For agencies & creators
GoHighLevel vs Kartra: Which Is Better in 2026?
Official pricing and packaging from HighLevel and Kartra — agency CRM + messaging vs creator all-in-one. No timed bake-off claimed.
Start GoHighLevel 14-day trial See Kartra pricing
GHL: 14-day free trial · usage may apply · Kartra: 30-day money-back (vendor language; verify live trial CTA)
Official list prices · verified against gohighlevel.com/pricing and kartra.com/pricing · last checked 5 Sep 2026 (PT)
Side-by-side at a glance
| Lens | GoHighLevel (HighLevel) | Kartra |
|---|---|---|
| Primary story | Agency CRM, funnels/sites, email/SMS/calling, calendars, sub-accounts, optional SaaS Mode | Creator all-in-one: pages, funnels, email/SMS, memberships/courses, checkouts, affiliates |
| Self-serve list price (monthly) | Starter $97 · Unlimited $297 · Agency Pro $497 · Enterprise custom | Essentials $59 · Starter $119 · Growth $229 · Professional $549 |
| Annual option | $970 / $2,970 / $4,970 (10 months of monthly) | Shown /mo when billed yearly: $52 / $99 / $189 / $429 |
| Contacts | Unlimited contacts (all listed self-serve plans) | 500 / 2,500 / 12,500 / 25,000 (Essentials → Professional) |
| Email / SMS model | Native email/SMS/calling; usage wallet beside the plan | Essentials: 10,000 emails/mo (see flag); Starter+: unlimited email & SMS on cards |
| Multi-brand / clients | 3 sub-accounts on Starter; unlimited on Unlimited & Agency Pro | 1 / 1 / 3 / 5 custom domains; Growth+ lists agency capacity on compare tables |
| Platform transaction fee on sales | Not the same SKU — plan + usage; payment providers listed separately | Essentials 5%; Starter+ 0% Kartra transaction fees (processor fees still apply) |
| Memberships / courses (listed) | Courses & Communities on core features list | 1 membership/course on Essentials; unlimited on Starter+ |
| Agency resale | Agency Pro: SaaS Mode, rebill with markup (per official page) | Not the same SaaS Mode packaging; affiliates from Growth+ |
| Trial / guarantee (vendor claims) | 14-day free trial on self-serve plans | 30-day money-back; cancel anytime (overview also mentions 14 days free — verify live) |
| HIPAA (vendor claims) | Add-on $297/mo; included with Enterprise purchase language | FAQ: HIPAA compliant at no additional cost |
| Hands-on score on this page | None — no AggregateRating; we did not run a paid bake-off | |
Sources: official GoHighLevel and Kartra pricing pages, 5 Sep 2026 (PT). Kartra links are official (non-affiliate).
Official pricing (checked 5 Sep 2026, PT)
GoHighLevel — gohighlevel.com/pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Sub-accounts | What you get beyond Starter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $97 | $970 | 3 | Unlimited contacts & users, core features, 24/7 support |
| Unlimited | $297 | $2,970 | Unlimited | Rebill phone & email (no markup), basic API |
| Agency Pro | $497 | $4,970 | Unlimited | SaaS Mode, automated sub-account creation, rebill with markup, advanced API, user/agent reporting |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Sales-led: success manager, HIPAA included language, white-label mobile app included language, higher limits |
14-day free trial on self-serve plans. Annual equals 10 months of monthly. Core features include website & funnel builder, CRM, email + SMS marketing*, inbound/outbound calling*, workflows, calendars, courses, communities. Asterisked items: usage-based charges apply.
Kartra — kartra.com/pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (shown /mo) | Contacts | Email / SMS (card) | Kartra txn fee | Domains |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $59 | $52 | 500 | 10,000 emails/mo (see flag) | 5% | 1 |
| Starter | $119 | $99 | 2,500 | Unlimited email & SMS | 0% | 1 |
| Growth | $229 | $189 | 12,500 | Unlimited email & SMS | 0% | 3 |
| Professional | $549 | $429 | 25,000 | Unlimited email & SMS (Growth features +) | 0% | 5 |
30-day money-back / cancel anytime (vendor language). Essentials: 5 pages, 1 product, 1 membership/course, Kartra AI 30 uses. Starter+: unlimited pages/products/memberships & courses, video hosting. Growth+: funnel simulation, automations, affiliates.
Pricing & real cost
List prices are not apples-to-apples. HighLevel’s $97 Starter matches Kartra’s Essentials/Starter neighborhood on paper, but HighLevel bills telecom and AI usage beside the plan — the wallet can swing a high-SMS month. Kartra’s FAQ claims flat-rate with no extra fees for storage or email sends, while Essentials still prints a 5% transaction fee on sales (Starter+ print 0%). Payment-processor fees sit under both. We will not invent a “typical monthly bill” without metering either account.
