ClickFunnels vs Systeme io

Funnel builders in 2022, are a dime a dozen, with hundreds of them appearing (and disappearing). It's very rare to find funnel platforms that stick around for longer than a few months, but there are two that don't seem to be disappearing. 

Today we are looking into ClickFunnels vs Systeme.io. Diving into these hugely popular platforms, putting them against each other to find which one is going to be the one for you. 

ClickFunnels vs Systeme.io  - Why Are We Comparing Them?

I am honestly always on the lookout for a decent replacement, or addition to ClickFunnels. A platform or tool that I can use, with new features, or less bugs than the OG of platforms. 

It's always worth knowing what other tools are out there that can be utilised, especially if certain affiliate programs like to use them. Legendary Marketer recently started to promote or tell people to look into Systeme.io, especially if they are new to affiliate marketing, or funnels etc.

To date, there have been very few funnel building platforms I have ever been that enthralled by, and it's been difficult to find any ClickFunnels alternatives, but after writing the Syteme.io review, I was surprised at what they offered and how it was setup.  

As such, it's a perfect opportunity to look at ClickFunnels vs Systeme.io to help you make a choice. 

ClickFunnels Overview

If you have ever looked into anything in the sales, marketing or more specifically affiliate marketing world, you have probably heard of ClickFunnels. Made famous by their CEO, and master salesman Russel Brunson. He became known for building ClickFunnels to a $100m+ company, with it's army of followers and enthusiastic users. 

ClickFunnels is known for;

• Drag & Drop Page Builder (Including Templates)
• Quick and easy to create sales 'funnel' with a number of pages or steps
• You can create each page as you wish, swapping out layouts, images, elements and sections
• Upsell, downsell and cross-sell funnels, 
• Integrations with other platforms and services
• Email autoresponder and follow up funnels
• Training (Free & Paid)

They where one of the first platforms that offered the ability to import funnels from others, meaning it was quick and easy to get started with ClickFunnels. You could find a template, or ready made funnel that you liked, sign-up to a free trial, import the funnel and be steps ahead of the competition. 

The drag and drop builder also meant it was quicker, or easier than similar platforms that required either knowledge of HTML or required additional hosting or tools to work. 

Systeme.io Overview

Making an appearance in 2021, Systeme.io has become popular among affiliate marketers, mainly due to the fact you can get started for free. With similar features to ClickFunnels, and an active community, it has grown and become a firm favourite with companies such as Legendary Marketer. 

Systeme is best known for;

• A drag & drop builder (works a lot like Thrive or Elementor)
• Templates and pre-built funnels to choose from
• Share Funnels
• Built-in CRM & Email Autoresponder / Email Platform
• Blog / Website Builder
• Automation / Workflows

Funnel Section Overview

Both of these platforms are aimed at providing funnels and landing pages, with supposedly easy to find pages and funnel steps.

ClickFunnels

Everything inside of the ClickFunnels platform is focused on single funnels, each with their own funnel steps. This allows for easy navigation and moving between different funnels you may have. 

They provide the overview and list of all the funnels within your account. Depending on what tier of ClickFunnels you own, this could be 20 or 100 funnels. 

Within each funnel you will find all of the steps within the particular funnel you are looking at, though annoyingly just because the a step comes after the one you are looking at in the list, doesn't mean it will be the next one your customer/lead sees. 

Each section can then be edited, previewed or the split testing settings can be reviewed as well. 

Systeme.io

Due to the nature of Systeme.io, the overview of their platform is a little more cluttered. Though they do still break each section into areas such as blogs, emails, funnels and contacts. 

The funnel overview is a lot like ClickFunnels, with a list of the funnels that you currently own/have built. Though they don't actually show how many steps the funnels include, or any kind of group tags, simply a name, a status and when it was created/edited. 

As with ClickFunnels, clicking onto a particular funnel name will display the actual steps inside of the funnel.

This particular funnel only contains a couple of steps, and again just because a step is after another, it doesn't mean it's the actual next step. 

Both of these platforms could use something like the funnel designer that BuilderAll had. The overviews both lack any real useful information. Systeme sadly lacks even more, with the image of the funnel step being replaced by a ton of random settings and URLs which should be hidden away inside of a settings tab.

Page/Funnel Builder Tools

The main reason you would get either of these platforms, is to of course, build funnels or maybe landing pages. Both of these platforms use a drag & drop style builder, but of course, that doesn't mean they are both on the same level. 

ClickFunnels

The page builder found within ClickFunnels is a pretty standard state of affairs, made up of Sections, Rows, Columns and Elements.

Each section utilises 'elements' that can be snapped into place, sections are small segments or blocks that are designed to break up large landing pages, usually with a different background. 

The element snapping can be buggy, and you will find that sometimes the image box you have tried to throw onto a page, or a video element suddenly snaps about 10" below the place you actually wanted it. 

