ClickFunnels vs. Leadpages: The Ultimate 7-Point Showdown
ClickFunnels or Leadpages?
It’s a question that marketers and entrepreneurs have been struggling with for ages…
And it’s a reasonable question! Both are “kings of the playground” so to speak. Because both make creating landing pages so easy and so accessible that anyone can do it.
No developer team and no designers required.
But the question is, when these two go head to head, who comes out on top?
Is it the loud, rowdy, and overly-confident jock that is ClickFunnels?
Or is it the cool and collected quiet kid in school called Leadpages?
ClickFunnels has their entourage that follows them around everywhere they go. And their cheering tends to drown out the voices of anyone else around them.
Leadpages, on the other hand, doesn’t have quite as big of a following. But the people that do use it tend to stick with Leadpages for the long haul.
So as a digital marketer, entrepreneur, or business owner, you’re probably wondering which of the two is right for you?
And that’s exactly what I’m taking a closer look at today.
In this article, I break down the classic ClickFunnels vs. Leadpages question.
Inside I look at 7 different characteristics of each to help you decide which is the best tool to help you meet your specific goals.
And though we’re a bit biased (we use Leadpages), it’s still an objective look at the two that you’re bound to get a lot out of.
ClickFunnels & Leadpages: So… What Are They?
Put simply, ClickFunnels and Leadpages are tools to help you better market your products.
And both do so by letting you build sales funnel assets like landing pages, sales pages, thank you pages, and upsell pages.
That being said, ClickFunnels and Leadpages have two very different main focuses. And as a result, it’s only fair that I point out that each is aimed at solving a different problem compared to the other…
Leadpages: The Ultra-Powerful Landing Page Creator
Leadpages is first and foremost a landing page creator.
With all the customization options and design tweaks you can incorporate with it, it’s easy to see why it’s one of the best around. In fact, it’s the landing page creator we use here at Growbo to build sales funnels for our Done-For-You service’s clients.
However, Leadpages’ focus on building beautiful and unique pages is what makes it both stand out from its competition and fall short where others thrive.
Other platforms, for example, may have features like email campaign builders and CRMs built right into the platform. Leadpages, unfortunately, doesn’t.
But just to drive the point home, what it lacks in breadth of built-in features, it makes up for in landing page design, flexibility, and power.
ClickFunnels: The All-In-One Funnel Builder
ClickFunnels positions itself as the one-stop-shop for funnel building on your own.
They make it super easy to create an entire sales funnel in less than 10 minutes. And if you want to spend a bit longer on it to optimize it for maximum conversions, well, it can do that too.
Part of what makes ClickFunnels so great for marketers and entrepreneurs is that if you pick the right package, you’ll likely have everything you need to build your sales funnel without having to bring in any integrations.
But ClickFunnels is quite a bit more than that. Because its affiliate marketing system stands way out from other platforms.
Sure, some of that is because of the enormous hype that’s injected into its marketing strategy. But ClickFunnels also makes it incredibly easy to earn money with its affiliate system if done right.
So in that sense, ClickFunnels is both an all-in-one sales funnel builder and a powerful affiliate marketing platform.
Let’s Get To The Showdown
Alright, I’ve taken extra special pains to point out that these are in fact two different platforms with two different purposes.
Leadpages is a specialized landing page builder with powerful customization options whereas ClickFunnels is an all-in-one sales funnel builder and affiliate marketing tool.
And while both have features that overlap with the other, they’re both pretty awesome tools for doing what they set out to do.
Now, let’s get to the fight.
Round #1: Page Building
ClickFunnels – The main goal of ClickFunnels is to help you build funnel assets like landing pages, sales pages, and upsell or down-sell pages quickly and easily. And that’s exactly what its page builder does.
There are plenty of templates to choose from, even though the interface for starting a funnel can be a bit confusing.
There are literally 3 different navigation bars to choose from, actually. Have a look below to get an idea of how confusing all those different bars can look.
