ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels: Which Platform Wins in 2025?
ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels is a decision many entrepreneurs face when choosing a platform to build their brand online.
While both tools offer powerful ways to create funnels and grow businesses, they take very different approaches — and choosing the wrong one can slow your growth and cost you more money long term.
In this comparison guide, we’ll break down exactly how ESTAGE and ClickFunnels stack up side-by-side.
Whether you need a complete brand hub or just simple sales funnels, you’ll see clearly which platform fits your goals, audience, and future plans best.
Quick Overview: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
Before diving deep into the feature-by-feature breakdown, here’s a quick snapshot comparing ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels at a glance:
| Platform | Best For | Starting Price | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESTAGE | Entrepreneurs, coaches, service providers, creators who want a full business hub | $197/month | Full brand hub + CRM, funnels, blog, email marketing, memberships |
| ClickFunnels | Entrepreneurs focused purely on building sales funnels | $147/month | Funnel pages, checkout flows, upsells |
✅ ESTAGE gives you an all-in-one platform to run an entire brand: website, CRM, funnels, blog, memberships, and video hosting — all natively built-in.
✅ ClickFunnels is focused almost entirely on creating sales funnels and checkout flows, and often requires external tools for CRM, blogging, email marketing, and memberships.
Hub and Website Building: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
ESTAGE is built to create not just funnels, but full professional Hubs that act as your business’s branded online home. You can build unlimited pages, create dynamic menus, design entire websites, and manage blogs, CRM, memberships, and videos — all seamlessly connected under your brand.
✅ Global branding settings (fonts, colors, button styles)
✅ Real-time drag-and-drop editing
✅ Unlimited Hubs, Pages, and Blogs
✅ Fully mobile responsive by default
✅ Custom domain connection with SSL included
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels is mainly focused on creating individual sales funnels, not full websites or branded Hubs. You can technically build multiple funnel steps to simulate a website, but it’s not designed for blogging, multi-page site navigation, or hosting a complete brand experience.
⚠️ No true dynamic website builder
⚠️ Limited navigation control (designed for linear funnel flows)
⚠️ Requires external blogging or site hosting if you want a full web presence
⚠️ Best suited for direct marketing pages, not full business sites
Funnel Building: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
ESTAGE includes a full funnel builder that lets you create multi-step funnels with opt-ins, sales pages, upsells, downsells, thank-you pages, and checkout flows — all inside the Hub. You can map funnels visually, rearrange steps easily, and track performance step-by-step without needing extra integrations.
✅ Visual drag-and-drop funnel builder
✅ Built-in checkout pages with Stripe and PayPal integration
✅ One-click upsells and downsells
✅ Funnel analytics at every step
✅ Smart funnel path redirects based on user behavior
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels specializes in funnel building and has been known for it since the beginning. It offers a very intuitive way to create marketing funnels quickly with a large library of ready-made templates for sales, webinars, opt-ins, and product launches.
✅ Fast funnel setup with templates
✅ Native checkout pages with payment integrations
✅ Pre-built upsell/downsell flows
⚠️ Limited long-term site flexibility (funnels are isolated instead of integrated into a broader site)
CRM and Contact Management: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
ESTAGE includes a full CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system built directly into the platform. You can track leads visually through pipelines, assign scores based on actions, apply automated tags, and trigger follow-up emails — all without needing third-party tools.
✅ Visual lead pipelines with drag-and-drop stages
✅ Lead scoring based on behaviors (page visits, clicks, form fills)
✅ Automatic tagging and segmentation
✅ Smart forms integrated into CRM
✅ Triggered automations based on user activity
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels does not have a full native CRM built in. While you can collect leads through opt-in forms and simple email lists, managing full customer journeys (scoring, tagging, pipelines) requires connecting to external CRMs like HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, or Salesforce.
⚠️ Basic contact list only
⚠️ No built-in visual pipelines or lead scoring
⚠️ Requires third-party integrations for serious CRM automation
⚠️ More manual work for follow-ups without external tools
Email Marketing: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
Currently, ESTAGE does not offer a full built-in email marketing system for sending broadcasts or building automated drip campaigns. To manage email marketing, users need to connect an external service like ConvertKit, Mailchimp, or ActiveCampaign through integrations.
✅ Seamless integration available with major email platforms
✅ CRM tagging helps segment leads before syncing to external email software
✅ Built-in email marketing features are announced and expected to be released soon
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels offers basic native email automation through its "Follow-Up Funnels" feature, available on higher-tier plans like ClickFunnels Platinum or ClickFunnels 2.0. It supports simple email sequences, broadcasts, and automation, but may still require external platforms for advanced segmentation or high-volume email campaigns.
✅ Built-in basic email capabilities on higher plans
⚠️ Limited features compared to full email platforms
⚠️ Expensive upgrade required to unlock Follow-Up Funnels
Blogging and SEO: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
ESTAGE includes a full native blogging engine designed to help users publish SEO-optimized content directly inside their Hubs. You can create blog posts, add meta titles and descriptions, optimize image alt text, and control OpenGraph social sharing settings — all critical for driving organic traffic and building authority.
