The verdict in two lines
Pick GoHighLevel (affiliate link) if you run marketing for several local clients and need texting, calling, reputation tools and client sub-accounts in one place, and US$97 or more a month plus usage fits your budget.
Pick Systeme.io if you're a solo consultant or new agency that needs funnels, email and a basic CRM for little or no money, and you can handle DNS setup for email.
Side by side (checked Oct 22, 2026)
| GoHighLevel | Systeme.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Price as listed | Starter $97/month, Unlimited $297, Agency Pro $497. Yearly $970 / $2,970 / $4,970 [1] | Free $0, Startup $17/month, Webinar $47, Unlimited $97. Annual billing gives "2 months free" [3] |
| Currency | "$" with no currency label on the pricing page. Terms quote account amounts in USD. No CAD prices published [1][4] | Terms say prices are "in dollars." Free-plan revenue cap set in USD [5] |
| Free plan / trial | No free plan. 14-day trial, card required, auto-charged at trial end unless cancelled [1][2][6] | Free plan, no card, "never expires" [3]. We confirmed no card at signup [7] |
| Contacts / users | Unlimited contacts and users on all plans [1] | 2,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / unlimited contacts. Unlimited assistant accounts [3] |
| Client sub-accounts | 3 on Starter; unlimited on Unlimited and Agency Pro [1] | Unlimited on every plan, each with the main plan's limits [3][8] |
| White-label / resale | White-label desktop app. SaaS Mode (sell it as your own software) on Agency Pro [1] | White label included on every plan. Resale prices can't undercut Systeme.io's. Plans you can resell depend on your plan [9] |
| Texting | Built-in SMS and calling, usage-billed [1]. Canadian numbers need A2P or Persona verification, depending on route [10] | SMS through your own Twilio account, billed by Twilio [11] |
| Key limits | Usage fees for phone, SMS, email and some AI; paid add-ons [1] | Free: 3 funnels, 1 tag, 1 automation rule, 1 email campaign, 1 CRM pipeline [3]. USD 10,000 lifetime sales cap on free [5] |
| Refunds | All fees non-refundable [4] | Subscriptions not refundable [5] |
| Canada notes | Fees exclude GST and other sales taxes, and HighLevel may add applicable taxes [4]. Data location not published on pages we read | Data hosted on AWS in Ireland, not transferred outside the EU [12]. Irish law [5] |
Where GoHighLevel wins
- Built for client service work. It's one login with a sub-account per client. Core features listed on the pricing page include CRM and pipelines, funnels and websites, email and SMS, inbound and outbound calling, booking calendars, reputation management, social planning, an ad manager and custom dashboards [1].
- Native texting and calling. Phone, SMS and email are built in and billed on usage. On Unlimited you can rebill usage to clients at cost, and on Agency Pro with a markup [1]. Systeme.io's SMS needs your own Twilio account [11]. Its own white-label FAQ lists "two-way SMS conversations" as a feature it doesn't yet offer [9].
- SaaS Mode. Agency Pro's SaaS Mode lets you sell subscriptions from your website, with client accounts created automatically [1].
- Unlimited contacts on every plan [1]. Systeme.io's contact limits rise with each plan [3].
- No long-term contract. HighLevel "operates on a month-to-month basis" [1].
The catches: the trial needs a card. The CRM page says: "You'll be auto-charged at your selected plan rate when the trial ends unless you cancel" [2]. The trial checkout reads: "After the 14 Days, You will be billed with the card on File" [6]. Usage fees "may apply during the trial" [1]. Add-ons cost extra. For example, the Branded Client Portal App is $49/month per sub-account and the white label mobile app is $497/month [1]. And before texting from a Canadian number, plan for A2P registration (any messages to U.S. recipients) or Persona verification (qualifying Canada-to-Canada traffic from numbers bought on or after March 26, 2025) [10].
Start GoHighLevel's 14-day trial (affiliate link). Set a cancel reminder for day 12 or 13.
Where Systeme.io wins
- It really is free to start. Signup asked for an email address, not a card [7].
Figure 1: Systeme.io's signup asked for an email address, not a card. Captured Oct 15, 2026. Our in-app plan page showed the free limits: 2,000 contacts, 3 funnels, 15 funnel steps, and 1 each of tags, automation rules, workflows and email campaigns [7].
Figure 2: Our in-app plan page showed the free-plan limits. Captured Oct 15, 2026. It also showed a sales revenue limit of 10,000 USD on free; paid plans showed "Unlimited" [7].
Figure 3: The same plan page showed a sales revenue limit of 10,000 USD on free; paid plans showed “Unlimited.” Captured Oct 15, 2026. - Unlimited client sub-accounts even on free. Each sub-account gets the same limits as your main plan [3][8]. We didn't create a sub-account in our test.
- White label at no extra cost. This is new since our earlier coverage. Systeme.io says white label is included on every plan, with your domain, logo and sender email. You keep 100% of revenue, but your prices can't be lower than Systeme.io's. Startup users can resell Startup, Webinar users can resell Startup and Webinar, Unlimited users can resell all plans, and free users can offer free white-label accounts only [9]. We haven't tested white label.
- Lower cost at every tier. Its top plan, Unlimited, is $97/month [3], the same as GoHighLevel's entry Starter plan [1].
- CASL basics on by default. In our test, the "Unsubscribe" link setting was already ticked [7].
Figure 4: Email settings on our free account: the “Unsubscribe” link setting was already ticked. Captured Oct 15, 2026.
