GoHighLevel vs ClickFunnels: Funnels, CRM and Value Compared (2026)

If you run an Australian business and you have been weighing up GoHighLevel against ClickFunnels, you are really asking a bigger question: do you want one platform that handles your funnels, CRM, email, SMS and bookings, or do you want a best-in-class funnel tool and a separate stack for everything else? Both products build high-converting funnels and both have loyal followings, but they were designed with very different jobs in mind. ClickFunnels is, at its heart, a funnel and checkout builder that has gradually added more marketing features. GoHighLevel started as an agency operating system and grew outwards into landing pages, pipelines, automations and full client management.

I work with Australian agencies, coaches, trades and clinics every week, and the right answer almost always comes down to how much of your customer journey you want living under one roof. In this comparison I will keep it balanced, talk in real terms about funnels, CRM, email and SMS, memberships and pricing in AUD, and flag the migration realities nobody warns you about. By the end you should know which platform suits the way you actually run your business, not just which one has the flashier sales page.

Funnels and page building

ClickFunnels has spent more than a decade refining the funnel-building experience, and it shows. The editor is opinionated in a good way: it nudges you towards proven funnel structures, the checkout and order-bump features are mature, and the template library is geared squarely at direct-response offers. If your business lives or dies on a single high-converting sales funnel with upsells and downsells, ClickFunnels feels purpose-built.

GoHighLevel's funnel and website builder is genuinely capable and improving fast. You can build multi-step funnels, landing pages, full websites and surveys inside the one builder, and because pages share data with the CRM, every opt-in flows straight into your contact database and automations without any third-party connector. The trade-off is that GHL's editor is broader rather than deeper — it does many jobs competently rather than one job exceptionally. If you want to go deeper on what GHL's builder can do, I have written a detailed walkthrough at our guide to the GoHighLevel funnel builder and landing pages.

CRM and pipelines

This is where the two platforms diverge sharply. ClickFunnels offers light contact management and a basic CRM layer, but it is not where you run a sales team. GoHighLevel, by contrast, was built around contacts, opportunities and pipelines. You can drag deals through custom pipeline stages, assign owners, trigger automations on stage changes, and report on pipeline value — the kind of operational backbone a services business needs. If you are unsure how GHL structures deals, the relationship between pipelines and opportunities is worth understanding, and I break it down in our piece on pipelines versus opportunities.

Email, SMS and automation

Both platforms can send email, but only GoHighLevel ships native two-way SMS, and for Australian businesses that is a meaningful advantage given how reliably locals answer a text. GHL's Workflow builder lets you combine email, SMS, internal notifications, pipeline moves, tasks and conditional logic in a single visual canvas. ClickFunnels has automation through its Follow-Up Funnels feature, which is solid for email sequences, but SMS and deeper branching usually mean bolting on a third-party tool such as Twilio or a separate broadcast platform.

Memberships and courses

If you sell courses or run a membership, both platforms can host gated content. ClickFunnels has a clean membership area tied to its checkout. GoHighLevel includes Memberships and Communities, so you can deliver courses, run a community space and manage the buyer in the same CRM that handles your marketing. For most Australian coaches and consultants, keeping the course, the buyer record and the renewal automation in one place removes a lot of friction.

Pricing in AUD and overall value

Pricing is where the all-in-one argument gets concrete. Remember both platforms bill in USD, so the AUD figures below are indicative and move with the exchange rate. The real comparison is not sticker price — it is total stack cost once you add the tools each platform expects you to bring.

The headline takeaway: if you would otherwise pay separately for a CRM, an SMS tool, a booking system and an email platform, GoHighLevel usually wins on total value because it folds those into one subscription. If your entire business is one or two finely tuned sales funnels and you do not need a CRM, ClickFunnels can be the simpler, more focused choice. For a related decision many Australian small businesses face, our comparison of GoHighLevel versus HubSpot covers the CRM-heavy end of the spectrum.

Migration considerations

Moving between these platforms is rarely a one-click affair. Funnels do not transfer natively, so pages need rebuilding — though this is often a chance to improve rather than copy. Contacts and tags export and import cleanly enough, but automations, membership content and payment integrations all need reconnecting. If you are migrating to GoHighLevel, budget time to rebuild your Workflows, reconnect Stripe and re-map your tags, and run both platforms in parallel briefly so no leads slip through during the cutover.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Choosing on funnel-builder polish alone while ignoring whether you need a real CRM behind it.
• Comparing sticker prices instead of total stack cost once add-ons are included.
• Forgetting both platforms bill in USD, which makes AUD budgeting a moving target.
• Assuming funnels migrate automatically — they almost always need rebuilding.
• Migrating without running the old and new platforms in parallel, then losing leads in the gap.
• Overlooking native SMS, which is a genuine advantage for reaching Australian customers.
• Buying more platform than you need when a single focused funnel is all your offer requires.

If you want a clear, unbiased recommendation on whether GoHighLevel or ClickFunnels fits your Australian business, book a strategy call with the HL Growth Partner team.

Book Your Strategy Call →

Frequently asked questions

Is GoHighLevel better than ClickFunnels for Australian businesses?

It depends on scope. GoHighLevel suits Australian businesses that want funnels plus CRM, native SMS, bookings and automation in one platform. ClickFunnels suits businesses focused on one or two high-converting sales funnels who do not need a full CRM behind them.

Does ClickFunnels include native SMS like GoHighLevel?

No. GoHighLevel offers native two-way SMS as part of the platform, which is valuable for reaching Australian customers. ClickFunnels typically requires a third-party SMS integration such as Twilio or a separate broadcast tool to send text messages.

Can I migrate my funnels from ClickFunnels to GoHighLevel?

Funnels do not transfer automatically between the two platforms, so pages need to be rebuilt in GoHighLevel's builder. Contacts and tags can be exported and imported, but automations, memberships and payment integrations all need reconnecting during migration.

Which platform offers better value in AUD?

For businesses that would otherwise pay separately for a CRM, SMS, bookings and email tools, GoHighLevel usually offers better total value because it bundles them. Both platforms bill in USD, so your AUD cost shifts with the exchange rate and should be budgeted accordingly.

Do both platforms support memberships and online courses?

Yes. ClickFunnels offers membership areas tied to its checkout, and GoHighLevel includes Memberships and Communities for hosting courses and running a community space. GoHighLevel keeps the course, buyer record and renewal automation inside the same CRM that runs your marketing.