Funnels & page builder
Both sell funnel + page builders. HighLevel lists website & funnel builder, Funnel AI, forms/surveys/quizzes, and domain management among core features. Kartra lists funnel mapper on Essentials+, funnel simulation from Growth, and drag-and-drop pages (5-page cap on Essentials; unlimited on Starter+). We did not time a rebuild or split-test conversion rates for this page.
Email, SMS & automation
HighLevel: unified conversations, email + SMS marketing*, inbound/outbound calling*, workflow automation — with usage-based charges on starred items. Unlimited/Pro can rebill usage to clients (markup on Pro). Kartra: Essentials caps email at 10,000/mo on the plan card (flag above); Starter+ print unlimited email & SMS; Growth+ adds automations and affiliate management. Contact ceilings on Kartra are hard plan limits with auto-upgrade language if leads exceed the tier.
Memberships, courses & checkouts
Kartra’s packaging is explicit for creators: 1 membership/course on Essentials, unlimited on Starter+, plus checkouts and (Starter+) video hosting. HighLevel lists Courses and Communities on the core features list and payments/invoicing with Stripe, PayPal, and others — without printing a membership count per plan on the cards we captured. Pick Kartra on paper if course/membership delivery is the primary job; pick HighLevel if CRM + client messaging + sub-accounts dominate.
Who should pick which
- Agency / SaaS resale: GoHighLevel Unlimited or Agency Pro — sub-accounts, rebill, SaaS Mode on Pro.
- Solo creator / coach launching a course: Kartra Starter or Growth — memberships, checkouts, contact caps you can budget.
- Tiny budget test: Kartra Essentials ($59) is the lowest monthly floor listed here — watch the 5% txn fee and 500-contact / page caps.
- Heavy SMS / calling: Model HighLevel’s usage wallet before assuming $97 is the bill; Kartra’s unlimited email/SMS cards still sit behind contact tiers.
FAQ
Is GoHighLevel or Kartra better in 2026?
It depends on the job. GoHighLevel is stronger on paper as an agency CRM + messaging + sub-accounts stack ($97 / $297 / $497 monthly) with optional SaaS Mode — usage for phone, SMS, email, and AI sits beside the plan. Kartra is stronger as a creator/coach all-in-one with memberships, courses, and checkouts ($59 / $119 / $229 / $549 monthly). No single winner from list prices. Not a hands-on bake-off.
How much does GoHighLevel cost vs Kartra in 2026?
Checked 5 Sep 2026 (PT). GHL: Starter $97/mo ($970/yr), Unlimited $297 ($2,970), Agency Pro $497 ($4,970). Kartra: Essentials $59 ($52/mo yearly), Starter $119 ($99), Growth $229 ($189), Professional $549 ($429). Essentials lists 5% txn fees; Starter+ print 0% Kartra txn fees.
Which is better for agencies?
HighLevel markets unlimited sub-accounts on Unlimited/Pro, rebill, and SaaS Mode on Agency Pro. Kartra Growth/Professional list agency capacity and multi-domain packaging — not the same SaaS Mode story. Agencies consolidating client CRM/messaging often lean HighLevel on paper.
Does Kartra include email and SMS?
Essentials card: 10,000 emails/mo (one compare table also shows 1,000 — verify live). Starter+: unlimited email & SMS. Contacts: 500 / 2,500 / 12,500 / 25,000.
Are there hidden fees on either platform?
GHL: usage for telecom/AI beside the plan; optional add-ons listed on pricing. Kartra FAQ: flat-rate for storage/email sends, but Essentials still has 5% sales txn fee. Processor fees apply on both.
Does either platform include memberships or courses?
Kartra: 1 on Essentials; unlimited on Starter+. GHL: Courses & Communities on core features list — no per-plan count on cards we captured. No course bake-off on this page.
Can I try both before paying?
GHL: 14-day free trial (usage may apply; billing after trial unless canceled). Kartra: 30-day money-back / cancel anytime; overview also mentions 14 days free — verify live CTA. We have not metered either paid account.
Where can I see each vendor’s official pricing?
GoHighLevel: gohighlevel.com/pricing. Kartra: kartra.com/pricing. Checked 5 Sep 2026 (PT).
Affiliate signup for GoHighLevel. Kartra has no affiliate URL on this page — use the official pricing link. Official list prices still apply.
Start GoHighLevel 14-day trial See Kartra official pricing
GHL: 14-day free trial · usage may apply · Kartra: 30-day money-back (vendor language)
Independent comparison · affiliate disclosure in footer · prices from official sites
Related: GoHighLevel Pricing 2026 · ClickFunnels vs GoHighLevel · ClickFunnels Pricing 2026
Last verified: 5 Sep 2026 (PT) against gohighlevel.com/pricing and kartra.com/pricing. GHL affiliate URL present; Kartra official links only. No AggregateRating. No hands-on test claimed.