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BestStacked · Head-to-Head Comparison
HighLevel vs HubSpot for Agencies: Which Fits Your Model?
A client-account platform with white-label and rebilling against a per-seat CRM suite, compared on agency model, cost at 3, 10 and 25 clients, onboarding fees and lock-in.
The Short Answer
The deciding question is how your agency uses the CRM. Pick HighLevel if you deliver marketing systems for several small clients and want each in its own sub-account under one agency plan: Unlimited is $297 a month for unlimited sub-accounts, and rebilling usage at a markup starts on the $497 Founder plan. Pick HubSpot if the CRM is mainly for your own pipeline or your clients already run it: the CRM is free for up to 2 users, Starter lists at $20 a seat a month, and Professional adds required one-time onboarding of $1,500 (Sales Hub) or $3,000 (Marketing Hub). HubSpot lists no per-client sub-account plan, so at 25 clients on Starter with 2 seats each it costs $1,000 a month at list price against HighLevel's flat $297 plus usage. Neither platform is the right answer for every agency; this is a research-based comparison of published plans, read November 7, 2026, not a hands-on test.
Read the full reviews: HighLevel reviewHubSpot review
Cost at 3, 10 and 25 client accounts · arithmetic
HighLevel vs HubSpot cost: what do 3, 10 and 25 client accounts cost?
HighLevel's bill is flat in client accounts and HubSpot's is not. Unlimited holds any number of sub-accounts for $297 a month, so 3, 10 and 25 clients cost the same before usage. HubSpot lists no per-client sub-account plan, so each client needs its own account and the bill scales with clients times seats: $120, $400 and $1,000 a month at the $20 list price of Starter with 2 seats each.
On those assumptions HighLevel Unlimited is cheaper than list-priced HubSpot Starter from the 8th client ($40 a client; $297 ÷ $40), and cheaper than the $7 new-customer Starter price from the 22nd ($14 a client; $297 ÷ $14). The comparison stops being like-for-like quickly: HubSpot describes Professional as its automation tier, and that is where the required onboarding fees and the per-seat cost jump sit.
| Monthly cost, yearly billing for HubSpot | 3 clients | 10 clients | 25 clients |
|---|---|---|---|
| HighLevel Starter ($97; 3 sub-accounts) | $97 | Not enough sub-accounts | Not enough sub-accounts |
| HighLevel Unlimited ($297) | $297 | $297 | $297 |
| HighLevel Founder ($497; rebilling with markup, SaaS mode) | $497 | $497 | $497 |
| HighLevel Branded Client Portal App on every sub-account ($49 each, add-on) | +$147 | +$490 | +$1,225 |
| HubSpot Starter per client, 2 seats, $20 list price a seat | $120 | $400 | $1,000 |
| HubSpot Starter per client, 2 seats, $7 new-customer price a seat | $42 | $140 | $350 |
| HubSpot Sales Hub Professional per client, 2 seats at $90 | $540 | $1,800 | $4,500 |
| Sales Hub Professional required onboarding, one time ($1,500 per client) | $4,500 | $15,000 | $37,500 |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional per client ($800) | $2,400 | $8,000 | $20,000 |
| Marketing Hub Professional required onboarding, one time ($3,000 per client) | $9,000 | $30,000 | $75,000 |
| Illustrative HighLevel email usage at 5,000 sends per client a month ($0.675 per 1,000) | $10.13 | $33.75 | $84.38 |
This is arithmetic, not a measured result, in US dollars before tax. HighLevel prices are the monthly prices displayed on gohighlevel.com/pricing on November 7, 2026; no annual prices were visible, so none are shown. HubSpot prices are the annual-billing prices displayed with the Pay Annually option; HubSpot also shows struck-through list prices ($20 Starter, $90 or $100 Sales Hub Professional, $890 Marketing Hub Professional), and the $7 Starter price is a limited-time new-customer discount with no published end date or renewal price, so it may not apply to every client account.
Assumptions: every client gets its own HubSpot account with 2 Core Seats, and every client account pays its own onboarding where a plan requires it. HubSpot's pages don't say whether agency-managed or partner-managed accounts are exempt from onboarding; that is not published. HighLevel figures exclude usage and add-ons other than the portal app row. HighLevel usage (phone and SMS at Twilio rates, email at $0.675 per 1,000, AI) is billed from a prepaid Agency Wallet, so the email row is an illustration, not a forecast. HubSpot Credits for AI agents are extra and not priced here.
Marketing Hub Professional includes 3 Core Seats, so 2 seats per client stays within the price. Starter's included 1,000 marketing contacts cap email sends at 5,000 a month on HubSpot, per HubSpot's pricing FAQ; HighLevel lists unlimited contacts and users on every plan, with sending paid by usage.