There are lots of elements to add onto pages, and you can also add pre-built sections that come with call-to-actions or images, which makes life a little easier. You can find around 20 different pre-built 'actions' and the same number of pre-built 'content' sections. 

Side note, you are also forced to add columns everywhere you want to offer a split (See the image above). It would be nicer to be able to just add 2 images next to each other, or 2 lines of bullet points etc. Possibly one of the most annoying parts of the ClickFunnels builder. 

The other important part is of course, setting up the buttons or actions within the funnels. These are usually hidden behind additional buttons and isn't simply shown to you when you click on a button. 

Not a huge annoyance, but sometimes it would be nice to be able to just add a link to a button, or quickly update the action of the button without tons of clicks and menus. 

Systeme.io

It's not going to be a huge surprise to learn that the Systeme page builder, is very much like the ClickFunnels one, unlike page builders such as Thrive or DropFunnels, you are once again quite limited in terms of elements, sections or even how much you can drag and drop.

The list of elements available are similar to that of ClickFunnels, with images, videos, buttons and call-to-actions being the main ones available. 

Though once again, you can't add elements next to each other, unless you have added columns inside of sections. Though, thankfully the drag and drop part is at least less buggy, with buttons or images not dancing around the page.

As with ClickFunnels, you can add whole sections, or blocks as Systeme.io likes to call them. There are a number of sections included. 

 Each of the blocks have different templates that can be pre-loaded onto your funnel pages 

It's quite nice to be able to import a fair few of these, with lots of different styles and templates to choose from, such as full call-to-actions, pricing tables, videos and headlines, optin sections etc. 

Lastly, the ability to edit buttons, videos, images etc is actually quick, and not hidden behind menus and buttons. 

Honestly, Systeme.io wins this round. The builder is cleaner, you can edit, update or change the actions of buttons quicker and easier without getting bogged down with buttons and menus. 

You can import full sections and huge blocks of images and CTA's that ClickFunnels simply doesn't include. 

Additional Tools, Addons And Integrations

You will always need additional tools, addons or integrations to get leads or customers from your funnel platform into an autoresponder (to start mailing out), or to get them into webinars, courses or CRM platforms. 

Of course, more and more platforms are starting to include additional tools, so it's worth mentioning them as well, as that helps determine if the there is a greater need for API's or integrations. 

ClickFunnels

With a few years under their belt, ClickFunnels have been able to sort out and create API's and connections for a variety of other platforms, programs and products. Including, email marketing companies such as Aweber or ActiveCampaign, to webinar software such as GoToWebinar.

Of course, the email marketing or the training platform side isn't required if you purchase the full fat ClickFunnels, as they do offer autoresponders, course and training modules access. 

If you have read the full ClickFunnels review then you may have seen that the APIs and integrations are known to break or simply fall over. GetResponse used to be the biggest pain, with the API crashing every few weeks randomly. 

ClickFunnels does include the training modules on both tiers, but the autoresponder and affiliate add-ons are both only available in the more expensive tier. 

Realistically, you want to hook this up to a separate email marketing system such as GetResponse or Aweber, as the ClickFunnels autoresponder is essentially, shit. 

Systeme.io

You are going to find more additional tools inside of Systeme than you do when browsing ClickFunnels. Mainly due to the fact Systeme try to market themselves as more than just 'a funnel builder'. 

As such, the number of integrations available to connect and use are lower, with really only 4 or 5 integrations being provided (as straight up API connections). 

These include; 

• Stripe
• Paypal
• ActiveCampaign
• MercadoPago

The main reason why, is because Systeme has been created to replace all of those additional platforms and tools. As such, you will find the ability to;

• Create Blogs (Replaces WordPress)
• Create Membership Course (Replace Kajabi or ClickFunnels or Teachable)
• Run evergreen webinars
• Create & Run an affiliate campaign (Replaced FirstPromoter / Kajabi)
• Create email automation and workflows (Replaces GetResponse / ActiveCampaign)

As you can see, Systeme.io is less about integrating to other platforms, and more about trying to give you everything, all in one. 

If you want to see everything Systeme.io includes, check out the full Systeme.io review 

Pricing & Options

At the end of the day, pricing is always going to be a huge sticking point for many, especially when users are just starting out. It's important to understand what you actually get for your buck.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels only have 2 plans these days, they used to have 3, but they got rid of the 3rd one a while back. 

ClickFunnels does actually lock features behind their higher tier, so to get some of the additional tools and features, you are going to have to pay for it. 

