Need A Less Expensive Alternative To Clickfunnels? Systeme Might Be The Answer!

What is Systeme?

Systeme is an all-in-one page, blog, sales funnel and membership site builder that I came across recently when I was looking for better alternative to Clickfunnels.

Why Look For An Alternative To Clickfunnels?

I do still use Clickfunnels myself (Version 1.0 Basic $97/mth Plan) but I’ve always thought it was overpriced for what it actually offered.

With Clickfunnels 2.0 being released a couple of months ago, I was hoping that either I would be grandfathered into that Version or that the price would remain the same for the new version.

Neither happened.

If, like me, you signed up with Clickfunnels when Version 1 was then current, then you can still access that version of the online app (it’s just not available to new customers).

Version 1 users were not grandfathered into (automatically upgraded to) Version 2 which would normally be the case with a system like this, at least in my experience.

If you want to use Version 2, you have to upgrade and pay the Version 2 fees.

And those are 50% higher than Clickfunnels Version 1 cost.

Clickfunnels Was Expensive And Is Even More Expensive Now

Many people who were looking at subscribing to a sales funnel builder simply found that paying monthly for a Clickfunnels Version 1 Basic Plan was way too expensive given the limitations imposed on those accounts (you could only build 20 funnels or 100 pages at most).

The new Clickfunnels Version 2 Basic Plan costs $147 per month though, that said, it’s not as restrictive as the Version 1 Basic Plan.

The 20 funnels limit is still there but you can now create an unlimited number of pages.

Access to their affiliate program also seems to have been removed unless you pay for one of their higher-priced plans.

Systeme’s affiliate program is open to anyone whether they’re a member or not.

And they pay 60% commissions from the outset whereas Clickfunnels pays between 20% and 40% depending on how many people you refer.

Clickfunnels’ best option is the Version 2 Pro Plan which is $50 per month more expensive that their Basic Plan while allowing you to build up to 100 sales funnels, more courses (they used to be called membership sites) and includes many other features, most of which I’m not personally interested in.

But, really, who can afford $147/mth, let alone $197/mth for a sales funnel / membership site builder if you’re not already making more than enough online each month to afford those fees.

Clickfunnels 2.0 pricing. You can save 13%-30% on fees if you pay annually

Clickfunnels Is Not Really Made For Average Affiliate Marketers

While affiliate marketers do use Clickfunnels, and have done so since its launch in 2014, its real target audience are businesses who have business budgets and can write these fees off as business expenses.

So, if you’re looking for a sales funnel / landing page / membership site builder and don’t want to pay Clickfunnels-level fees, what are you options?

I took a look at 13 lower-cost alternatives a while back but one I didn’t cover at the time, because I didn’t know about it, is Systeme.

This is their pricing structure:

This isn’t the full list of features for each account. You’d need to check the Systeme Pricing page to see all the included features. You can save 30% on fees if you pay annually 

I just opened a $27/mth Startup Plan to see how it compares to my Clickfunnels Version 1 Basic Plan.

The Pros And Cons of Systeme

Now, there are some things to be aware of regarding Systeme io if you’re thinking of using this platform yourself:

• There is a totally free account you can sign up for.
  • This is not on a trial basis – you can use this plan as long as you want to.
  • Clickfunnels 2.0 only offers a 14-Day trial or a 30-Day trial if you go through this link.
• Systeme uses Tags to identify your subscribers.
  • These are broadly similar to Lists as used in other autoresponder services.
  • They can be also used in a similar way to Tags as used on other services to segment subscribers.
  • However, you’re limited to a set number of tags that can be used on one account – so, basically, the number of Tags you can use is the number of Lists you can create. On other autoresponders, you can create as many tags and lists as you want.
  • You can change a subscriber’s Tags at any time which equates to you moving a subscriber from one List to another or what would be the equivalent of adding them to several Lists on other autoresponder services.
• You can only create a limited number of email campaigns, depending on your Plan. 
  • Typically, you would create one email campaign per list on a regular autoresponder but you can create multiple email campaigns per list if you need to (at least on Aweber, the autoresponder service I use).
  • I haven’t used Systeme enough yet to know if they only allow one email campaign per Tag (List) yet. But it would explain why the number of Tags allowed is the same as the number of Email Campaigns allowed on each Systeme io Plan.
• You can upgrade to a plan that suits your needs and budget.
  • Clickfunnels 2.0 only has three plans – Basic at $147/mth, Pro at $197/mth and Funnel Hacker at $297 per month.
  • Systeme’s highest-priced plan is $50 cheaper than Clickfunnels 2.0’s Basic Plan so is far better value.
  • Systeme’s Startup or Webinar Plans will provide the features and resources that most marketers need. Only the heavy-hitters will need their Unlimited Plan.
• Systeme has an Inbuilt autoresponder.
  • Clickfunnels Version 1’s Basic Plan (what I have) does not include an autoresponder, one of its major omissions. You have to pay for an external autoresponder such as Aweber, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, etc. Factoring in that cost, using Clickfunnels Version 1 to collect subscribers really costs $127+ per mth. At least with Clickfunnels 2.0, you do get an integrated autoresponder. So Version 2.0’s $147/mth is similar to the business costs of a Version 1 user + autoresponder (like myself).
  • Systeme is an all-in-one solution so it too has an inbuilt autoresponder. Even their free account includes that.
  • There’s no limit on the number of emails you can send out but there is a limit on the number of subscribers (contacts) you can collect, again depending on the Plan you select.
• Systeme io offers Unlimited File Storage.
  • There is no restriction on storage space for the assets you build and create in Systeme. Other platforms can impose storage limits that mean you can’t build as many assets as you thought you could.
• Something I don’t like – a limited number of Custom Domains.
  • While each Funnel, Blog, Course and Community are built on Systeme subdomains, you can only use a limited number of Custom Domains on each Plan.
  • With the Startup Plan as an example, you can create up to 10 funnels, 5 blogs, 5 courses and 5 communities. That’s a total of 25 domain-related assets, yet you can only use 3 Custom Domains with this Plan.
  • Custom Domains are used to brand your site so that every page appears to be on your domain name. Not having this feature available for all of your web assets may prove to be problematic for some marketers.
  • You can kind of get around this limitation by using Domain Forwarding at your domain registrar and cloaking pages. What this means is that your home-page domain name remains in the browser’s address bar and doesn’t change as a visitor is directed through your site.
  • The only true way to get unlimited Custom Domains is to upgrade to the Unlimited, $97/mth, Plan. Seems to be a way to “encourage” you to upgrade.
• Another thing I don’t like – a limited number of sales funnel steps
  • Sales funnels can have a couple of pages or many of them. With Clickfunnels 1.0 (which is what I still have), you could create no more than 100 pages. While you could also create 20 sales funnels, if you use up your page allotment quickly, you could only build a handful of funnels.
  • Clickfunnels  2.0 retains the 20 funnel limit but now allows you to create as many pages as you want. That’s a good move. #
  • Systeme plans have limits on the total number of funnel steps you can create so it’s like Clickfunnels 1.0 in that respect.
  • That averages out at 5 steps per funnel which may not be enough if you tend to build longer funnels.
  • The only way around this restriction is to upgrade to the Unlimited Plan but, to be fair, that plan is still $50 cheaper than the Basic Clickfunnels 2.0 plan.
  • So, while I am currently paying $97/mth for the Clickfunnels 1.0 Basic Plan (lots of restrictions), I could pay the same amount for unlimited everything over at Systeme. I know which one I’m choosing.