Sources checked November 7, 2026: gohighlevel.com/pricing; HighLevel pricing guide (help center); hubspot.com/pricing/marketing; hubspot.com/pricing/sales.
The 5 Rounds
Where each tool actually wins
Round 1 / Agency Model
Round 1: Sub-accounts, white-label and rebilling
This is the real split. HighLevel is built so an agency can run many clients under one plan and resell the software; HubSpot is built around one company's seats and contacts. We compare what each vendor publishes about that difference.
- 01HighLevel's Starter plan includes 3 sub-accounts and Unlimited and Founder include unlimited ones, with unlimited contacts and users on every plan.
- 02Its white-label desktop app starts on Unlimited, rebilling of phone and email at cost starts on Unlimited, and rebilling with a markup and SaaS mode start on the $497 Founder plan; a white-label mobile app is a separate $497-a-month add-on.
- 03HubSpot's pricing pages list no per-client sub-account plan and no white-label option, so agency-run client accounts are priced as separate accounts. Its Solutions Partner Program is aimed at agencies and consultancies serving mid-market and enterprise customers, but the commission and tier terms aren't on its landing page.
- 04For an agency whose product is the platform it sets up for each client, HighLevel's published model is the one designed for it.
What HubSpot still got right
HubSpot's model is simpler when the agency's own team is the user: seats and contacts, no wallet, and nothing to white-label. Many clients also already own a HubSpot account, in which case a partner login is the natural way to work.
Round 2 / CRM Depth & Reporting
Round 2: What each gives you in the CRM itself
- 01HubSpot's pricing page spans Marketing, Sales, Service, Content and Data products over a free CRM, with more than 2,000 apps listed and credit-priced AI agents for customer service, prospecting and data upkeep.
- 02HighLevel lists a CRM with pipelines, custom dashboards and reporting, workflow automation, unified conversations, forms, booking calendars, funnels, courses, communities and payments in its core features.
- 03Neither page publishes report limits, field limits or pipeline limits, so we can't rank depth on numbers.
- 04HubSpot describes Professional as the tier for omni-channel campaigns, automation and reporting, which is also where the required onboarding fee sits.
What the other tool still got right
Neither side wins here on published facts. If the agency's own pipeline is the use, HubSpot's free tier lets you start without a card; if each client needs a bundled system, HighLevel's list covers more channels in one login.
Round 3 / Automation & Channels
Round 3: Email, SMS, calls, booking and funnels
- 01HighLevel includes two-way SMS and email, calling, workflows, a campaign builder, booking calendars and funnels on Starter, billed by usage from a prepaid Agency Wallet: email at $0.675 per 1,000 and phone and SMS at Twilio's rates.
- 02HubSpot ties email to marketing contacts: sends are capped at 5, 10 or 20 times the contact tier on Starter, Professional and Enterprise, and a contact tier can't be lowered until the contract renews.
- 03HubSpot's pricing pages list its Customer Agent, Prospecting Agent and Data Agent as credit-priced AI agents; HighLevel's AI Assistants are free on every agency plan under fair use, with AI Employee paid per sub-account.
- 04For a bundle of channels in one price, HighLevel's published list is longer; the cost is that usage is variable.
What HubSpot still got right
HubSpot's per-contact model is more predictable for a team that sends to a stable list, and it has no wallet to top up. Its caps are published, which makes email volume easy to plan.
Round 4 / Pricing & Value
Round 4: Cost as clients grow
- 01At 10 and 25 client accounts HighLevel Unlimited stays at $297 a month before usage, while HubSpot Starter with 2 seats per client is $400 and $1,000 a month at list price ($140 and $350 at the $7 new-customer price).
- 02On Professional the gap is large: 10 clients on Sales Hub Professional is $1,800 a month plus $15,000 of required onboarding, and on Marketing Hub Professional $8,000 a month plus $30,000, on our per-client assumptions.
- 03HighLevel's costs sit in usage and add-ons: a branded client portal app is $49 a month per sub-account, AI Employee $50 or $97, and a white-label mobile app $497 a month.
- 04For the agency's own use, HubSpot's free CRM for up to 2 users is the cheapest starting point of the two, and HighLevel has a 14-day trial but no free plan.
What the other tool still got right
We call this round a tie because the cheaper side flips with the model: many small client accounts favour HighLevel's flat price, while one agency pipeline with 2 users favours HubSpot's free CRM.
Round 5 / Ecosystem & Lock-in
Round 5: Partners, contracts and switching
- 01HubSpot has a Solutions Partner Program for agencies and lists more than 2,000 integrations; HighLevel's pricing page lists a HighLevel Partner Network as coming soon and sells a $97-a-month certification program add-on.
