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What is ClickFunnels? – Honest Review

November 24, 2020

What is ClickFunnels Review

Clickfunnel’s Russell Brunson has taken the market with force.  Known for its brilliant and aggressive marketing, ClickFunnels is being used by 150.000 entrepreneurs. The total revenue processed through the funnels is a staggering 9.2 billion dollars.

But some critics are going after the quality of ClickFunnels. We decided to make an honest review solely based on the value or lack of value provided.

After reading this article you will know:

  1. What is Clickfunnels?
  2. Why there are two camps: pro and anti
  3. The final and honest verdict

Let’s get started with the review!

What is ClickFunnels used for?

Before we can go deeper into ClickFunnels and review it, we first have to understand what it is. Below you will find a video where they tell you what their software does. Now I must add, this was one of the most brilliant ads I have ever seen. As a branding expert, I truly enjoy informational commercials combined with humor. Anyways, let's take a look

To summarize:

Instead of a website, you build a marketing funnel

  • High-converting sales pages
  • Drag & drop system for fast and easy usage
  • No coding skills required

Distinctive features

So in the marketing funnel space, there is heavy competition. Whether it is ClickFunnels, Katra, or Thrive Themes, they all have specific value to add to the table. In this chapter, we are going to thoroughly examine the distinctive features of ClickFunnels.

High-converting sales funnel instead of a regular website

Most websites are just a bunch of pages without any thought behind the customer journey. It’s essential for your business to make use of funnels. Funnels are sequences your customer goes through to transform them from visitor to customer.

With ClickFunnels you can make these funnels with their easy to use drag and drop editor. You start off by building a landing page that radiates trust and security. Most visitors won’t know you yet, therefore it is important to create a level of trust before you start selling them anything. ClickFunnels will give you the tools to build trust e.g. you can add testimonials. Your landing page is also the place for you to collect email addresses for your email list.

You could give away free e-books about your niche. Your customer will have to signup with their email address and ta-da you added another customer to your email list. Email lists are highly important because you can transform one-time customers into regular customers.

Now that you have increased your trust with your customer, it is time to bring them to your sales page. And guess what? We will start by selling them nothing! On your landing page, you have secured a level of trust in you. On this sales page, you will start by securing trust in your product. The trick is to create so much value that your customer would look stupid if they wouldn’t buy your product.

One way of doing this is by adding free guides and demo-videos to your product. Naturally, you can price these free products within your paid product. However, make sure that your offer screams value! The consumer is nowadays very keen on knowing when they are paying too much.

Amount of funnels and pages you can build

With ClickFunnels Basic you can build a maximum of 20 funnels, 100 pages, 3 domains, and make use of the software as an individual. If you are in need of more resources you can buy the Platinum plan. More about the Platinum plan later in the article. 

ClickFunnels doesn’t require an installation

This feature is quite unique. ClickFunnels doesn’t require you to install anything on your website or computer. You can log in with your account in the members' area and start making your pages for your funnel. 

100% responsive design

There has been a major shift in the devices we use to gather information or even shop. Mobile traffic has a total of 50.48% of the total market share. Desktop has a total of 46.51% of the traffic. This was such an important switch up that Google decided to base a large proportion of its algorithm on the mobile-friendliness of your website.

Therefore it comes without surprise that ClickFunnels made sure that your created pages have a responsive design. A responsive design means that it will adjust the readability and page speed according to the device you use: desktop, mobile, etc.

1-click upsell – Boost your revenue to new heights

One little trick that will cause your revenue to explode, the 1-click upsell! The 1 click upsell is an extra product option your customer gets right before they pay for their intended product. So for instance I buy a laptop and when I am about to pay, I will get a reminder about adding a protective case to secure my laptop. With 1 click I can add this product to my shopping list and continue to pay for the products.

The reason why the 1 click upsell is so powerful is because of the psychological mindset your customer is in. Your customer is already at peace with the thought of buying something. He is convinced that this product will add value to his or her life. Their barrier against spending too much is lowered which gives you the opportunity to sell more.

Tip: make sure that your 1 click upsell makes sense. You won’t need a PS5 if you are about to pay for a skydiving trip. It needs to be complementary to your main product. Meaning it makes sense and adds extra value.

e-commerce sales funnel

ClickFunnels Platinum Features

If you own multiple websites you won’t be satisfied with the basic plan. That’s why ClickFunnels Introduced the Platinum plan. With this plan, you get unlimited funnels, uncapped pages, and up to 3 users who can make use of it. Maybe you know other business owners with whom you can finance the software?

Furthermore, there are courses, weekly coaching, and special events for the Platinum plan owners. These will increase your knowledge about the product and inspire you to try out different strategies.

For more Platinum features, check out the table below.

ClickFunnels platinum features

Source: ClickFunnels.com

The dark side of ClickFunnels…

In the introduction, we already told you a little bit about the negative sounds surrounding ClickFunnels. We are going to take a closer look at the weak spots and form our own opinion about ClickFunnels. Do the critics have a point?

The members' area is very limited

The members' area of ClickFunnels is a known nightmare for many of its users. People have experienced customers who were locked out of the membership area without any explanation. Meaning your customer couldn’t make use of your services but were getting charged for it. A true nightmare for every entrepreneur. Furthermore, the members' area is mainly meant for simple online businesses. The more complicated your business is, the more struggles you will endure with the members' area. It's just not built properly.

