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ClickFunnels has established itself as the leading software for creating marketing funnels online. It essentially pioneered this category and remains the default choice for many digital businesses. For those unfamiliar, ClickFunnels is one of the most well-known SaaS companies focused on marketing tools. It offers a fast, simple, and effective way for entrepreneurs, even without technical skills, to build their online presence and increase conversion rates.
In this review, I’ll answer common questions to help you determine if your brand could benefit from this sales funnel builder. But first, let’s revisit some foundational concepts…
What Are Sales Funnels?

Sales funnels are sequential steps designed to guide potential customers from initial awareness to final purchase. ClickFunnels simplifies the process of building these funnels, reducing the effort needed so you can focus on other business areas.
The journey begins with a lead magnet—such as an advertisement, social media post, or even a sale item—that attracts visitors instantly. Digital visitors often arrive through online ads, shared links, or search engines. Once attracted, prospects move through subsequent funnel stages that nurture their interest, such as newsletters, audiobooks, or other content. When a visitor signs up or makes a purchase, automated emails are used to build trust and credibility.
For example, an astrologer offering their services might direct visitors to a landing page where they share their details for a brief natal chart analysis. Following this, they might send these visitors regular free readings via email, with each message ending in a call to action that encourages signing up for more detailed insights or paid services.
How Does ClickFunnels Work?

In practice, executing sales funnels may seem complex, but ClickFunnels makes it easier with features like drag-and-drop templates, a comprehensive funnel builder, and a unified dashboard. Traditionally, those with coding skills would construct sales funnels through several steps: creating lead magnets, connecting visitors to email lists, automating content delivery, designing drip campaigns, linking e-commerce tools, setting up payment gateways, and managing various analytics and integrations.
If you’re exploring alternatives, I recommend checking out my favorite options…ClickFunnels alternatives and my comparison between Kartra and ClickFunnels.
Pricing Plans for ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels offers three main pricing options: Basic, Platinum, and Two Comma Club.
The Basic plan begins at $97 per month and serves as the entry-level option, providing essential features for newcomers. The Platinum plan, costing $297 monthly, unlocks more advanced tools including unlimited funnels and landing pages, along with follow-up funnels and email marketing capabilities. The highest-tier plan, Two Comma Club, is reserved for established entrepreneurs who have generated more than $1 million in sales, offering exclusive benefits and personalized support.
Although the Basic plan covers many necessary tools, it has limitations that might not suit larger or more complex businesses. The higher tiers provide increased flexibility, making them suitable for scaling operations.
Features and Advantages of ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels includes a variety of features designed to boost website functionality and customize user experience. While all features work together to create a comprehensive marketing system, some stand out for their usefulness.
1. Drag-and-Drop Page Builder
The intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes it simple to create professional landing pages without any coding or design skills. Its user-friendly interface allows entrepreneurs to build visually appealing, conversion-focused websites quickly. This tool empowers users to design and modify pages freely, eliminating the need for hiring programmers or designers, which accelerates the setup process and reduces costs.
2. A/B Testing Features
With integrated A/B testing, users can compare different versions of their sales pages. The system identifies which elements perform poorly and helps optimize the page for better results. Visual comparisons make it easy to see what works best, ensuring continuous improvement and higher conversion rates.
3. Opt-in Forms
ClickFunnels integrates with various third-party tools to simplify creating attractive opt-in forms. These forms quickly collect visitors’ email addresses and contact details, automatically adding them to your email list. The platform offers numerous templates that are both appealing and easy to customize, aiding list-building efforts.
4. Email List Building
The platform enables you to develop and grow your mailing list directly through its opt-in funnels. This eliminates the need for separate email marketing tools, streamlining your outreach process and allowing you to manage contacts within ClickFunnels.
5. Affiliate Management Dashboard
Managing multiple affiliate programs is straightforward with ClickFunnels’ dedicated dashboard. It provides vital statistics and insights in one place, such as tracking promotional performance and analyzing which affiliates generate the most income. This makes affiliate marketing more efficient and manageable.
6. One-Click Upsells and Downsells
This feature simplifies increasing average order value by offering additional products during the checkout process. Customers can be prompted with upsell or downsell offers, and their preferences and payment details are stored for future transactions. With customizable templates for one-time offers, you can effortlessly add supplementary items to the sales flow, boosting revenue and improving the shopping experience.
7. Follow-up Funnels
Instead of investing in separate email autoresponder services, ClickFunnels allows you to create follow-up sequences within the platform. Whether using an existing list or building a new one, users can automate email campaigns to nurture leads and drive sales without additional software costs.
8. Order Forms
Order forms are essential for the checkout process, serving as the foundation for upsell and downsell offers. This feature ensures a smooth purchasing experience, facilitating one-click upsells and increasing the chances of customer conversion.With the help of customizable templates and design elements, creating one-step or two-step order forms is quick and easy.
This feature enables you to send bulk emails similar to most email automation tools. You can even schedule the exact date and time for your email campaigns to go out automatically.
