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GoHighLevel Review: Is This All-in-One Platform Worth It for Agencies?

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Why Agencies Struggle with Fragmented Systems?

Modern digital agencies often juggle multiple platforms just to keep their operations running.

But instead of scaling efficiently, this fragmentation usually leads to disjointed workflows, higher costs, and lost opportunities.

Switching Between Multiple Tools

Running ads in one platform, managing leads in another, emailing from a third, and booking calls in a fourth, this patchwork system forces teams to waste time switching tabs, chasing logins, and manually syncing data.

Most small agencies use tools like Mailchimp, Calendly, ClickFunnels, Zapier, and Trello in parallel.

This creates not just extra expense but unnecessary complexity. Worse, key client insights often fall through the cracks between these platforms.

Poor Client Communication Flow

With disjointed systems, following up with leads becomes a game of guesswork.

Whether it’s delayed replies, missed texts, or forgotten reminders, fragmented communication ruins the client experience, especially when conversations are split across DMs, emails, and CRM notes.

Agencies relying on outdated systems often lose warm leads due to poor timing or lack of visibility across touchpoints.

Lack of Automation and Centralised Data

Many agency owners try to automate tasks using basic email sequences or third-party integrations.

But without a unified dashboard, real automation is hard to achieve, especially when reporting, analytics, and messaging live on different platforms.

Fragmented tools can’t deliver a complete customer journey or track ROI in one place.

So, is GoHighLevel the answer to these agency problems?

Let’s find out.

What Is GoHighLevel? (And Who Is It For?)

GoHighLevel is an all-in-one marketing and CRM platform built specifically for agencies and service providers who want to consolidate their tech stack. 

Rather than stitching together multiple SaaS tools, it offers a centralised dashboard for funnel building, lead capture, follow-up automation, calendar booking, invoicing, and more.

Overview of Gohighlevel Core Features

At its core, GoHighLevel includes:

  • Drag-and-drop funnel builder (like ClickFunnels)
  • CRM and pipeline management
  • Automated email and SMS campaigns
  • White-label client portals
  • Booking calendar with reminders
  • Reputation management
  • Call tracking and two-way texting
  • Marketing automation workflows
  • WordPress hosting (for Pro users)
  • Affiliate/referral management

GoHighLevel also offers a Developer Marketplace, allowing users to build or install custom add-ons. However, this marketplace is still in early stages and lacks the polish of more mature platforms.

While the platform promises “all-in-one,” it’s important to note — as seen in real user reviews — that some features feel duct-taped together rather than fully integrated.

Who Typically Uses It: Agencies, Consultants, Service Providers

GoHighLevel is designed for:

  • Marketing agencies wanting to manage leads, clients, and campaigns in one place
  • Freelance consultants offering white-label automation services
  • Service-based businesses (e.g. med spas, coaches, realtors) need automated follow-ups and appointment systems
Pyramid showing different gohighlevel users with featuring botvistaa logo in the background

It is not designed for product-based eCommerce or enterprise-level CRM use cases.

With over 400,000+ users, GoHighLevel has grown fast since its launch, but quantity doesn’t always mean quality. Some agencies praise its time-saving workflows, while others report issues with stability and support.

So, is GoHighLevel legit?
Yes — it’s a real platform with a growing user base and active development team. But whether it’s a good fit for your agency depends on your workflow complexity and need for reliability.

GoHighLevel Pricing Breakdown: Actual Costs and What You Get

If you’re comparing platforms, pricing clarity matters.

Many agencies are drawn in by GoHighLevel’s promise of “unlimited everything,” but the real costs depend on your plan and usage.

Starter vs Pro Plan Explained

GoHighLevel offers two main pricing tiers:

  • Starter Plan – $97/month

    • One account (usually your agency’s)
    • Access to all core features: CRM, funnels, forms, automations, calendars
    • No sub-account creation or white-labelling

  • Agency Pro Plan – $297/month

    • Unlimited sub-accounts (ideal for client work)
    • Full white-labelling: custom domain, app branding, login portal
    • SaaS Mode access to resell the platform as your own

GoHighLevel pricing is straightforward at the base level, but functional power starts at the Pro Plan, especially for agencies managing multiple clients.

Extra Costs You Need to Budget For

What the official pricing page doesn’t highlight clearly:

  • Mailgun (email delivery): Required for email automation. Paid separately based on volume (starts at ~$35/month for ~50k emails).
  • Twilio (SMS & calls): Also paid separately, with fees per text or minute.
  • Workflow triggers: These rely on message usage — costs can add up if you automate follow-ups aggressively.

So while “how much is GoHighLevel?” starts at $97/month, expect to spend $200–$500/month depending on client volume and messaging needs.

