Your sales funnel contains three to five of the most valuable web pages you will ever create.
These pages are purpose driven to help visitors to become leads and to turn leads into customers... Truth be told, they are not optional for you if your goal is to build a successful long-term business online.
But here's the catch...
Many marketers have been incentivized by extremely high affiliate commissions to spam "aggressively promote" overpriced funnel builders that you don't actually need...
Their tactics include making you think you "must have" a dedicated funnel builder which just isn't true.
Here's the secret that the pros know...
A funnel is simply a series of webpages! Nothing special, no magic…
Sure, these webpages are designed with extremely specific actions in mind like converting a visitor into a lead… Converting a visitor into a customer…
But you don't need a $297 per month tool to build your funnel!
There are simple and effective ClickFunnels alternatives available to you that can ultimately save you hundreds of dollars per month and thousands of dollars per year.
And one is completely free.
Using one of these free alternatives to ClickFunnels allows you to take that saved money and use it to invest in Facebook advertising instead, to drive more traffic, to grow your list and to make more sales!
Let's be honest, investing in advertising is always a smarter idea than wasting money on overpriced tools...
Why share my alternative to Clickfunnels?
Simple... Clickfunnels did me wrong.
I bought into the hype around ClickFunnels that was being portrayed by their affiliates who were willing to say whatever it took to generate 40% commissions.
I can admit it… I got fooled into thinking it was an 'easy button'
I got distracted by the shiny object...
I drank the Kool-Aid and bought into the CULTure for a brief time and even went to a couple of their Funnel Hacker Live events.
And yes... it is a friggen cult!
Here's the truth.
Technically speaking, you could replace your website with Clickfunnels, BUT it has some major flaws that would make this a bad decision.
Their funnel software is still plagued with bugs and their support staff is under trained and under-staffed.
This means you pay a PREMIUM price to pad the pockets of their affiliates...
And today, 'funnel software' is a commodity with dozens of players in the space and they are all competing for your business.
Some are even offering all the tools you need for 100% free!
So if you've been asking yourself: "How Can I Get ClickFunnels For Free?" This post is for you!
What Is The Best Free Sales Funnel Software?
First of all let's discuss the scenario where the free option is truly a viable alternative... You want to be able to...
- Grow your email list
- Send marketing emails
- Sell digital products (courses/memberships)
- Deliver your courses in an LMS (Learning Management System)
Here's a quick (kinda ugly, lol) drawing to represent the visitor flow through your funnel...
And keep in mind. This is the EXACT funnel structure I've used to make MILLIONS online...
Simple works!
I estimate that 95% of ClickFunnels users are only using the basic features to build the funnel shown above which means they are overpaying by upwards of $297 per month.
40% of that $297/mo fee (A whopping $118.80/month) would be going directly from your pocket into the affiliate's pocket who scammed you sold you on the lie idea that you NEED ClickFunnels.
Which, you are learning here... Is not true.
Let's recap real quick before showing you how to get this all free...
Here's exactly what you do need:
- Opt in pages - These pages allow you to offer a 'lead magnet' to grow your email list.
- Email Marketing - The ability to send broadcast emails to promote your courses.
- Sales page - A dedicated page that converts visitors into 'ready-to-buy' customers.
- Shopping cart - This is the page where your users enter their credit card to purchase your course.
- Members area - This is the LMS, where your customers are able to access what they purchased.
The first tool you need is for building landing pages and growing your email list...
If you click here you will get full access to a free landing page builder AND email marketing system for up to 1000 subscribers.
Not a limited time free trial... But FOREVER FREE until you have over 1000 active subscribers!
And, for the record...
You should be making good money when you have 1000 true fans on your email list.
That checks off #1 and #2 above...
And don't think I'm leaving you hanging on 'how to' set this all up, either.
Click here and get a step-by-step tutorial on how to build your opt in page to grow your email list for free using this exact tool!
Then, once your email list is up and running you need the ability to build out sales pages, a shopping cart that can accept payments and a learning management system that can deliver the course they just purchased.
Now if this is feeling confusing (hopefully exciting too) I think 'seeing this' in action would help...
So I created a video to explain this free clickfunnels alternative, here.
Or you can watch the video here:
All 3 of these tools are available free from Thinkific if you follow this link, here.
By clicking the link above and signing up for their free account, you are able to build out three courses at no charge…
They give you the sales page builder, the shopping cart so you can create your checkout pages and the members deliverable area 100% for free.
By the way... This is the exact learning management system that my wife and I used to deliver all of her one off products.
