Keap vs. ClickFunnels
(Update: 4/9/25)
It's the Monday after Infusionsoft's ICON17, and here I am, minding my own business, sipping a little coffee, getting ready for the live weekly Inner Circle, and I run across a Facebook post on "Infusionsoft vs. ClickFunnels" and here we go...
The link takes me to a page with a YouTube video of a nice-looking couple that I do not know who is pitching ClickFunnels.
Okay, fine.
(Turns out this is some sort of "power couple," with a wide range of interests from beauty pageants to real estate to job recruiters to meditation to psychedelics to...being a ClickFunnels affiliate...and who knows what else. I don't know. I don't have time to continue following their breadcrumbs.)
ClickFunnels is a solid tool that has had its ups and downs, like most high-flying SaaS products that have come out since 2010. (ClickFunnels was launched in 2014.)
Russell Brunson is a smart guy. A serial entrepreneur. He's gone all in on AI recently and laid off most of his sales staff to both eat his own dog food and to save money. (I know this because he laid off people that I know and engage with regularly. Being in this space since 2008 has given me access to a lot of people, which is a blessing.)
That being said, ClickFunnels has made a big splash in the SMB marketing automation space and has helped a lot of my friends and clients grow their sales.
Turning back to the video...within 4 minutes, I see the screenshot above stating, "Infusionsoft Is MORE Than Most Small Businesses Need." (Infusionsoft rebranded as Keap in early 2019, and was acquired by Thryv in late 2024, and I just spoke at their partner conference on my 55th birthday, actually, so they are still moving and grooving and evolving.)
Anyway, Hannah states in the video that Infusionsoft is a rocket ship, but she just needs a car, not a rocket ship.
Begin With The End In Mind
Here are the problems with her "complaint":
Truth in Advertising
People who make complaint videos and put them on YouTube are monetizing their "angst," so take it with a grain of salt.
I know because I've been at this for over two decades:
- I joined LinkedIn on January 5, 2004
- I joined YouTube on March 29, 2007
- In 2007, I started using marketing automation and sending an email newsletter
- I started blogging in 2008
- Became an Infusionsoft Keap partner in 2008
- Launched my first podcast in 2009
- Became a HubSpot and Ontraport partner in 2014
I'm also an affiliate of many other tools to help professional salespeople, sales managers, business owners, and entrepreneurs sell more, faster, at higher margins, with less stress, more predictably, while having more fun doing it.
Heck, I'm even a ClickFunnels affiliate! (Yes, I put out all of this content out of the goodness of my heart...and you buy from my affiliate links out of the goodness of yours...right? Thank you!)
So, always look under the hood to understand where someone is coming from when they make these clickbait posts, videos, programs, etc.
I'm not saying they are lying...but they are usually leaving out some of the truth, which is why I've made so many "Pepsi Challenge" posts and videos over the years and quiz founders at these firms on The CRM Sushi Podcast to see how these tools really work.
You Don't Know What You Need
I know that sounds harsh, and I don't mean it like it sounds, but I need to get your attention.
None of us know what we really need in most areas of our life, be it health and wellness, investing for retirement, or sales and marketing automation.
Life and business are busy and complex and noisy and fraught with perils and dangers and lying scumbag marketers who have no problem saying whatever to get you to buy from them.
Henry Ford is often attributed as saying,
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."
While there is little evidence that he actually said it, the parable is true nonetheless, which is the idea that we usually don't know what we truly want or need, therefore, real innovation comes from understanding the underlying problem or desire, not just the surface-level request.
Sidebar: This is why I start with my Process Before Login with all new clients. We have to get your current and ideal processes documented and rank ordered so you know where to start. Most influencers and goo-roos just sell you either what they know—which is limited—or what they think they can shake you down for. Ugh.
If you don't live and breathe this tech stuff, you don't know what's possible.
The online tech space is evolving at an accelerated pace.
Yes, in 2017, Infusionsoft was a rocketship, but they've actually updated and simplified the platform under the Keap brand, while ClickFunnels has added a lot of complexity.
This is how it goes. Everything from MailChimp to Constant Contact to LeadPages is more complex than when they started. Yes, they're more powerful and feature-rich...but means they are more complex.
Bet On Yourself
When I bought Infusionsoft back in 2008, it came in one flavor:
- $5,000 for setup
- $299/mo
- Five seats
- Take it or leave it.
I was a solopreneur who had been on my own for under two years.
I didn't need five licenses.
$5k then would be about $7,400 down now. (More than HubSpot!!)
$299/mo would be about $442/mo today, or $89/mo/user.
It was a stretch.
But I saw the potential. I knew that if I used the platform as it was intended, I could grow my sales without growing my staff...and I did.
As you consider sales and marketing automation tools today, bet on yourself.
Now, I'm not (necessarily) saying to go all-in, i.e., mortgage your home, eat beans out of a can and buy the most expensive software you can find, but I am saying that the tools you need to get where you want to go are probably going to be a little more expensive than you'd like and they are going to do things you aren't doing now.
I hope that makes sense.
For example, at this moment, you may just need a simple email tool that creates a webform to embed on your site to gather leads or send a free report or schedule a call or something similar.
Easy peasy.
But a year from now, you may need to add those leads to a pipeline and follow-up with them to schedule a demo, send a proposal, and collect payments from them.
You need to control your costs today, but you also need to set yourself up for success tomorrow.
It's kinda like getting married and deciding where to live.
When it's just you and your spouse, a one bedroom apartment is fine. It's simple. It's affordable. Knock yourself out.
But what if you both want to start having kids immediately...and a dog...and maybe a lot of kids...and you want a garden...and a garage to work on your classic cars or motorcycles or painting or woodworking...?
The apartment is fine for now, but moving when you're pregnant or with an infant is hard. But overpaying for a bigger apartment or house is stressful, but not having to move for 5-10 years brings peace...
It's a tough balancing act.
And I can't tell you what is perfect for you, but it's my job to ask the questions. To get you seeing all angles so you can make the best decision for your current self and your future self.
I hope that makes sense.
So is Keap more than most small businesses need?
No. It never was, and it really isn't today.
Now, might it be more than a one-person hobbyist needs?
Yes.
If you need some help, take my free CRM quiz, then schedule time with me to discuss your results.
It's a free quiz and a free call.
Market like you mean it.
Now go sell something.