ClickFunnels also offers a mobile text alert feature. Simply connect your account with an SMS marketing service, and you can send SMS messages directly from your dashboard. Like other features, you can choose a specific date and time for these notifications, and prospects can opt in to your email list via SMS as well.
For entrepreneurs wanting to offer exclusive content, the membership sites feature is ideal. After customers purchase a membership, you can assign different types of content—videos, images, text—within the platform. You can also use the drip delay feature to control when content is released, making content management more efficient. The organized design helps entrepreneurs group lessons for easier access.
ClickFunnels provides a variety of pre-designed funnel templates suited for beginners in e-commerce. These templates are customizable, allowing you to adjust elements like colors and layouts to match your brand’s identity.
Monitoring your sales performance is simplified with the sales analytics tool, which displays important metrics like earnings per click and total revenue across various funnel stages or pages.
The sticky cookies feature rewards affiliates who bring in customers by attaching their contact details to affiliate links. This tracking helps recognize affiliates and credit them with bonuses whenever their referral makes a purchase.
Sharing your funnels with partners and stakeholders is made easy through the share funnel feature, which includes all settings, custom CSS, and HTML codes. If others use your shared funnel to create their own ClickFunnels account, you earn affiliate commissions, enabling both parties to generate extra income effortlessly.
The sub-user feature allows you to grant team members access to your account with different permission levels—either full access or restricted roles. This facilitates team collaboration while safeguarding sensitive information.
ClickFunnels supports integration with various payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, and Keap. The number of gateways available depends on your subscription plan: the Basic Plan offers three, the Platinum Plan supports nine, and the Two Comma Club plan can connect to up to twenty-seven gateways.
In addition to built-in integrations, you can connect your account with numerous marketing software through Zapier. These include platforms like Active Campaign, Mailchimp, Salesforce, Zendesk, Shopify, and many more, expanding your marketing and sales capabilities.
Getting started with ClickFunnels is designed to be straightforward, especially for those without technical expertise. The platform claims you can create a high-converting sales funnel within ten minutes—an assertion supported by user testimonials. If you already have a website, email list, and payment provider, setting up your first funnel is quick, with visual drag-and-drop editing simplifying customization.
First, determine the goal of your funnel—whether it’s lead generation, sales, or event registration. Based on this choice, you’ll access relevant landing pages, email sequences, and other resources. All plans offer a 14-day free trial and include templates, so no coding or design skills are necessary. Let’s explore how each type of sales funnel works.
Lead Generation Funnels can be built using either squeeze pages, which focus on collecting email addresses, or long-form application pages. The main difference is the amount of information you gather from visitors; squeeze pages are optimized for maximum responses.Thanks to our shortening attention span, capturing interest has become more challenging than ever. To gather comprehensive leads, using long-form application pages that request details like contact info and areas of interest can be very effective. Combining both short and long lead pages helps in obtaining valuable insights for your marketing efforts.
Sales funnels are versatile tools, available in three primary types: tripwire funnels, video sales letter funnels, and launch funnels. A tripwire or unboxing funnel offers a low-cost product to entice initial purchases, often operating at a loss initially. The main aim is to convert visitors into buyers, after which you can upsell additional products through one-click offers to turn a profit. Writing compelling sales letters or creating video sales funnels is essential, especially for selling service-based digital products like SaaS, online courses, or webinars, which require explanation of their intangible value. Launch funnels, on the other hand, build excitement and anticipation before releasing a new product or service, making them particularly suitable for high-priced offerings where customers need more time to perceive value.
The event funnel feature offered by ClickFunnels is particularly beneficial for edupreneurs looking to expand their reach. These funnels can be used for live webinars—hosted via platforms like Zoom—where you can customize registration, broadcasting, and reminder messages. Alternatively, automated or evergreen webinars operate entirely within ClickFunnels, making it a more convenient choice for those lacking technical skills. Once set up, these automated webinars run seamlessly, letting you focus on other aspects of your business while generating sales effortlessly.
The ClickFunnels dashboard guides you through creating your first sales funnel. Although the process is simple, you can schedule a free onboarding call if needed. The platform integrates smoothly with various payment gateways and existing websites or domains, enabling you to operate under your own branding. If you prefer, you can also purchase a new domain through ClickFunnels, with prices starting at $20 per year.
To create your initial funnel, start by selecting a suitable template that features a clear, step-by-step process. You can customize these templates—adding or removing sections—using the WYSIWYG editor, which resembles tools like WordPress and Squarespace. As you customize, the editor will automatically flag any missing steps or integrations, making it easier to build a fully functional funnel. Platinum members can take advantage of A/B testing, allowing them to compare different elements and learn which version performs better based on analytics feedback.
One limitation of ClickFunnels is that it doesn’t prominently showcase your brand to potential customers, which can be a drawback since brand visibility often influences conversion rates. To overcome this, ClickFunnels offers Backpack, an affiliate marketing program exclusive to Platinum members, which drives traffic through affiliate referrals. With Backpack, you only pay commissions after successful sales, making it a cost-effective way to boost your reach.
