GoHighLevel basics
Free GoHighLevel account: what's included and what you actually pay
You don't need a $97-a-month plan to run your business on GoHighLevel. Here's how a free account works, what's in it, and the real pay-as-you-go costs, using HighLevel's own published rates.
The short answer
- Yes, you can use GoHighLevel without paying a monthly software fee. HighLevel sells agency plans from $97 a month, and agencies use them to give each business its own account, called a sub-account.
- With GHL Experts, that account costs $0 a month. It includes CRM and pipelines, a website and funnel builder, calendars, email marketing and automations.
- You only pay for what you use: texts, calls, emails and optional AI, billed at cost. For a small business that's often about $15–25 a month.
- It isn't a trial. There's no end date, and you never have to hire us.
How can GoHighLevel be free?
HighLevel, the company behind GoHighLevel, sells its software to agencies. Its plans cost $97, $297 or $497 a month (or $970 to $4,970 a year). Each agency plan lets the agency run accounts for its clients, which HighLevel calls sub-accounts.
A sub-account is a complete GoHighLevel workspace for one business. It has its own contacts, inbox, calendars, website, funnels and automations, and its own logins. The agency pays the plan fee and the business uses the software.
That's how we do it. We already pay for a HighLevel agency plan, so we can add your business as a sub-account and give you the software for free. We hope you'll hire us when you want something built, but you don't have to.
What's included in a free GoHighLevel account
Your free account comes with the core tools most service businesses need to win and keep clients:
- CRM and pipelines. Every lead and client in one place, with stages like New lead → Call booked → Won, plus notes, tasks and tags.
- One inbox. Text messages, email, website chat, Facebook and Instagram messages in a single conversation view, with a mobile app to reply on the go.
- Website and funnel builder. Landing pages, full websites and forms, on your own domain.
- Calendars and booking. Booking links, appointment types, reminders and sync with your Google or Outlook calendar.
- Email marketing. Newsletters, campaigns and follow-up sequences.
- Automations. Workflows that reply to new leads instantly, remind people about appointments, move deals along and alert your team.
Some extras are optional add-ons with their own usage cost, like AI agents and WhatsApp. We'll show you exactly what's switched on before you start.
What you pay for: the real usage rates
The software is free with us, but sending things isn't free for anyone. Phone carriers charge for texts and calls, and emails have to be delivered. HighLevel charges these per use, and we pass them on at cost.
These are HighLevel's published rates for the US and Canada (checked November 2026). Other countries, including the UK and Australia, have their own rates.
| What you use | HighLevel rate (US & Canada) |
|---|---|
| Local phone number | $1.15 a month |
| Toll-free number | $2.15 a month |
| Text message (SMS), sent or received | $0.00747 per segment, plus a carrier fee of about $0.0025–$0.01 |
| Outbound call | $0.0166 per minute |
| Inbound call | $0.01165 per minute |
| $0.675 per 1,000 emails | |
| Premium workflow actions | $0.01 each time one runs |
| WhatsApp (optional) | $10 a month plus per-conversation fees |
| AI Employee (optional) | Pay per use, or $97 a month for unlimited use (fair use applies) |
| US texting registration (A2P 10DLC) | $22.50 once, plus $1.50–$10.50 a month per campaign |
Sources: HighLevel's phone system pricing guide and AI pricing guide (help.gohighlevel.com). Rates can change; we confirm current rates for your country on your call.
Two things are worth knowing about texts:
- Long texts count as more than one. A text segment is up to 160 characters, or 70 if it includes an emoji, so a long message can count as two or three segments.
- US texting needs registration. To text US numbers from a local number, carriers require your business to be registered (this is called A2P 10DLC). It costs $22.50 once plus a small monthly campaign fee. We can help you through it.
Example: what a month costs a small business
Say you're a US business with one local number. In a month you send and receive 800 texts, send 2,000 emails and make 120 minutes of calls:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 local phone number | $1.15 |
| 800 text segments (with an average carrier fee) | about $9.20 |
| 2,000 emails | $1.35 |
| 120 minutes of outbound calls | about $2.00 |
| US texting registration, monthly campaign fee | from $1.50 |
| Total for the month | about $15–25 |
Compare that with $97 a month for HighLevel's cheapest plan, before any usage. If you text less, or mostly use email, your bill will be lower.
Free account vs. HighLevel's free trial
HighLevel also offers a free trial of its agency plans (14 days as standard). It's a good way to test the whole platform, but when it ends you move onto a paid plan from $97 a month. A free sub-account is a different thing:
| Free sub-account (GHL Experts) | HighLevel free trial | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $0, with no end date | $0 during the trial, then from $97 a month |
| What you get | One complete account for your business | The full agency platform |
| Texts, calls and emails | Paid per use, at cost | Paid per use |
| Reselling under your own brand | No | Yes, on agency plans |
| Best for | Businesses that want to use GoHighLevel | Agencies that want to resell it |
If you want to sell GoHighLevel to your own clients under your own brand, you need your own agency plan. We set those up too.
What's the catch?
There's no hidden one, but it's fair to be clear about three things:
- Usage isn't free. Texts, calls, emails and AI cost money for everyone. You'll know the rates before you send anything.
- Your account sits under our agency. That's what makes it free, and it means we can set it up and help you inside it.
- We'd like to work with you later. Many businesses hire us to build their system or support it monthly. You never have to.
Your data stays yours. You can export your contacts from GoHighLevel at any time.
Who a free account is for
A good fit if you:
- are starting a business and want a CRM, website and booking system without another monthly bill
- run a service business (a clinic, coaching, trades, consulting) and pay for several separate tools today
- want to try GoHighLevel properly, with real clients, before committing to anything
Not the right fit if you want to resell GoHighLevel to clients under your own brand. You'll want your own agency plan, and we can help you set it up.
How to get your free account
Book a free 30-minute call
We learn about your business and what you need, and answer your questions.
We create your account
You get your own login and a quick tour of where everything is.
Use it, or have us build it
Run it yourself, or get a fixed-price quote for a full build: funnel, pipeline, automations and AI agent.
Get your free GoHighLevel account
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll set up your account and show you exactly what it costs to run for your business.
Want to see what the free account can do once it's set up? Read how a fast reply system stops leads going cold, or what we build for dentists and clinics and coaches.
Frequently asked questions
Is GoHighLevel free?
GoHighLevel itself isn't free: HighLevel's plans start at $97 a month. But a business can use it without paying that fee through an agency sub-account. With GHL Experts the account is $0 a month, and you only pay for texts, calls, emails and AI at cost.
What's the difference between a GoHighLevel account and a sub-account?
An agency account is the top level that an agency pays for. A sub-account is one business's workspace inside it, with its own contacts, calendars, websites and automations. For a business owner, a sub-account is everything you need.
How much do texts and calls cost in GoHighLevel?
In the US and Canada, HighLevel charges $0.00747 per text segment plus a small carrier fee, $0.0166 a minute for outbound calls and $0.01165 a minute for inbound calls. A local number is $1.15 a month and email is $0.675 per 1,000. Other countries have their own rates.
Do I need A2P 10DLC registration?
If you text people in the US from a local 10-digit number, yes. US carriers require it. It costs $22.50 once plus $1.50–$10.50 a month per campaign, and we can help you register.
Can I export my contacts if I leave?
Yes. You can export your contacts from GoHighLevel at any time.
Sources
Published 10 November 2026. Prices and features were checked against HighLevel's help center on the same date.
