relationship management (CRM) is the heartbeat of effective sales and marketing. And, wow, GoHighLevel definitely knows it! While it may be a little unfair to compare a comprehensive marketing tool geared toward agencies (GoHighLevel) with a more specialized program like ClickFunnels in this regard, I think it's fair to say that GoHighLevel's CRM is in an entirely different universe than ClickFunnels'.

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
GoHighLevel's CRM tools are truly at the core of everything else that the platform offers, and its SmartList technology is the glue that holds it all together.
Used creatively, GoHighLevel's powerful CRM tools will provide you with everything you need to grow your customer base by reaching, engaging, tracking, and retaining the right segments of contacts at all the right times. You can create unlimited pipelines in GoHighLevel and use them to track everything from sales to individual services, onboarding, and communication with new or potential customers.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
What CRM...? To be fair, ClickFunnels does have a limited CRM system, but it only focuses on funnel performance and doesn’t provide much in the way of scalability or growth potential within a larger context. Definitely not suitable for agencies.

Analytics

Without analytics, it's pretty tough to gauge your successes, challenges, and next steps as a business. Both GoHighLevel and ClickFunnels offer analytics features, but GoHighLevel's are far superior.

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
GoHighLevel's built-in analytics tools are robust and easy to make sense of. They track a wide range of insightful metrics (including Facebook and Google ads reporting, appointment reporting, call reporting, attribution reporting, and agent reporting) that are all conveniently accessible through the platform's dashboard. If you're an agency, you'll especially appreciate how easy it is to also track your clients' analytics—a rare but powerful and impactful opportunity.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
ClickFunnels' analytics are also top quality but (and this is a big but in my mind), it only tracks metrics related to sales funnel performance. Once again, pretty limited function—but it all depends on what you're looking for.

Email Marketing

Both GoHighLevel and ClickFunnels include email marketing in all their plans, but neither provides in-house SMTP (though they can both integrate nicely with external programs like Mailgun or Sendinblue). This is an added expense you'll need to factor into your marketing strategy, if you haven't already.

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
All of GoHighLevel's subscription levels include an email builder and email automation. The platform also includes a wealth of tools for building email lists and customizing/automating email marketing strategies as needed. In addition to email, GoHighLevel allows you to contact leads via multiple other channels. These include SMS/MMS, phone (voicemail), and social media chat platforms, such as Facebook Messenger.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
ClickFunnels' email marketing package is adequate for building out email marketing campaigns in the context of specific sales funnels. Unlike GoHighLevel, ClickFunnels doesn’t offer multi-channel outreach options.

E-commerce Features

While GoHighLevel blows ClickFunnels out of the water when it comes to CRM, ClickFunnels does have a robust suite of e-commerce features, while GoHighLevel doesn't. But in GoHighLevel's defense, it’s never really tried to brand itself as an e-commerce solution.

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
GoHighLevel doesn't really have dedicated e-commerce features like product sales templates or a shopping cart. From another perspective, however, it’s kind of an e-commerce opportunity unto itself with its white-labeling options (SaaS). More on that later.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
With a huge range of pre-built funnel templates to maximize e-commerce function, ClickFunnels has a lot to offer in the e-marketing realm. For business owners focused on a single e-commerce website, ClickFunnels provides helpful features like a shopping cart and extensive training to help e-commerce ventures succeed. Overall, this is a strong point for ClickFunnels. It just boils down to knowing what your needs are as a business owner.

Automation

GoHighLevel is, at its core, a marketing automation platform. ClickFunnels isn't. Need I say more?

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
Here are some of the processes that GoHighLevel can automate for your business with Workflow Builder, its automated marketing campaign solution (not an exhaustive list): Calendars/appointments, onboarding, conditions and workflow actions, CRM actions, email marketing, SMS marketing, direct calls, social media messaging, membership status monitoring, custom pipelines, and much, much more.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
While ClickFunnels does offer email automation and a handful of other automations, they’re all related directly to sales funnel-building.

Other Features

Some features just can't be compared directly because they only exist in one program or the other. Here are a few examples:

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide

White Labeling (SaaS) - Resell GoHighLevel as your own rebranded white-labeled product (Saas mode) and charge different price points for different feature levels.

Reputation Management - Track, monitor, and generate reviews. Response management is a key element in tending to both positive and negative reviews and GoHighLevel provides all the tools you'll require.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
Other than e-commerce features (which I've already mentioned), it was tricky to find any features that are exclusive to ClickFunnels and not covered (at least partially) by GoHighLevel.