Affiliate programs like ClickFunnels’ Backpack are valuable for enhancing your brand presence in several ways. They help improve your SEO by generating backlinks through referrals, and they increase brand awareness among targeted audiences who resonate with your offerings. Since affiliates promote your products based on trust and word-of-mouth, this approach tends to produce more credible and effective marketing results. Additionally, affiliates only pay when they drive actual sales, reducing risks and upfront costs.
Overall, affiliate marketing tools such as Backpack transform ClickFunnels into a comprehensive sales management platform. The Platinum plan’s advanced features make it a worthwhile investment, especially for those seeking to maximize sales and brand growth.
Similarly, Actionetics, another automation feature of ClickFunnels, tracks visitor behavior as they navigate your sales funnel. This data helps you better understand customer needs and tailor your products accordingly. It also enables sophisticated email automation through “smart lists” that automatically organize your mailing list based on user actions and preferences, making your marketing more targeted and effective.
For those eager to deepen their marketing knowledge, ClickFunnels provides FunnelFlix—an extensive educational platform offering seminars, tutorials, and videos on topics like marketing, sales, and copywriting. These resources, featuring industry experts such as Russell Brunson, Jay Abraham, and Tony Robbins, offer insights that surpass a traditional four-year college education.
What I appreciate about ClickFunnels is its all-in-one approach to sales and marketing, providing powerful tools that are easy to use and highly customizable.
1. User-Friendliness
ClickFunnels is well-known for how easy it is to operate, as reflected in their slogan, “Don’t waste any more time with ‘tech guys’.” While it is indeed user-friendly, beginners might need some time to become familiar with all the features. Fortunately, most people can get up to speed within a few hours by watching helpful videos on FunnelFlix or reading Russell Brunson’s books. The platform’s clean, straightforward dashboard makes navigation simple, offering enough customization options without overwhelming users. Despite its simplicity, it still provides flexibility, making operating a ClickFunnels account much easier than building a funnel from scratch.
2. Robust Integration Capabilities
One of ClickFunnels’ standout features is its extensive API integrations. These allow seamless connections with various marketing tools, payment processors, email services, and more, reducing the need to hire a specialized team for setups. The wide range of compatible software ensures your business can streamline processes and operate more efficiently, leveraging integrations that enhance your marketing efforts and overall productivity.
3. Excellent Landing Page Builder
ClickFunnels is widely regarded as one of the top landing page builders available. While its primary focus is on sales funnels, many users utilize its landing page builder for standalone projects. Its ease of use and professional templates make creating attractive and effective landing pages straightforward, whether you’re working on a sales campaign or just capturing leads.
4. Easy Editing and Testing Tools
The platform offers a drag-and-drop editor that simplifies customizing your pages. Additionally, its A/B testing features enable you to compare different versions of your funnels, identify what works best, and optimize your results. After building a funnel, you can easily test, tweak, and duplicate successful layouts for future campaigns, saving time and effort.
5. All-in-One Marketing Solution
With its range of features and integrations, ClickFunnels serves as a comprehensive marketing suite. It allows you to create web pages, build email lists, schedule SMS notifications, and manage various marketing tasks—all from one platform. This balance of functionality and user accessibility makes it a valuable tool for managing your entire marketing strategy with just a few clicks.
Limitations of ClickFunnels
1. Costly Investment
While ClickFunnels is ideal for small businesses, its price point might be a concern for many startups or freelancers on a tight budget. Although the platform offers powerful features, the subscription cost could make new entrepreneurs think twice before committing financially, especially if they’re just starting out.
2. Customer Support Could Improve
Many users have noted that customer service leaves something to be desired. The support team tends to respond quickly to basic questions but may not be as enthusiastic or helpful when it comes to explaining more complex features. This inconsistency can be frustrating for those needing detailed assistance.
3. Frequent Changes and Updates
ClickFunnels often tweaks its system and updates its collection of free tools, which can be disruptive for some users who prefer a stable, consistent workspace. While these changes typically don’t interfere with daily workflows, they can cause inconvenience or confusion for those accustomed to a specific setup.
Frequently Asked Questions About ClickFunnels
Who Is Suitable for Using ClickFunnels?
In general, ClickFunnels is highly recommended for startups, small businesses, and service providers—especially those in creative fields. It’s particularly useful for coaches, instructors, consultants, and professionals who have a great business idea but lack advanced technical skills to set up online sales funnels themselves.
Can I Try ClickFunnels for Free?
Yes, the platform offers a free 14-day trial that allows users to explore its array of tools for managing sales and marketing efforts without any initial commitment.
Final Thoughts on ClickFunnels
Is ClickFunnels the best option? Almost. It provides all the essential tools to get started with an online business and offers customization options without sacrificing performance or quality. While its interface can be inconsistent at times, this is offset by its impressive integration capabilities and professionally designed templates. Overall, ClickFunnels is a solid, effective marketing platform that simplifies sales automation and boosts conversion rates.
Start your journey today with a free 14-day trial of ClickFunnels.
 