Poor customization

The template base is very rich and you have plenty of choices. However, the templates just don’t feel like it’s you. They are made to function for every consultant, hairdresser, or e-commerce entrepreneur. As a brand expert, this is something that counts big time for me. If your brand looks like any other then why would someone ever pick your business over the others?

Horrific support

Do you have a basic plan and want support? You better prepare yourself for a long wait… There are many cases of people having to wait for months to get support. Often the program glitches and the support won’t know how to fix it exactly. When you do get the support they will try workarounds instead of truly fixing the issues.

The design looks dodgy and cheap

Now, this is just my own perspective on the design and maybe your opinion will differ from mine. The design of the ClickFunnels pages and funnels look sketchy. When I first looked at the main website from ClickFunnels I remember thinking: “oh wow is this it? It looks almost like a scam website.” Now to be clear, ClickFunnels is no scam website and their sales funnels work good but it was just the feeling the designing gave to me. There are definitely competitors who will make your website look more professional and authentic. The best alternative for ClickFunnels will be discussed and displayed at the bottom of the post. 

ClickFunnels Pricing - how much does it cost?

You know the power of ClickFunnels and you know its weakness. Now it is time to dive into the pricing. Will this be the deciding factor that turns ClickFunnels into a winner or a loser?

There are two plans to consider: the basic and platinum.

The most important one being the ClickFunnels basic. Most businesses won’t need unlimited funnels and pages. Especially when you are new to doing business online, you will be wise to make use of 1 funnel and really maximize its potential before adding a new one. For basic, you will pay $97 per month.

If the product worked perfectly this price would be more than fair. However, the software doesn't work perfectly and therefore the pricing is okay-ish. It's not as expensive as some of the sales funnel software out there but because of the software glitches, you do pay for stuff that just doesn't work properly.

The value for money is therefore acceptable but not excellent or even great.

clickfunnels pricing

Source: ClickFunnels.com

ClickFunnels free 14-day trial

If you want to try ClickFunnels out, you can get a free 14-day trial to experience it for yourself. It's important to read and educate yourself with reviews. But at the end of the day, you will have to make up your own mind. There is no better way to do this than by experiencing the software for yourself.

ClickFunnels also gives you the following guarantee:

ClickFunnels 14 day free trial

Source: ClickFunnels.com

The mighty ClickFunnels affiliate program

One of the reasons behind the success of ClickFunnels is its affiliate program. Good affiliate marketers will earn high commissions and there are even bonuses like driving your dream car fully funded by ClickFunnels. That's one of the reasons you will find many positive reviews on the internet. There is an army of affiliate marketers who are eager to get paid.

Thrive Themes vs ClickFunnels

Conclusion ClickFunnels Review

The verdict on ClickFunnels. Is it worth your money?

Pros

  • High-converting sales funnels  
  • Big template database
  • Complete toolset 
  • Fast drag and drop editor
  • No coding required

Cons

  • Too many glitches for a mature product  
  • The membership area is limited
  • The design doesn't look professional
  • Poor support

ClickFunnels conclusion:

With ClickFunnels you get high converting sales funnels. That’s really their greatest strength and there are more than 150.000 entrepreneurs who are using the software. When you use ClickFunnels you have a complete toolset from funneling visitors to collecting money. The drag and drop editor works fast and is easy to use. You won’t need any technical or coding skills.

The main weakness of ClickFunnels lays within its glitchy software. You will have to deal with a lot of bugs and the support won’t always be able to help you. Talking about support, with the basic subscription you will have to wait substantially longer for support.

There is a big database of templates to choose from but they are unfortunately not very customizable. Furthermore, the design looks sketchy and not very professional from a branding perspective.

Conclusion: ClickFunnels works well if you have a simple product or business model. If you only have a few instruction videos and e-books, you will be fine. It will increase your sales by their strong sales funnel structure. However, if your business is slightly more complicated you are better off with the competition. We rate ClickFunnels a 3 out of 5 stars. The sales funnels are great but the software, in general, is glitchy and not very customizable. You also pay a substantial amount of money at $97 per month. You expect the software to function perfectly for that sum.

ClickFunnels alternative: Thrive Themes

If you are looking for an alternative for ClickFunnels you should take a look at Thrive Themes. With a Thrive Membership, you get a set of tools to build beautiful landing pages, sales pages, and convert your visitor into a customer through funnels. Furthermore, you pay less for Thrive Themes and your products/services can be more complicated in comparison to ClickFunnels. ClickFunnels works best for simple products.

On the other hand, with ClickFunnels you have a more complete set of tools. From funneling customers to collecting money, it's all within the software. With Thrive Themes you will need a few external partners to complete the paying process. At the end of the day, it comes down to preference, and if it suits your business. Our agency prefers Thrive Themes because it’s more value for money.

Shane Melaugh is one of the founders of Thrive Themes and he is one of the reasons why Thrive might interest you. He will be giving you many courses (included in the membership) where he teaches you how to get the most out of your software.

For the full review check out this post: https://markdagency.com/thrive-themes/

About the author 

Mark Verwoert

When I'm not making killer branding strategies, you will find me traveling through Scotland

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