ClickFunnels
(Website & Sales Funnel Builder)

By Marius Kiniulis – July 28, 2025
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ClickFunnelsClickFunnels is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that allows users to build and manage online sales funnels.

It helps businesses automate the process of converting visitors into leads and customers through pre-designed page sequences, checkout flows, and marketing tools—all without needing custom code or web development.

The platform is cloud-based and accessible via any modern web browser, making it easy to use from anywhere.

It’s used across industries by marketers, coaches, course creators, and ecommerce sellers.1

General Information

Attribute Details
Type Software as a Service (SaaS)
Company Etison LLC
Founded October, 2014
Founders Russell Brunson, Todd Dickerson
Headquarters Boise, Idaho, United States
Platform Type Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Current Version ClickFunnels 2.0 (launched in 2023)
Pricing Model Subscription (monthly or annual billing)
User Base 150,000+ paid customers (as of 2023)
Revenue Processed $11.3+ billion in total sales processed (as of 2025)
Annual Revenue Estimated $265 million (2023)

History and Development

ClickFunnels was launched in October 2014 by Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson, aiming to simplify the process of building online sales funnels without requiring custom development or multiple third-party tools.2

The idea for ClickFunnels originated during a conversation between Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson while they were traveling for a separate project.

At the time, LeadPages had secured $5 million in funding, prompting Dickerson to suggest he could build something similar in a day.

That comment led to deeper discussions and eventually the joint decision to create a more powerful, integrated funnel-building tool.3

In its early years, ClickFunnels primarily grew through affiliate promotions and daily webinars.

Over time, the company shifted toward paid media but is now refocusing on collaborative marketing through affiliate-driven ecosystems, such as OfferLab.

Key Milestones:

Year Development Highlights
2014 Initial launch of ClickFunnels 1.0 as a funnel-building SaaS tool
2015 Rapid user growth through affiliate marketing and webinars
2016 Introduction of Funnel Hacking Live, the platform’s annual user conference
2018 Surpassed 100,000 users; release of Funnel Builder Secrets and One Funnel Away Challenge
2020 Reached over $100 million in annual revenue (unverified)
2021 Public announcement of a complete platform rebuild: ClickFunnels 2.0
2022 ClickFunnels 2.0 unveiled at Funnel Hacking Live with upgraded architecture and features
2023 Surpassed 150,000 users; 2.0 rollout expands with new tools.
2024–2025 The platform has processed over $11.3 billion in sales to date. Rebranding initiative launched; OfferLab launched as a collaborative funnel and affiliate platform.

ClickFunnels 1.0 remains operational for legacy users, though new development efforts are focused on the 2.0 platform.

The company continues to support both versions as it transitions more users to the updated system.

As of 2025, ClickFunnels has reportedly processed over $11.3 billion in total sales through its platform — a milestone shared during Funnel Hacking Live 2025 in Las Vegas.

The company recognizes notable user success through a series of awards based on revenue generated via ClickFunnels-powered funnels:

  • 2,689 Two Comma Club recipients — users who have generated over $1 million
  • 388 Two Comma Club X recipients — users who have surpassed $10 million
  • 125 Two Comma Club C recipients — users who have exceeded $100 million
  • 11 Two Heart winners — recognized for donating over $1 million to charitable causes

User Growth Over Time

Year Users (approx.)
2014 ~200 beta users
2015 ~10,000 users
2016 ~30,000 users
2017–2018 40,000–54,000 users
2019 ~99,000 users
2021 ~120,000 users
2023 150,000+ active users

ClickFunnels User Growth Over Time Chart

Founders

ClickFunnels was co-founded by Russell Brunson and Todd Dickerson in 2014.

Russell Brunson

Russell Brunson is an American entrepreneur, author, and digital marketing expert.

Before founding ClickFunnels, Russell built multiple online businesses and gained recognition for his expertise in sales funnels and direct-response marketing.

He is the author of several bestselling marketing books, including:

Brunson is also the creator of the “Funnel Hacking” movement and the annual Funnel Hacking Live conference, which gathers thousands of ClickFunnels users and online entrepreneurs each year.4

Todd Dickerson

Todd Dickerson is the technical co-founder of ClickFunnels and the lead architect behind the platform’s development.

He has a background in software engineering and product design.

Dickerson played a key role in building the original ClickFunnels 1.0 infrastructure and later led the development of ClickFunnels 2.0, a complete rewrite of the platform released in 2023.

While Brunson focused on marketing, education, and community building, Dickerson oversaw the engineering and technical operations of the company.5

Company and Leadership

ClickFunnels is operated by Etison, LLC, a private software company headquartered in Boise, Idaho, United States.6

The platform has evolved into a multifaceted ecosystem that encompasses training programs, events, books, and an extensive affiliate network.