GoHighLevel Pro Plan Use Case: When Does It Make Sense?

The Pro Plan makes sense if:

  • You manage 3+ clients and want to offer each their own portal
  • You’re ready to white-label the platform and sell access under your brand
  • You want to earn recurring SaaS revenue (using their SaaS Mode feature)

Example: A small agency onboarding 5 real estate clients could charge each $197/month for CRM + follow-ups, generating $985 in revenue while only paying $297 to GoHighLevel.

image showing 5 onboarding clients couldbring more revenue than actual gohighlevel user cost with botavistaa logo in the background

The Good: What GoHighLevel Gets Right

While GoHighLevel isn’t perfect, several core strengths make it a viable option for growth-focused agencies. 

For teams managing high lead volume and routine client services, the platform can replace 6–7 standalone tools.

Centralised Automation & CRM

GoHighLevel brings together funnel building, lead capture, nurture sequences, and CRM management under one roof. You can:

  • Build landing pages and forms
  • Automatically tag leads based on actions
  • Trigger email/SMS campaigns using workflows
  • Track all client conversations in one thread

This centralised automation allows agencies to reduce manual follow-ups and close more deals, especially useful when managing large or segmented pipelines.

White-Label and Client Portal Capabilities

The Agency Pro Plan unlocks full white-labelling. You can:

  • Brand the login portal with your logo and custom domain
  • Offer clients a dashboard to view leads, book appointments, and respond to messages
  • Resell GoHighLevel as a SaaS under your pricing model

For agencies selling “done-for-you” marketing or client CRM setups, this adds a scalable layer of recurring revenue.

Real-World Benefit: GSMM’s 3-Year Workflow Setup Success

In a detailed review, Global Social Media Marketing (GSMM) shared how they used GoHighLevel to streamline lead capture, email sequences, appointment setting, and onboarding across multiple verticals.

They built:

  • Funnel pages for webinars and lead magnets
  • Automations that segmented prospects based on behaviour
  • A CRM workflow that improved follow-up consistency
  • A client onboarding system that reduced admin work

After three years, their team had fully replaced tools like Mailchimp, Calendly, and ClickFunnels, cutting overhead and boosting lead response rates.

The Bad: What Didn’t Work (Case Study: Millo.co)

Not every agency walks away satisfied. In a detailed teardown by Clay Mosley on Millo.co, a real-world GoHighLevel user outlines the platform’s limitations after a failed migration. 

It highlights exactly where GoHighLevel falls short for teams expecting a polished, reliable experience.

UX Frustration & Bugs

GoHighLevel’s interface isn’t always intuitive. During their testing, the Millo team reported:

  • Confusing menu structures
  • Glitchy calendar links
  • Poor mobile responsiveness
  • Frequent freezes when updating automations

This caused wasted hours trying to fix what should have been basic tasks. For agencies with tight deadlines or non-technical team members, these issues can derail productivity.

It raised the question: “Is GoHighLevel down, or is this just how it works?” — a line no user wants to say mid-campaign.

Deliverability Issues and Open Rate Collapse

One of the most damaging problems noted was the collapse in email open rates after switching to GoHighLevel.

  • Emails sent through their connected Mailgun account were landing in spam
  • Campaigns that used to get 30–40% open rates dropped to under 5%
  • No built-in alerts warned them of these issues

Despite a correct setup, deliverability suffered, highlighting how GoHighLevel’s native email tools don’t match the reliability of dedicated ESPs.

This is especially risky for agencies running cold email or nurture sequences at scale.

Misleading Pricing and Unexpected Costs

While GoHighLevel markets itself as “all-in-one,” Millo’s team found hidden costs piling up fast:

  • Separate billing for Mailgun, Twilio, and LC Email
  • Charged by the number of emails, calls, and automations triggered
  • Upsells inside the GoHighLevel Developer Marketplace, some of which were buggy or poorly supported

For small agencies, these costs combined with a clunky experience made the platform feel like more of a liability than a solution.

“We left within 2 months, frustrated and out of pocket,” Mosley writes.

While many GoHighLevel users find success with it, experiences like this highlight that it’s not a plug-and-play tool for everyone. 

The platform works, but only if your use case fits its limitations, and you’re prepared to test every layer before scaling.

Ready to Try GoHighLevel — But Want to Test It First?

Use the 14-day trial to clone your current workflows and test deliverability before making a commitment.

Feature Gaps & Compatibility Questions

Despite its “all-in-one” branding, GoHighLevel has notable limitations that affect both integration and functionality.

These gaps can be dealbreakers for agencies with specific needs or existing website setups.

Does GoHighLevel Work with Wix?

Technically, yes, you can connect GoHighLevel forms or embed funnels onto a Wix website, but the process isn’t seamless.

