There are currently more than 95,000 active ClickFunnels users. These users have built more than 5.5 million funnels using the program. With impressive numbers like this, you’d think there were no downsides to using ClickFunnels. But like with everything else, the service has its pros and cons. The primary disadvantage of ClickFunnels is a comparatively hefty price tag. The biggest question on people’s minds? Is this SaaS program worth the price or is it over-hyped? Continue reading this ClickFunnels review to find out.
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ClickFunnels by the Numbers
On the ClickFunnels website, they list some critical statistics. These statistics seem to show the program is well worth the investment:
- 95,066 active members
- 5,564,612 total funnels built since the program launched
- Users come from 175 different countries
- $3,898,671,880 in revenue collected from ClickFunnels shopping carts
- 939 million leads captured through the program
- 41.4% of ClickFunnels users report earnings between $100 and $1,000
- 0.67% of ClickFunnels users report earnings greater than $1 million
- Order form bumps increased profits by 147%
- Integrated upsells increased profits by 130%
These numbers are impressive, but what is ClickFunnels? We’ll talk about what the service is in the section below.
What Is ClickFunnels?
ClickFunnels was founded in 2014. In the last six years, it has grown to be one of the largest marketing SaaS providers; SaaS stands for “software as a service.” The program has become popular due to the simplicity of using it if you aren’t a marketing or tech person.
What ClickFunnels focuses on is simplifying sales funnels, which is how you get people from uninformed consumers to paying customers. They help increase lead generation and profits.
ClickFunnels offers two different pricing packages. Their basic package, called Start-Up, costs $97 a month. Their larger package is called Full Suite, and it costs $297 a month.
Lack of package options has been one issue many customers have. Many express a desire for a middle option.
There is no middle option, despite a large price gap. You do receive a money-saving discount if you buy a year’s subscription. With either package, paying upfront for a full year will allow you to save the price of two months.
But is this comparatively steep price worth it? Or is ClickFunnels overpriced?
The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. For some people, the price might prove well worth it. For others, not so much.
We’ll go in-depth on some key topics that’ll help you determine if it’s worth the price for your company or not. But first, we’re going to go a little more into the idea of “software as a service.”
What Is SaaS?
The term software as a service refers to a cloud-based application accessed through the internet. The traditional option was to download software onto your computer.
SaaS has become increasingly popular because it comes with several distinct benefits. These services are more accessible to a broader range of companies. They’re easier to operate and manage, thanks to the cloud-based server.
Typically, SaaS providers also allow for lower upfront costs. The alternative sometimes requires more than downloading a program on your computer. They might need extra equipment, like dedicated physical servers.
The benefits of SaaS providers, in general, will also apply to this program. Next, we’ll discuss the benefits of the ClickFunnels program specifically.
The Pros of Using ClickFunnels
There are some great things ClickFunnels does. The best pro is how easy the software is to use. You don’t need a background in tech to figure things out, only a few hours.
Other reviews agreed you can figure out and set up your platform on ClickFunnels within a few hours. They have an extensive collection of information hosted online to help make things even easier.
Wealth of Information
ClickFunnels hooks you up with a lot of information. This information mostly teaches you how to use their platform.
Some information helps users understand the concept of the sales funnel. There are also resources on different marketing techniques you might want to incorporate.
This information comes in several different formats. The company has a Netflix-type platform called FunnelFlix. The company markets its platform as the “Netflix of the internet marketing community.”
You can find short films, documentaries, seminars, full-length training videos, and more. These cover a broad spectrum of business-related topics professionals will find useful.
ClickFunnels also regularly sends out emails with their “sales funnel secrets” and tips. You can find written how-to guides on their website for figuring out the program.
Landing Page Builder
The heart of all marketing SaaS programs is the landing page builder. The builder is one area where everyone agrees ClickFunnels succeeds. It couldn’t be easier to understand or use.
The builder is a drag-and-drop service. You have the option to create a landing page from scratch. Most prefer to use the hundreds of available templates instead.
Simple Integrations
ClickFunnels makes API integrations simple. They have a long list of well-known programs that easily integrate with the software. A handful of the programs available for integration include:
- Constant Contact
- Drip
- GoToWebinar
- HTML Form
- HubSpot
- MailChimp
- Shopify
There are more than twice the program integrations available than listed above. They range from email autoresponders to payment processors and beyond.
Built-In A/B Testing
Using the software’s A/B testing capabilities is simple. You duplicate the page you want to use. Make the appropriate changes and choose the amount of traffic you want to see for either version.
For the most effective A/B testing, change only one thing (or section) on the pages tested. If you change too many things, it’s hard to be sure which factor caused the change in metrics.
WordPress Plugin
ClickFunnel features a highly-rated WordPress plugin. The plugin allows you to add your ClickFunnel pages directly to your WordPress website.