Creating a page is relatively easy though. All it takes is dragging and dropping sections that you want on your page to the canvas.
Need a headline or subheadline? Drag it on over...
Bullet points? Drag it on over...
Plus, you can include custom elements like countdowns or autoplay videos pretty easily too.
One benefit that ClickFunnels has over Leadpages is the ability to add a built-in shopping cart. And that means you can throw in an “Add to Cart” button right on your landing page provided you have a payment processor set up.
The problem, however, is that while creating a sharp-looking landing page is easy, its customization options are lacking compared to Leadpages.
Leadpages – Leadpages provides all the ease-of-use of building a landing page with ClickFunnels. But where ClickFunnels falls short on customization options, Leadpages shines.
It allows you to choose from a set of pre-built templates (there are a lot to choose from) to get up and running quickly or you can create your own template with the drag-and-drop functionality similar to that of ClickFunnels.
Customization options are much more varied, even though novices might find using more advanced customizations a bit overwhelming (that’s where it pays to have an expert).
On top of that, Leadpages will automatically deliver the digital assets you create if you so choose.
Have a lead magnet you want to offer on your page? Pop in an opt-in form and anyone who clicks gets automatic delivery of it. And you don’t even have to lift a finger.
One cool standout aspect of Leadpages is the fact that the page builder has a built-in “Leadmeter” that judges your page’s ability to convert based on best practices. And addressing areas that go against those best practices is as simple as clicking the Leadmeter.
The screenshot below from a work-in-progress page shows how easy it is to spot and address these problems.
Split testing is also especially simple with Leadpages. And since that’s where a lot of the magic happens when it comes to optimizing your page and maximizing conversions, Leadpages stands out as the best platform for getting the absolute most out of your pages.
CONCLUSION: Leadpages Wins!
Round #2: Guidance
ClickFunnels – One of the best things about ClickFunnels is the fact that there are so many dedicated users, fanboys, and over-the-top zealots out there. And that means there are plenty of resources to help you get the most out of it.
Plus, since a lot of the people who make these resources are actually affiliates and get a cut of everything you buy that’s ClickFunnels-related, that means they’re always trying to show you why ClickFunnels is so useful.
That type of community involvement is one reason why the official ClickFunnels Facebook group has a whopping 228,000 members!
The problem, however, is that the official training resources from ClickFunnels aren’t the best around. They’re often low-quality videos with vague walkthroughs. Plus, the interface for accessing guides and walkthroughs isn’t especially user-friendly, making it hard to find the topic you’re looking for at first glance.
If you have a question, you’ll then have to go through the support channels. And as we’ll see, those can be quite frustrating.
That being said, ClickFunnels has just recently rebranded and relaunched its packages. And with Platinum (the higher-priced plan of the two they offer), users also get access to official ClickFunnels training videos.
And the list of training courses included in Platinum is particularly lengthy too.
The only downfall is these courses aren’t available for the standard tier, which is significantly more affordable than Platinum.
Leadpages – Leadpages has a pretty vast network of resources for members and non-members to choose from. These resources include:
- An active and helpful blog
- A wide collection of well-made and informative ebooks
- A weekly podcast
- Webinars and other marketing training programs
- Free marketing training university (ConvertedU)
A lot of this content focuses on increasing audience marketing know-how and how Leadpages can help supplement your marketing goals.
For more Leadpages-focused material, there’s the Help Center.
Inside, you’ll find detailed and step-by-step guides on how to actually use Leadpages to create gorgeous and high-converting landing pages.
And as opposed to ClickFunnels, it’s really easy to know exactly where to go thanks to the attractive and simple interface (check it out below).
Plus, if you get lost, confused, or can’t find the feature you’re looking for, the live chat support is always available to help you out.
CONCLUSION: ??? – Was originally Leadpages but with the additional courses being released with Platinum, ClickFunnels may have pulled ahead.
