What is GoHighLevel? Complete Guide for 2026

If you've been around marketing agencies in the past few years, you've heard about GoHighLevel. It's become the default platform for agencies serving small and medium businesses, and there's good reason for the popularity.

But understanding what GoHighLevel actually does—and whether it's right for you—requires cutting through the hype. This guide explains everything: what GHL is, what it costs, what it does well, where it falls short, and how to get started.

What is GoHighLevel?

GoHighLevel (commonly called GHL or HighLevel) is an all-in-one marketing and CRM platform launched in 2018 by Shaun Clark. It was designed specifically for marketing agencies, with a business model that addresses the core economics of running an agency.

The platform combines multiple marketing tools into one:

What Makes GoHighLevel Different?

The market is full of CRMs and marketing platforms. What makes GoHighLevel stand out is its pricing model and agency-first design.

Flat-Rate Pricing

Most CRMs charge per user, per contact, or both. At scale, this becomes expensive—a 10-person agency on HubSpot can easily pay $1,500+ per month.

GoHighLevel charges a flat monthly fee regardless of how many users, contacts, or clients you have. The Agency Unlimited plan at $297/month covers:

• Unlimited team members
• Unlimited sub-accounts (clients)
• Unlimited contacts
• Full white-labeling

This makes the economics predictable as you grow. Adding your 50th client doesn't increase your software cost.

Sub-Account Architecture

GoHighLevel uses "sub-accounts" to separate client data. Each client gets their own isolated environment with their own contacts, pipelines, and automations. Your team manages all sub-accounts from a single agency dashboard.

This is fundamentally different from tools like HubSpot, where managing multiple clients requires separate accounts or complex partitioning.

White-Label Capability

On the Agency Unlimited and Pro plans, you can completely rebrand GoHighLevel. Your clients log into your domain, see your logo, and never see "GoHighLevel" anywhere. Many agencies resell this access as a monthly SaaS product, creating recurring revenue beyond service fees.

GoHighLevel Pricing Breakdown

Additional Costs to Know

The monthly subscription covers the platform, but there are usage-based costs:

• SMS: ~$0.0079 per message (US)
• Phone calls: ~$0.014/minute (outbound)
• Phone numbers: ~$1.15/month per number
• Email: Included in base plans (reasonable limits)
• AI features: Variable based on usage

For an agency sending significant SMS volume, these costs can add up. Budget $50-200/month per active client for communication costs on top of the base subscription.

What GoHighLevel Replaces

Whether it should replace these tools depends on your needs. GHL does many things well, but specialized tools often do their specific function better. HubSpot's CRM is more polished, ClickFunnels' editor is more powerful, and ActiveCampaign's email automation is more sophisticated.

The value proposition is consolidation and cost savings, not best-in-class for any single feature.

GoHighLevel Pros and Cons

Who Should Use GoHighLevel?

Great Fit

• Marketing agencies managing multiple SMB clients
• Digital agencies needing marketing delivery tools
• Consultants wanting to offer SaaS as part of services
• Local business marketers serving restaurants, contractors, etc.
• Agencies wanting recurring revenue from software reselling

Not Ideal For

• Individual businesses – More complexity than you need
• Enterprise sales teams – HubSpot/Salesforce are better fits
• E-commerce businesses – Specialized tools like Klaviyo work better
• Teams needing extensive integrations – GHL's ecosystem is smaller

How to Get Started with GoHighLevel

1. Sign up for the free trial

   Start at gohighlevel.com with the 14-day free trial. No credit card required initially. Most agencies start with the $297 Agency Unlimited plan to access white-labeling.

2. Complete initial setup

   Configure your agency settings: logo, timezone, notification preferences. Connect your Stripe account if you'll process payments. Set up your custom domain for white-labeling.

3. Create your first sub-accounts

   Create one sub-account for your own agency operations and one for your first client. Each sub-account is completely isolated with its own contacts, pipelines, and settings.

4. Import contacts and data

   Upload contacts via CSV or connect existing tools through integrations. GHL supports imports from most major CRMs. Clean your data before importing—duplicates are easier to prevent than fix.

5. Build your first funnel or pipeline

   Use the funnel builder for landing pages or set up a sales pipeline to track deals. Start with templates from the snapshot library rather than building from scratch.

6. Set up basic automations

   Create simple workflows first: trigger an email when a form is submitted, send appointment reminders, follow up after calls. Build complexity gradually as you learn the system.

7. Configure communications

   Set up phone numbers for calls and SMS (this costs extra). Connect your email domain for better deliverability. Configure your booking calendar for client appointments.

Maximizing GoHighLevel with FlightSuite

One challenge with GoHighLevel—like any CRM—is data entry. Your team still needs to log calls, update deal stages, and document next steps manually. This takes time and creates friction that reduces adoption.

FlightSuite integrates directly with GoHighLevel to eliminate this friction. Instead of filling out forms in GHL, your team describes what happened naturally:

"Had a great call with Mike at Johnson Construction. He wants a proposal for the social media package. Meeting him on site Friday at 2pm."

FlightSuite parses this and updates GoHighLevel automatically—contact linked, opportunity updated, appointment scheduled, notes logged. The rep spent 10 seconds instead of 3 minutes, and the data quality is actually higher.

For agencies managing multiple clients in GHL, FlightSuite ensures consistent data quality across all sub-accounts without requiring your team to master GHL's interface.

FlightSuite integrates with GoHighLevel to eliminate CRM data entry. Your team speaks naturally, we log automatically. Learn how we can help your agency.