You Almost Always Have To Compromise

No system or program is ever perfect and it’s rare to find one that ticks all your boxes.

There’s usually one or two things that you wish were there, weren’t there or were implemented differently.

In my case, the restriction on the use of Custom Domains is a problem but it may not be an issue for you.

Nevertheless, that restriction is not a deal breaker for me, just something I have to work around.

Value is my prime concern – what a tool/service offers for a given price and Systeme does deliver in that department.

Remember that with it having its own inbuilt autoresponder, you won’t have to pay for a 3rd-party autoresponder service like Aweber, GetResponse, etc.

With that in mind, the Systeme Webinar Plan delivers everything the Clickfunnels 2.0 Basic Plan does (but allows you to create an additional 30 funnels) and at a fraction of the price.

And it also gives the Clickfunnels 2.0 Pro Plan a run for its money.

Finally, Systeme’s Unlimited Plan is one third of the price of Clickfunnels 2.0’s Funnel Hacker Plan and provides unlimited everything whereas the Funnel Hacker Plan still has some limitations.

My Bonus Package

I’ve decided to offer the same exclusive bonus package for Systeme as I do for Clickfunnels because I do think Systeme offers far better value than Clickfunnels.

While I like and still use Clickfunnels (for historical reasons and because it’s not easy to move funnels between different funnel builders), I’ll be building all my new funnels in Systeme.

I’ve always thought Clickfunnels was overpriced for what it offers and I’d hoped that they’d at least keep their prices the same when they released Clickfunnels 2.0.

But that wasn’t the case; instead, if you want access to their new drag-and-drop page/funnel builder in Version 2, you’ve got to pay more for that.

Get An Inside Look At Systeme [Videos]

If you’re interested in learning more about what Systeme can do, here are 8 short videos that show you how the tool works:

Systeme Overview And Features

How to Manage Your Contacts In Systeme io

How To Build a Sales Funnel in Systeme

How to Build a Lead Generating Funnel in Systeme

How to Build a Funnel in Systeme to Sell Products

How to Send and Manage Your Emails in Systeme

How to Automate Your Business in Systeme

How to Create Membership Sites in Systeme

Here Are Some Systeme Resources:

• My Exclusive Bonus Package for Systeme
• Become a Systeme affiliate (it's free) – earn a recurring 60% commission
• Systeme Promo PLR Bundle - maximise your Systeme affiliate commissions with ready-to-use promotional content
• Master Resell Rights To 8 Systeme Courses - start with 🅵🆁🅴🅴 training that introduces you to this business model
• Need A Less Expensive Alternative To Clickfunnels? Systeme Might Be The Answer! - includes videos that give you an inside look at Systeme
• My experience building a complete sales funnel using Systeme (for free)
• Learn more about Systeme and how to use it – check the videos at the bottom of this page
• The New System To Launch An Online Business in 2023 - Get 🅵🆁🅴🅴 access to the first video of the course
• How to Make $100 Per Day with Your Email List – a $7 course on email marketing
• Launch it! Create your course and sell it for up to $997 in the next 7 days
• 🅵🆁🅴🅴 Training: How To Do An $11,000 Launch 
• How To Write Copy That Sells - Get 🅵🆁🅴🅴 access to the first video of the course
• The Ultimate Side Hustle Book and Bonuses - for anyone looking to start, scale or automate a profitable side-hustle
• How to make your first $1,000 Online - Get 🅵🆁🅴🅴 access to the first video of the course
• $60k in 4 weeks course: email marketing made easy - Get 🅵🆁🅴🅴 access to the first video of the course

All the best,

Gary Nugent

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P.S.: Don't forget, if you want to create an internet income of your own, here's one of my recommended ways to do that: