Kartra vs ClickFunnels: comparing 2 funnel builders

Today’s review will touch on the topic of sales funnels creation for turning cold prospects into hot leads using Kartra and ClickFunnels platforms.

It’s not a secret that services for sales process automation (from awareness to purchase) are widely used in many industries. Below, I’ve listed the 5 key features that make them an efficient solution for business:

• multi-page approach to a deal closure;
• a pre-framing technique during the creation of sales funnels;
• usage of calls to action for getting an immediate response;
• discount and bonus offers;
• deep data analytics to create purchase patterns, perform effective targeting, and so on.

Today’s platforms are effective business solutions, containing the above-mentioned features. At the same time, the competitors provide different tools for building online courses websites, video hosting, managing affiliate programs, etc.

In-depth comparison

Email automation

Kartra

Kartra has full-fledged email automation that permits users to customize email campaigns based on:

• customers’ personal data; 
• information about customer behavior on the website.

In other words, it’s possible to create email sequences using certain triggers and parameters.

Here is an example: it’s possible to get an automated notification sent if a customer hasn’t opened a certain email. Alternatively, you could set up a notification about an upcoming meeting, training, and so on.

Along with that, Kartra has functionality for tracking the results of your campaigns and collecting the information about customers who opened your emails. Besides, the service also offers split-run testing to improve the metrics (clicks, conversions, etc.).

Also, Kartra’s email automation feature allows you to do the following:

• customize tags to personalize your message;
• communicate through both emails and SMS according to pre-set rules;
• use an unlimited number of triggers;
• remove or add clients to the contact list;
• analyze the info about email deliverability (open & click-through rate, bounces, etc.).

ClickFunnels 

This Kartra’s competitor comes with an embedded service called “Actionetics” that is connected with Twilio. To start using Actionetics, you need to go to the Automation section, choose a proper layout, and set up rules for email automation. Also, you may edit SMTP configurations, schedule the messages to be sent at any time, and many more.

This service lets you create follow-up sales funnels depending on various parameters. For example, a customized popup for visitors who came from a specific traffic source.

Besides, ClickFunnels has an option called “Smart list”. In short, the system analyzes the information about your customers, creates the corresponding lists, and messages them automatically. Here are some examples of such lists:

• customers who purchased a certain product or service and have over 2,000 subscribers on social networks (Facebook, Instagram, etc.);
• customers who added items to the cart but didn’t purchase them;
• customers who purchased all products you offer, etc.

This platform allows users to get reports about the number of opened emails and purchased items. Also, it’s possible to calculate how much money you earned from each mail.

Actionetics can analyze the customers’ social networks to gather information about their interests, preferences, etc. 

You can also export or import contacts to ClickFunnels.

Web page building tool

Kartra

Kartra users don’t have to be proficient in coding to build high-converting website pages. Currently, they can choose among the 500 ready-made layouts or make a personalized one from scratch.

Although it’s easy to create a page, you could always get help from mini-tutorials.

Kartra allows you to build the web pages for different purposes:

• for gathering certain information about your visitors (name, age, email, etc.);
• for attracting potential customers with a video message;
• for helping your website visitors choose what to buy;
• for launching products;
• for convincing clients to purchase a specific service or product;
• for announcing the upcoming events, etc.

The service comes with the following editing modes:

• “Column” mode to edit layout’s sections and columns;
• “Component” mode to modify specific elements like forms, links, etc.

Kartra allows users to work with search engine optimization parameters (titles, descriptions, tags, etc.) to improve a web resource ranking. Also, you may add popping-up windows, navigation and progress bars, countdowns, calculators, CTA’s, and many more.

Though Kartra doesn’t require any programming skills, you may add JavaScript or CSS code to customize an element or create a new one from scratch.

ClickFunnels

This sales funnel creator features a tool called “Etison Editor” that helps build web pages for:

• services or products you’ll sell;
• testing different lead collecting strategies.

After selecting a layout, users simply need to drag elements to the working area and edit them. Compared to Kartra’s web page creation, ClickFunnels offers an easier way of blocks editing using:

• green blocks, responsible for building sections;
• blue blocks for rows and columns creation;
• orange blocks for managing various elements like buttons, videos, headings, and so on.

ClickFunnels’ users are also allowed to connect additional elements to the web pages like the pricing tables, countdowns, progress bars, pop-ups, etc.

In addition, the platform’s users aren’t required to utilize extra tools to integrate a shopping cart into their web resource. They can simply drag items on the web page, add descriptions, and set up prices.