Round #3: Support
ClickFunnels – There’ve been nightmare stories about ClickFunnels’ support.
Stories where customers had to wait 20 minutes between responses in the live chat. Or stories where the support staff can hold their own with the simple questions, but tend to break down into complete uselessness when things get a little more complicated.
And a lot of the reviews out there say the same thing… ClickFunnels’ support is pretty lacking.
That being said, ClickFunnels also benefits from the same quality that made it stand out in Round #3—its enormous user base.
If you have a problem, reach out to one of the gajillion ClickFunnels Facebook Groups for help.
You’ll be able to get the answer you’re looking for in a quarter of the time it takes to finally get in touch with support. And on top of that, you get to skip the so-so knowledge of the support staff and get help from the people that know the platform the best—the ClickFunnel fanatics.
Leadpages – Leadpages’ support undoubtedly has a bit of a better reputation than ClickFunnels.
Users can open up a live chat window or fill out a support ticket describing their problem. It’s as easy as clicking an easy-to-spot “Open Chat” button at the bottom of the screen (see below).
And from all of our interactions and most of those out there on the web, support staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and quicker to get back to you than the competition.
The only problem here is the fact that live support is not available 24/7 for all packages. With ClickFunnels, it is.
That being said, Leadpages actually gives you a phone number (!) you can call and talk to a real-life person. It takes being at the higher tier pricing package, sure. But it’s something ClickFunnels just doesn’t offer.
CONCLUSION: Leadpages Wins!
Round #4: Email Marketing
ClickFunnels – Being the one-stop-sales-funnel-builder that ClickFunnels is, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that it comes with an email marketing system built right in.
Formerly known as Actionetics, the ClickFunnels email marketing platform is now rebranded as Follow-up Funnels as of September 2019.
With Actionetics, you can do most of the things you’d expect to do with a decent email marketing system. You can…
- Segment your lists
- Create rules based on engagement or past purchases
- Track engagement across your readers
- Perform other automation actions like adding contacts to your Facebook ads account
It’s a powerful email marketing tool that can do a lot for your business when you know how to use it right.
That being said, Follow-up Funnels only comes with the higher price point plans. And since pricing (more on that later btw) jumps up by a whopping $200 after the initial tier, it can be hard to justify that kind of monthly fee if all you’re after is the email marketing functionality.
Leadpages – Unlike ClickFunnels, Leadpages does not have a built-in email marketing system.
Leadpages actually owns the CRM/email marketing company Drip. However, the two companies remain separate since the philosophy of Leadpages is all about focus.
Leadpages focuses on building eye-catching landing pages while Drip focuses on email marketing and managing your relationship with customers.
And as you’d expect, integration between the two is pretty seamless.
There are plenty of other integrations that Leadpages offers, so you’ll never be short of options (more on that in the next round). But if you do want to use Drip, it comes with all the CRM and email marketing necessities like:
- A/B Testing
- Lead Scoring
- Segmentation
- Interaction Tracking
- Analytics
- Customizable CTAs
- ...and more!
CONCLUSION: Leadpages Wins!
Round #5: Integrations
ClickFunnels – ClickFunnels has quite a few integrations. But as with getting in touch with their support staff in general, finding the complete list is a lot more difficult than it should be.
That being said, here’s a quick list of the known ClickFunnels integrations.
- Mailchimp
- AWeber
- GetResponse
- Interspire
- ActiveCampaign
- GoToWebinar
- WebinarJam
- Ever Webinar
- Maropost
- Twilio
- ConvertKit
- Pure Leverage
- Constant Contact
- Sendlane
- Mad Mimi
- Drip
- ShipStation
- Salesforce
- Stripe
- InfusionSoft
- JVZoo
- ClickBank
- Taxamo
- OntraPort
From what users have said, though, ClickFunnels offers more seamless integration with more of the major brands than any other platform, including Leadpages.