It is flawless... Completely bulletproof from a user's perspective and creates zero support tickets because the system works exactly as it's designed.
Now I've brought in over 20,000 customers on this platform so I pay a little more, but I can tell you that this is the best tool on the market for delivering courses…
The point here is that you aren't getting some "cheapo free alternative" here.
Both of these tools are Pro-level tools...
They just remember how difficult it is for a beginner marketer to start making their first $100 per month and $1000 per month online.
Therefore, they are committed to you by giving you the tools you need for free to help you earn a profit before requiring you to pay.
Novel idea, eh?
With these two tools combined you will have the software you need to build out a proper sales funnel at zero cost to you that will allow you to test your ideas and start making money selling your courses or memberships...
Once you have momentum, customers and cash flow… You have two choices.
First is to add on additional technology to maximize your revenue using some of the tools mentioned below… Specifically, numbers 1 through 3 below are what I used to maximize that customer value through split testing and one-click-upsells.
They all integrate PERFECTLY to the above-mentioned free options, so you aren't going to have to 'migrate' anywhere, you just add on what you need when you are ready to build a more robust business.
The second choice is to simply continue using those tools after graduating beyond their free level and you are looking at a total cost of $78 per month.
This means you have over 1000 active email subscribers and you've been selling three separate courses… You're now building out your fourth course, which means you are making money, my friend.
Thus you are paying for these upgrades out of profits!
And a quick comparison, you would be looking at $297 per month for the same tech if you were to use ClickFunnels.
Not bad for a free option!
Now, if you are a beginner I think you should stop reading here and start building your funnel based on the links above.
There is no reason a beginner or bootstrapped entrepreneur should be using the options below when they have the free option available.
If you are an advanced marketer or if you simply want to get the "best of the best" pro-level tech from day one because you are minted and swimming in money, read on my friend.
11 Additional Alternatives to ClickFunnels
This section of the post is for you if you've been wondering "What is BETTER than ClickFunnels?"
Maybe you have built a successful business that is doing $10k/mo and you are looking to scale to $100k/mo and you know that properly optimized funnels are the way to get you there.
Welcome to my world! There are some better options than CF for you, fellow funnelhacker!
From this list, the top three are the ones I use every single day to grow my seven-figure business...
If you need additional features beyond the free alternative outlined above, this is your best option. We leverage a combination of WordPress and one time fee shopping cart software is that will allow you to have bump offers, one click up sells and more.
Over 182,559 people have gone through my free sales funnel building training on YouTube. This is the original training that has been copied and mimicked by competitors who are trying to sell you things you don't need.
But the truth is... This DIY option is not free like the above option... And for many bootstrapped entrepreneurs, free is going to win out.
If you're curious why my mission on Earth is to give away what other people needlessly charge for, be sure to read my about page here. In short, my wife and I have an EXTREMELY successful business and I don't need to sell you overpriced tools in order to make a commission like the fake gurus do.
I'm here to help you make sure you get the right tools for the job that fit your budget… Just like these happy viewers who built their own sales funnels based on this training...
Cool stuff, right?
One additional consideration… If you plan to use blogging, podcasting or you tubing to help drive traffic into your funnel then this DIY approach built on WordPress is absolutely the best option...
Because WordPress is the most search engine friendly platform around.
Now I personally use lead pages and have an active account there… I have found the lead pages editor to be extremely fast in helping me get new landing pages and sales pages launched in minutes, not hours!
and their support team is incredibly helpful… You can ask a question about how to do anything within that tool in their live chat. Minutes later (business hours USA time) you will have a response from a knowledgeable support rep helping you resolve your issue fast.
Plus the ability to set up split tests and the fact that they offer a built in shopping cart make it a great option for someone wanting to invest in a managed solution...
That's the key difference from number one above… The DIY sales funnel you manage on your own.
If you're in a position where "time is money" and the thought of spending $30 per month to save several hours of tech each month… And to have a helpful support person ready to help if you have questions sounds good. Lead pages might be for you!
Without a doubt SamCart is the best looking and easiest to used shopping cart system in the world. With the ability to split test check out pages you can add serious money to your bottom line if you're already running dozens or hundreds of transactions per month.
I personally use Sam Cart and have generated well over $1 million in sales from their system. Here's a deep dive on how I use Samcart in my business every day. And here's a screenshot showing my revenue through SamCart:
But this post is about sales funnels... And this is where Samcart is different than every other shopping cart platform on the market.
