When people talk about HighLevel, they either love it or think it’s trying to do too much. And that’s kind of the point — it does try to do everything. It’s built mainly for digital marketers, agencies, consultants, and SaaS resellers who are tired of duct-taping tools like Calendly, Mailchimp, ClickFunnels, and Pipedrive together.
HighLevel (or GoHighLevel, as some call it) is basically a monster platform that gives you a full CRM, funnel builder, email and SMS marketing, website builder, appointment scheduling, call tracking, automation, reputation management, and even white-label SaaS options. Yeah, it’s a lot. But if you’re running an agency or working with clients, it can actually replace most of your stack.
The Core Idea
HighLevel is designed for agencies first. You can create client sub-accounts, give them dashboards, and manage it all from your own master account. And if you go for the white-label route, you can literally resell it as your own software. That’s a big draw — instead of just being a service provider, you can become a software provider.
It’s not really aimed at casual creators or solopreneurs. It can work for them, but its real power shows when you’re managing multiple businesses or running done-for-you services.
CRM and Pipelines
At the heart of HighLevel is its CRM. It’s visual, customizable, and actually good. You can build pipelines, set up different stages for leads, assign tasks, add notes, trigger automations based on pipeline stage changes – all the things you’d expect from a tool like Pipedrive or HubSpot, but wrapped into a single dashboard.
It also lets you track conversations across channels – email, SMS, calls, even Facebook messages if you integrate it. So you’re not juggling five inboxes trying to keep track of where a lead came from.
Funnels and Websites
HighLevel’s funnel builder is built for function over flash. You won’t get pixel-perfect design control, but that’s not the point here. The goal is to convert – and on that front, HighLevel delivers.
You can create full funnel flows including landing pages, opt-ins, order bumps, one-click upsells, checkout pages and thank-you screens. The editor is clean and drag-and-drop, and there are enough pre-built elements and templates to move fast, especially if you’re building funnels for local businesses, coaches or service-based offers.
Platform | Funnel Builder Quality | Upsells / Downsells | Checkout & Order Bumps | A/B Testing | Funnel Templates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HighLevel | ✅✅ Advanced builder | ✅✅ Full control | ✅✅ Customizable checkout | ✅ A/B for pages | ✅ Shareable & cloneable | Built for scale, deep control, great for agencies |
Systeme.io | ✅ Simple, drag & drop | ✅ One-click upsells | ✅ Built-in | ❌ None | ✅ Good variety | Easy to use, great for basic funnels, no A/B testing |
ClickFunnels | ✅✅ Powerful, mature builder | ✅✅ Yes, well-optimized | ✅✅ Highly customizable | ✅ Yes | ✅✅ Tons of templates | Great funnel flow, but expensive and sometimes clunky |
Kartra | ✅ Flexible, many options | ✅ Upsells & downsells | ✅ Built-in | ✅ Yes | ✅ Extensive | Powerful but complex and less intuitive |
Kajabi | ✅ Polished, clean editor | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Native checkout | ❌ None | ✅ Beautiful templates | Great for content, limited upsell logic |
Simplero | ✅ Basic but works | ⚠️ Manual setup | ✅ Checkout included | ❌ None | ⚠️ Limited | Serviceable but not modern |
GetResponse | ✅ Basic, clean UI | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Simple checkout | ✅ Yes (basic) | ✅ OK templates | Funnels feel secondary to email features |
Keap | ⚠️ Clunky editor | ⚠️ Weak upsell support | ✅ Checkout forms | ❌ None | ⚠️ Few templates | Not built with funnels in mind |
One of HighLevel’s standout features is funnel portability. You can build a funnel once, then clone it to other sub-accounts in seconds. For agencies, that means you can templatize your best-performing funnels and deploy them to new clients without starting from scratch. You can even sell or share funnels with others using share links – a solid feature for monetizing your assets or streamlining onboarding.
There’s also built-in A/B testing, which lets you test variations of pages right inside the platform without third-party tools.
Email, SMS and Automations
This part is where HighLevel really earns its keep. You get a powerful automation builder that lets you create workflows based on just about anything — form submissions, tags, pipeline stages, appointment bookings, email/SMS opens or clicks, and more.
You can mix email, text messages, voicemail drops, and even outbound calls in the same automation. That’s huge for agencies that want to impress clients or run campaigns with multiple touchpoints.
The visual workflow builder is clear and lets you build pretty complex flows without much of a learning curve. And the built-in calendar tool syncs perfectly with automations too, so you can do things like “send reminder SMS 1 hour before the call” or “mark lead as lost if they no-show.”
White-Label SaaS Mode
This is the killer feature if you’re in the agency game. HighLevel lets you white-label the platform, meaning you can sell it as your own branded SaaS product. You can create pricing plans, set limits, bill your clients directly, and even manage support.
So instead of charging a client $500/month for services, you can charge them $297/month for “your” software – and upsell services on top. It’s basically letting you become your own mini SaaS company without building from scratch.
Reporting and Reputation
HighLevel gives you built-in reporting for things like ad campaigns, call tracking, and pipeline performance. If you connect Facebook and Google Ads accounts, you can show clients real-time stats right inside the dashboard.
The reputation management tool is also nice, you can request reviews, manage Google My Business feedback, and help clients get more stars on autopilot.
Mobile App
There’s a mobile app (also white-labelable) that lets your clients manage leads, conversations, bookings, and more from their phone. It’s not perfect, but it’s a solid extra that adds value when you’re reselling the platform.
Downsides
Let’s be real, HighLevel is a beast, and that comes with a learning curve. If you’re used to simpler tools, it’ll feel overwhelming at first. There are a lot of settings, menus, toggles – and sometimes the UI feels a bit clunky or too dense.
Support is helpful but sometimes slow during busy hours. The Facebook group community is active though, and there are tons of tutorials and templates to get you started.
Also, it’s not cheap if you’re just starting out. The agency plan is $97/month, and the SaaS Pro plan is $497/month. But again if you’re using it properly, you’ll probably replace $1,000+ worth of tools.
Final Verdict
HighLevel is not for everyone – but for the right person, it’s insanely valuable. If you’re a digital marketing agency, lead gen pro, or someone who wants to resell SaaS without building software from scratch, it’s probably the best tool out there.
It can feel overwhelming at first, but once it clicks, it becomes the control center for your entire business. You stop switching tabs all day, and you finally have one place to track leads, nurture them, close them, and automate the whole journey.
If you’re not ready to go all-in, it might feel like overkill. But if you want to scale, serve clients better, or even turn your agency into a productized SaaS business, HighLevel is one of the most powerful platforms available right now.