Membership sites

Kartra

The service can help you design well-structured membership sites. As an owner, you may edit the content, examine the website’s performance, give different access levels to users, and so on.

The co-users may easily monitor their progress using indicator bars. Plus, you could use these bars as triggers for setting up pre-customized automated actions. For example, it’s possible to create a congratulation message for members who reached a higher level of progress.

I suggest you look at other membership features:

• SSO authentication;
• ability to schedule the content publishing;
• support of different media files formats;
• ability to group lessons;
• creation of categories and sub-categories, etc.

Besides, you can utilize an embedded forum to keep in touch with co-users.

With the help of the “Membership analytics” tool, it’s possible to do the following:

• filter the information by date, levels of access, etc.;
• measure the completion metrics, etc.

ClickFunnels

The service offers a lot of layouts for creating a membership site. In general, the membership functionality of ClickFunnels and Kartra isn’t very different. Like its competitor, ClickFunnels has log-in elements, an option for searching across the member’s area, etc.

Nonetheless, ClickFunnels users may face a serious drawback: compared to Kartra, the service doesn’t have functionality for uploading videos directly to the platform.

To fix this issue, you can try to embed video from any external services like Jetpack, Wistia, YouTube, etc.

Unlike its competitor, ClickFunnels doesn’t provide you with functionality to track the progress and manage multiple sites from one place (central dashboard).

Funnels and campaigns

Kartra

The service comes up with a bunch of templates for creating various sales funnels. All of them are ready-made and feature essential elements like sales pages, opt-in forms, squeeze pages, etc. Along with that, it’s possible to modify tags, create automation sequences, etc. In order to bring deeper changes, you can create a custom code.

Besides, Kartra’s sales funnels include a 4-day Cash Machine (it’s an email campaign that helps boost sales in a short period), plug-and-play email campaigns, list creator, and many more.

Kartra’s email sequence builder uses YES or NO booleans for creating alternative paths for the clients depending on the tags they have or the choice they make.

All email sequences are tracked and recorded. Consequently, Kartra’s users may collect info about the number of customers who proceed to the next step in a given period of time. Besides, it’s also possible to check how many customers completely went through a funnel or detect exit pages. All the information I’ve just mentioned can be received in real-time. That’s why it’s possible to quickly modify the email sequences and improve the general marketing strategy.

ClickFunnels

The platforms aren’t very different in terms of selecting and modifying layouts. However, Kartra’s users may choose among a larger number of templates.

Besides, ClickFunnels features an option that allows you to take a quiz and find out what type of sales funnels can meet your requirements.

Below, I’ve mentioned the main sales funnels users can create on the platform:

• squeeze page sales funnel;
• tripwire sales funnel;
• product launch sales funnel;
• video letter sales funnel;
• application sales funnel;
• event sales funnel.

The whole process of building a funnel isn’t complicated and consists of 7 steps:

• choose the layout;
• modify its structure;
• use the inbuilt editor to customize fonts, styles, background, etc.;
• start collect leads;
• add items to be sold;
• perform split-run testing to check your conversion efficiency;
• launch the sales funnel.

Affiliate marketing tool

Kartra

If your referrals become Kartra’s paid members, it’s possible to earn 40% from all the payments they make.

In case you have a network of affiliate users, you may additionally receive 10% from each sale.

What I like about Kartra is the ability to control who you invite into the program and the way you compensate them. You’re able to reward your affiliates with a certain amount of money or give them a certain percentage of the sale.

Besides, Kartra’s subscribers are free to add a survey form to gather information about affiliates.

Also, the platform supports simple, parallel, and chained types of PayPal adaptive payments.

As a Kartra’s subscriber, you can make different landing pages for different affiliates and redirect traffic to your offers. You may categorize affiliates into specific mailing lists to keep in touch with them too.

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels supports sticky cookies, which can help you earn regular commissions: they’re used in order to track the purchases through affiliate links.

In this case, it doesn’t matter what kind of device your affiliates use.

Taking part in the ClickFunnels affiliate program is easy: all you need is to register, go to the platform’s affiliate center, get your custom link(s), and start promotion.

The service can offer up to 40% of regular commissions.

Like in the case of Kartra, it’s possible to earn additional commissions if having a network of affiliates. However, ClickFunnels offers a different model: if your affiliate network contains over 100 active and paid users, it’s possible to get about $500 per month. If you reach the number of 200 active users, you’ll be able to get $1,000 per month.

Reporting and analytics

Kartra

The service has an embedded functionality called “Analytics Heatmap”.