Centralized, Intuitive Platform
The ClickFunnel platform is very intuitive and straightforward. Most of the features are drag-and-drop. Some are accomplished by a simple click, while a few are slightly more challenging to use.
Everything you need to build your sales funnel is centralized. Having everything in one place eliminates the need for a range of programs to do individual tasks. The convenience of ClickFunnels is the most significant pro.
Landing Page Templates
There are many landing page templates available to simplify the sales funnel process for users. Many of these templates are free. There are also some options that cost extra.
Access to the Affiliate Program
When you use ClickFunnels, you get access to their affiliate program. The program starts participants off with 30% commissions on every referral. After 100 active referrals, you’re also eligible to receive cool bonus prizes.
The affiliate program also allows participants to earn a 30% commission from specific products. The products are mostly a variety of books and webinars produced by ClickFunnels’s parent company.
There’s even a sales funnel explicitly created for affiliate program participants. The funnel is called the “share funnel” and it can be integrated directly into your website. There’s also a button you can use.
The Cons of ClickFunnels
There are a lot of benefits to using ClickFunnels, but what about the downsides? Despite the pros, is ClickFunnels over-hyped? It depends.
There are several cons to using the ClickFunnels software. These are discussed in-depth below. It’s up to individual companies to decide if the negatives outweigh the positives for them.
Mediocre Customer Service
Most ClickFunnel reviews agree the customer service department is severely lacking. They perform fine if users have basic questions. Anything beyond that seems to be outside their scope.
If you have questions about the more complex software functions, customer service is unhelpful. There have been accounts of users waiting weeks to hear back on more difficult problems.
Users Rely Too Heavily on Templates
A reliance on templates isn’t a negative for the ClickFunnels platform itself. It still bears mentioning because it affects the software’s clients.
Most users rely heavily on the available templates and make little to no changes. The result is a lot of websites online that look alike.
A lot of similar websites on the internet might not bother some professionals. But if you’re trying to set yourself apart or appear unique, this could be a significant downside. Ideally, clients will customize the templates to fit their brand better.
Frequent Dashboard Changes
It appears the creators of ClickFunnels are still trying to figure things out. Why? There are frequent dashboard changes.
These aren’t usually massive changes. A button may move or a link may be in a different spot. These small changes can be aggravating once someone has learned how to use the program.
Easy to Get “Sucked Into”
Once you integrate ClickFunnels into your strategy, it’s easy to get sucked into. The way the software functions doesn’t mesh well with certain marketing or sales strategies.
If you have a strategy that works well for you, adding ClickFunnels can throw things out of whack. Some previous users have reported needing to alter their approach to continue seeing results.
Needing to use a specific strategy may not be a downside for startup companies. The program does work. It just doesn’t “play nice with others.”
Expensive Pricing Options
A big downside is how expensive ClickFunnels is. They also only have two pricing options. The basic feature is $97, and the suite version is $297.
Other similar programs start at less than half the price of ClickFunnel’s basic option. Companies with very small budgets might not be able to afford the price.
The two package options also have a significant price gap, with no middle option. Many ClickFunnel reviews agree this is inconvenient and have suggested incorporating a third package. This third package could include some of the deluxe features, but not all.
Key Features
Most of the key features are also the pros of using the software. A few revolve around special offers from ClickFunnels. The key features include:
- Simple, effective landing page builder
- Easy to integrate other programs
- Simple to capture emails and take payments inside ClickFunnels
- A/B testing capabilities
- Software is simple to learn and use
- The ClickFunnels software focuses on making its users money
- The program has statistics proving their funnels work
- The company offers a two-week free trial (as of this writing)
Do these key features make ClickFunnels worth it? We’ll talk about who will want the software (and who can skip it) in the next section.
ClickFunnels Review: Is It Worth It?
Is ClickFunnels worth it, or is it over-hyped? The answer depends on each company’s unique situation.
In some circumstances, it might be well worth it.
The cost is high. There’s no arguing about that. But the investment might be worth it in certain situations.
Small businesses with limited teams can benefit from the program. It eliminates the need to hire a team of experts to handle lead generation. The program also saves time that small businesses might not have.
Startup companies without a marketing and sales integration plan can also benefit. They should remember the program leaves little room for changes, however.
In other circumstances, ClickFunnels isn’t worth the high costs.
If you have a marketing and sales integration plan that works, skip ClickFunnels. It can throw your entire plan out of place.
If your company can afford to hire an SEO marketing expert instead, you might want to go with that option. Working with a person versus a SaaS platform allows for more customization. If you’d like to make changes, it’s comparatively simple to do so.
ClickFunnels Is a Decent SaaS Provider
ClickFunnels is a Saas company offering users a lot of benefits. For some, those benefits outweigh the high costs. For others, the benefits aren’t enough to combat the high price tag.
Do you have questions that weren’t answered in this ClickFunnels review? You can find more information in my free marketing guides. These cover ClickFunnels and related topics.
