ClickFunnels Review – Is It Legit or a Scam?

Welcome to this ClickFunnels review. 

If you’re looking to learn more about the popular sales funnel builder platform, you’re at the right place. ClickFunnels has seen huge growth in its user base over the last several years.

The tool has been the first choice for entrepreneurs since it makes the daunting task of lead gen look easy. In this review, we shall cover how ClickFunnels works and all the things you need to know – pros, cons, comparisons, and much more.

Feel free to skim through the various sections of this ClickFunnels review using the following table of contents.

What Is ClickFunnels?

ClickFunnels is a landing page builder platform that was launched in 2014 by an online marketer named Russell Brunson. The founder has had a fair share of success in the internet marketing space. He even reveals all his strategies in his US best-selling books, namely Dot Com Secrets and Expert Secrets.

Both books cover much ground and can help one scale their online business to the next level. Expert Secrets is about creating a mass movement and getting people to pay for your advice.

Here’s a quick video from Russell Brunson that explains how ClickFunnels has the edge over its competition:

At the product’s core, you’ll find ready-to-go funnels that you can use immediately and edit as per your needs. Starting from scratch is never the recommended approach – why even reinvent the wheel?

The simple page builder offers ease of use and requires no technical skills.

Should You Use ClickFunnels?

The short answer is – it depends. If you have a service/product to sell, it could be a good fit for you. 

Does any of these apply to you?

• You run an e-commerce business.
• You offer coaching/consultancy services.
• You own an agency
• You own a retail business
• You’re into multi-level marketing
• You’re into affiliate marketing
• Any combination of the above?

If you answered in yes, then you would benefit from using ClickFunnels. If you’re new to online marketing/funnels, you can always begin with the basic plan and upgrade when needed.

With ClickFunnels, you can always upgrade/downgrade your subscription plan depending on your business goals.

FREE 14-day trial

ClickFunnels Review – Key Features of the Landing Page Builder

Sales funnels are intended to maximize the value per visitor, and ClickFunnels makes the entire process a breeze. With guesswork out of the equation, it will maximize your revenue and save time.

Whether your goal is to generate leads or get sales or host a webinar, you can accomplish it all with the suite. ClickFunnels will not falter if your goal is to save some time or maximize your business revenue/profits.

With the all-in-one online marketing suite, you can pump out high-quality funnels in no time, which requires no coding skills. If you sell a product, you’ll enjoy one-click upsells as well. The visitors can purchase an upgrade without the need to go through the checkout process again.

While there’s a lot to like about ClickFunnels, here are some of our favorite ClickFunnels features:

Huge Library of Templates

There are hundreds of high-quality templates that you can use to create your marketing funnel in minutes. Simply select a template, make edits, and it’s ready to go.

All that’s needed is to select your campaign’s goal, and relevant templates will pop up in your dashboard. Make use of conversion-optimized pages instead of starting from scratch.

In case you change your mind, you can also ditch one instantly and start all over again.

The Funnel Components

A marketing funnel inside of ClickFunnels is merely a collection of pages and comprises various ‘steps.’ Most funnels start with a squeeze page, also known as an opt-in page and a capture page.

Click Funnels Reviews – Generate Leads

The goal of the opt-in page is to get the user to opt into your funnel. This can either be a name, first name, a collection, or both or other info about the visitor. Apart from the squeeze page, you can also create these pages:

• Reverse Squeeze – Used to pre-qualify the prospect
• Sales Letter – This can be a video-only page or a regular letter focusing on the product’s benefits. Once the visitor has been warmed up, it also offers a section through which a purchase can be made.
• Upsell/OTO –  A one-time offer page can be useful to increase value per visitor. Often an OTO is offered after a smaller initial purchase has been made. With the one-click upsell feature, the visitors won’t have a hard time.
• Thank You – Also known as a bridge page, it acts as a bridge between the capture page and a sales page. Used for pre-selling, it can work wonders for a product’s conversion rate. Alternatively, if you don’t intend to sell right away, a simple ‘thank you for your interest’ message also does the trick.

See Related: Is Virtual Entrepreneurs Association a Legit Community or a Scam?

Customization With ClickFunnels

This is where ClickFunnels truly shines. With a huge library of templates and an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, the possibilities are endless. If you can dream of customizing a part of the funnel, you actually can.