- 02HighLevel is month to month with no long-term contract; HubSpot Professional shows a commit-annually option, required onboarding and contact tiers fixed until renewal.
- 03Neither vendor's pricing page describes importing the other's automations or workflows; that is not published, so plan to rebuild them.
- 04If your clients already run HubSpot, working in their account avoids a migration altogether.
What HighLevel still got right
HighLevel's month-to-month terms and flat agency price make it the lower-commitment way to try the sub-account model, and snapshots let an agency reuse a build across clients.
Sources checked November 7, 2026: HighLevel pricing; HighLevel pricing guide (help center); HubSpot Marketing Hub pricing; HubSpot Sales Hub pricing; HubSpot partner programs.
The Numbers
Pricing: HighLevel vs HubSpot
| Tier | HighLevel | HubSpot | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | No free plan; 14-day free trial | Free CRM for up to 2 users | HubSpot Free also lists Marketing Hub and Sales Hub free tiers |
| Entry | Starter $97/mo: 3 sub-accounts | Starter from $7/seat/mo ($20 list) | The $7 price is a new-customer discount with no published end date |
| Pro | Unlimited $297/mo: unlimited sub-accounts, white-label desktop app | Sales Hub Pro from $90/seat/mo + $1,500 onboarding | HubSpot onboarding is required one time |
| Business | Founder $497/mo: SaaS mode, rebilling with markup | Marketing Hub Pro from $800/mo + $3,000 onboarding | Marketing Hub Pro includes 3 Core Seats |
| Enterprise | Enterprise: contact HighLevel | Marketing Hub Enterprise from $3,600/mo + $7,000 onboarding | Sales Hub Enterprise is from $150/seat/mo + $3,500 |
Pricing last verified November 7, 2026. Vendors change prices frequently — see our pricing change log.
Plan by plan · checked November 7, 2026
What each plan includes: HighLevel vs HubSpot
HighLevel's three plans differ mainly in client accounts, white-label and rebilling; HubSpot's differ in seats, contacts and which hub you buy. The table sets them side by side from the vendors' own pricing pages and help center as read on November 7, 2026. Where a page doesn't say, the cell says so.
| Feature | HighLevel Starter | HighLevel Unlimited | HighLevel Founder | HubSpot Starter | HubSpot Sales Hub Professional | HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $97 a month | $297 a month | $497 a month | From $7 a seat a month ($20 list) | From $90 a seat a month ($100 struck through) | From $800 a month ($890 struck through) |
| Client accounts | 3 sub-accounts | Unlimited sub-accounts | Unlimited sub-accounts | No per-client sub-account plan listed | No per-client sub-account plan listed | No per-client sub-account plan listed |
| Users or seats | Unlimited users | Unlimited users | Unlimited users | Priced per seat | Priced per seat | 3 Core Seats; more from $45 a month each |
| Contacts | Unlimited contacts | Unlimited contacts | Unlimited contacts | 1,000 marketing contacts (Marketing Hub) | Not stated on the Sales Hub pricing page | 2,000 marketing contacts |
| White-label | Not listed on the Starter card | White-label desktop app | White-label desktop app; SaaS mode with unlimited reselling | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Rebilling usage to clients | Not included | Phone and email at cost, no markup | With markup | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| AI | AI Assistants free under fair use; AI Employee paid per sub-account | AI Assistants free under fair use; AI Employee paid per sub-account | AI Assistants free under fair use; AI Employee from $20 a month per location | 500 HubSpot Credits | 3,000 HubSpot Credits | 3,000 HubSpot Credits |
| Required onboarding | None listed | None listed | None listed | None listed | $1,500 one time | $3,000 one time |
| Contract | Month to month; 14-day free trial | Month to month; 14-day free trial | Month to month; 14-day free trial | Pay monthly (commit monthly) or annually | Pay monthly (commit annually) or annually | Pay monthly (commit annually) or annually; contact tier can't be lowered until renewal |
HubSpot also has a Free CRM for up to 2 users, Marketing Hub Enterprise from $3,600 a month with 5 Core Seats and $7,000 required onboarding, and Sales Hub Enterprise from $150 a seat with $3,500 onboarding. HighLevel's Enterprise plan is by contacting its team. Both are left out of the cost table.
HighLevel's help center says rebilling without markup is on the $297 and $497 plans and rebilling with markup only on the $497 plan, and its AI Employee Starter plan ($20 a month per location) is limited to the $497 plan. Its pricing page FAQ still calls the $497 plan Pro Plan and its add-on text says Agency Pro; the plan card says Founder, which this page uses.
HighLevel add-ons shown on the pricing page include a branded client portal app at $49 a month per sub-account, a white-label mobile app at $497 a month and premium support at $500 a month. HubSpot's pricing pages list no client-portal price; not published on the pages we read.
