Keap vs GoHighLevel: which one fits your business?

The short answer

Choose Keap if you run one business, most of your customers are in the US, and you mainly want to automate quotes, invoices, recurring payments and follow-up emails. Keap is the easier of the two to learn, and its billing tools are well established.

Choose GoHighLevel if you are an agency managing several clients, or a business that relies on text messages, funnels and booking calendars. It costs far less to start and includes unlimited contacts and users. However, you pay extra for texts, emails and calls, and it takes real time to learn.

You might mainly need a website, an online store and a CRM that sends invoices, all in one place. In that case, a lighter all-in-one platform may suit you better than either of these, and we cover that option near the end. If you want to look beyond these two, our guides to Keap alternatives and GoHighLevel alternatives cover other options.

What each tool actually is

Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) has been owned by Thryv since October 2024. It now sells a single plan that includes the whole platform. That covers contact management, pipelines, email broadcasts and automated emails, and a library of ready-made automations. It also includes landing pages, multi-page sales funnels, quotes, one-off and recurring invoices, and text marketing in the US. The price goes up with your number of contacts and users, not with features.

GoHighLevel (often just called HighLevel) is built around an agency account that holds separate client sub-accounts. Every plan includes the same core tools. These include a website and funnel builder, CRM and pipelines, workflow automation, booking calendars, email and SMS marketing, and calling. You also get a shared inbox, social media scheduling, review management, payments and invoicing, courses and communities. The plans differ mainly in how many sub-accounts you get and whether you can resell the software as your own.

Put simply, Keap is a CRM with marketing and billing added on. GoHighLevel is a marketing platform with a CRM added on, designed for agencies to resell.

Keap vs GoHighLevel at a glance

Here are the two tools side by side. WebNewBiz is included as a third column for readers who also need a website and store.

What you will really pay each month

The advertised prices are not directly comparable. Keap includes a block of texts but charges for extra users and contacts. GoHighLevel includes unlimited users and contacts but charges for every text, email and call. Three realistic examples show the difference.

Example 1: a US service business with 2 staff, about 1,500 contacts, and 10,000 marketing emails and 1,000 texts a month.

• Keap: $249 a month on yearly billing, plus $24 a month for the text tier that covers 1,000 messages. That comes to about $273 a month, or $323 if you pay month to month. You also pay for the one-off implementation package.
• GoHighLevel Starter: $97 a month, or $970 a year (about $81 a month). Usage adds about $6.75 for the emails at $0.675 per 1,000, and $7.47 for 1,000 text segments at $0.00747 each. A local number costs $1.15 a month, and the texting campaign fee is $1.50-10.50 a month. The total is roughly $96-123 a month, plus carrier fees on each message and a one-time $22.50 registration fee for texting.

For a single US business sending modest volumes, GoHighLevel costs less than half as much per month, before you even count Keap's setup package.

Example 2: a business outside the US, for example in the UK, Europe, India or Brazil. Keap's text marketing is only available in the US, and its 1:1 texting and dedicated phone line only cover the US and Canada. Keap's own payment processor is listed for the US only, so you would take payments through Stripe, PayPal or Eway instead. You still pay $249-299 a month, but some of what that price includes is no use to you. GoHighLevel publishes separate phone and text rates for the UK and other countries, so check the rates for your country before you budget.

Example 3: an agency with 10 clients. GoHighLevel Starter only covers 3 sub-accounts, so you would need the Unlimited plan at $297 a month ($2,970 a year). That works out at roughly $25-30 per client, and you can pass each client's usage costs on to them at cost. To resell the platform under your own brand at a markup (SaaS mode), you need Agency Pro at $497. With Keap, each client normally needs its own subscription from $249 a month. For 10 clients, that means about $2,490 a month in licences, usually paid by the clients themselves.

Invoicing and payments: where Keap is stronger

Reviewers generally rate Keap as the stronger tool for billing in a single business. It suits coaches, consultants, trainers and professional services firms that rely on quotes and recurring billing. With Keap you can:

• send a quote that the customer can accept and pay from directly
• send one-off and recurring invoices, and set the payment frequency, start and end dates and any pauses from the contact record
• edit checkout forms, offer promo codes and add one-click upsells
• take payments through Keap's own processor in the US, or through Stripe, PayPal or Eway elsewhere
• automate billing follow-ups and track results in built-in sales reports

GoHighLevel has payments and invoicing too, and it connects to Stripe. However, billing is one tool among dozens rather than the main focus of the product. If getting paid on time is your biggest headache, Keap's billing tools are the main reason to pay its higher price.

Keap's other big advantage is simplicity: one business, one account, guided setup and fewer tools to learn. In public reviews, people complain most about Keap's price, not its difficulty. If invoicing is the main job you need done, our guide to CRMs with invoicing for small businesses compares more options.

SMS, funnels and sub-accounts: where GoHighLevel is stronger

• Sub-accounts. Each client gets its own workspace inside your agency account, and you can white-label the app with your own branding. Starter includes 3 sub-accounts, and the higher plans include as many as you need.
• Texting and calling. Two-way texting, SMS campaigns and calling are part of every plan, priced per use. You never have to move up to a bigger message tier.
• Funnels and websites. A full website and funnel builder sits alongside forms, surveys, booking calendars, courses and communities. Keap has landing pages and sales funnels but no full website builder, so most Keap users run a separate website.
• Unlimited contacts and users. Every GoHighLevel plan includes them. Keap includes 2 users, charges $39 for each extra one, and costs more as your contact list grows.
• Reselling. On Agency Pro, SaaS mode lets you sell the platform as your own software. Client sub-accounts are created automatically, and you can add a markup on phone and email usage.