ClickFunnels Review – Visual Editor

The drag-and-drop builder does most of the heavy lifting with which you just have to drag an element onto the page. As an advanced user, you can also write custom CSS code for styling elements.

From color to padding/margin customization, it’s all made possible – which requires no technical skills. Most ClickFunnels reviews acknowledge this but don’t cover it in depth. However, this one will.

A page inside of the ClickFunnels page editor is comprised of various sections. A section includes rows and columns where you can add various elements as you please. The individual elements can be edited with the pop-out sidebar and text directly, as you would with an old-school word editing tool.

Building a Funnel

For building a funnel with the landing page builder platform, you’ll have to pick your own path.

ClickFunnel Review – To get started, select one of the options

You can opt between the guided cookbook builder process or the classic funnel builder. The latter uses more of a do-it-yourself approach which is preferred by people who like more control over everything.

Cookbook Builder

It was introduced in recent times. With it, you can create a funnel based on your industry. You can also select the campaign’s goal via the ‘type of funnel’ option.

As of this writing, the following industry options are available:

• Author/speaker/coach/consultant
• Professional services
• Retail
• E-commerce
• B2B
• Network Marketing

Depending on your goals, you can also sort the results only to show the relevant templates:

• Generate leads
• Sell a product
• Create an event

Classic Funnel Builder

It’s the recommended option if you prefer more design control. It will prompt you to choose your goals:

• Collect emails (for building an e-mail list)
• Sell your product (or services)
• Host webinar (choose between live/automated replays)
• If not, you can go the custom route

See Related: Is FxFunnel the Smartest Funnel Builder Today?

ClickFunnels – Various Types of Marketing Funnels

Depending on the scenario/online marketing goals, you want to create something that best fits your requirements. With ClickFunnels, you certainly won’t have to do the heavy lifting. Simply select your main goal, a ready-made design, and you’re ready to roll.

You may want to build an e-mail list of people interested in something, sell a product/service to an audience, or perhaps, do both. Here are the different funnel types you can create with the cloud-based application:

• Lead generation funnels for building an email list.
• Sales funnels for selling a product/service.
• Event funnels for hosting an event (like a web-based seminar, also known as a webinar).

#1 Lead Funnels

As the name suggests, lead funnels are used to capture ‘leads’ or ‘subscribers.’ You build an email list, provide value via an autoresponder follow-up sequence, and later on sell a product.

This is how the process looks like: capture page (captures the visitors’ info) -> redirect to a thank you page.

Alternatively, you can set up a more sophisticated lead gen funnel as well. Start with a reverse squeeze page, collect their info, get them to fill out a detailed form, and then redirect to the thank you page.

That’s where Application funnels come to the rescue! This is what it looks like:

• Pre-qualify the visitor with a reverse squeeze page
• Send to a capture page, and collect the visitor’s details. It can be their first name/email or FB messenger info.
• The next in line is the application page, where you can collect much more data – addresses, phone numbers, etc.
• End the funnel with a catchy thank-you page. If the visitors leave after the second step, they can be contacted later since you’ve gathered their information (name/email/messenger).

#2 Sales Funnels

If you’re looking to sell a product right off the bat, a sales funnel should be on your mind.

With it, you’ll collect the visitors’ information and then send it to a sales page which will do all the selling for you. With CF, you can also use one-click upsells to maximize your order value per customer.

You can also integrate leading payment processors like PayPal and Stripe into your funnel.

To serve the purpose, you can select between:

• Tripwire funnel – To get the user to commit to the process by making a small purchase. This psychological warm-up process instantly increases their likelihood of buying a bigger ‘upgrade’ sometime later.
• Sales letter funnel – Some people prefer to watch an interactive video instead of reading a giant wall of text (on a sales page). You can either come on camera and discuss the product’s benefits or outsource it.
• Product launch funnel – Used to provide value and build anticipation until the product goes live. You can connect with the audience over email, educate them, and eventually notify them once it’s launched.

A product in the range of $7-17 works best since it doesn’t ask for a lot. Once the user has made their first purchase, redirect them to the one-time offer page. It can be an e-book or a case study, or something simple.