✅ Native blogging platform built-in
✅ Full control over SEO meta titles, descriptions, and slugs
✅ OpenGraph settings for better social media sharing
✅ Alt text options for images to improve SEO and accessibility
✅ Helps grow long-term organic traffic alongside funnel traffic
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels does not include a true blogging platform. While you can technically build pages that resemble blog posts, there’s no native blog structure, post management system, RSS feed, or SEO-focused publishing tools.
⚠️ No native blog or post organization system
⚠️ No built-in SEO meta fields for blog-style content
⚠️ Requires using WordPress or external blogging tools if you want serious organic traffic
⚠️ Best suited for direct sales pages, not for building an authority site
Affiliate Program Management: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
ESTAGE includes a built-in affiliate management system that lets you create and run your own referral program without needing third-party tools. You can define commission structures, track referrals, and give affiliates access to branded dashboards where they can monitor clicks, leads, and payouts.
✅ Fully integrated affiliate center
✅ Set custom commissions and promo links
✅ Private affiliate dashboards for each partner
✅ Real-time tracking of leads and conversions
✅ No need for extra software or plugins
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels offers affiliate management through an add-on called Backpack, which is only available on higher-tier plans (ClickFunnels Platinum or 2.0). While it provides basic tracking and payout tools, it comes at a higher price and lacks the simplicity and integration ESTAGE provides out of the box.
⚠️ Affiliate system only included in premium plans
⚠️ Extra cost via Backpack add-on
⚠️ More setup required for branding and tracking
⚠️ Not fully integrated with basic ClickFunnels features
Membership Site Hosting: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
ESTAGE includes native membership and course hosting features, allowing you to create gated content areas without relying on third-party platforms. You can restrict access to specific pages, videos, or downloadable resources based on user roles, tags, or purchase history — all managed from your dashboard.
✅ Built-in membership and course hosting
✅ Protect content behind opt-ins or purchases
✅ Drip content and tiered access levels
✅ Integrates directly with checkout and CRM
✅ No need for tools like Kajabi or Teachable
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels allows for basic membership site creation, but it's primarily designed for simple locked content flows. It lacks more advanced features like full course structuring, engagement tracking, and progressive content delivery, unless paired with outside tools.
✅ Can lock pages behind logins
⚠️ Limited content management features
⚠️ No true course platform or built-in student progress tracking
⚠️ Often requires pairing with external course platforms for full functionality
Video Hosting: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
ESTAGE includes built-in video hosting, allowing you to upload private, ad-free videos directly to your Hub without using YouTube, Vimeo, or external platforms. You can fully brand the player, control who sees each video, and even gate content behind opt-ins or purchases.
✅ Native video hosting with no ads or distractions
✅ Custom-branded video player
✅ Lock videos behind opt-in forms or paid access
✅ No third-party branding or suggestions
✅ Perfect for courses, sales pages, and gated content
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels does not offer native video hosting. You must embed videos from YouTube, Vimeo, or other platforms, which often results in external branding, ads, and distractions. There is no built-in way to gate video access or control playback outside of embed restrictions.
⚠️ Must use third-party video hosting (YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia)
⚠️ Risk of distractions from platform suggestions or branding
⚠️ No native content gating for videos
⚠️ Branding and analytics controlled by the external host
Pricing and Value: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels
ESTAGE
ESTAGE offers two clear plans — Business and Business Plus — both of which include the full suite of features without upsells or locked tools. Video hosting, CRM, affiliate management, membership hosting, and funnel building are all included in the base plan.
✅ $197/month or $1,970/year for Business Plan
✅ $297/month or $2,970/year for Business Plus
✅ 14-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee
✅ No upsells or feature gating — everything included
✅ Replaces tools like WordPress, Vimeo, Mailchimp, Kajabi, and ClickFunnels in one subscription
ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels uses a tiered pricing model with major features locked behind higher-priced plans. For email automation (Follow-Up Funnels), affiliate tools (Backpack), or advanced workflows, you must upgrade to ClickFunnels Platinum or 2.0. The base plan gives you funnel building, but not a full business system.
⚠️ $147/month base plan — limited features
⚠️ $197–$297/month for Platinum or 2.0 with full access
⚠️ Many features require upgrades or integrations
⚠️ Separate tools often needed for CRM, blogging, or memberships
⚠️ Higher total cost when stacking needed platforms
Final Verdict: ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels — Which Should You Choose?
ESTAGE vs ClickFunnels comes down to what kind of business you’re building.
If you only need sales funnels — and don’t mind connecting extra tools for your CRM, email marketing, blogging, video hosting, and memberships — ClickFunnels can still work. It's fast for launching funnel pages and has a big library of templates, especially for direct-response marketers.
But if you want to build an actual brand, not just funnels…
If you want your funnels, blog, CRM, email, affiliate system, and video content under one login, one platform, and one subscription…
Then ESTAGE is the smarter long-term investment.
You won’t need to duct-tape tools together.
You won’t need to manage 5 dashboards.
You’ll be building a real Hub — not just a set of landing pages.
✅ For coaches, creators, consultants, and service businesses that want control and scale — ESTAGE wins.