With SamCart you can make a 1-page funnel which is the fastest and easiest sales funnel to make money with... In fact, they are the only company on this list you can build out true 1 page funnels with and if you want to learn more about the power of a 1 page funnel, go here: milesbeckler.com/1-pager
And that concludes the portion of this list that is worthy of your consideration.
This is the moment where I encourage you to turn around and start scrolling up!
In my professional opinion there is no reason to even consider any other options beyond what we covered above...
the list below is here for a variety of reasons and the biggest one being search engine optimization.
Yes, you heard me…
My "big ol' list" needed a few extra items on it in order to rank with what's showing up currently for the target keyword phrase...
😉
But these options below are subpar compared to the ones above...
Sometimes, the best solutions to your problems are also the ones that are most affordable. If you want to see more traffic and sales on your WordPress site, then a free WordPress plugin might be the answer you’re looking for.
WP Lead Plus X can not only help you create a great landing page for your site, but also squeeze pages, splash pages, thank you pages and more. Instead of dealing with multiple plugins, this tool can help you manage pages of all types.
Cheap and reliable WordPress hosting for $60ish dollars a year, a free WordPress funnel plugin and done!
If you are working with a tight budget this is the way to go, you’ll be free from the hassle of refund deadlines or trial periods too.
Ontraport is a comprehensive option offering a number of valuable tools that can help you with both targeted campaigns and day-to-day sales.
Ontraport is a very automation-focused tool, which can sometimes present challenges for small teams who prefer to manage a project as independently as possible. However, larger teams will certainly save time and money from this automation..
Ontraport is simply much more versatile, offering top-quality services like email marketing and analytics, and other tools that could change your business for the better.
CartFlows is another funnel builders for WordPress that works in conjunction with WooCommerce (a common WordPress plugin).
An easy user experience and high-quality ready-to-import templates are two of the main reasons why customers are so satisfied with CartFlows, but one of its greatest strengths is a checkout system that automatically increases conversions, earning you more money on online purchases.
At $299 per year, CartFlows is a lot more expensive than some of the others on this list, but it is an option so it made the list.
Instapage is a popular landing page tool, with a reputation for having a great user interface. The landing page is easy to use, and you can even review your web activity in a creative and unique way: by viewing a “heat map” of traffic from your customers.
It also has a very strong drag-and-drop builder, although it is fairly low on built-in images, meaning you will more than likely be left searching for your own.
Although the product is strong, for many businesses, it comes down to the interface: even newcomers will be able to quickly learn the ropes given the straightforward and user-friendly nature of Instapage’s layout.
Convertri is a great choice for anyone wanting to stay in control of their website by using a drag-and-drop web page builder.
Although Convertri boasts numerous features such as the ability to set up countdown timers, the DIY feel is what so many people love about the brand. Their free-form editing feature can help you maintain absolute creative control of your webpage at every stage, while also creating a high-converting sales funnel that rivals anything you can build with the other tools on this list.
The company also offers a two-week trial for just a penny, making it an essentially risk-free opportunity to get started on creating your own sales funnel.
10 Minute Funnels is clearly taking a page from Russell Brunson's playbook and I won’t lie, that’s almost certainly on purpose. Both brands are very similar in terms of pricing, features, and specific focus on sales funnels.
Ultimately, 10 Minute Funnels could be seen as simply a newer, perhaps sleeker, version. However, as you will not save a ton of money choosing one over the other, 10 Minute Funnels might not be the alternative you need.
Unbounce is a company focused on playing well with others.
While using CF, you might notice that, they don't really "play nice with others". It is a closed system where you are locked in and you can't integrate well with other tools. Unbalance is designed as the opposite where they will integrate with many different tools.
However, it does not have many of its own features, which is certainly an area of weakness. For example, Unbounce has no campaign management tools at all.
If using features and tools offered by different providers is a priority of yours, Unbounce is a compatible and affordable option, although you should not depend on it if you prioritize campaigns and email marketing.
BuilderAll is an option for anyone willing to put their faith in an MLM that also happens to be a young company. For me this is to strikes against them... I am not a fan of MLM's and they often lead to people promoting the "opportunity" more than the effectiveness of the tool and technology.
The third strike that makes them a terrible choice is the fact that they're trying to do everything. Rarely can software companies do everything and be everything to everyone. Specialization is key and the free option at the top of the page is 1000 times better than this choice...
But a list of 11 just sounded better than a list of 10 so I stuck it in, lol.
Sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do!
I hope this is been helpful for you and I look forward to hearing about your success building out your sales funnel regardless of what options you choose.
Miles