You can also use elements like countdown timers for discounts to improve the conversion rate further. All these elements are readily accessible from the ClickFunnels elements library.

See Related: Builderall Review: Is It Worth the Price?

#3 Event Funnels

Hosting an event online can be a great way to build connections and grow your audience.

ClickFunnels offers a dozen of ready to be deployed webinar funnel templates. You can stream live events with webinar funnels by connecting with platforms like YouTube or Zoom.

Via the webinar signup page, you get the visitors to register. The visitors will then be added to your streaming platform, from where they can select a time slot.

Re-targeting is also possible with webinar funnels. You can do so with an email follow-up sequence and a webinar replay link for those who miss the live event. If you have a presentation ready to go, you can instead use an auto webinar funnel to host your pre-recorded webinar. To sum things up:

• Use Webinar funnels to host live events via third-party video streaming services
• Use Autowebinar funnels to host recorded presentations (all hosted on ClickFunnels)

FREE 14-day trial

Membership Site

With ClickFunnels, you can create a fully-fledged membership site. You can host private training or even offer a coaching program through it. Once you grant access, your customers will have their login credentials for the site.

There’s also an option to offer content via a drip-feed mode if you don’t want to let it all out in one go.

Once a membership website is created using ClickFunnels, you’ll have a secret login for admin access. Through it, you can create/manage user accounts on demand.

This can turn into a decent monthly cash flow stream as it’s possible to set up recurring billing for your program. Create online courses, and set up recurring billing options.

Prevent Cart Abandonment

With the built-in order forms, you can prevent card abandonment and increase your revenue.

One-page forms work great, but if you intend to collect multiple fields, use a two-step order form instead. With it, you’ll only collect the prospects’ email/name or FB messenger info on the first step. If they happen to abandon the cart on the second step, which collects more data, there will always be a way to reconnect with them.

Add the cherry on the cake with the one-click upsells since they won’t have to go through the checkout process again.

Recruit and Manage Affiliates

Using Backpack, you can run your own affiliate program. It’s possible to set custom commission plans and do mass payouts. You can also provide the necessary promo tools to affiliates, like banner ads/email swipes for the product.

If a user sends you a prospect, they will get the credit. You can use ClickFunnels to track every step of the visitors’ journey with utmost precision.

The backpack is only available with the flagship ClickFunnels platinum plan. Some say you should stay away from the ClickFunnels scams because they don’t find a Backpack in the starter plan, and this explains why.

Retargeting Prospects With ClickFunnels

If you’ve captured a lead with the landing page builder, you may want to get a quick notification via email. You may also want to thank them for subscribing or send a welcome email.

From the automation section, you can automate the chores and get notified when someone signs up through your funnels. Scheduling a welcome email to go out at a specific time is also an option.

If you’re interested in sending a series of automated emails, you may want to look into Actionetic’s Follow-up Funnels. It’s ClickFunnels’ in-house autoresponder program. Connect it with an SMTP of your choice, and your email campaigns should be ready. Here are a few advantages of using Actionetics:

• Segment leads with smart lists – Send tailor-made content to a specific group of people instead of a cold email blast. Target people based on their past behavior – purchase history, cart abandonment, and much more!
• Break free of email campaigns – Email channel is among the most popular ones, but with Actionetics, you’re not limited to it. You can use FB messenger, SMS messages, and desktop notifications as well.
• Track your audience with ‘Action Score’ – Based on a few metrics; you can evaluate the person’s action score and track open rates/CTR and much more with email campaigns.

The higher the Action Score is, the better. It may also be a good idea to remove inactive leads regularly. Here’s what determines the score:

• When did the leads join the list
• How often do they interact with your content
• Purchase behavior compared to other leads
• Social media checks – how active they are on social sites

Product Delivery

Regardless of whether you’re selling physical or digital goods, fulfillment will be a breeze with the platform.

If it’s a digital product, the buyer will get instant access to the member’s area from where they can access their purchase. If it’s a downloadable product and not a course, instead, send it to a thank you/download page.

On the other hand, if you sell physical goods, enable the ShipStation feature for your funnels. It seamlessly integrates your ClickFunnels account with hundreds of e-commerce and drop-shipping sites. 

