The short answer
GoHighLevel vs Kartra comes down to what you need to run. Kartra is the better fit for coaches and online experts who want funnels, checkouts, memberships, email and a helpdesk in one account for their own business. HighLevel is the better fit for agencies that want many client accounts under one flat plan, with built-in calling, review requests and AI phone agents. Kartra's Essentials plan is $59/mo billed monthly, $52/mo billed annually; HighLevel starts at $97 a month with usage billed on top.
Kartra is an all-in-one marketing platform for coaches, experts and online businesses. It combines lead management, landing pages and websites, checkouts, email and text messages, calendars, memberships and courses, and on higher plans affiliate management and a helpdesk. Plans are priced by contact count, from 500 contacts on Essentials to 25,000 on Professional. Kartra also runs an Agency feature that lets service providers buy client accounts at a 40% discount and manage them from one dashboard.
Independent comparison. We are a HighLevel affiliate, not HighLevel or Kartra, and we do not speak for either company. Prices come from each vendor's own website, checked 2026-09-29.
At a glance
| Feature | HighLevel | Kartra |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $97/mo (Starter) | $59/mo billed monthly, $52/mo billed annually (Essentials) |
| Pricing model | Flat plan plus usage for texts, calls, email and AI | Kartra prices by contact tier, and when your list passes the plan limit it moves you to the next tier automatically and charges a mid-cycle reconciliation fee. |
| CRM and pipelines | Yes | Yes |
| Funnels | Yes | Yes |
| Websites | Yes | Yes |
| Email marketing | Yes | Yes |
| Two-way texting | Yes | Yes |
| Calling | Yes | Not listed |
| AI voice agent | Yes, billed by use | Not listed |
| Review requests | Yes | Not listed |
| Courses and memberships | Yes | Yes |
| White label for agencies | Yes, from Unlimited | Not listed |
Kartra pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $59/mo billed monthly, $52/mo billed annually | 500 contacts, 10,000 emails and texts a month, 5 pages, 1 product, 1 custom domain |
| Starter | $119/mo billed monthly, $99/mo billed annually | 2,500 contacts, unlimited email and SMS, 5 team members, calendars |
| Growth | $229/mo billed monthly, $189/mo billed annually | 12,500 contacts, 3 custom domains, affiliates, helpdesk, 10 team members |
| Professional | $549/mo billed monthly, $429/mo billed annually | 25,000 contacts, 5 custom domains, helpdesk live chat, agency capacity |
Where Kartra is stronger
Kartra advantages
- Starter includes unlimited emails and text messages, 5 team members, calendars and unlimited memberships and courses.
- Checkouts, pages, courses, calendars and email share one lead record, so a coach does not need to wire separate tools together.
- Kartra Agency lets service providers buy client accounts at a 40% discount and mark them up, or manage clients' existing accounts as a contractor.
- A 14-day free trial plus a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Where Kartra falls short
- Texts go out through an SMS gateway you connect, such as Twilio, Plivo or Vonage, while HighLevel has its own phone system built in.
- Contact caps run from 500 to 25,000, and passing one moves you up a tier automatically; HighLevel does not cap contacts.
- The pricing page lists no phone calling, AI phone agent or review management.
- Each client on Kartra Agency is a separately paid Kartra account, while HighLevel Unlimited covers unlimited sub-accounts for $297 a month.
Where HighLevel is stronger
HighLevel puts CRM, funnels, websites, two-way texting, calling, review requests, courses and an AI phone agent in one login, and agencies can put their own brand on it from the Unlimited plan. The trade-off is a steeper learning curve and usage charges on top of the plan, which our cost calculator adds up. For the full picture read our GoHighLevel review.
Who should pick which
| Choose Kartra | Coaches and online experts who want funnels, checkouts, memberships, email and a helpdesk in one account for their own business. |
|---|---|
| Choose HighLevel | Agencies that want many client accounts under one flat plan, with built-in calling, review requests and AI phone agents. |
Switching
Neither vendor's pricing page mentions a direct import from the other, so plan the move as a rebuild. Export leads with their tags to a CSV and import them into HighLevel, then recreate pages, funnels and checkout products. Memberships, email sequences and calendar setups need rebuilding by hand. If you send texts from Kartra through Twilio, move texting to HighLevel's phone system and complete A2P 10DLC registration before messaging US numbers.
Verdict
Kartra and HighLevel both put pages, email, checkout, courses and automation in one place, and Kartra's Starter plan includes unlimited emails and texts through your own gateway. The split is in who each one serves. Kartra is sized for one business, with contact tiers from 500 to 25,000 and an agency model where each client needs its own discounted account. HighLevel removes contact and user caps, adds calling, reviews and Voice AI, and covers unlimited client sub-accounts on its $297 plan, though texts, calls and email are billed by use. Solo experts may prefer Kartra's bundle; agencies usually get more from HighLevel.
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