The 'standard' ClickFunnels plan costs $97 per month and gives you access to; 

• Drag and Drop Visual Editor
• 100 Mobile-Friendly Pages
• 20 Funnels
• 3 Domains
• Custom Checkouts & 1-Click Upsells
• Unlimited Leads & Contacts
• Share Funnels
• Payment Integrations

You can of course upgrade to ClickFunnels Platinum for $297 per month, and you get; 

• Follow Up Funnels & Affiliate Software
• Unlimited Mobile-Friendly Pages
• Unlimited Funnels
• 9 Domains
• Priority Support

The main draw for those looking at the Platinum tier is of course the in built autoresponder and the ability to run an affiliate program inside of it. But, it's not worth it in my opinion. You can hook up GetResponse & FirstPromoter for about $80 - $100 and it will actually work. 

Systeme.io

At the time of writing, there are 4 different pricing tiers, each giving you access to the same tools and features, though the more you pay each month, the higher the number of 'tools' you are provided. 

The Free Systeme.io Plan gives you access too, 

• Drag & Drop Funnel/Page Editor
• 2,000 Contacts, with unlimited emails
• 1 Email Campaign
• 1 Automation Rules
• 1 Workflows & 1 Tag
• 1 Blog (Unlimited posts)
• 3 Sales Funnels (with 10 funnel steps, 1 Upsell, 1 Order Bump, 1 Ab/B Test)
• 1 course (Unlimited students)
• Standard Integrations
• Run your own affiliate program
• 1 Custom Domain

You do get a lot for zero $'s per month, including the ability to create your own course, with it's own affiliate program. 

The Start Up Systeme.io plan starts @ $19 per month (if you grab the annual plan) and gives you access too, 

• Drag & Drop Funnel/Page Editor
• 5,000 Contacts, with unlimited emails
• 10 Email Campaigns
• 10 Automation Rules
• 5 Workflows & 10 Tag
• 5 Blog (Unlimited posts)
• 10 Sales Funnels (with 50 funnel steps, 10 Upsell, 10 Order Bump, 10 Ab/B Test)
• 5 course (Unlimited students)
• Integrations
• Run your own affiliate program
• 3 Custom Domain
• Free migration from other platforms 

This is perfect for those who are just getting into Solos or perhaps Facebook marketing. With access to the 10 sales funnels, you can promote or run 10 different campaigns again via social media, or other traffic sources.

The Webinar Systeme.io plan starts @ $33 per month (if you grab the annual plan) and gives you access too, 

• Drag & Drop Funnel/Page Editor
• 10,000 Contacts, with unlimited emails
• 100 Email Campaigns
• 100 Automation Rules
• 20 Workflows & 100 Tag
• 20 Blog (Unlimited posts)
• 50 Sales Funnels (with 300 funnel steps, 100 Upsell, 100 Order Bump, 50 Ab/B Test)
• 20 course (Unlimited students)
• Integrations
• Run your own affiliate program
• 10 Custom Domain
• 10 Evergreen Webinars
• Free migration from other platforms

You are basically getting the same level of tools and features as the basic level from ClickFunnels, for 1/3 of the price. 

The Unlimited Systeme.io plan starts @ $69 per month (if you grab the annual plan) and gives you access too, 

• Drag & Drop Funnel/Page Editor
• Unlimited Contacts, with unlimited emails
• Unlimited Email Campaigns
• Unlimited Automation Rules
• Unlimited Workflows & Unlimited Tag
• Unlimited Blog (Unlimited posts)
• Unlimited Sales Funnels (with Unlimited funnel steps, Unlimited Upsell, Unlimited Order Bump, Unlimited Ab/B Test)
• Unlimited course (Unlimited students)
• Integrations
• Run your own affiliate program
• Unlimited Custom Domain
• Unlimited Evergreen Webinars
• Free migration from other platforms
• 1-1 Kickstart Coaching 

As you can see, Unlimited, really is unlimited. You basically get a full marketing suite, for roughly $69 per month or $97 per month if you want to pay monthly. You are getting the $297 level of ClickFunnels, for 1/2 the price. 

ClickFunnels vs Systeme.io - Conclusion, Which One Should You Use?

If Systeme.io had existed 3 or 4 years ago, then they would have been my go-to platform. Especially with the fact that they actually offer tools that work. They have spent the time focusing on useful tools, rather than random shit like magazine builders or live streaming tools and messenger bots (I am looking at you BuilderAll). 

These guys have built a funnel builder & page builder that can rival ClickFunnels, (though they don't offer many integrations) while also providing the basic additions such as a emails, contacts and courses. 

If you are an affiliate marketer, especially if you are just starting out, then Systeme will trump ClickFunnels hands down. The only downside I can see, is that the email/autoresponder part doesn't quite match platforms such as GetResponse or Aweber. But if you are on a budget, and you just want to be able to promote a single product or platform like Legendary Marketer, with 1 landing page/funnel and a single email campaign, then this works fine. 

If you need to integrate with more platforms such as GoWebinar or FirstPromoter etc then you will still need to pickup ClickFunnels, but hey, maybe that will stop one day.