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Anyone even slightly familiar with landing pages has probably heard of ClickFunnels... ClickFunnels is one of the largest and most popular marketing SaaS companies within digital marketing. The company was founded by Russell Brunson in 2014. Brunson became convinced of the potential of sales funnels early in his career. On that subject, he wrote the book "Dot Com Secrets" and "Expert Secrets," among others. An example of his passion for sales strategy can be found below.
The basis of ClickFunnels relies on the concept of the (modern) sales funnel: the process of 'converting' a website visitor into a paying customer in your checkout. The sales funnel in turn is based on the classic 'marketing funnel': the funnel process where a total unknown eventually becomes a paying customer. The ultimate goal of ClickFunnels is to save you time and energy while setting up such a funnel. Or rather: to enable anyone with the simplest knowledge of the web to build a profitable funnel and online business.
Want to know a little more about the philosophy behind ClickFunnels? A summary of the book "Dot Com Secrets" can be found below.
More about ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels has captured a large fan base over the years. Indeed, more than 100,000 other customers have gone before you. But: the platform doesn't just get love. Thus, people do write about bugs and security issues (for example, in membership models) and the poor (reachable) support. So why exactly all the fuss surrounding ClickFunnels?
This is mainly due to the clear focus on ... well, the sales funnel, that is.
The funnel builder is probably the most sought-after feature of this software. This is ideal for business owners who want to quickly generate new leads, make sales or host an event and attract visitors. The tool helps you quickly build a good-looking landing page based on developed templates, all of which also work well on mobile devices. You may assume that these days, but it can only be taken care of, right?
In short, do you want to make some sales on the Internet? Then with the help of ClickFunnels you can get started and start selling tremendously fast. Therefore, within this segment, ClickFunnels is one of the very best. That said; ClickFunnels' landing page is probably not the very best. If you compare it to a builder like Instapage's, ClickFunnels still loses out. However, the question is whether you need this complete builder or not.
Overall, the software is very user-friendly and has an easy drag-and-drop page builder. Payments are also well organized within ClickFunnels. There are many integrations available, including a well-reviewed WordPress plugin.
Other important features include:
- A/B split tests
- Upsells/downsells
- Pop-ups ("ClickPops").
- Opt-ins ('ClickOptins').
- Follow-ups
- Payment integrations
- Affiliate (sales) dashboard
- An active Facebook group (over 200,000 active members!) with Q&A
ClickFunnels' subscription plans are actually pretty straightforward: you can start at a price of $97 per month, but after that it quickly rises to a few hundred dollars per month. So the question is whether you need those extra features, and for most of us, the answer will be no.
Assessment criteria and alternatives
We would venture to say that ClickFunnels is a good product in its own right. But is it something for you? In any case, count on a rather "American" approach to sales, but if you don't mind that, you'll have to focus on the features and what benefits it can bring you. Especially when you compare those features with what the competition is offering... This one is by no means sitting still and there are some very good providers among them as well.
In such a case, it is good to do some extra research before you proceed to purchase because each tool is slightly different or focuses on specific things. This does not have to be right or wrong, but ultimately makes the choice personal.
We looked at the main challengers based on the main websites, blogs and comparison sites and, of course, our own experiences. To assess whether a program is an interesting alternative, we looked at the criteria below.
- Opportunities and USPs.
Features, features, features ... ultimately, those features define a program. When designing a good, modern (landing) page, ease of use and speed should be particularly important, but there are more features to pay attention to, such as the design of pop-ups or questionnaires. Important to increase conversion is, for example, the ability to split test (A/B) or personalize and segment. Integrations with other tools can also be important, but that will depend a bit more on your personal situation.
- Usability
Usability follows in an important second place. Modern software to build Web sites and pages should actually be usable out-of-the-box. Fortunately, modern tools are increasingly user-friendly. Under this heading, we actually count speed of the software and landing page as well.
- Price
Price is relative, which is why the success of a SaaS solution hinges on its capabilities. If you are able to either attract more sales or save enormous amounts of time, then price need not be as big a stumbling block.
1. Leadpages
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As the name suggests, Leadpages is all about "leading" landing pages (although you can create entire websites with it these days). You do that using Leadpages' dedicated page builder, based on a drag-and-drop editor that was completely redesigned in 2016.
Leadpages has a wonderful collection of ready-to-use templates (130+) for numerous industries and sectors. Name a topic and chances are Leadpages already has a great template ready for it. You can have your pages hosted by Leadpages, or you can host them on your own hosting package and domain name. In addition, there are numerous integrations possible. There is also a special WordPress plugin that allows you to quickly link your blog to the platform. Leadpages makes it very easy to quickly perform A/B tests. This way you can immediately optimize your pages and increase sales. Curious about detailed analysis? No problem; this is also included in the basic Leadpages package.
- Design and tweak your own popups ('Leadboxes')
- Send one-click links to subscribers ("Leadlinks")
- Opt-in ('Leaddigits').
- Alert bars
- A/B split tests
Prices from Leadpages start at $27 per month for a standard subscription (making it the cheapest in our comparison). Compared to ClickFunnels' $97 per month, of course, that's a serious difference. Still, that's just one side of the coin; for that $97, you get quite a few features at ClickFunnels. In short; at Leadpages you can get started with good landing pages for a competitive price, but you don't build a full sales funnel.
