ClickFunnels is surrounded by a unique culture that leads many to believe it could be a pyramid scheme or even an outright scam.
As a long-time user of the platform, I can confidently state that it’s definitely a legit platform used to run online businesses.
Key Takeaways:
- ClickFunnels offers a free trial and a money-back guarantee
- You keep all revenue from sales made via the platform
- Scammers may use ClickFunnels to facilitate their unethical activities
ClickFunnels Is a 100% Legit Platform: Here’s Why
It’s a Real SaaS Product That I’ve Used
The main proof that ClickFunnels is legit comes from using the platform itself, and I’ve explored it many times.
It’s a real SaaS platform with great, high-quality features at a very reasonable price.
It’s also been around for a decade and has amassed over 2,000 reviews on Trustpilot, with an overall score of 4.2.
No Inescapable Contracts
Scammers generally want to lock you into a ridiculous contract that’s either very difficult or expensive to get out of.
ClickFunnels is straightforward. You pay the monthly or annual subscription fee, and you can cancel your account at any time. It’s as simple as clicking the “Cancel” button in the billing area.
There’s even a grace period where you can get a full refund if you change your mind (I detail that below).
There’s a Free Trial
Scammers want to take your money and run. Pyramid schemes often require hefty upfront costs to buy into their business.
Yes, of course, you have to pay for ClickFunnels, but first, you can try it out for free. The standard free trial is 14 days, but there’s also an extended free trial available that lasts for 30 days.
In both cases, you can cancel before the free trial ends, and you don’t have to pay a thing.
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
If you do happen to pay for a subscription and then change your mind, you can cancel and get all of your money back if you do it within 30 days of paying.
ClickFunnels wants to ensure you are 100% happy to pay for its service, which is why it offers this guarantee.
It’s very easy to do. There are no questions asked, so getting your money back is no hassle whatsoever.
You Keep All Your Product Sales Revenue
With pyramid schemes, you are required to give up a hefty amount of your revenue. A cut goes to your upline, their upline, and whoever else is above you in the pyramid. Often, this leaves you with very little to show for your hard work.
In contrast, all sales you make using the ClickFunnels platform are yours to keep.
You pay a small transaction fee for using a payment gateway (2.9% +30¢ per sale if you use Stripe, for example), but that’s standard across all platforms that facilitate sales.
The rest belongs to you and only you.
Sales Aren’t Based on Downlines or Uplines
Here’s the thing: Pyramid schemes don’t earn their revenue from selling their overpriced products. When you sign up for one, you are quickly pressured into signing up more people as your “downlines.”
Each recruit then has to pay the signup fees (which are often substantial) and is typically required to keep purchasing new stock of whatever product the scheme is pushing.
Little revenue comes from sales from actual non-recruited customers.
ClickFunnels has no such hierarchy and does not rely on this system for revenue.
The platform makes its money from the subscription fees its customers pay. In the meantime, the customer can go about their business and make sales without having to recruit anyone whatsoever.
Let’s Discuss ClickFunnels Culture and Why It’s Considered “Scammy”
So, the thought that ClickFunnels may be a scam did not come from nowhere. To understand why people think it’s a scam, you have to look at the culture surrounding the brand.
The founder of ClickFunnels—Russell Brunson—is a unique character and prominent figure in all of ClickFunnels’ promotional material. His persona is charismatic and persuasive, and he lives and breathes marketing strategies.
As such, he has built a substantial following of devoted fans, which has fostered a particular culture around ClickFunnels. As such, there are a few reasons it can appear cult-like:
- Many see Russell as a mentor or guru and follow his every word.
- There is an active and vocal community that freely promotes the platform and Russell’s teachings.
- Russell has created exclusive “clubs” that are available to those who succeed with the platform. This makes its members feel like they are part of something special.
- ClickFunnels fosters a mentality that traditional websites and other marketing tools are obsolete and that the platform is a revolutionary way to build businesses.
Whether you buy into the culture or not, the bottom line is that regardless of all the hype, ClickFunnels is still a legitimate platform.
You can freely ignore the culture and simply get on with running your business.
Other People Can Use ClickFunnels for Their Scams
This is a problem with all SaaS platforms that are publicly available. Just because the platform itself isn’t a scam doesn’t mean it’s not being used to run them.
Unfortunately, the online world is full of people who want to rip you off. Creating funnels for bogus products or services is just one way they try to get their hands on your money.
Therefore, scammers use ClickFunnels as a tool to run their unethical activities.
- ClickFunnels itself is not directly responsible for the actions of individuals who use it for malicious purposes.
- Its terms of service state that the platform may not be used in this way.
- With over 100,000 users, monitoring and catching every instance of misuse is difficult, especially since the platform is widely accessible.
Isn’t the ClickFunnels Affiliate Program an MLM?
Those keen to promote the benefits of ClickFunnels can sign up for the platform’s affiliate program. In return for their efforts, ClickFunnels will pay a recurring commission fee of up to 40% for every person who signs up using the affiliate link.
Affiliate marketing is widely used among SaaS platforms, and the ClickFunnels affiliate program is no different from the rest.
It’s certainly not a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme, and here’s why:
- It’s 100% free to join.
- You don’t even have to have a paid ClickFunnels account to be an affiliate.
- There’s no minimum sales requirement.
- You are not required to recruit anyone.
Why Is ClickFunnels Suing HighLevel, Though?
This is an interesting one. There is an ongoing lawsuit between ClickFunnels (or rather, its parent company Etison LLC) and HighLevel.
This is because ClickFunnels has alleged that HighLevel has copied its funnel-building technology and has, therefore, infringed on the patents held by ClickFunnels.
HighLevel has also been accused of engaging in unfair business practices by targeting ClickFunnels’ customer base and using deceptive marketing tactics.
HighLevel argues that the ClickFunnels patent is too broad and common within the industry, and the lawsuit is being used as a way for ClickFunnels to stifle its competition.
The case is ongoing, and the outcome is currently unclear.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, ClickFunnels is not a scam in any way, shape, or form. You can ignore the culture surrounding it and use the platform like any other.
If you encounter a product or service promoted by a ClickFunnels-created funnel, perform your due diligence before making the purchase. Also, understand that not every business that uses ClickFunnels is necessarily trustworthy.
ClickFunnels provides a tool, but it does not vet the products or services offered by its users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ClickFunnels Have Good Online Reviews?
Yes, ClickFunnels has positive online reviews. Besides its Trustpilot score of 4.2, it has gained a 4.6 rating on G2, a 4.5 rating on Capterra, and 7.4/10 on TrustRadius.