Managing inventory doesn’t have to be a nightmare!

A/B Split Testing on Landing Pages

Also known as bucket testing, with A/B tests, you can make slight changes to the page and test them out.

Sometimes, a little change like a button color change makes all the difference; You wouldn’t know unless you put them to the test. You can conduct a range of tests with the following:

1. Headings
2. Sub-headings
3. Text on page
4. Images
5. Button text
6. Button colors and much more.

Clone an existing page, make slight changes as you please, and enable the split test. It will evenly distribute the traffic between the set of pages and determine the winning page (with the better conversion rate).

ClickFunnels Support

The company has a decent support team, so expect to get your queries answered within 12 hours on business days. The only thing they lack at this moment is a live-chat option which may be added moving forward.

The product has little to no flaws, and usually, you won’t run into issues. However, if you do, create a ticket and wait for a response. You will get an email notification for the same when it’s answered.

There’s some room for improvement, as 24/7 chat support is something a lot of people will appreciate. If you’re looking for a prompt fix, use the community FB group instead. There’s a fair chance a user can help you out.

Documentation

If you get stuck, you can always get a hold of the support team. If not, you can fix the problem(s) on your own using their extensive documentation.

The docs cover everything – from step-by-step tutorials to general guides to troubleshooting tips. If you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, it won’t hurt to go through the docs.

Whether you are looking for a specific feature or want a quick getting-started guide, this is the place to look.

ClickFunnels Pros and Cons

ClickFunnels is one of the more popular marketing suites out there, and for a good reason. It has helped people generate millions of dollars in sales online.

The platform happily connects with dozens of other services, and with their page builder, you don’t need to write a single line of code. You can have your own membership website up and running in no time. Yet, it isn’t perfect.

However, if you look at the bigger picture, it does make things look easy, which would otherwise be daunting.

ClickFunnels Pros – Things We Liked

ClickFunnels, as a landing page builder platform, has come a long way over the years. Here’s what we like:

• Easy to use drag-and-drop page editor. There’s no need to write code (unless you want to)
• FREE 14-day trial – 100% risk-free; cancel anytime.
• Huge library of resources and a helpful community of entrepreneurs.
• A/B testing can help you get profitable fast since you’ll know what’s working and what’s not.
• Multiple tools under one roof – no need to pay for dozens of expensive services.
• Accurate link tracking to track every step in a funnel with precision.
• Integrates with hundreds of leading platforms.
• Helpful support – most tickets are answered within 24 hours. On top, they usually go the extra mile and record custom videos to help you out.
• Create a funnel once, and share it as many times as you want with the share funnels feature.
• Launch your own affiliate program with Backpack

FREE 14-day trial

ClickFunnels Cons – Things We Didn’t Like

There’s some room for improvement as well:

• Learning curve – the software is easy to use, but it can sometimes be overwhelming (especially if you’re a beginner). You certainly don’t have to learn everything, though. Make use of the 80-20 rule.
• A lot more expensive compared to other page builders. Thrive was (and is) among our favorites, and it’s way cheaper. However, Thrive Themes works only with WordPress websites.
• Limits on funnel/page creation – with the starter plan, you’re limited to 20 funnels. To create unlimited funnels, you’ll need to upgrade to the Etison suite (now known as ClickFunnels Platinum).
• No 24/7 live chat option.

ClickFunnels Alternatives

There are a lot of rival tools out there for building funnels. Not all of them are marketed as funnel-building tools, though. Some of them are rather classified as page builders.

Some of the popular competing programs include:

• Thrive Themes
• Kartra
• LeadPages
• Infusionsoft
• BuilderAll
• Unbounce

1. ClickFunnels vs Thrive Themes

Thrive Themes is an excellent all-in-one software suite. This website is also powered by Thrive. It can be used to build a landing page as well, but it only does a part of what ClickFunnels does.

Thrive only works with WordPress (and you must have a website ready to go to be able to use it), and it only makes pages. It doesn’t include an autoresponder or any other advanced features you’ll get with ClickFunnels.

If you do have a WordPress website and an autoresponder service, then Thrive can be an alternative, but it is only designed for making pages rather than funnels, so it lacks a lot of the features that ClicFunnels has.

