GoHighLevel can replace several disconnected marketing tools when its CRM, email, scheduling, contracts, and automation features fit the way your business works. That was the reason I switched: I was paying more than $400 a month for separate platforms, and my team still had gaps and awkward handoffs to manage.
After more than 15 years of building marketing automation systems, I was not looking for another software subscription. I wanted the tools we already needed to work together. Here is what changed for Marketecs, what I replaced, and how to evaluate whether a similar move makes sense for your business.
What You’ll Learn About Switching to GoHighLevel
- Why an experienced automation consultant changed platforms
- The tools and functions I was paying for separately
- How connected information improves everyday follow-up
- What to include in a realistic software cost comparison
- How to test whether GoHighLevel fits your business
Affiliate disclosure: I am a HighLevel affiliate and may earn a commission if you sign up through my links, at no additional cost to you. I also offer Marketecs Engine, built on HighLevel. I chose the platform for my own business before becoming an affiliate or reseller.
Ready to simplify your marketing tools? Try HighLevel free for 30 days and get Marketecs bonuses, or explore Marketecs Engine for templates and support.
Watch the full video on YouTube.
Video Time Stamps
00:00 Why I switched from disconnected marketing tools
00:33 The real cost of a small-business tech stack
01:07 Why GoHighLevel stood out
01:29 Affiliate and reseller disclosure
02:02 My experience with Keap and other CRM platforms
02:34 From free email marketing tools to advanced automation
02:55 The additional tools I still needed
03:22 Software costs, limits, and shared logins
03:48 The benefit of one connected platform
04:10 What became possible with HighLevel
04:28 Is GoHighLevel right for every business?
04:48 Get a 30-day HighLevel trial and bonuses
Links
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Book a strategy consultation
View the HighLevel trial offer and Marketecs bonuses
Why I Replaced Keap With GoHighLevel
Before HighLevel, Keap was our CRM, email marketing, and automation platform. I was certified in it and had worked with its predecessor, Infusionsoft, for clients since 2013. Over the years, I also worked with tools such as HubSpot, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, and MailerLite.
Like many small businesses, we started with free email marketing software. As our needs grew, I wanted more advanced automation. Moving to a more capable CRM addressed that need, but it did not eliminate the need for separate scheduling, contract, and social media tools.
The problem was the overall setup. We were paying for multiple services, dealing with usage and user limits, and sharing logins that made two-factor authentication a team coordination exercise. The software could do useful things individually, but working across it was still cumbersome.
HighLevel gave us a way to bring those core marketing functions together and give team members their own access. That combination made the switch worthwhile for us.
Which Marketing Tools Did GHL Replace?
In the video, I describe the tools I had used for these functions. Some were alternatives used at different points, rather than subscriptions we held simultaneously.
| Business function | Tools discussed in the video | What I wanted to improve |
|---|---|---|
| CRM, email, and automation | Keap / Infusionsoft | Connect follow-up to the rest of the customer journey. |
| Appointment scheduling | Acuity; Calendly mentioned as an alternative | Keep bookings connected to contact records and next steps. |
| Contracts | DocuSign or HelloSign | Connect a form submission with sending the appropriate contract. |
| Social media scheduling | Loomly or Hootsuite | Manage another marketing function within the same system. |
| Courses, communities, and affiliates | Capabilities we were missing | Add useful options without assembling another collection of platforms. |
This is a description of our experience, not a claim that every specialized tool is interchangeable. Before replacing a platform, test the functions your team actually uses, including the exceptions that do not appear in a feature checklist.
How GoHighLevel Connects Marketing and Sales Follow-Up
A lower subscription total is appealing. The more meaningful operational improvement was being able to connect events and actions without treating every platform as a separate project.
For example, a form submission could lead to a contract being sent. An automation could provide access to a course or community. A contact’s interactions with landing pages, email, and text messages could inform what happened next.
For a professional service business, that matters because the work rarely stops at capturing a lead. Someone needs to respond, schedule the conversation, send the next document, and keep the relationship moving. Each manual handoff is another task for somebody to remember.
If you are new to this, our beginner’s guide to marketing automation workflows explains how to start with a process you already understand. For content distribution, see our GoHighLevel social media content system walkthrough.
Compare Total Costs, Not Just the Starting Price
In the video, I compare my former software bill of more than $400 a month with HighLevel’s $97 starting plan. As of October 5, 2026, HighLevel’s pricing page lists its Starter plan at $97 per month. Phone, SMS, email, AI, and optional services can involve additional charges.
That starting price is not a guaranteed final bill or a promise that your business will save the same amount. Marketecs Engine is a separate offer with its own plans and support, so do not confuse HighLevel’s entry price with Marketecs Engine pricing.
Build your comparison around four items:
- Current subscriptions: Include annual renewals, extra users, and tools paid for outside your main software account.
- Expected platform and usage costs: Estimate what your team will actually send, use, and need.
- Migration work: Account for moving data, rebuilding workflows, testing, and training.
- Ongoing ownership: Decide who will maintain the system and handle changes after setup.
A cheaper subscription can still be an expensive distraction if the implementation does not fit your business.
Is GoHighLevel Right for Your Business?
Start with one customer journey. For a consultant, that might be inquiry, consultation booking, follow-up, agreement, and onboarding. Write down which tools and people handle each step today.
Then test that sequence before committing to a full migration:
- List your nonnegotiables. Include the reports, integrations, permissions, and specialist functions you rely on.
- Build one complete example. Use a test contact and follow the process from initial inquiry to the intended outcome.
- Let the team try it. A system needs to work for the people using it every day, not only the person who configured it.
- Check the handoffs. Confirm that messages, appointments, documents, and access behave as intended.
- Plan the transition. Keep the existing process available until its replacement has been tested.