2. Instapage
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Nor is Instapage a tool for building a complete sales funnel. As such, the company prefers to describe itself as "the #1 landing page platform for marketers. With big names like HelloFresh, Vimeo, Udacity, Ebay and Skyscanner as clients, you can understand that the team behind Instapage seems to pretty much live up to that claim... Instapage's main goal is to help you get a better landing page. So you can quickly get started with:
- A drag-and-drop page builder
- Pop-ups
- A/B split tests
- Heatmaps
- Advertisement personalization
- Integrations with popular tools such as Marketo, Mailchimp et cetera.
- Comprehensive (landing page) analysis
- Access to 'stock' photography
- Collaboration tools
Instapage has two subscription plans: the core plan costs $99 per month (if you pay a year in advance), but $129 per month if you do not. Compared to ClickFunnels, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference there between the two providers.
3. Unbounce
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On the contrary, Unbounce does describe itself as an all-in-one suit of marketing tools (with a clear focus on landing pages; that again). A big plus for Unbounce is its powerful AI tool, which helps you write powerful and converting copy for your page. A/B testing is the starting point here, and the company claims - on average - to provide 30 percent or more sales and signups. Nice touch!
Unbounce has also managed to bring in a nice set of impressive clients by now, including Canon, Vodafone, LinkedIn and Amazon. Not the least of these, right? The team does this by providing:
- A drag-and-drop page builder
- More than 100 templates
- Popups and sticky bars
- Dynamic Text Replacement
- Integrations with key tools, such as WordPress, HubSpot, Infusion Software, Zoho CRM
- Statistics and reports
- A/B split tests ('Smart Traffic).
- Google Page Speed integration ('Speed Boost).
Prices for Unbounce start at $90 per month (if you pay per year) and in return you get 500 conversions at a maximum of 20,000 visitors per month. Not bad, but also not necessarily the best deal we've seen past.
4. Kartra
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Kartra also likes to pass as an "all-in-one marketing platform" ... but is actually a tool that we can categorize under the (somewhat cryptic) "marketing automation software. Actually, this platform is designed to help you optimize your entire digital marketing. So in this, at first glance, Kartra may resemble ClickFunnels' software, yet the two parties are more different than you might think. In short, ClickFunnels really specializes in the (further development of) sales funnels.
Kartra focuses more on content creators and course creators. Thus, at Kartra, you can find such things as:
- Video hosting
- Sales funnel builder
- Membership(sites)
- Email marketing automation ('Kartra Mail')
- Affiliate management
You can get started with Kartra's comprehensive toolset starting at $99 a month, but that can quickly add up for subsequent packages. The marketing message behind that is simple: if you buy Kartra, you (seemingly) don't need other software anymore.
5. AdPage
AdPage is a Dutch-made tool and a very good alternative to ClickFunnels. The software is known for its speed. This of course works extra nicely, but also ensures the best conversion rates. Just compare the load times between a landing page from ClickFunnels and one from AdPage ... and you'll see that there can still be considerable differences between them.
If you want to design and optimize effective and fast landing pages, you've come to the right place at AdPage. The landing pages you designed can then be segmented and personalized (which increases conversion by up to 40 percent).
The templates offered by AdPage are created and tested for the Dutch market. They are also completely up-to-date with the latest AVG regulations.
Thereby, you can present your questions to your visitors dynamically, based on answers and data. AdPage helps you easily get started with these 'multisteps' and therefore you no longer need a separate tool, such as Google Forms or Typeform. You will also find various options for creating pop-ups or offering discount codes to your visitors.
You can seamlessly integrate AdPage with existing tools like Mailblue, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Salesforce or any of 500(!) other tools.
You can start with AdPage from 39 euros per month, but you can also request a free trial period. You don't have to worry about unexpected extra costs as soon as your traffic increases: you can receive up to 100,000 visitors on a single landing page with the entry price of 39 euros. The AdPage team is also known for its dedicated support!
Conclusion
Anyone eager to sell (quickly) on the Internet will need to get started with a well-designed and fast landing page. ClickFunnels is one of the first companies to realize the importance of good landing pages within the complete 'sales funnel'. With that, the team at ClickFunnels also went first and built the software that has pushed the boundaries in many areas and inspired other teams. But is ClickFunnels still one of the best tools today? One thing is certain; there is more competition than ever.
ClickFunnels still has a very solid software product on its hands with a clear focus on sales funnels and its continued development. Are you just starting out or have you also become familiar with other tools that now support you well? Then ClickFunnels might be "overkill" or too expensive. In that case, you're better off working with a dedicated landing page builder, at probably a more competitive price. Two good examples are Leadpages and AdPage. Unbounce and Kartra are complete packages with lots of features, but for which you'll also obviously pay more quickly. If you're looking for a lot of help with your marketing efforts, you'll probably be fine with either of these two packages. Just be mindful of the price tag....
Would you like to get started building landing pages easily, conveniently and affordably? Then we recommend AdPage, our own tool from Dutch soil. AdPage offers, besides a user-friendly interface that lets you build the most beautiful landing pages in no time, full support from our enthusiastic team members.
Curious to know how AdPage helps marketers and agencies increase their sales on a daily basis? Then we would like to show you a demo, so you can be convinced of the quality and ease of use of our software. We will gladly tell you about the experiences of customers who have gone before you! Would you like to try AdPage free for 7 days? You can do that here!