Thrive Themes Pros

• Inexpensive – starts at $19/month. If you only want the page builder, it’s $97 one-time. Check to price here.
• Complete marketing toolkit – comes with dozens of premium themes and plugins.
• Use on up to 25 websites you own with one license – comes to less than $1/month per site.
• It can be used to build complete funnels
• It comes with hundreds of inbuilt templates

Thrive Themes Cons

• Thrive isn’t a standalone product – it works only with WordPress websites.
• Doesn’t come with an autoresponder service.
• No free trial option, but they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee

2. ClickFunnels vs Kartra

Kartra is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) product similar to ClickFunnels. It’s also marketed as an all-in-one solution for online marketers.

From building an email list to creating complete funnels, it’s all possible with Kartra.

Kartra Pros

• Build multi-step sales funnels, customize as needed
• It comes with a powerful autoresponder system
• Can create top-notch membership portals
• Drag and drop editor
• Starts from $89/month

Kartra Cons

• The interface is slightly complex
• The template library is limited
• Smaller community – if you run into issues, it may take a while before you find a fix

3. ClickFunnels vs LeadPages

Like Thrive Themes, LeadPages is a simple landing page builder platform, and it can’t build complete funnels, so once again, it’s not a like-for-like comparison.

LeadPages also lets you build a mobile responsive landing page, but it’s all about producing single pages rather than linking them together to create sophisticated funnels.

ClickFunnels is focused on building funnels, not just opt-in pages. Comparing it with ClickFunnels is like comparing apples to oranges.

LeadPages Pros

• Excellent email support team
• Dozens of high-quality landing page templates to choose from
• Drag and drop builder
• Inexpensive – starts from $37/month

LeadPages Cons

• Page loading be sluggish at times
• Focused around basic lead gen – To drive sales, you need to look elsewhere
• No email automation tools
• Since it’s not sales driven, it doesn’t support payment processors via integrations

4. ClickFunnels vs Infusionsoft

Infusionsoft is quite complex and overpriced for what it offers.

Expect to pay $300 per month, which is notoriously difficult to use. You may have to hire someone to manage it for you since it’s far from beginner-friendly. That’s the bad bit over.

Infusionsoft is capable of building very sophisticated funnels too. It’s still used by many B2B companies for managing huge email lists.

Infusionsoft Pros

• Capable of building high-end funnels
• It comes with a dozen of useful email marketing tools, including an autoresponder.

Infusionsoft Cons

• Expensive for what it offers
• Steep learning curve
• Funnels built with it are ‘good-looking’ but aren’t great.

5. ClickFunnels vs BuilderAll

BuilderAll is a cheaper alternative to ClickFunnels, but it’s limited, and the platform is not half as polished.

It can be a good starting point for those on a budget. But, if we were to use one tool, we would use and recommend ClickFunnels any day. If you’re interested in checking out ClickFunnels alternatives, I definitely recommend you check out this article as well.

It’s overall a decent platform, but their email marketing tools aren’t amazing either. You get what you pay for!

BuilderAll Pros

• Cheap – starts from $29/month
• Drag and drop builder for building funnels
• It comes with email automation tools

BuilderAll Cons

• Not very polished – if you made the switch from ClickFunnels, you would notice a huge difference
• The dated interface, is not as easy to use compared to other marketing suites
• There’s room for improvement as far as tech support is concerned

6. ClickFunnels vs Unbounce

Unbounce is a great product as well and comes with a lot of top-notch funnel templates.

Apart from building a landing page, you can also build custom sticky bars and popups. It can be integrated with WordPress sites via plugins too.

Unbounce Pros

• Wix-like drag and drop builder, very easy to use
• Seamlessly connects with WordPress websites
• Starts from $79 per month, slightly cheaper compared to other solutions

Unbounce Cons

• Limited in features, you can’t build a membership portal with it
• There’s some learning curve
• Limited A/B testing capabilities

ClickFunnels Pricing Plans

ClickFunnels offers two pricing plans:

1. ClickFunnels Standard – $97 per month 
2. ClickFunnels Platinum – $297 per month (formerly known as Etison Suite)

The flagship Platinum/Etison Suite plan can be had at a huge discount if you opt for Funnel Builder Secrets. Simply pick a copy and select either 6 or 12 months to avail of a special price.

