Platforms that do everything are few and far between. Yet, ClickFunnels can now make the valid claim that it’s an “all-in-one” type of deal.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t count Systeme.io out, though. It also has some redeeming features worth considering.
Key Takeaways:
- ClickFunnels costs $97/month, while Systeme.io is free or $27/month
- ClickFunnels offers unlimited features on all plans
- Systeme.io is a basic yet affordable alternative to ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels vs. Systeme.io at a Glance
| Feature | ClickFunnels | Systeme.io |
|---|---|---|
| SupplyGem Platform Ranking | No. 3 | No. 7 |
| SupplyGem Score | 9.4 | 8.5 |
| Trustpilot Score | 4.0 | 4.9 |
| Costs From | $97/month | Free plan available |
| Current Offer | Get a Startup plan 30-day free trial | Save $127 on an annual Startup plan subscription |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | None |
| Platform Pros | – Unlimited features on all plans – Genuine all-in-one platform – Top-notch marketing features – Customer communications hub – Highly customizable course builder – Native payment gateway – Live customer support | – Genuine free plan – Very affordable – Easy to learn and use – Great for basic digital products |
| Platform Cons | – Requires a learning curve – Higher cost – Has a specific culture that not everyone will love | – Limited feature set – No live support – Limited in scalability – Automations are super basic |
| Best for | Digital entrepreneurs with plans to grow and scale | Selling basic digital courses and products |
ClickFunnels vs. Systeme.io: Affordability
There’s no argument here. Systeme.io is undoubtedly the more affordable option.
Not only does it offer a genuine free plan that you can actually use to make sales, but its paid plans also start at just $27 per month.
However, if we compare the Systeme.io Unlimited plan with the ClickFunnels Startup plan, I will definitely say that ClickFunnels is the better option.
Why? It has a truckload more features than Systeme.io, and it’s a more advanced platform. Given that both plans cost $97 per month, it makes financial sense to go with the option that offers the most value.
Just because something is cheaper doesn’t mean it’s better.
Here’s a breakdown of the costs:
| Platform/plan | Monthly cost | Monthly cost paid annually | Total annual cost | Discount for paying annually |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io free plan | Free | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Systeme.io Startup plan | $27 | $19 | $228 | 30% |
| Systeme.io Webinar plan | $47 | $33 | $396 | 30% |
| Systeme.io Unlimited plan | $97 | $69 | $828 | 30% |
| ClickFunnels Startup plan | $97 | $81 | $972 | 16% |
| ClickFunnels Pro plan | $297 | $248 | $2,976 | 16% |
8 Reasons Why ClickFunnels Has Literally Everything You Need
1. Superior Marketing and Sales Tools
For fun, I asked ChatGPT to create a top ten list of the most influential figures in digital marketing. Russell Brunson, the founder of ClickFunnels, was ranked in the sixth spot.
This guy lives, breathes, and probably eats marketing.
His knowledge and expertise are reflected in the platform’s features and tools. If you’re looking for a platform primarily for marketing, you can do a lot worse than ClickFunnels.
First, the funnel builder is unparalleled. It’s simple to use, with a ton of great-looking templates, and the entire design is centered around conversion. That means you get upsells, downsells, order bumps, and everything else in that vein.
Email marketing is also exceptional and can be combined with sales funnels to create effective automated campaigns.
Landing pages? You got it. There are lots of beautiful designs to pick from.
There’s even a Discounts app that enables you to create flash sales and personalized offers.
And, finally, there’s the automation tool that lets you build multi-channel campaigns with SMS and email. It’s the full package.
2. Impressive Course and Community Builder
I find that many course-building platforms offer a very static approach to building out lessons. They typically restrict you to a single video and one block of text, and you end up having to create a ton of lessons just to fit in all the content.
Both Systeme.io and ClickFunnels provide tools that let you create lessons in a very similar way to building a web page. You get drag-and-drop elements that let you build highly customized and unique-looking lessons.
Why does ClickFunnels excel over Systeme.io?
Well, ClickFunnels has way more variety in the types of elements you can add. For instance, you have progress bars, offers, and checkouts. There is also a massive selection of prebuilt sections, and I must say, the designs are of a higher quality compared with Systeme.io.