Its business model is primarily subscription-based, with additional revenue generated through events, education products, and software upsells.

Financial and Business Overview

  • Annual revenue grew from approximately $14.4 million in 2016 to $265.3 million in 2023.7
  • Total paid customers exceeded 150,000 globally by 2023.2
  • The company remains self-funded, with a single funding round in April 2019 that raised $1 million.8

Leadership Team

Name Role Notes
Russell Brunson Co‑Founder & CEO Leads marketing, community, and strategic vision
Todd Dickerson Co‑Founder & Chief Product Officer (CPO) Oversees engineering, infrastructure, and product design
Brent Coppieters Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) Formerly led affiliate program and revenue operations

ClickFunnels continues to operate as a moderately sized organization—employing several hundred staff globally—with development now focused primarily on its ClickFunnels 2.0 platform.9

Despite its scale, the company does not publish public financial statements and remains privately owned.

However, its consistent revenue growth and global customer base position it as a leading SaaS platform in the digital marketing space.

Key Features

ClickFunnels offers a broad range of features aimed at providing an all-in-one solution for online businesses:

  • Funnel Builder: The core feature, allowing users to create various types of sales funnels (e.g., opt-in funnels, sales funnels, webinar funnels, product launch funnels) with pre-built templates and a visual workflow editor.
  • Page Editor: A drag-and-drop visual editor for designing and customizing landing pages, sales pages, order forms, and other funnel steps without coding knowledge.
  • Email Marketing: An integrated email marketing platform for sending broadcasts, setting up automated email sequences, and managing contact lists directly within ClickFunnels (often referred to as Follow-Up Funnels or FunnelMail in different versions).
  • CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Provides tools to track leads, manage customer data, and monitor customer journeys within the platform.
  • E-commerce and Shopping Cart: Functionality to create product pages, manage inventory (for physical products), set up pricing, and process payments through integrated gateways.
  • Membership Sites and Courses: Allows users to build and host secure membership areas and online courses, controlling access to content based on purchases.
  • Analytics and Tracking: Dashboards and tools to monitor funnel performance, conversion rates, traffic, and other key metrics in real-time. This includes conversion tracking and A/B testing insights.
  • A/B Testing (Split Testing): Enables users to create and test different versions of pages or funnels to determine which performs better in terms of conversions.
  • Integrations: Connects with various third-party services for email autoresponders, payment gateways (like Stripe, Payments AI), webinar platforms, and other marketing tools.

Other Features:

  • Custom Domains: Ability to connect and use custom domains for funnels and pages.
  • Countdown Timers: Tools to add scarcity elements to offers.
  • Link Shortener: Utility for shortening URLs.
  • Blog Builder: Functionality to create and host a blog to drive traffic to funnels.
  • Automations: Workflow automation for marketing and administrative tasks.
  • Payments AI: An in-house payment processing solution.
  • Workspaces: Allows managing multiple businesses or brands within one account (in ClickFunnels 2.0).
  • Team Collaboration: Features for team members to collaborate on funnel building.

The platform provides tools to:

  • Design pages: Using a drag-and-drop editor to customize the look and content of each page.
  • Collect information: Through opt-in forms for lead capture.
  • Process payments: Integrating with various payment gateways.
  • Deliver products/services: For both digital and physical goods, including membership access or course content.
  • Automate follow-ups: Via integrated email marketing tools.
  • Track performance: Monitoring conversion rates and other key metrics.

ClickFunnels 2.0

ClickFunnels 2.0 is the second-generation version of the ClickFunnels platform, officially announced in 202110 and gradually rolled out to users on October 4th, 2022.

It was developed as a complete rebuild of the original system, with improvements in speed, scalability, and overall infrastructure.

The update was designed to address the limitations of ClickFunnels 1.0 and to position the platform as a more comprehensive all-in-one solution for digital businesses.

Key Improvements in ClickFunnels 2.0

Area Enhancements Introduced
Performance Faster page loading, more stable backend infrastructure
Design System Introduction of universal elements and global styling
Website Builder Ability to create full websites and blogs (not just funnels)
Course Hosting Improved structure for modules, lessons, and access controls
CRM & Automation Visual workflow builder for email/SMS automation and contact tagging
Team Collaboration User roles, permissions, and multi-site management
Real-Time Editing Instant updates with live preview and centralized asset management
Multi-Funnel Workspaces Organize funnels, websites, courses, and automations in one interface

Unified Dashboard

ClickFunnels 2.0 introduced a new user interface with a centralized workspace for managing all aspects of a business, including:

  • Funnels
  • Websites
  • Products
  • Emails and workflows
  • Customer data
  • Sales reporting

Migration and Compatibility

While ClickFunnels 2.0 is now the primary focus of ongoing development, ClickFunnels 1.0 remains operational for legacy users.

