Most "best funnel builder" roundups are written for course creators and marketing agencies, then repackaged for everyone else. If you run a café, a trade business, or a small local service, you don't need most of what these platforms are actually built for. Here's an honest read on five of the main options, from that angle specifically.
The short version
For a small or local business building its first funnel, most of the well-known platforms are overbuilt and overpriced. Systeme.io is the practical starting point. The others below are worth knowing about mainly so you understand what you're not paying for.
Systeme.io
Funnels, email, a simple website, and course hosting on one plan, starting free and moving to roughly £14–17/month. Built for solopreneurs and small businesses rather than agencies. The templates are plain rather than polished, but it does what a small business actually needs without the extra cost of tools built for bigger operations.
Best for: a first funnel, testing whether the whole idea works for your business, low budget.
ClickFunnels
The best-known name in this space, starting around £70–80/month. More advanced funnel-building tools and a mature ecosystem, but built around high-ticket sales funnels and complex multi-step offers. Most of that power goes unused by a business selling a straightforward local service.
Best for: established course creators and businesses running complex, multi-step sales funnels at scale.
Kartra
Starts around £90–100/month. Strong for digital product sellers — built-in video hosting, webinars, and a genuinely good affiliate management system. Aimed squarely at course creators and info-product businesses, not local service businesses.
Best for: course creators and digital product sellers who want native webinars and affiliate tools built in.
Kajabi
Starts around £140+/month, recently increased. Polished design and a strong course-delivery experience, but priced and built for creators whose entire business is content and courses. Significant overkill — and cost — for a business just trying to capture leads and bookings.
Best for: established course creators prioritising a premium student experience.
GoHighLevel
Starts around £65–80/month, but email and SMS are billed separately on usage, which can add real cost. Built for agencies managing multiple clients — full CRM, pipelines, SMS marketing. If you're a marketing agency serving other businesses, this is worth a proper look. If you're a single local business, it's solving problems you don't have.
Best for: agencies managing several client accounts, not single small businesses.
Side-by-side
| Starting price | Built primarily for | |
|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Free, then ~£14–17/mo | Small businesses, solopreneurs |
| ClickFunnels | ~£70–80/mo | High-ticket sales funnels |
| Kartra | ~£90–100/mo | Course creators, digital products |
| Kajabi | ~£140+/mo | Premium course delivery |
| GoHighLevel | ~£65–80/mo + usage fees | Agencies with multiple clients |
The honest recommendation
If you're a small or local business testing your first funnel, start with the platform priced and built for that — not one built for an agency managing ten client accounts, or a course creator running six-figure launches. You can always move to something bigger later, once you actually know what more you need.
Start where the pricing actually fits
Systeme.io's free plan is enough to build and test a real funnel before spending anything.
Start free on Systeme.io →This guide contains an affiliate link to Systeme.io. If you sign up through it, this site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Pricing for third-party tools mentioned here is approximate and subject to change — always check the provider's own site for current rates. See the full affiliate disclosure for details.