The community feature is also very sleek-looking. Functionality is limited, though.
You can essentially just create different chat groups and then post and respond. That said, it serves as a great way to engage with your audience, not just for courses but for any other products you sell.
3. Proper Tools for Physical Product Sales
Systeme.io’s e-commerce capabilities are a joke. Yes, you can add physical product listings, but that’s where it ends.
There are no other features to support the selling and management of said products. You have to do all of that yourself, or find other platforms to do it for you.
I don’t even know why the platform lets you add physical products. It’s seriously not built for that purpose.
ClickFunnels is a completely different story. While it’s certainly not Shopify, it still boasts a decent number of e-commerce features, including inventory management and integrated shipping options.
It has a comprehensive store builder where you can add your products, create collections, and more. You also have a whole bunch of pre-built sales funnels designed specifically for e-commerce.
This store builder has now made the platform a viable option for selling physical products alongside your digital ones. Though I will say that if you plan to sell in huge quantities, a dedicated platform like Shopify will still serve you better.
4. Awesome Survey Builder
I think this is my favorite tool in ClickFunnels, just because it’s so much fun to use!
Survey Workflows lets you create an unlimited number of surveys, quizzes, and lead generators that you can embed onto any ClickFunnels page.
It features the ability to create sequenced, multiple-choice questions. However, the best thing about this tool is the branching. So, you can determine the path a participant follows depending on their answers.
As fun as it is to use, it’s also incredibly valuable because it’s such an engaging way to encourage participation.
Surveys allow you to create a highly personalized experience for users while enabling you to gather super-specific data on your audience.
5. Advanced Automations
Like AI, I feel like every platform throws in “automation” as a standout feature, but it’s often rarely the case. Systeme.io does this. It has automation, but it’s basic. Even your grandma could figure it out!
On the other hand, ClickFunnels has bona fide automation where you get to build complex, branching flows that incorporate all of the platform’s tools and features.
That means you can use it to place marketing campaigns on autopilot and take a hands-off approach to CRM and admin tasks.
Plus, it’s easy to come to grips with. Yes, there’s a bit of a learning curve to go through, but it’s intuitive and sleek to use.
6. Comprehensive CRM Features
ClickFunnels has put some serious effort into this area recently. Wow, there’s a lot you can do now!
Comprehensive pipelines, finally!
The visual pipeline builder lets you understand exactly where each of your leads is at. And, you can set up automations so each lead is moved through the pipeline according to their actions.
The appointments app lets you manage and centralize all your bookings from your funnels and external calendars. Embed the booking form onto your web pages, send booking reminders, and you can even take payments upfront—essential for preventing no-shows and non-payers.
The winning feature, though (at least for me), is the Message Hub.
Now, you can integrate SMS, WhatsApp, social media messaging, and more into one place and use it to engage with your leads and customers.
This provides a streamlined way to provide customer service. Additionally, you can set up automated responses so that customers don’t get left on read, even when you’re unavailable to respond.
All in all, ClickFunnels is now a respectable platform for conducting CRM that extends far beyond the limitations of boring old email (which is about all that Systeme.io can manage).
7. Inbuilt Payment Processor
ClickFunnels has its own payment processor called Payments AI.
Think Stripe but on steroids.
Essentially, it serves as a multi-gateway. You can use it as a standalone gateway or link it with Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, NMI, and a few other payment processors.
You get advanced automation for handling various payment scenarios, including failed payments. More importantly, it allows you to route transactions through specific gateways based on rules such as customer location or currency.
This expands the range of payment options you can offer your customers, reducing friction at checkout. And, it expands your ability to offer products to customers globally.
Ultimately, this expands your ability to scale your business into other countries without any hassle.
Bonus, Payments AI automatically collects and remits those pesky sales taxes. Whoop!
Alright, it’s for US merchants and taxes only, but it’s a start. Besides, you can use Stripe for other sales taxes (Europe, for example).
8. Live Support
I’ll level with you, Systeme.io’s support kinda sucks. But, I guess that’s one of the payoffs of having such an affordable platform.
Support is available only by email, and you often have to wait more than 24 hours to get a response. Thus, it’s not ideal if you have an urgent problem at hand.
