I’m Kayla, and yes, I’ve used both. I’ve built pages in ClickFunnels at midnight with cold pizza nearby. I’ve also packed orders from my Shopify store while my dog tried to sit on my keyboard. Two tools, two moods. Both helped my business in very real ways—but for different jobs.
If you’d like to peek over my shoulder at a full side-by-side breakdown, I kept detailed notes (screenshots and all) in this in-depth ClickFunnels vs Shopify field test.
Let me explain.
Pro tip: For a crisp, data-backed overview, the team at Forbes Advisor’s comparison breaks down features and pricing in plain English.
My Two Builds, Two Goals
- ClickFunnels: I used it for a digital funnel—free webinar to a $19 mini course, plus a $47 upsell.
- Shopify: I used it for my small store—mugs, tees, and a simple planner. Real boxes. Real tape. Real “where’s my label?” moments.
I ran the ClickFunnels setup for a 4-week promo in April. The Shopify store has been live since last summer and survived Black Friday with no drama.
You know what? They can both sell. But the way they sell feels very different.
What Clicked for Me With ClickFunnels
I built a three-step funnel for a simple fitness mini course:
- A sign-up page for a free 20-minute webinar.
- A course page at $19.
- A one-click upsell for a $47 meal plan pack.
The editor felt like stacking blocks. I picked a clean template, switched colors to my coral and slate, and dropped in a short video. No heavy code. I connected Stripe and set up a basic email flow inside ClickFunnels for reminder emails. Not my favorite email tool, but it worked. I stacked it against Kartra’s all-in-one suite in this ClickFunnels vs Kartra hands-on review, and the gaps—and surprises—show up fast.
Real numbers from my test:
- Webinar sign-up rate: 38% on the first version. After a headline test, it went to 44%.
- Course sales from attendees: 5.2%.
- Take rate on the $47 upsell: 18%.
- Average order value: $28.10 before the upsell, $35.40 after the upsell went live.
I ran a quick A/B test on the hero image. A smiling photo beat a flat mockup by a mile. I also tried a shorter checkout. That bumped conversions from 4.6% to 5.2% on the core offer. Small change. Big lift.
The good:
- Fast to launch a funnel. Like, same-day fast.
- One-click bumps and upsells are built in.
- Page tests are easy, and data is clear enough.
The annoying stuff:
- DNS and subdomain setup took me 30 minutes and three deep breaths.
- The page speed felt slower on mobile with heavy images.
- The email builder is fine for basics, but I missed tags and flows I get in bigger email tools.
I’ll be honest. ClickFunnels shines when the goal is one path: see page, get interest, buy now. It’s like a one-lane road with green lights. No store aisles. No wandering.
Shopify: My Store That Ships Boxes
My Shopify store sells a “Coffee Then Create” mug, a few tees, and a weekly desk planner. I started with the Dawn theme, then paid for Impulse when I wanted more control. I use:
- Shopify Payments + PayPal.
- Shopify Shipping with a Rollo printer.
- Klaviyo for email.
- A simple “frequently bought together” app.
My setup:
- Home page → Collection → Product → Cart → Checkout. Classic store flow.
- Inventory tracking saved my tail during a weekend market when I sold the last size M tee in person using Shopify POS. It synced with my online stock in a minute.
Real numbers from the store:
- Average order value started at $27. After adding “frequently bought together,” it rose to $33 over six weeks.
- Cart conversion moved from 2.3% to 2.9% when I turned on Shop Pay and cut one step from the cart.
- Return rate is under 2% (mugs are sturdy; I bubble-wrap like a champion).
Black Friday story: I ran 20% off tees only. I scheduled the price change the night before. The sale kicked on at 5 a.m., while I slept. Traffic spiked around noon. No crash. I printed 42 labels with Shopify Shipping in one batch. Two jammed, but that was my printer’s fault.
The good:
- Built for real products. Taxes, shipping, and variants are handled.
- Themes look clean, and Shop Pay is quick.
- POS for pop-ups works well, and it keeps stock in sync.
The annoying stuff:
- The app stack adds up. Email app, bundle app, reviews app—you feel it.
- Checkout is locked down unless you’re on the big plan. I wanted to add a custom field and couldn’t.
- Some theme edits feel brittle. I broke my header once and had to roll back.
Shopify is a mall. It’s great if people browse, buy two or three things, and come back next month. It’s not a pushy pitch. It’s a front door and tidy aisles.
Build Time and Headspace
- ClickFunnels: I built my funnel in one afternoon, from blank to live. I plugged in Stripe and ran a test order before dinner.
- Shopify: My first store took three days. Day one for theme and products. Day two for shipping rates and taxes. Day three for apps, email, and photos.
Different energy. Funnel day feels like a sprint. Store day feels like setting up a shop window, right down to the glass cleaner.
Money Stuff (Because It Matters)
What I paid, roughly:
- ClickFunnels plan: about $150 a month for the plan I used.
- Shopify Basic: I pay about $39 a month. Then apps add $20 to $60, depending on the month.
- Payment fees: Stripe vs Shopify Payments are close enough that it didn’t change my choice.
Hidden-ish costs:
- ClickFunnels ads can eat your budget if you’re driving cold traffic. Expect it.
- Shopify apps are small bites that add up. Watch those subscriptions.
For a deeper dive into the current pricing tiers—and the sneaky add-ons to watch—check out this straight-shooting comparison on Website Builder Tools.
Marketing Tools I Actually Used
- ClickFunnels: Order bump for a $9 checklist. A/B tests. Exit pop for a “watch the replay” link. It felt like a clean sales talk with one ask at a time.
- Shopify: Email flows in Klaviyo (welcome, cart, post-purchase). Product reviews app for social proof. Bundles for “mug + planner” at a small discount.
SEO note: My blog posts live on Shopify and pull organic traffic. Funnels didn’t help SEO for me. They helped paid and email traffic, though, and that’s fine. If you’re torn between building funnels or a full WordPress blog, my quick ClickFunnels vs WordPress showdown will give you the cliff notes.
Meanwhile, the LitExtension blog’s merchant-focused analysis digs into migration considerations and is worth a skim if you’re planning any platform switch later.
Side note for anyone monetizing a more “grown-up” niche: direct classifieds traffic can still convert when paired with a tight funnel. Before you spend on ads, get a feel for how personal ads work and what language resonates. This no-fluff guide to the Craigslist dating scene lays out which subcategories pull clicks, messaging examples, and crucial safety pointers so you launch with eyes wide open.
If your offers lean toward discreet adult services—think massage studios or sensual experiences—understanding where your local audience already trades reviews is gold. A quick browse through community-driven directories like Rubmaps Batavia can reveal real user feedback, popular service keywords, and neighborhood hot spots you might reference in ad copy or geo-targeted funnels, saving you hours of guess-and-check marketing.
Speed, Support, and Oops Moments
- Speed: My ClickFunnels pages felt slower on 4G with large images. Compressing helped. Shopify felt steady out of the box.
- Support: Shopify chat solved a tax setting in 10 minutes. ClickFunnels support answered a DNS ticket by the next morning. Both were kind. Shopify felt faster.
- Oops: I shipped a mug to the wrong address once. Shopify made the reship easy. On ClickFunnels, I forgot to set the “thank you” URL, and folks got stuck. I fixed it in five minutes, but those five minutes felt long.
When I’d Choose ClickFunnels
- You sell one main product, course, or event.
- You want simple pages with one goal and easy tests.
- You live on ads or email, not search.
When I’d Choose Shopify
- You