The catches we hit in testing:
- No email until you authenticate a domain. Creating a newsletter or campaign was blocked because the required sender field had no options [7].
Figure 5: Creating a newsletter: the required sender field had no options. Captured Oct 15, 2026. 
Figure 6: Creating a campaign: blocked, because the required sender field had no options. Captured Oct 15, 2026. Systeme.io's help centre says domain authentication is "mandatory to send emails," and Gmail, Yahoo or ProtonMail addresses can't be authenticated [13].
Figure 7: Settings › Emails on our free account, with no authenticated domain and no verified senders. Captured Oct 15, 2026. - The postal-address footer: check it after you authenticate. We typed our mailing address into the email footer during our test. Our test notes say we couldn't save it before authenticating a domain [7], but our screenshot shows the address typed in, not the Save button, so we can't show that step. If you're on the free plan, confirm your footer saves and appears in a test email before you send anything. CASL requires sender identification, including a mailing address, in commercial messages [14].
Figure 8: Our mailing address typed into the email footer field. This screenshot does not show the Save button. Captured Oct 15, 2026. - Check the currency field. Our new funnel's Currency field showed Euro. Change it to CAD if you sell in Canadian dollars [7].
Figure 9: Our new funnel's Currency field showed Euro. Captured Oct 15, 2026. - A locked affiliate-link setting. On our free account, "Display my affiliate link at the end of each email I send" was ticked and greyed out [7]. We never sent an email, so we haven't seen how it appears in a delivered message.
Figure 10: The same settings page: “Display my affiliate link at the end of each email I send” is ticked and greyed out. Captured Oct 15, 2026.
From the terms, not our test: on paid plans, if you go over your limits and don't cut back within 3 days, your subscription "will be automatically upgraded." On the free plan, once you hit the USD 10,000 lifetime revenue cap, payment pages stop taking new sales after 3 days unless you upgrade [5].
Switching cost
| GoHighLevel | Systeme.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Month-to-month, no long-term contract [1] | Cancel anytime. You keep your plan until the next billing date, then revert to free [3] |
| Refunds on leaving | None. Fees are non-refundable [4] | None. "Subscription plans are not refundable" [5] |
| Migration help | Not published on the pages we read. The pricing FAQ mentions a "Snapshot" library of pre-built accounts [1] | "Free migration" on the pricing page [3]. Contacts import by CSV; support helps with large migrations on Unlimited or annual plans [15] |
| After you cancel | Data kept 90 days, then may be permanently deleted. Platform-bought phone numbers released within 14 days. Wallet balances must be claimed within 30 days [4] | Account reverts to the free plan [3]. Free-plan limits then apply |
| Data export | Not published on the pages we read | Not published on the pages we read |
What this means for you: moving off GoHighLevel has a deadline. Export client data and port any client-owned phone numbers before you cancel. The terms say ported numbers belong to the sub-account owner and can be released to them on request [4].
Who should pick neither
- Agencies whose bottleneck is selling, not delivery. A pipeline-first sales CRM may fit better.
- Agencies whose clients already run HubSpot.
- Anyone who needs data hosted in Canada. Systeme.io hosts in Ireland [12], and GoHighLevel doesn't publish a location on the pages we read.
See Best CRMs for Marketing Agencies (2026) for Pipedrive and HubSpot.
FAQ
Is GoHighLevel's trial really free?
For 14 days. It needs a card and bills automatically at the end unless you cancel [1][2][6]. Usage fees may apply during the trial [1].
Can I white-label Systeme.io like GoHighLevel?
Systeme.io now says white label is included on every plan, with resale limited by your plan [9]. GoHighLevel offers a white-labelled desktop app and, on Agency Pro, SaaS Mode [1]. We haven't tested either.
Can I start on Systeme.io and move to GoHighLevel later?
Yes, but rebuild rather than transfer. Systeme.io supports CSV contact import [15]. We didn't find a published export or migration path between the two.
Which is better for CASL?
Neither makes you compliant. CASL needs consent, identification and a working unsubscribe, for texts as well as email [14]. In our Systeme.io test, unsubscribe was on by default. Our test notes say the postal-address footer wouldn't save before domain authentication, though our screenshot doesn't show the Save button, so check yours before sending [7].
Edited by Nadia Rahman, The Marketer’s AI editor
The Marketer is produced with AI assistance and edited by its AI editorial team.
Every claim links to its source.
Sources
- PricingHighLevel · checked Oct 22, 2026
- CRM for AgenciesHighLevel · checked Oct 22, 2026
- PricingSysteme.io · footer: "Last updated: April 2026" · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Terms of ServiceHighLevel · last updated June 2026 · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Terms and conditionsSysteme.io · checked Oct 22, 2026
- trial signup pageHighLevel · Step 2, "Trial Details" · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Systeme.io free-plan test, Oct 15, 2026. Screenshots 02, 11, 12, 19, 20, 21, 23, 28 and 32 in our test folder (internal)The Marketer
- Sub-accountsSysteme.io · checked Oct 22, 2026
- White labelSysteme.io · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Updated Messaging Policies for Canadian 10DLC NumbersHighLevel Support · checked Oct 22, 2026
- SMS marketingSysteme.io · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Privacy policySysteme.io · checked Oct 22, 2026
- How to authenticate your personal domain nameSysteme.io Help · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions about Canada's Anti-Spam LegislationCRTC · checked Oct 22, 2026
- CRM pipelinesSysteme.io · checked Oct 22, 2026