Migration tools have been introduced to help users gradually transition to the new system.

Pricing and Plans

As of current information, ClickFunnels offers four subscription-based pricing tiers: Launch, Scale, Optimize, and Dominate.

Plans are available on a monthly or annual basis, with discounts applied to yearly billing.11

ClickFunnels Pricing

Plan Monthly Price Annual Price Key Features Summary
Launch $97/month $970/year 1 workspace, 2 users, 10K contacts, 50K emails/month, 3 domains, standard support, AI tools
Scale $197/month $1,970/year 5 workspaces, 5 users, 75K contacts, 300K emails/month, API access, workflows, priority chat
Optimize $297/month $2,970/year 10 workspaces, 10 users, 150K contacts, 750K emails/month, affiliate center, advanced analytics
Dominate – $5,997/year only 20 workspaces, 20 users, 400K contacts, 1.2M emails/month, VIP support, onboarding team

All plans include unlimited funnels, CRM tools, course hosting, automation workflows, blog builder, and custom domain support.

Trial and Guarantee

  • Standard Free Trial: A 14-day free trial is available for all new users.
  • Extended Trial (30 Days): ClickFunnels also offers a 30-day trial through select promotional funnels.
  • Money-Back Guarantee: All paid plans come with a 30-day unconditional money-back guarantee, allowing users to cancel and request a full refund during the first month of service.12

Use Cases

ClickFunnels is designed to support a wide range of marketing and sales workflows, particularly for individuals and businesses that sell products or services online.

The platform enables users to build structured funnels that guide visitors through specific actions—such as subscribing, purchasing, or scheduling.

Common Use Cases

Lead Generation

Users can create opt-in funnels with landing pages, forms, and incentives (e.g. ebooks, webinars, or discount codes) to collect email addresses or phone numbers.

These leads are then stored in ClickFunnels’ CRM or passed to external tools via integrations.

Digital Product Sales

Entrepreneurs use ClickFunnels to sell online courses, memberships, software, or downloads.

Funnels typically include a sales page, checkout page, and optional upsell/downsell offers.

Course content can be hosted directly on the platform using the native course builder.

Coaching and Consulting

ClickFunnels supports service-based professionals who book consultations or coaching sessions.

Funnels often include an application form, calendar integration, and follow-up automation via email or SMS.

E-commerce and Physical Products

While not a traditional ecommerce platform, ClickFunnels is frequently used for high-converting, single-product funnels (e.g. supplements, books, or branded merchandise).

Users often combine product pages with order bumps and one-click upsells.

Webinars and Live Events

ClickFunnels allows users to build registration funnels for live or automated webinars.

Integrated tools can handle opt-ins, email reminders, event access pages, and post-event offers or replays.

Affiliate Marketing

Marketers use ClickFunnels to promote affiliate products by building bridge pages, bonus offers, or review funnels that pre-sell the product before redirecting to the merchant’s site. This strategy is common among ClickFunnels affiliates as well.

Notable Acquisitions

In September 2021, ClickFunnels acquired several software products from Bryxen, Inc., including Doodly, Toonly, Voomly, Talkia, and Automatic Script.

These acquisitions led to the formation of a new company, Voomly LLC, which now manages these tools.13

In August 2022, ClickFunnels acquired Geru, a web-based funnel simulation tool.14

This acquisition provided ClickFunnels users with access to visual funnel planning features, which help map out strategies and forecast performance metrics before committing to design or ad spend.

In 2022, ClickFunnels co-founder Russell Brunson also acquired Dan Kennedy’s company, Magnetic Marketing (previously GKIC). 15

The acquisition brought an extensive catalog of educational materials, live event systems, and licensed training into the broader ClickFunnels ecosystem.

In 2024, Brunson additionally purchased an original, unpublished manuscript from Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, for $1.5 million.16

The acquisition was positioned as part of a larger initiative to preserve and share legacy marketing and personal development materials.

While this was a personal purchase by Brunson, it is often referenced alongside ClickFunnels’ educational brand efforts.

Limitations, Controversies, and Public Criticism

While ClickFunnels remains a widely used platform, it has received criticism on multiple fronts—including technical limitations, launch instability, legal disputes, and public incidents involving its leadership.

Platform Bugs and Technical Instability (ClickFunnels 2.0)

The release of ClickFunnels 2.0 in 2023 marked a major platform overhaul.

