ClickFunnels helped redefine how businesses think about online sales. For years, its clear focus—build beautiful, high-converting funnels without needing a developer—made it the go-to platform for solopreneurs, coaches, and digital product sellers. It turned landing pages into a science and made the word “funnel” part of everyday marketing vocabulary.
But as business owners in 2025 face more complex demands—from automating follow-ups and managing bookings to collecting reviews and sending SMS reminders—a new question has emerged: is building funnels enough?
ClickFunnels still excels at what it set out to do. But for many business owners, that’s only one piece of the equation. They need a platform that not only attracts leads but nurtures them, converts them, and supports them across the full customer journey. That’s where Liquid Funnel changes the game—not by replacing funnels, but by embedding them within a system that does far more.
What ClickFunnels Does Well—and Where It Stops
ClickFunnels was built around the idea that every business needs a well-structured sales funnel. It provides a clean interface for building landing pages, upsell flows, and email sequences. The templates are extensive, the editor is intuitive, and the ability to A/B test layouts is a major strength.
However, ClickFunnels is not a full CRM. It does not manage your appointments, your review requests, or your daily conversations with customers. Most users end up pairing it with other tools—like Calendly for bookings, Mailchimp for emails, Zapier for automation, and a separate inbox for messaging. Over time, managing these integrations becomes time-consuming, expensive, and prone to errors.
The platform also requires a fair amount of DIY setup. While templates make design easier, logic and automation still need to be configured manually. For many business owners, especially those without marketing teams, this can become overwhelming.
Liquid Funnel as the Full Stack System
Liquid Funnel takes a fundamentally different approach. Rather than starting with pages and then asking users to plug in the rest, it begins with the entire customer lifecycle. From the first visit to your landing page through to the final review request and repeat booking, everything is built to flow together—automatically.
Funnels are part of Liquid Funnel’s DNA. But so are AI-generated follow-ups, automated review requests, SMS/email reminders, appointment calendars, mobile messaging, and unified communication. All of this is configured for you—not by watching tutorials, but by booking one setup call with their team.
The funnel builder inside Liquid Funnel offers the same drag-and-drop flexibility as ClickFunnels but connects directly with a full CRM system, AI tools, and real-time lead tracking. When someone fills out a form, they’re not just entering an email sequence—they’re entering a complete, automated journey.
The Cost of Running a Stack vs Using One Tool
ClickFunnels, while affordable in its base pricing, often becomes expensive when you factor in the other tools required to replicate what an all-in-one system like Liquid Funnel offers. For example, to create a similar workflow in ClickFunnels, a business might also need:
- A scheduler like Calendly
- A follow-up tool like ActiveCampaign
- A review automation app like Podium
- Zapier for connecting it all
- Stripe or a checkout tool
- A separate mobile inbox or messaging app
Each of these tools has its own interface, login, learning curve, and monthly subscription fee. Beyond the cost, it’s the fragmentation that creates inefficiency.
Liquid Funnel eliminates that stack. Everything—funnels, communication, payments, appointments, follow-ups—is managed from a single dashboard. And it’s all built for you during onboarding. There’s no tech stress, no integration juggling, no wondering if your funnel is connected to your calendar.
What the Funnel-Centric Approach Misses
The funnel is only one touchpoint in a customer’s experience. After a customer fills out your form, what happens next? Are they getting a follow-up within minutes? Can they schedule instantly? Do you have a system to remind them, collect reviews, re-engage them, or manage their messages?
ClickFunnels stops after the conversion. Liquid Funnel keeps going.
As pointed out in this Foundr article on funnel-based platforms, while ClickFunnels is ideal for launching quick offers or collecting opt-ins, it’s not built to manage the full cycle of customer communication, fulfillment, and long-term retention. Modern service businesses require more than just a sales page—they need a system that thinks ahead and handles the relationship beyond the initial sale.
Who Each Platform Serves Best
ClickFunnels is perfect for entrepreneurs who want to launch a sales page quickly, test offers, or run webinars and digital products. If you’re comfortable handling other operational tools separately, and you’re focused on short-term campaigns or info products, ClickFunnels gives you the control and design flexibility you need.
Liquid Funnel, on the other hand, is best for businesses that rely on day-to-day engagement—consultants, coaches, agencies, home service providers, health professionals, and anyone needing appointments, reminders, follow-ups, reviews, and multi-channel communication. It’s not just for launching—it’s for running your business.
A New Standard for Service Businesses
The expectations of customers in 2025 are higher. They want instant responses, easy bookings, consistent follow-ups, and personal communication. Businesses that can meet these expectations without hiring large teams or building complex software stacks will win.
Liquid Funnel doesn’t replace ClickFunnels for those who only need a funnel—it simply recognizes that most businesses need more than that. Instead of being a piece of the puzzle, it’s the full picture, delivered with simplicity and speed.
If you’ve outgrown single-purpose tools and want a system that’s built to handle every part of your customer experience—from the first click to the final review—Liquid Funnel is designed to do exactly that. And you don’t need to build it yourself. Just book a demo, share your goals, and let the team deliver a complete solution.
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FAQ
What’s the main difference between ClickFunnels and Liquid Funnel?
ClickFunnels is a funnel-building platform. Liquid Funnel is an all-in-one CRM and automation system that includes funnels, bookings, follow-ups, messaging, AI, and more.
Can Liquid Funnel be used to build the same types of funnels as ClickFunnels?
Yes. It includes a drag-and-drop funnel builder with templates for lead magnets, webinars, product sales, and service bookings.
Is Liquid Funnel harder to set up than ClickFunnels?
No. In fact, Liquid Funnel is easier—its team builds the entire system for you during onboarding, so you can skip the DIY phase entirely.
Does ClickFunnels have a CRM?
Not in the traditional sense. It can collect and tag contacts, but it lacks full CRM features like appointment scheduling, lead tracking, or unified inbox messaging.
Who should choose ClickFunnels over Liquid Funnel?
ClickFunnels may be a better fit for users focused purely on funnel testing or short-term campaigns who already have other tools in place to manage the rest of their business processes.