The trade-off is the learning curve. GoHighLevel puts dozens of tools in one dashboard, and a steep learning curve is the most common complaint in its reviews. Set aside real time for setup, or pay someone who already knows the platform.

Costs and terms that catch people out

• Keap's implementation package is required. Keap does not publish the price and quotes it when you sign up. Reviews report figures from a few hundred dollars to around $2,000, so get the quote in writing before you commit.
• Keap's yearly contract has an early exit fee. If you cancel a yearly plan before the year is up, you pay $299.
• Keap charges by contact tier. Independent reviews put the starting allowance at 1,500 contacts. Above the included amount, Keap's pricing page asks you to contact sales, and the price goes up as your list grows.
• GoHighLevel's usage charges keep adding up. Texts, emails, calls and premium AI features are charged per use. Every email you send or receive counts, and usage charges can apply even during the free trial.
• Texting US customers requires registration. US carriers require businesses that text customers to register (this is called A2P 10DLC). On GoHighLevel this costs $22.50 once for low-volume or sole-trader senders, or $64 for high volume, plus a monthly campaign fee.
• A text is not always one segment. Long messages and messages with emojis are split into several segments, and each segment is charged separately.

A third option: website, store and CRM in one place

Many people comparing Keap and GoHighLevel actually need three things: a proper website, a way to sell online and a CRM that follows up and sends invoices. Keap covers the CRM and billing but not the website. GoHighLevel covers all three, but it is built for agencies and takes time to learn.

WebNewBiz combines a website, an online store and an AI CRM in one platform. You describe your business in plain language, the AI drafts the whole site, and you make changes by chatting with the AI Copilot. The Growth plan costs $79 a month after a $1 first month and includes:

• the website, plus an online store with card, Apple Pay and Google Pay checkout (the store is available from the Starter plan at $29)
• the AI CRM, with 3,000 contacts and 3 team members, where website enquiries and store buyers become contacts automatically
• invoices that chase themselves, plus deals, tasks and bookings
• an AI funnel builder that drafts a landing page, opt-in page and thank-you page, or 26 templates to start from
• workflow automations triggered by form submissions, scheduled dates or birthdays

WebNewBiz has clear limits too. Email campaigns, social posting and the rest of the marketing automation tools start on the Pro plan at $149. Two-way texting from your business number comes with the phone system on the Ultimate plan at $199, and it is not built for high-volume SMS marketing. If SMS campaigns are central to how you sell, GoHighLevel is the better tool. WebNewBiz is also a much younger platform with a far smaller app ecosystem. There is no free plan, and the AI's first draft still needs your own photos, facts and edits.

For agencies, WebNewBiz offers white-label accounts. Your name, logo and colours appear on the dashboard, which runs on your own domain. You set up client accounts on plans you define, sell your own packages at your own prices, and client payments go to your own Stripe or PayPal account. WebNewBiz is younger and smaller than GoHighLevel's agency programme, and agency pricing is not published. You can find more detail on our white-label CRM for agencies page.

How to decide in half an hour

1. Count the businesses. If you run one business, look at Keap or an all-in-one builder. If you manage several client businesses, look at GoHighLevel or another white-label platform.
2. Check where your customers are. If they are outside the US, Keap's text marketing is no use to you, so compare it as a CRM with email and invoicing only.
3. Write down how you get paid. Quotes, recurring invoices, payment pauses and upsells all point to Keap. Either tool handles simple one-off invoices.
4. Estimate how many texts you send each month. At your real volume, compare Keap's tier prices with GoHighLevel's price per segment plus carrier fees.
5. Decide whether you need a full website. Keap only gives you landing pages and funnels, so budget for a separate site if you choose it.
6. Add up the first year, not just the first month. Include Keap's implementation quote and contact tiers, any extra users at $39 each, and GoHighLevel's usage charges and texting registration.
7. Use the free trial for real work. Both tools offer one. Import 50 real contacts, send one invoice and build one follow-up automation, and note how long each takes.

Quick answers

Is Keap more expensive than GoHighLevel?

Yes, at the starting point. Keap costs $249 a month on yearly billing ($299 month to month) for 2 users, plus a required implementation package. GoHighLevel Starter costs $97 a month with unlimited users and contacts, but texts, emails and calls are charged on top.

Which is better for invoicing and payments?

Keap. You get quotes that customers can pay from directly, one-off and recurring invoices, checkout forms with promo codes and one-click upsells, and payments through Keap's own US processor, Stripe, PayPal or Eway. GoHighLevel also does invoicing, but it is not the main focus of the product.

Can an agency white-label Keap?

No. Keap's partner programme pays up to 30% commission and helps you share campaigns with clients, but each client needs its own Keap subscription and there is no branded client dashboard. GoHighLevel offers sub-accounts on every plan and SaaS mode on Agency Pro at $497 a month.

Does Keap work outside the US?

The CRM, email, automations and invoicing work outside the US, with payments through Stripe, PayPal or Eway. Text marketing is US only, and 1:1 texting and the dedicated phone line are only available in the US and Canada.

Does either tool include a website?

GoHighLevel includes a website and funnel builder on every plan. Keap offers landing pages and multi-page sales funnels but no full website builder, so most Keap users keep a separate website.

Is there a cheaper option with a website, store and CRM together?

WebNewBiz Growth costs $79 a month after a $1 first month. It includes an AI-drafted website, an online store and an AI CRM with invoices, funnels and workflows. Email campaigns need the Pro plan at $149, and it is not built for high-volume SMS marketing.

See if the third option fits

If you would like to see your website, store and CRM in one place before choosing a CRM, look at our AI website builder. Or try the free AI Website Preview, which designs a homepage from a one-sentence description of your business. When you are ready, you can start for $1 for the first month and cancel any time. Agencies that want to offer this under their own brand can talk to us about white-label.