While it introduced significant improvements—such as real-time editing, universal elements, and workflow automation—it also experienced a problematic rollout:

  • Users reported frequent bugs, including publishing errors, broken workflows, and performance issues.
  • Several core features from 1.0 were missing at launch or delivered months later, including advanced analytics, full CRM functionality, and affiliate management tools.
  • Integration gaps led some users to rely on third-party automation tools, such as Zapier, during the initial transition.
  • Community forums and Trustpilot reviews reflected mixed sentiment, with some users calling it “unusable” in early 2023 and others opting to delay migration or revert to 1.0.

ClickFunnels issued frequent patches throughout 2023 and 2024, and by mid-2025, most critical issues had been addressed.

However, the initial experience had a negative impact on public perception among early adopters.17

Lawsuit Against GoHighLevel (2023)

In 2023, ClickFunnels filed a lawsuit against GoHighLevel, alleging patent infringement and misuse of intellectual property related to funnel-building technology.18

The case centered on claims that GoHighLevel had replicated proprietary elements of the ClickFunnels system.

While details of the ongoing litigation have not been fully disclosed publicly, the legal action underscored growing competition and market tension between leading funnel-building platforms.

As of 2025, the case remains unresolved.

Russell Brunson Wrestling Controversy (2024)

In January 2024, ClickFunnels co-founder and CEO Russell Brunson was involved in a widely reported incident at a high school wrestling match in Idaho.19

During the event, Brunson—serving as an unpaid volunteer coach—entered the mat and struck a 14-year-old competitor, claiming the student had placed his son in a dangerous chokehold.

Following a video-confirmed investigation:

  • Brunson received a lifetime ban from coaching high school sports in Idaho.
  • He was also prohibited from attending any school sports events for a period of two years.
  • Brunson issued a public apology and resigned from his volunteer role. No criminal charges had been confirmed as of mid-2025.

The incident drew national media attention and generated debate about appropriate conduct in youth sports.

While separate from ClickFunnels’ business operations, the story had an impact on public discourse surrounding the company’s leadership.

Data Breaches

In July 2024, a hacking group known as “Satanic” claimed to have breached ClickFunnels and leaked over 4.5 million user records.

ClickFunnels initially denied any internal breach, but later confirmed that a third-party vendor had been compromised.20

A formal data breach notice was filed with the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, stating that limited customer data—such as names and email addresses—may have been exposed.21

No financial or password data was involved.

ClickFunnels offered affected users one year of identity protection services.

As of 2025, no legal action or fines have been publicly reported.

Related Products and Services

In addition to its core funnel-building platform, ClickFunnels has developed a broader ecosystem of tools, training programs, and live events that support users at various stages of their digital marketing journey.

Many of these products are branded and promoted by co-founder Russell Brunson or operated under the ClickFunnels or Etison LLC umbrella.

Funnel Hacking Live

An annual live event hosted by ClickFunnels, first launched in 2016.2

The multi-day conference featured keynote sessions, funnel strategy workshops, product announcements, and community recognition (such as the Two Comma Club awards).

It served as the company’s flagship event for bringing together ClickFunnels users, affiliates, and digital entrepreneurs.

At Funnel Hacking Live 2025, the company announced that it would be the final FHL event.

Going forward, ClickFunnels will shift its focus to a new format called ClickFunnels Connect—a series of smaller, more targeted in-person gatherings designed to facilitate closer collaboration, community building, and regional networking among users.

One Funnel Away Challenge

A 30-day digital training program designed to help users launch their first or next funnel.

Includes daily video lessons from Russell Brunson and other ClickFunnels experts, along with access to templates, exercises, and accountability tools.

Secrets Trilogy Books

A series of best-selling marketing books written by Russell Brunson:

  • DotCom Secrets – Focuses on funnel structure and online business models
  • Expert Secrets – Focuses on personal branding and selling information products
  • Traffic Secrets – Covers traffic generation strategies across platforms
    All books are supported by companion courses and upsell funnels built on ClickFunnels.

OfferLab

Launched in 2025, OfferLab is a collaborative funnel-building platform created by the ClickFunnels team.

It allows creators, affiliates, and service providers to bundle products into shared funnels with automated revenue sharing.

Positioned as a modern evolution of affiliate co-promotion and funnel stacking.

References:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marius profile pic 1

Marius Kiniulis

Marius Kiniulis is a digital marketing strategist and the founder of MarkinBlog.com, where he helps entrepreneurs and small businesses build high-converting sales funnels, grow email lists, and turn digital products into revenue. With over 15 years of hands-on experience in affiliate marketing, funnel building, and conversion optimization, Marius has guided thousands of readers and clients through the exact tools and strategies he uses himself.

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