Leadpages – Given that Leadpages’ main focus is on helping you build beautiful and high-converting landing pages. It shouldn’t be too surprising that the people who use it rely on a robust set of integrations to connect it with the rest of their funnel.
And in that category, Leadpages does not disappoint. Below is a list of some of the most notable but you can see the full list on Leadpages’ website.
- Analytics
- Google Analytics
- Google Tag Manager
- Javascript Analytics Platforms
- CRM
- amoCRM
- Contactually
- InfusionSoft by Keap
- LionDesk
- Pardot
- PipeDrive
- Salesforce
- ZoHo CRM
- Digital Advertising
- Bing Ads
- Facebook Ads
- Instagram Ads
- Google Ads
- Ecommerce
- Shopify
- Email Marketing
- ActiveCampaign
- AWeber
- BombBomb
- Campaign Monitor
- Constant Contact
- ConvertKit
- Drip
- GetResponse
- Gmail
- MailChimp
- Marketing Automation
- Autopilot
- Hubspot
- Marketo
- Zapier
- Payments
- PayPal
- Stripe
CONCLUSION: ClickFunnels Wins!
Round #6: Affiliate Marketing
ClickFunnels – While Leadpages was really able to strut its stuff in the Page Builder Round, Affiliate Marketing is where ClickFunnels shines.
Because there are three reasons you use ClickFunnels.
- You want to quickly and easily build a sales funnel for your product.
- You’ve heard about ClickFunnels’ awesome affiliate benefits and want to cash in.
- You got sucked into the massive hype vortex and are only now figuring out what it really is.
To start, ClickFunnels comes with a 40% commission—a pretty hefty rate. Plus, there are scores of products that you can promote and profit off of, including books, webinars, training classes, etc.
But here’s where it really stands out.
ClickFunnels uses a nifty little tracker called a “sticky cookie.”
You see, most affiliate programs track people visiting your affiliate link with a cookie that expires, say, every 30 days. If they buy in that time, you get the commission. If not, you get bupkis.
But with ClickFunnels, that window of opportunity to sell lasts a lifetime. Whether it’s been 45 days or 45 years since a buyer clicked your link, if they purchase a ClickFunnels product, you get a commission.
Now, the last affiliate link the customer clicked is the only one that actually gets credit. But still, pretty amazing and unusual stuff.
It’s just one more step that ClickFunnels takes to make sure it’s one of the most powerful affiliate marketing platforms in the world.
Leadpages – While Leadpages does have a solid referral program, it pales in comparison to ClickFunnels. That being said, let’s talk about what’s involved and a few things that make Leadpages stand out.
First, Leadpages has a 30% commission rate–—not too shabby in the world of affiliate marketing.
But the window of opportunity is quite a bit smaller than ClickFunnels as the cookie that determines your commission only stays active for 30 days.
Leadpages also throws in a few perks for successful affiliates.
If you get over 20 sales per month, you unlock the ability to offer exclusive Leadpages discounts and limited-time deals for your audience.
Breakout successes that can secure 200+ sign-ups also get the opportunity to host a live webinar alongside Leadpages, helping to boost the chance of commission building even more.
CONCLUSION: ClickFunnels Wins!
Round #7: Price
ClickFunnels – ClickFunnels is pricey. The Standard tier is a whopping $97/mo and the Platinum tier is… get ready for it… $297/mo. To make matters even worse, there’s talk (still unconfirmed as of now) that the Platinum pricing is going to jump to $697/mo soon too. Yikes.
The main difference between the two is that the number of funnels and pages is limited in the standard tier (20 funnels and 100 pages). For Platinum, it’s unlimited for both.
You also get access to the email marketing and CRM tool Follow-up Funnels with the Platinum tier. Plus, Platinum provides access to all the new training courses that ClickFunnels is putting out too.
Users also do not have to be ClickFunnels members to be affiliates. After all, the program tries to spread the Brunson gospel as far and wide as possible. And opening up the affiliate door to non-members is one way to help do that.