Ease of use

This is an interesting category. Why? Because it depends who's using and evaluating the software. Often, people consider easier to be better. But that's not always the case. Sometimes, easier can also mean more limiting, which can be a drawback for users looking for advanced solutions. Let's take a peek:

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
GoHighLevel has a learning curve. For beginners, the learning curve will be steep and probably require some additional training and research. That being said, GoHighLevel is targeted to agencies—and agencies probably shouldn't be rank beginners if they're looking for software that can help them streamline marketing solutions for their clients.
For users with some digital marketing industry knowledge, the GoHighLevel learning curve isn't so steep. Yes, like any new software, it will take a little while before you'll navigate it smoothly and wrap your head around how to use it to its highest potential, but to me, that doesn't mean the platform is unfriendly. It just means that it rolls a whole lot of previously independent software solutions into one. Which, actually, is quite amazing.
Overall, I’ve found GoHighLevel to have a strong user interface and workflow. But, to be fair, don't expect to have it all mastered within an hour or two.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
ClickFunnels is dead easy to use. Purchase it, open it up, and—boom—you can start creating web pages and sales funnels. Less flexibility and customization options mean less time invested upfront. Plus, you can access tutorials and resources to guide you along the way, just in case extra support is required.
The beauty and the curse of ClickFunnels are how easy it is to use. Perfect for beginners, you may eventually find it limiting and frustrating as your industry knowledge increases.

Customer Support

Quite honestly, I think that both GoHighLevel and ClickFunnels have decent customer support. As I mentioned earlier, I've had good experiences with GoHighLevel, but I haven't heard any negative reviews of ClickFunnels' customer support either.

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
GoHighLevel's customer support includes its Help Center (including how-to video tutorials), Live Chat, Facebook group network, and one-on-one live support via Zoom (usually needs to be scheduled a day or two in advance).

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
ClickFunnels offers live chat support, ticket support, and its extensive library of courses, learning videos, tutorials, and other resources.

When To Use

If you've made it to this point in my comparison of GoHighLevel and ClickFunnels, you probably already have a pretty good sense of each platform's user profile. But let me spell it out clearly once more:

GoHighLevel

GoHighLevel logo wide
GoHighLevel is ideal for marketing agencies who want to up their CRM and automation game while also offering their clients customized, flexible, and scalable marketing strategies and solutions (including, but not limited to, sales funnel-building).

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels lofo
With an easy-to-use interface and strong e-commerce and membership site-building features, ClickFunnels is geared toward businesses that want a quick fix for generating leads and converting them to paying customers.

FAQ

What Is ClickFunnels?

ClickFunnels is a marketing platform designed around the integration of website and sales funnel-building. Because of its straightforward and effective sales funnel templates, ClickFunnels has quickly become a giant in the e-commerce niche. It’s also well respected as a membership site builder and includes some integrated features such as email marketing and CRM (add-ons, in some cases).

What Is GoHighLevel?

GoHighLevel is a comprehensive digital marketing platform that replaces the need for about 12 other software solutions (and that's being conservative). It aims to encompass all the tools required for agencies to manage their clients' leads, websites, funnels, calendars, and much more.

Are There Alternatives to ClickFunnels?

Yes. GoHighLevel is the ClickFunnels alternative I'd personally recommend (surprise, surprise). But if you're looking for something cheaper, Simvoly can help you to quickly build landing pages, sales funnels, and e-commerce sites at very affordable rates ($12 per month and up).  You could also check out Kartra, Instapage, Leadpages, SamCart, or OptimizePress.

Is ClickFunnels Legitimate?

Yes. ClickFunnels is a legitimate platform. As with any tool, there's no guarantee it will increase your revenue. But many businesses have found it helpful in lead generation and conversion.

Conclusion

Wow, are you still with me? That was a lot of information.

Overall, to me, it's clear that GoHighLevel is superior to ClickFunnels in almost every regard. In fairness, though, I'm looking through my own lens as an agency developer and software expert. I'm not phased by a complex, powerful platform and am excited by GoHighLevel's infinite flexibility, customization, automation, and scalability. 

In a limited number of circumstances, ClickFunnels might be the right choice (e-commerce, membership site building). In general, though, with GoHighLevel's lower price point, I'd say it's well worth the investment, even if you don't use (or even understand) all of its tools and features to their maximum potential.

Ultimately, of course, the choice is yours. At SerpFocus, I’m here to guide you along your digital marketing journey. Reach out to me with any feedback or further questions you may have!

The Winner

GoHighLevel logo wide

GoHighLevel

Price
Features
Accuracy
try it today

From The Author

Terry Williams

With over 10 years optimizing sites, I've boosted search visibility for brands through customized strategies. Currently, I develop effective SEO solutions for a top agency, immersed in the latest trends and innovations. Read my full bio.

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