Why We Recommend GoHighLevel — Pick Your Platform

you’ve seen every major platform. Let me make the case for GoHighLevel as our top recommendation , and be transparent about where it doesn’t apply.

The Stitched-Together Problem

Most course creators start with Teachable because it’s simple. Then they need email marketing, so they add ConvertKit ($49/mo). Then they need landing pages, so they add Leadpages ($49/mo). Then they need a calendar for sales calls, so they add Calendly ($12/mo). Then they need SMS follow-up, so they add a texting tool ($25/mo). Then they need community, so they add Circle ($49/mo).

Before long, they’re paying $300+ per month for six different tools, logging into six different dashboards, and connecting everything with Zapier workflows that break at inconvenient times. When a student doesn’t receive their welcome email, it could be a Teachable issue, a ConvertKit issue, or a Zapier issue — and debugging across three platforms is nobody’s idea of fun.

GHL replaces all of it with one tool. One login. One monthly payment. One support team.

The Math

Here’s what a typical course creator pays for their tech stack:

Tool	Monthly Cost
Course platform (Teachable Builder)	$89
Email marketing (ConvertKit)	$49
Landing page builder (Leadpages)	$49
Calendar booking (Calendly Pro)	$12
Community (Circle)	$49
SMS marketing (SimpleTexting)	$25
Total	$273/mo

GHL Unlimited: $297/mo — and it does more than all of those combined.

If you’re on the Starter plan at $97/mo, you’re getting course hosting + CRM + email + funnels + calendar for less than Teachable alone.

What GHL Gets Right That Others Don’t

Automation workflows. GHL’s workflow builder is the most powerful in the industry. You can build complex automation sequences: “When a student completes Module 3, send them a congratulations email, add them to the Module 4 tag, and text them a link to book a coaching call.” Nothing else comes close.

Pipeline management. Track leads from first opt-in through every stage of your funnel. See exactly where prospects drop off. Know which marketing channels produce the most paying students.

SMS integration. Text messaging is becoming essential for course creators — appointment reminders, launch notifications, re-engagement campaigns. GHL has this built in; most course platforms don’t.

Affiliate management. Run your own affiliate program with tracking, commission payouts, and affiliate dashboards. This is a paid add-on on most platforms.

Unlimited contacts and students. On the Unlimited plan, there are no caps on contacts or students. Other platforms charge more as you grow.

What GHL Gets Wrong

Let’s be honest about the downsides:

The course builder is functional, not beautiful. Your students won’t be impressed by the learning interface. It works. Videos play. Text renders. Progress bars track. But it doesn’t have the polish of Kajabi or the simplicity of Teachable’s player.

It’s overwhelming at first. The dashboard has dozens of features you may never use. Finding what you need takes time. The interface has improved significantly over the past year, but it’s still more complex than competitors.

Support can be slow. Official support response times vary. The community (Facebook groups, YouTube channels, GHL-specific trainers) fills the gap, but if you need guaranteed fast support, that’s a consideration.

Updates can break things. GHL ships new features constantly, which is good — but occasionally an update changes behavior you relied on. If you have custom automations, test them after updates.

When GHL Is NOT the Right Choice

Despite our recommendation, GHL isn’t for everyone. Skip it if:

You’re building one simple course and nothing else. If you’re creating a single $47 mini-course with no email list, no funnels, and no plans for more products, Teachable’s free plan or Podia is faster and cheaper.
Your students need a premium visual experience. If you’re selling a $2,000 photography course where the presentation needs to match the price, Kajabi’s polished experience is more appropriate.
You’re not willing to invest time learning. GHL rewards the time you spend learning it. If you want to upload a video and be done in 20 minutes, use Teachable.
You’re a school or university. LearnWorlds with SCORM compliance is better suited for formal education.

The Decision Framework

Ask yourself three questions:

Am I building a course business or just a course? Business → GHL. Just a course → Teachable or Thinkific.
Do I already pay for email, landing pages, or CRM tools? Yes → Calculate whether GHL would be cheaper by replacing them.
Am I willing to spend 2–4 weeks learning a new platform? Yes → GHL rewards the investment. No → Start with something simpler.

If you chose GHL, Set Up GHL walks you through the entire setup process.