Leadpages – Leadpages breaks down its packages into three different tiers: Standard, Pro, and Advanced.
All of them come with unlimited traffic and leads along with unlimited landing pages for the number of sites each supports (1 site for Standard, 3 sites for Pro, and 50 sites for Advanced). This is a big difference compared to ClickFunnels which limits the amount of traffic and pages you can create in the standard tier.
They differ, however, in types of support offered.
Standard comes with only email support, Pro comes with email and chat, and Advanced is the only one that allows for phone support along with email and chat.
A few other notable differences are that only the higher tiers come with unlimited A/B testing, email trigger links, and online sales and payments.
And as with ClickFunnels, affiliates don’t actually have to be members of any tier at all.
Pricing is super reasonable too, especially when compared to the serious blow that ClickFunnels can cause to your finances.
- Standard: $25/mo
- Pro: $48/mo
- Advanced: $199/mo
CONCLUSION: Leadpages Wins!
TIEBREAKER: Brand
ClickFunnels – This is why most people know ClickFunnels. The brand, championed by founder Russell Brunson, is built on hype. It’s built on the idea that you’re just one funnel away from making it big—like 7-figure big.
And it’s infectious. You can tell right from the video playing on Brunson’s main page that you’re meant to get pumped up. After all, this is the multimillion-dollar business that all started with a potato gun.
That hype mirrors the philosophy that ClickFunnels is based on: the more users and affiliates hawking the product, the better.
The hype that ClickFunnels is based on, though, is also what tends to leave a bad taste in the mouth of many. A lot of what ClickFunnels presents itself as seems way over the top. It comes off as not so much a marketing tool but almost a get-rich-quick program.
Don’t get me wrong! ClickFunnels is super valuable when you use it correctly. And it’s opened up the door to a lot of entrepreneurs that might otherwise be working in coffee shops without it. But it’s understandable that many people are turned off by it at first glance.
Leadpages – Contrary to ClickFunnels, Leadpages presents itself as more of a marketing tool than anything else.
Sure, you can bring in some crazy numbers with a well-made landing page using the ultra-customizable tools of Leadpages. But you aren’t “just one funnel away from becoming a millionaire” with it.
Instead, it’s a way for you to add the level of customization and high-quality polish to landing pages that lets you better convert your visitors. And you get that sense directly from the homepage.
So in the end, Leadpages comes off as a professional tool, not just something you can use to play the “make it big” lottery.
And for gorgeous looking sales funnels that do what you want them to do, Leadpages is the clear winner.
CONCLUSION: Leadpages Wins!
Final Decision…
And it looks like we have a winner.
Leadpages comes out by a nose! Here’s a breakdown of the rounds.
- Round #1: Page Building – WINNER: Leadpages
- Round #2: Guidance – WINNER: TIE
- Round #3: Support – WINNER: Leadpages
- Round #4: Email Marketing – WINNER: ClickFunnels
- Round #5: Integrations – WINNER: ClickFunnels
- Round #6: Affiliate Marketing – WINNER: ClickFunnels
- Round #7: Price – WINNER: Leadpages
- TIEBREAKER: Brand – WINNER: Leadpages!
In the end, Leadpages comes out ahead in my opinion. It’s more intuitive, it creates better-looking pages, and it comes at a much more reasonable price point. ClickFunnels is still a great option for anyone looking to build out an entire sales funnel in little to no time.
But if you have the know-how, you can probably accomplish the same exact thing with other more powerful tools. And you won’t have to pay $300 a month to do it.
So, Leadpages wins!
It’s no wonder it’s the go-to tool for us here at Growbo when creating our expertly-crafted sales funnels. And with the level of polish and quality our clients have come to expect, we could never justify switching away from it.
Which platform is your favorite? Do you think my rankings are off? Why? Let me know in the comments below.
And as always,
Keep funnelin’, stay focused.
Alex T.
