HighLevel vs ClickFunnels 

HighLevel and ClickFunnels get compared constantly, but the truth is they were not really built to do the same job.

ClickFunnels is a funnel builder that picked up e-commerce and course features along the way. 

HighLevel is primarily a CRM for agencies platform that happens to include a funnel builder as one tool among a dozen others. 

But of course you may be finding yourself needing either platform for different reasons.

This comparison breaks down where the two diverge on price, features, and who each one is really built for, so you can pick the tool that matches your workflow instead of the one with the flashier sales page.

Both platforms start at the same $97 a month (or $81/mo billed yearly).. Past that entry point, the pricing philosophy splits hard.

HighLevel's three tiers:

Every tier includes unlimited contacts, and email is unlimited too, though metered on usage. 

The difference between tiers is workspace count, team seats, and whether you can white label the platform. 

Starter caps you at one location with three sub-accounts and three users. 

ClickFunnels' current tiers are Launch ($97/mo), Scale ($197/mo), and Optimize ($297/mo).

Unlike HighLevel, ClickFunnels scales its limits with price. Launch caps you at 10,000 contacts, 50,000 monthly emails, one workspace, two team members, and three courses. 

Optimize, at the same $297 as HighLevel Unlimited, still caps you at 150,000 contacts and ten workspaces.

But there are additional charges to account for: HighLevel bills email, SMS, calling, and AI agents as separate utilities on top of the subscription: roughly $0.675 per 1,000 emails, $1.15 a month per phone number, $0.0079 per SMS segment, and $0.0085 to $0.014 per minute of calling.

AI conversation agents run $50 to $97 a month per sub-account, or usage-based. 

A small agency running five to ten clients should budget an extra $30 to $80 a month for this; a 20-plus client agency is more realistically looking at $100 to $300 or more. 

ClickFunnels has its own add-on costs too, including $2.50 per 1,000 email validations, $0.01 per automation run, and $10 per terabyte of video bandwidth, though these tend to add up more slowly unless you're running heavy automation or hosting a lot of video.

Funnel and page builders

Both platforms use the same underlying structure: sections, rows, and elements you drag into place, all within a visual builder.

ClickFunnels' page builder is the more mature of the two, since building funnels is the entire reason the platform exists. 

Its standout feature is universal sections: update a header, footer, or CTA once, and the change syncs across every page that uses it, which most competing builders still can't do without duplicating and manually updating each page.

The tradeoff shows up if you need something outside a conversion-focused page: custom post types, complex databases, and advanced SEO controls aren't really what the editor is built for.

HighLevel's builder uses the same section-row-element approach, but its differentiator and overall both are just as advanced.

On checkout, the two have converged more than you'd expect. Both support one-step and two-step order forms, checkbox order bumps, and one-click post-purchase upsells that reuse the original payment token, so the customer isn't re-entering a card.

The main difference is what's wired behind the checkout. HighLevel's two-step forms feed an abandoned-cart contact straight into the CRM, which can fire an SMS and email recovery sequence natively the moment someone drops off. 

CRM and pipelines

HighLevel is built around their CRM: visual pipelines, custom fields, lead scoring, and task assignments that track a contact from first click to closed deal. 

ClickFunnels has added a basic CRM and pipeline view, but it's still shallow and will be lackluster if you’re planning to use it as a sales tool.

There's no true drag-and-drop pipeline management and no deep contact history, so if you need serious deal tracking, you'll likely end up bolting on a separate CRM platform.

Email & Automation

HighLevel handles two-way SMS, inbound and outbound calling, voicemail drops, and social messaging natively, all tied into one visual workflow builder. 

ClickFunnels' automation is mostly email. There's no native SMS or calling, so multi-channel follow-up means wiring in Zapier or webhooks, which adds cost and one more thing that can break.

Courses, membership, and e-commerce

ClickFunnels wins this one outright. Its storefront tools include product catalogs, shopping carts, and inventory tracking, and its Customer Center gives students a real portal to manage purchases and course access.

HighLevel's membership and course tools are functional but basic, closer to a CRM's afterthought feature than a dedicated course platform. 

If online courses are the core of your business rather than a side offer, pairing HighLevel with a dedicated platform like Kajabi or Teachable will get you further than trying to run courses through it directly.

Other Features

White-labeling and reselling

HighLevel's SaaS Pro plan lets agencies fully rebrand the platform, set their own client pricing, and resell it as their own software. 

ClickFunnels doesn't offer white-labeling on any plan. If reselling software is part of your business model, this alone settles the decision.

AI features

HighLevel's AI leans toward autonomous work: conversational agents that qualify leads and book appointments across SMS, webchat, and social, plus a voice agent for inbound call routing. 

ClickFunnels' AI is more of a writing assistant, metered by word count (1 million words a month on Launch, up to 10 million on Dominate).

It's useful for drafting copy, but it isn't really adding much more value than ChatGPT.

If you're running a marketing agency, managing service-based clients, or doing anything that depends on real-time booking, two-way texting, and reputation management, HighLevel is the more complete fit. 

Its flat, unlimited-contact pricing also makes it the better economic choice once your list crosses 10,000 contacts, since ClickFunnels' caps start forcing plan upgrades right when your list is starting to pay off.

If your business is built around selling a single info product, course, or coaching offer, and the priority is a fast, polished checkout with proven funnel templates, ClickFunnels is a better fit.

Its Customer Center and course tools cover most of what a solo creator or small info-product business needs without stitching together a CRM you don't have time to configure.

1) Is HighLevel cheaper than ClickFunnels?

At the entry tier, they're priced identically at $97 a month. HighLevel tends to work out cheaper at scale because contacts and users are unlimited on every plan, while ClickFunnels' costs climb as your list and team grow.

But you’ll need to factor in HighLevel's utility billing for email, SMS, and calling before assuming it's the cheaper option outright.

2) Can I sell online courses on HighLevel?

Yes, but the course tools are basic. HighLevel can host and sell a course, but it lacks the polish and depth of a dedicated course platform.

Businesses where courses are the primary product usually get better results pairing HighLevel with a platform built specifically for that.

3) Does ClickFunnels have CRM features?

It has a basic contact and pipeline view, but no visual drag-and-drop pipeline management or deep contact history.

For anything beyond simple lead tracking, most businesses running ClickFunnels connect an external CRM.

4) Can I migrate from ClickFunnels to HighLevel?

Yes, though there's no fully automated one-click migration between the two.

Contacts, funnels, and automations typically need to be rebuilt or imported manually, so budget setup time accordingly, especially for multi-step automations.

5) Which platform is better for reselling software as an agency?

HighLevel, without much competition.

Its SaaS Pro plan is built specifically for white-labeling and reselling the platform under your own brand, which ClickFunnels doesn't offer on any plan.