“Analytic Heatmap” can help you analyze the following:

• web resource your customers came from;
• time of visit;
• if your clients filled specific forms;
• if customers subscribe to newsletters;

• video sales pages, so you can understand how long your customers watch the video, at what moment they click on the pause button or quit;
• number of customers who renew the subscription;
• revenues;
• sources of the traffic (there can be organic content, affiliates, paid traffic, etc.);
• incoming sales;
• emails in real-time (which ones are opened, clicked, sent, etc.).

The platform collects data from the helpdesk and your calendar as well. This info can help determine the duration of appointments and the time spent on resolving tickets.

ClickFunnels

Compared to its competitor, ClickFunnels doesn’t offer comprehensive campaign metrics. That’s why ClickFunnels users need to integrate third-party analytic services to get data about the sales funnels performance. Google Analytics is one of the widely-used services for this purpose.

Using Google Analytics, you can receive the information about:

• demographics;
• time of visits;
• visitors’ location.

Pricing plans

Kartra

Features	StarterIt’s possible to get this plan for $99 monthly or $79 annually.	SilverThis plan costs $199 monthly or $149 on a yearly basis.	GoldThis type of subscription is available for $299 monthly or $229 annually.	PlatinumYou can purchase it for $499 per month or $379 per year.
How many sales leads users can collect?	up to 2,500	up to 12,500	up to 25,000	up to 50,000
How many domains is it possible to connect?	1	3	5	10
How many emails users can send per month?	15,000	unlimited number	unlimited number	unlimited number
Available transmission capacity	50GB	unlimited number	unlimited number	unlimited number
How many pages users can host?	up to 100	unlimited number	unlimited number	unlimited number
How many video clips users can upload?	up to 50	unlimited number	unlimited number	unlimited number
How many products users can sell?	up to 20	unlimited number	unlimited number	unlimited number
How many membership sites users can build?	up to 2	unlimited number	unlimited number	unlimited number
How many co-users is it possible to have?	only 1	unlimited number	unlimited number	unlimited number
Ability to use Kartra Helpdesk	available	available	available	available
Kartra Agency	not available	available	available	available

ClickFunnels

Features	ClickFunnelsStandartYou can get this plan for $97 per 1 month.	ClickFunnels Platinum This plan is available for $297 monthly.	TwoCommaClubX This is the priciest plan that costs $2,497 monthly.
Is it possible to share sales funnels?	option is available	option is available	option is available
How many sales funnels users can design?	20	unlimited number	unlimited number
How many pages users can build?	100	unlimited number	unlimited number
How many co-users is it possible to have?	only 1	up to 3	up to 10
How many payment gateways is it possible to connect?	up to 3	up to 9	up to 27
How many domains users can connect?	up to 3	up to 9	up to 27
How many follow-up funnels is it possible to create?	not available	available	available
Chat support	available	Priority Support	Priority plus VIP Support
Weekly Peer Review Hackathons	not available	available	available
FunnelFlix	available	available	available

Customer support

Kartra

If you have questions about the platform, you can go to Kartra’s help center and review the documentation to find a solution. There, you can find information about integrations, inbound/outbound APIs, payment gateways, and many more.

If information from the docs doesn’t resolve your issue, you may ask for help by creating a ticket or chatting with team experts.

Along with that, the service has a separate resource called Kartranaut where you can find training videos and guides about all Kartra’s features. 

Also, Kartra’s team engages users to contribute to the platform: if you have ideas about how to improve a tool or want to request a feature, you may do it by clicking on a special button in the help center. 

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels offers a knowledge base that contains detailed video guides telling about integrations, sales funnels creation, affiliate programs, and many more. 

The service doesn’t support a live chat with experts, but you may try a chatbot. For personalized help, you may contact ClickFunnels experts using email.

The platform has an active group on Facebook, where you can share your experience with other ClickFunnels’ users and ask experts for help.

FAQ

Wrapping up

To conclude, I can say that the platforms have much in common: they allow you to create landing pages, customize sales funnels, and sell almost any type of product or service. 

At the same time, Kartra offers more templates to use. If we compare Kartra’s and ClickFunnels’ embedded features, Kartra is a confident winner, as it comes with a bigger number of inbuilt tools (covering video hosting, analytics, etc.). 

In such a way, Kartra offers reasonable costs for all included pricing plans. The service has more inbuilt features and is easier to use compared to its competitor. That’s why I’d recommend Kartra for those users who haven’t worked with sales funnel creators before. 
As for ClickFunnels, the main reason for purchasing its platinum and TwoCommaClubX plans is to get access to webinars and events like hackathons.