The best funnel builder on a budget in 2026
You don't need $97/mo to build a sales funnel. We priced the whole category: the best budget funnel builder is also the one we rank first overall.
Funnel software has a reputation for costing about $100 a month, and the category leaders work hard to keep it that way. ClickFunnels starts at $81/mo on annual billing. Kartra starts at $99/mo. Those are the prices most people quote when they say funnel builders are expensive.
They’re also avoidable. Systeme.io has a genuine free plan and its first paid tier is $14/mo annually — and it’s the tool we rank first in the category, not a budget compromise we’re talking you into. That’s the unusual part of this comparison: the cheapest credible option and the best option are the same product.
Here’s what the category actually charges, and where the traps are.
What funnel builders cost
Cheapest paid tier first, annual rates:
| Tool | Free plan | Entry (annual) | Entry (monthly) | Next tier up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Yes | $14/mo | $17/mo | $39/mo |
| Brizy | Yes | $15.83/mo | $19/mo | $57.50/mo |
| GetResponse | Yes | $16/mo | $19/mo | $49/mo |
| involve.me | Yes | $19/mo | $29/mo | $49/mo |
| Swipe Pages | — | $24.17/mo | $29/mo | $57.50/mo |
| Kit | Yes | $33/mo | $39/mo | $66/mo |
| Leadpages | — | $37/mo | $49/mo | $74/mo |
| ClickFunnels | — | $81/mo | $97/mo | $247/mo |
| Kartra | — | $99/mo | $119/mo | $189/mo |
The gap between the top of that table and ClickFunnels is $67/mo — $804 a year for your first funnel. For most people starting out, that difference is the entire tool budget.
The best budget pick: Systeme.io
Systeme.io is our top-ranked funnel builder outright, and it happens to be the cheapest way into the category. The free plan is not a trial — it’s permanent, and it includes funnels, email sending and a course area, which is more than most paid entry tiers elsewhere.
Paid tiers, from our data:
| Systeme.io plan | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 |
| Startup | $14/mo | $17/mo |
| Webinar | $39/mo | $47/mo |
| Unlimited | $81/mo | $97/mo |
Note the symmetry at the bottom: Systeme.io’s Unlimited plan costs $81/mo annually — exactly what ClickFunnels charges for its entry plan. You have to reach the top of one product’s price list to meet the bottom of the other’s.
The honest caveat: Systeme.io’s page builder is less polished than Leadpages or Swipe Pages, and if you care deeply about design control you will feel it. You’re trading visual finish for scope and price.
The “free” trap worth knowing about
Groove.cm markets a free-forever plan, and it is genuinely free to start. But it charges 5% on sales made through its checkout on that tier.
Run the numbers on that. At $5,000/mo in sales, 5% is $250/mo — more than three times ClickFunnels’ entry plan, from a tool advertised as free. Percentage fees invert the maths as soon as you’re actually selling: they’re cheapest when you earn nothing and most expensive exactly when the tool is working.
If you’re pre-revenue, a percentage fee is a reasonable bet. If you’re selling, a flat monthly fee almost always wins, and you should compute the crossover before committing.
When to pay more than $14
Budget isn’t the only axis, and three situations justify spending more:
You need webinars in the funnel. Systeme.io’s Webinar tier at $39/mo bundles them. Otherwise you’re adding a separate platform, and that changes the total.
You’re an agency running client funnels. GoHighLevel starts at $81/mo — the same as ClickFunnels’ entry — but is built around managing many client accounts with white-labelling. For a single business it’s overkill; for an agency it replaces several tools.
Design is the product. Leadpages at $37/mo and Swipe Pages at $24.17/mo are page builders first. If your funnel is one very good landing page rather than a multi-step sequence, they’re a better fit than an all-in-one.
What we’d actually pick
- Starting from zero, no budget: Systeme.io free plan. It’s the most capable free tier in the category.
- First paid upgrade: Systeme.io Startup at $14/mo.
- Landing pages, not funnels: Swipe Pages at $24.17/mo.
- Already on an email tool: GetResponse at $16/mo or Kit at $33/mo, since you’d otherwise pay twice for sending.
- Agency with client accounts: GoHighLevel at $81/mo.
We don’t rank tools by whether they pay us — Systeme.io tops this list because it wins on scope per dollar, and it would top it regardless.
FAQ
What’s the cheapest funnel builder? Systeme.io, which has a permanent free plan and a $14/mo first paid tier. Brizy and GetResponse are close behind at $15.83/mo and $16/mo.
Is ClickFunnels worth $81/mo? It’s worth it if you’re using the ecosystem — the templates, community and affiliate tooling — rather than just the builder. If you want the builder alone, you’re paying a large premium for it.
Are free funnel builders any good? Systeme.io’s is genuinely usable for a real business. Be careful with free plans that charge a percentage of sales instead, like Groove.cm’s 5%, since those get expensive precisely when you succeed.
Do I need a separate email tool? Not with Systeme.io, GetResponse or Kartra — sending is included. With a pure page builder like Leadpages or Swipe Pages, budget for one.
Work out which one fits you
If you’re weighing scope against price, our advisor asks what you’re actually building and points you at the tools that match, and the pricing calculator will model the cost as you grow.
New to this? Start with how to build a sales funnel, which covers the structure before the software.