These are evaluation steps I recommend, rather than a claim that buying the software completes the implementation. We also have a separate article on whether GoHighLevel is right for your business to help you consider fit.
How Marketecs Engine Builds on GHL
Marketecs Engine is our version of GoHighLevel, built with additional templates, workflows, and implementation support to help businesses put the platform to work without starting from scratch.
Your decision may be to consolidate, improve the tools you already own, or connect only the parts that are creating friction. We start with the business process and then work out the technology. Explore Marketecs Engine or book a strategy consultation if you want help evaluating your setup.
GoHighLevel FAQs: Pricing, Features, and Switching
Why did you switch from Keap to GoHighLevel?
I wanted to connect the core marketing tools we needed, reduce the number of separate subscriptions, and give team members their own logins. Keap handled our CRM and automation, but I still needed other platforms around it.
Can GoHighLevel replace all my business software?
That depends on your requirements. It replaced the core marketing platforms I describe in the video, but you should test specialist features and integrations before deciding what to retire.
Does the $97 starting price cover everything?
No. The base plan price is only one part of the comparison. Usage charges, optional services, and implementation work can affect your total cost. Check the current pricing and the features you need.
Is Marketecs Engine the same offer as buying HighLevel directly?
Marketecs Engine is built on HighLevel and has its own plans, templates, and support offering. Compare the level of help you need as well as the software itself.
What should I test before switching?
Test one complete customer journey, including the forms, bookings, communications, documents, and team handoffs involved. Confirm that it works before moving every process.
Click here to read the full video transcript
Why I Started Looking
I’ve been building marketing automation systems for well over 15 years. And on top of that, I’ve been certified in many of them, including Keap. However, I was still paying over $400 a month for disconnected tools.
That is until I found a program that starts at just $97, replaced all the core platforms that I was using, gave every team member their own login, and added capabilities that we were missing. That’s when I made the switch.
Finding HighLevel
I have been well versed on what’s available and what advanced automations can do. And I know that most small businesses are spending close to $4,000 a year on their technology and on what I would call their tech stack, even if they don’t know what their term means. And this was why I was excited to find a platform that starts at just $97 a month, replaces all of the programs I was using effectively, and added capabilities that I didn’t previously have.
The platform I’m talking about today is HighLevel or GoHighLevel. And I’m not alone in this savings or this realization. In the time frame when I discovered and started utilizing HighLevel, within about six months, every single one of our clients moved over partly due to our recommendation, but also because they too saw the value.
Why I Became an Affiliate and Reseller
Today, I’m a HighLevel affiliate. Plus, in addition to that, I’ve built templates and my own version of the platform that I resell as Marketecs Engine. However, both of those decisions came well after I chose to switch to the platform myself for my business.
I became an affiliate and a reseller because I believe in the platform, not the other way around. And that’s what I’ve done with all of the technology in my business. If I truly believe in something, I usually get certified in it and then recommend it to others.
The Platforms I Used Before
So, let’s talk about the actual programs that I was using for a minute because I bet you’re going to recognize some of these names. As I mentioned, I was certified in Keap and that was actually our CRM and automation system, email marketing system. You might also recognize Keap under the name Infusionsoft and I had been using Infusionsoft for clients since 2013.
I was well versed in it. We also had used HubSpot, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, MailerLite, all of these other platforms for clients and a few of them for ourselves over the years. We certainly started like most people do with a free email marketing platform.
We started with Mailchimp. At one point we switched to MailerLite and then because I really wanted those advanced automations, we moved over to Keap.
What Was Still Missing
But even at the higher price tag, a lot of those platforms did not fix all of my needs. I still had to use a program like Acuity for scheduling and some people use Calendly. They’re essentially the same.
I was still using DocuSign or HelloSign for contracts. I was still using Loomly or Hootsuite for social media scheduling. I did not have a way to set up affiliates and at the time I actually wasn’t running a community and did not have any online courses.
So those were some key features that I was actually missing in my business. And for all the clients we had that were utilizing those types of services, they were paying for extra platforms.
The Cost of Disconnected Tools
So at the end of the day, I was paying over $400 a month in platform costs for all of these disconnected services and services that had usage limits and user limits. So we were sharing sign-ons and constantly having to do two-factor authentication amongst each of the users. It was not seamless.
It was not easy.
What Changed With a Connected Platform
So when I finally discovered an all-in-one platform where we could actually all have our own sign-on, it did all of these things in one place, which also meant they were connected. I could tell if somebody went to a landing page, got a text message, and an email. I could actually set up an automation that would automatically give them access to an online course or put them in a community.
Those are the types of added features. When someone filled out a form, I could send them a contract. I didn’t have those capabilities prior to HighLevel and I was paying a lot more.
Is HighLevel Right for Your Business?
Now, I can’t promise that HighLevel will be the perfect solution for your business. I actually have another video where I break down some scenarios where you actually might not want to use HighLevel. And for that reason, I will recommend that if you have questions, book a consultation with me.
I’d love to chat about this. Marketing automation is one of my favorite topics.
Trial, Bonuses, and More Tutorials
But if you’re ready to jump on board and you’re curious about HighLevel, check out the 30-day trial link that I have down in the description. It’s better than the 14-day trial link that you’ll get if you go directly to their website. And by using my affiliate link, you will get my bonuses and help me to make more free content because I have a library of content waiting for you on YouTube with all the things that I’ve built in the last 2 years using HighLevel.
There are specific automations as well as general use information. So, if you enjoy that type of content, you want more tips and you want to support another small business owner, grab my affiliate link and check it out.
Ready to Connect Your Marketing Tools?
Start your 30-day HighLevel trial and get Marketecs bonuses. Want help deciding what to keep, replace, or connect? Book a strategy consultation with Marketecs.