  • Wix’s limited custom code support makes embed styling difficult
  • Dynamic updates or two-way syncing with GoHighLevel’s CRM is not native
  • Most automations and booking tools work better on WordPress or standalone funnel pages

For Wix users, you’ll likely need to use external iframes or basic HTML embeds, which don’t always render well, especially on mobile. 

So, does GoHighLevel work with Wix? 

Yes, but not natively or efficiently.

Can You Fax from GoHighLevel?

No — GoHighLevel does not support faxing. There’s no built-in eFax functionality, nor integrations with common cloud fax providers. 

While this may not affect most digital-first agencies, those working with law firms, healthcare providers, or compliance-heavy industries should note this limitation.

If faxing is mission-critical, you’ll need to maintain a separate platform outside of your GoHighLevel workflow.

Is It Really “All-in-One” or Duct-Taped Modules?

This is where expectations often clash with reality.

While GoHighLevel covers many bases like (CRM, funnels, automations, SMS, calendars), it doesn’t always feel like a unified platform. Several users (including in all-in-one marketing reviews) describe the experience as:

  • “A dashboard full of bolted-on mini tools”
  • “Functional, but not polished”
  • “Great in theory, frustrating in execution”

Workflows often require workarounds, and feature depth doesn’t match standalone tools like HubSpot, ConvertKit, or ActiveCampaign.

That said, for agencies with predictable, repeatable use cases, it can function as a true all-in-one — if you’re ready to invest time in setup and testing.

GoHighLevel vs Competitors

Before committing to GoHighLevel, many agencies consider other popular platforms.

Let’s compare it directly to HubSpot, Kajabi, and briefly touch on why some users switch back to Keap after trying GoHighLevel.

GoHighLevel vs HubSpot – Agency Automation vs Corporate CRM

HubSpot is a well-established CRM with deep marketing, sales, and service pipelines — ideal for mid-to-enterprise-level businesses.

HubSpot vs GoHighLevel comes down to use case. Agencies wanting client-facing portals and automation under one white-label roof will prefer GoHighLevel.

Corporations needing a cross-departmental CRM structure will lean toward HubSpot.

GoHighLevel vs Kajabi – Marketing Suite vs Course Platform

Kajabi focuses on course creators, memberships, and digital product delivery, with polished front-end design and customer login experiences.

In the GoHighLevel vs Kajabi matchup, the difference is clear:

 

  • Use GoHighLevel for agency funnels and client automation.
  • Choose Kajabi if your business is content-driven or focused on info products.

Why Some Return to Keap After Trying GoHighLevel

Several users, especially long-time Infusionsoft/Keap customers, report returning to Keap due to:

  • Cleaner automations
  • Better deliverability and CRM tagging
  • More predictable support and uptime

GoHighLevel appeals with affordability and versatility, but Keap still wins on refined features and a longer track record.

For agencies that prioritise CRM depth over white-labelling, Keap remains a fallback option.

Verdict: Who Should Use GoHighLevel (And Who Shouldn’t)

GoHighLevel is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but it can be a game-changer for the right agency.

Based on long-term users like GSMM and critical cases like Millo.co, here’s where it shines and where it falls short.

Ideal Use Case Summary

GoHighLevel is best for:

  • Agencies managing repeatable lead generation or appointment funnels
  • Teams offering done-for-you marketing or niche CRM setups
  • Businesses wanting client dashboards, white-labelling, or SaaS resale

It’s especially powerful for:

  • Local business marketing
  • Real estate, medspas, or coaching agencies
  • Teams scaling a template-driven workflow

If you’re spending hundreds monthly on multiple tools (ClickFunnels, Calendly, Mailchimp, etc.), GoHighLevel can replace them under one login.

When to Avoid It (Based on Millo’s Experience)

Avoid GoHighLevel if:

  • You need flawless UI and expect plug-and-play reliability
  • Email deliverability is mission-critical and you’re not familiar with DNS setups
  • You manage highly custom campaigns that don’t fit templated workflows
  • You expect built-in support for tools like Wix or faxing

In short: GoHighLevel is powerful but technical. Agencies without time or capacity to test, tweak, and monitor deliverability may struggle as Millo’s team did.

Alternative Tools to Consider

If GoHighLevel doesn’t fit, consider:

  • HubSpot – For structured CRM workflows across marketing, sales, and service
  • Keap – For reliable automations and advanced tagging without white-labelling
  • Kajabi – If your business revolves around digital courses and communities
  • Systeme.io – A simpler all-in-one with a lower learning curve
  • ActiveCampaign – Known for its powerful email engine and segmentation

GreenRope – Full-featured CRM with built-in project management and event tracking

Bonus tip:

Agencies with 3+ clients and standardised services can scale profitably with GoHighLevel, but it’s not a magic bullet. Treat it like infrastructure, not an app: 

  • Test workflows 
  • Monitor deliverability
  • Train your team

Final Tips for Agencies Considering GoHighLevel

Before diving into a full migration, consider these final tips to avoid the most common mistakes GoHighLevel users face:

Tip 1: Test Deliverability on a Cloned List First

GoHighLevel uses Mailgun, LC Email, or SMTP integrations for email and the wrong setup can quietly wreck open rates.