FREE 14-day trial

Standard Plan:

This is the cheaper plan, which is also the recommended option if you’re just getting started. The basic plan comes with all the goodies except for a few advanced features, namely Follow-up Funnels and Backpack.

Before re-branding, Follow-up Funnels was formerly called Actionetics. It’s ClickFunnels’ own autoresponder system for email marketing automation. The backpack is used to set up your own affiliate program so you can hire and manage affiliates. These are advanced features and are only offered in the $297 package.

The number of funnels and pages you can create with this membership plan is also capped. Here’s what you get with the standard plan:

• Connect up to 3 custom domains
• 20,000 visitors per month
• Create up to 20 funnels with up to 100 pages in total
• Access to all the built-in templates
• Share funnels to share funnels with other people
• A/B split testing for optimizing your ongoing campaigns
• Unlimited contacts (if you intend to use a lead gen funnel)

Platinum Plan (Formerly Known as Etison Suite):

ClickFunnels Platinum is the company’s high-end offering at the moment. It removes all the limitations of the standard plan and comes with a few additional perks.

You can have unlimited funnels/pages and send as many visitors as you like each month to a landing page. Here’s what you get with ClickFunnels Platinum:

• Connect up to 9 custom domains
• Send unlimited visitors
• Create unlimited funnels and pages
• Bucket testing
• Access to all the built-in templates
• Share funnels
• Backpack to run your own referral/affiliate program
• Follow-up funnels (formerly known as Actionetics) for automation in email marketing.

For reference, here’s a complete chart highlighting the differences:

Instance 1

ClickFunnels

$97/mo

• Share funnels
• Up to 20 funnels
• Up to 100 pages
• 1 user
• Connect up to 3 domain
• Funnel Hacker forum
• Funnelflix
• Chat support

ClickFunnels Platinum

$297/mo

• Share funnels
• Unlimited funnels
• Unlimited pages
• Up to 3 users
• Connect up to 9 domains
• Funnel Hacker forum
• Funnelflix + additional training/courses
• Priority chat support
• Unlimited Follow-up Funnels
• Supports leading payment gateways
• Backpack

FREE 14-day trial

ClickFunnels Review – Discount

Regardless of the plan, you select, you can get a FREE 14-day trial. During the trial period, you can use the product without limitations. Why not take the Platinum plan out for a spin since you won’t have to pay a dime?

If you’re looking for Actionetics, you may want to sign up for the higher-end plan instead. Some of the features are exclusive to the Platinum plan. The same goes for Backpack, where you can run an affiliate program.

You can also get a free trial if you opt for the One Funnel Away Challenge. You can learn more about it here.

Opt for a 6-month subscription, and receive a 50% discount on the Platinum plan.

With a 6 or 12-month subscription plan, you also get the following bonuses for free:

• Funnel Hacks Masterclass
• Traffic Secrets
• Funnel Builder Secrets training
• Funnel Scripts and much more

Is There a Guarantee?

The platform offers a free 14-day trial, but if you stay after the trial period is over, there are no refunds. However, if you opt for a 6-month or a 12-month plan (here), you will get a 30-day full money-back guarantee if you change your mind. To cancel, open a support ticket and ask for a refund.

During the trial period, your card won’t be charged. You can always test-drive the product to see if it’s a good fit.

ClickFunnels Review – Is ClickFunnels Legit?

That brings us to the conclusion of this in-depth ClickFunnels review.

It’s a good match for the right businesses and is a legit software platform. Whether or not it’s worth it depends on many factors. There are dozens of ClickFunnels.com reviews, and whether or not you need it depends on your requirements and, most importantly, your goals.

Take a free 14-day trial and see for yourself. Share what your favorite features of the iconic page builder are!

Did you learn something new about the platform today? Is it a good fit with what you do?

Or did we miss anything?

Either way, let us know by leaving a quick comment down below.

ClickFunnels FAQ/Frequently Asked Questions

Following, you can find some of the frequently asked questions about ClickFunnels:

Related Resources

• ClickFunnels $19 Plan – How to Unlock It
• ClickFunnels vs BuilderAll – Which One Should You Select?
• How to Clone a Funnel in ClickFunnels