Its help documents are also pretty basic, and I often find they’re missing key information or unclear, which can be really frustrating.
In contrast, ClickFunnels offers live chat support as well as email ticketing, so you can get an immediate response if you need one.
Additionally, its Help Center is comprehensive and well-organized. Plus, there are loads of great tutorials available for beginner users.
I also love the setup help you get when you first sign up for the platform. The system will walk you through creating your first funnel. It’s actually really fun and a nice introduction to ClickFunnels.
Systeme.io Can Still Be Worth It: Here’s Why
More Affordable
In the past year, I’ve watched the number of free plans offered by course-building platforms dwindle down to practically nothing.
I get it. The economy is tough, times are hard, etc., etc.
However, Systeme.io has remained strong in this respect. Its free plan doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and the rest of its plans will satisfy even the most frugal of business owners.
Listen, if you want a bells-and-whistles platform at Systeme.io prices, you’re going to be very disappointed. But if you want a basic platform that does the job for an incredibly affordable price, then you’ll be more than happy here.
Shorter Learning Curve
More features mean more value, but it comes at another cost: your sanity!
Overly technical platforms can be a turn-off for many, and getting lost in a sea of features can be more of a hindrance than a help.
Like I said, Systeme.io is a solid, basic platform. Therefore, it’s really easy to use, and it’s not going to take you long to learn. Even the automation can be mastered in about ten minutes.
So, if you’re a technophobe or just prefer a simple life, then Systeme.io is a much easier option than ClickFunnels.
Excellent Course Customization
I’ve already mentioned this briefly, but it’s worth having its own section.
Systeme.io’s course builder works a bit like a web page building tool. You drag and drop various elements onto the page and add as many videos, audio files, and other content as you like.
There’s also a good selection of prebuilt page blocks that make it even more convenient to create a stunning-looking lesson page. You can also attach a basic community where you can engage with your students.
Like I’ve already illustrated, ClickFunnels does offer a very similar way to build out course lessons.
However, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that you wouldn’t expect a cheap platform to offer such great functionality. And, Systeme.io really exceeds expectations here.
Great for Simple Products
If you want to sell a $4 PDF or a $7 template, are you really in need of a platform that costs almost $100 per month?
Not likely.
Yes, there are other “free” options out there for selling low-cost digital products, but they typically come with hefty transaction fees (Gumroad, for example, takes over 10% per sale).
Since Systeme.io does not take a cut of your hard-earned profits, it’s a seriously good platform for selling these types of products.
Supportive Community
If you hop over to the Systeme.io Facebook group, you’ll find an army of dedicated users who are more than willing to share their wisdom with you.
I also love that the creator and owner of Systeme.io (Aurelian Amacker) is present and active and will respond to comments.
I will add that ClickFunnels also has an active community, but I find the culture to be less supportive and helpful.
Also, if you’re at all familiar with ClickFunnel’s founder, Russell Brunson, you’ll already know that his following has a bit of a cult-like mentality. While some thrive on this type of hype, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
ClickFunnels vs. Systeme.io: Bottom Line
I think the main difference between ClickFunnels and Systeme.io is that ClickFunnels is a platform you can rely on for the long term. No matter how much you want to scale or in which direction you want to take your business, ClickFunnels can and will enable you to do it.
While Systeme.io is a wonderful platform in its own right, its limitations will become more evident when you start to grow.
So, in conclusion:
- ClickFunnels truly “has it all” and is the best option for entrepreneurs with big plans.
- However, if you’re looking for a straightforward platform for selling small products or courses, Systeme.io is a reliable choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ClickFunnels or Systeme.io Better for Beginners?
Systeme.io is a better and more affordable option for beginner users. The features are easy to master, and the learning curve is short.
Can I Use ClickFunnels or Systeme.io for Free?
Yes! Systeme.io has a free-for-life plan that is always available. Features are limited, but you can use them to build products and make sales. ClickFunnels does not have a free plan, but it does have an extended 30-day free trial.
Is ClickFunnels or Systeme.io Better for Course Building?
Both Systeme.io and ClickFunnels are great for course building. They offer highly customizable lesson builders with a variety of elements and prebuilt blocks that you can drag and drop onto the page. This allows you to create unique-looking and engaging course content.