Sources checked November 7, 2026: gohighlevel.com/pricing; HighLevel pricing guide (help center); hubspot.com/pricing/marketing; hubspot.com/pricing/sales.
Know the tradeoffs
Limitations of each tool
Where HighLevel falls short
- Usage is billed on top. Phone, SMS, email and AI are paid from a prepaid Agency Wallet, so the agency plan price is not the bill.
- Agencies do the setup. Each sub-account needs its own configuration, and white-labelling means answering clients' support questions under your brand.
- Key resale features sit on the $497 plan: rebilling with markup and SaaS mode. The white-label mobile app is a separate $497-a-month add-on.
- No free plan: the entry point is a 14-day trial, and the pricing FAQ still uses two older names for the $497 plan.
Where HubSpot falls short
- No per-client sub-account plan on the pricing pages, so client accounts are separate accounts with separate seats and bills.
- Professional has required one-time onboarding of $1,500 (Sales Hub) or $3,000 (Marketing Hub), and Enterprise $3,500 and $7,000.
- Marketing contact tiers can't be lowered until the contract renews, and email sends are capped by the tier.
- The $7 Starter price is a new-customer discount with no published end date or renewal price, and AI agents use credits on top.
Who Should Pick What
A decision matrix
Pick HighLevel if
You run systems for several small clients
Each client gets its own sub-account under one agency plan, and Unlimited is $297 a month however many clients you add.
You want clients to log in to your brand
The desktop web app can be white-labeled from Unlimited, with a branded client portal app and a white-label mobile app as paid add-ons.
You plan to resell usage
Phone and email rebilling at cost starts on Unlimited, and rebilling with a markup and SaaS mode on the $497 Founder plan.
You want to avoid contracts and onboarding fees
HighLevel is month to month with a 14-day trial, and its pricing pages list no required onboarding fee.
Pick HubSpot if
The CRM is mainly for your own agency
A free CRM for up to 2 users covers a small team's pipeline, and seats and contacts scale with your own headcount rather than client count.
Your clients already run HubSpot
Working in their account through a partner login avoids buying and migrating anything, and the Solutions Partner Program is aimed at agencies.
You serve mid-market clients who want a named platform
HubSpot's Solutions Partner Program targets mid-market and enterprise customers, and its Marketing, Sales and Service hubs share one contact record.
You prefer predictable seat-and-contact pricing
No usage wallet to top up; the published caps (such as 5x contacts for email on Starter) make costs easy to plan, though onboarding fees apply on Professional.
The Verdict
Overall winner: Tie
We don't pick an overall winner, because the two products are priced and built for different agency models. HighLevel fits an agency that delivers marketing systems for many small clients and wants each in its own sub-account under one flat plan: $297 a month holds unlimited sub-accounts, white-labels the desktop app and rebills phone and email at cost, while the $497 Founder plan adds SaaS mode and rebilling at a markup. The price you pay beyond that is usage from a prepaid wallet and the agency's own setup time for every account. HubSpot fits an agency whose CRM is mainly its own pipeline, or whose clients already run HubSpot: the CRM is free for up to 2 users, Starter lists at $20 a seat and Professional adds required one-time onboarding of $1,500 on Sales Hub and $3,000 on Marketing Hub. Its pricing lists no per-client sub-account plan, so a client-account strategy on HubSpot means separate accounts and a bill that grows with clients times seats. At 3 clients the entry bills are small on both sides ($97 for HighLevel Starter, $120 for HubSpot Starter at list price); at 25 the flat HighLevel plan is far cheaper before usage ($1,000 against $297), and the HubSpot Professional figures are higher by an order of magnitude. Decide by model, not by feature count: who owns the account, who logs in, and who pays for usage. This comparison uses each vendor's published plans as read on November 7, 2026; it is not a hands-on test, and neither vendor reviewed it.
Budget pick
HubSpot's free CRM for up to 2 users for the agency's own pipeline, or HighLevel Starter at $97 a month for up to 3 client sub-accounts.
If budget isn't the constraint
HighLevel Founder at $497 a month if you resell the software with markup, or HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional from $800 a month plus $3,000 onboarding for a single marketing team that needs automation and reporting.
Keep reading
More on HighLevel and HubSpot
- AI and software tools for agencies The HighLevel-or-HubSpot decision block, with the job-by-job guide.
- HighLevel review Plans, usage costs, the learning curve and who should skip it.
- HubSpot review Free CRM, hub pricing and contact tiers.
- HubSpot alternatives Other CRMs if HubSpot's pricing is the blocker.
Common questions
HighLevel vs HubSpot — FAQ
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