Before switching over your full list:

  • Clone a small, active segment
  • Warm up your domain
  • Monitor inbox placement (not just open rates)

This can prevent a collapse in email performance, like the one reported in Millo’s case study.

Tip 2: Watch Out for Per-Email Billing with Mailgun

Many agencies overlook GoHighLevel’s usage-based email charges. Mailgun pricing is:

  • Based on the number of emails sent
  • Billed separately from your GoHighLevel subscription
  • Can spike if automations aren’t tightly scoped

Note: Disable default workflows you’re not using, and audit your triggers before going live to avoid surprise costs.

Tip 3: Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome — Prioritise Reliability

GoHighLevel promises a lot, from white-label SaaS to built-in AI and client chat. But don’t get distracted by features you won’t use.

Start with the basics:

  • CRM
  • Appointment booking
  • Funnel + automation flow

Then expand after you’ve stabilised the results. Focus on consistent delivery and performance, not bells and whistles.

Conclusion: GoHighLevel – Worth It, If You’re the Right Fit

GoHighLevel isn’t for everyone, but for agencies running repeatable campaigns, managing multiple clients, or scaling SaaS offers, it can centralise your stack and cut costs fast.

Just go in with clear expectations: 

  • Test before migrating 
  • Budget for add-ons like Mailgun 
  • Focus on reliability over features 

If you’re willing to put in the setup work, GoHighLevel can replace 5+ tools and give you full control of your client workflows under one roof.

Not Sure If It Fits Your Tech Stack?

Before switching, map your exact needs — client volume, integrations, automation depth — and compare GoHighLevel’s Pro plan to your current setup.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is GoHighLevel good for SEO?

GoHighLevel offers a basic funnel and website builder with editable metadata, headings, and mobile responsiveness. However, it lacks advanced SEO controls like schema markup, fast hosting, or CDN options. 

For local SEO or landing pages, it’s sufficient. For full-scale content-driven SEO, a dedicated CMS like WordPress is more suitable.

GoHighLevel uses SSL encryption, secure logins, and role-based permissions to protect user data. It’s suitable for most standard agency and client use, but lacks detailed transparency on compliance certifications like GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC 2. 

Agencies handling sensitive client data should verify third-party integrations and take extra security steps.

GoHighLevel can significantly streamline operations for agencies and service providers by consolidating tools like CRM, email/SMS marketing, pipeline tracking, and automation into one platform. 

But it isn’t plug-and-play. Success depends on setup, team skill, and how well the system is maintained. 

For structured agencies, it’s a time-saver. 

For solo users or teams without tech support, it can be overwhelming or underutilised.

Some users report that GoHighLevel feels like a “pitching station” packed with upsells, with real functionality locked behind additional subscriptions. Others find it a cost-effective replacement for multiple tools when fully implemented. 

The truth lies in how well your agency can navigate its setup, integrations, and billing model. It’s not for everyone, especially solo users expecting plug-and-play simplicity.

If your agency juggles multiple tools for funnels, automation, email marketing, and CRM, then GoHighLevel is worth it,  but only if you implement its full suite.

Most agencies get value from features like:

  • White-label client dashboards
  • Workflow automation
  • Centralised messaging and lead tracking

However, for freelancers or small teams who don’t need all-in-one functionality, it can feel overwhelming or unnecessary.

Tip: Use the 14-day free trial to test whether GoHighLevel’s features match your delivery model.

Best for: Agencies with structured, repeatable client workflows
Not ideal for: Users who only need landing pages, email, or CRM in isolation

Agencies running client campaigns, coaches with appointment funnels, and local services managing leads often see the most benefit. 

Businesses that offer done-for-you marketing or want to resell white-label platforms are also strong fits.

That depends on the setup. Agencies with existing SOPs and workflows can start seeing improvements in client management and lead flow within 2–3 weeks. New users may take longer due to the platform’s learning curve and integration needs.

No coding is required. However, expect some technical setup, especially when configuring Twilio, Mailgun, Stripe, or custom domains. A non-technical user can still use it with patience or guided onboarding.

Most features are included, but some critical tools (like email sending and phone/SMS) require external services with extra costs.

This includes Mailgun for email, Twilio for voice/text, and other APIs depending on your use case.

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