Both platforms can run an agency's CRM, conversations, phone, automation, funnels, and client work. The real choice is whether you value direct ownership and an open action layer—or HighLevel's closed wallet model, markups, and platform lock-in. Chirply wins.
You own your Twilio, Mailgun, AI, and Stripe relationships; pay providers directly; and get the same permissioned actions through the UI, REST, MCP, and Copilot. It is your operating system—not somebody else's tollbooth.
HighLevel has a large installed base, unlimited sub-accounts on higher plans, and a mature marketplace. Those are reasons it gets compared—not reasons to give up provider ownership, open machine access, or control of your stack.
Chirply's top core plan is $197/month. HighLevel's published agency tiers reach $497/month—but the bundles are different, especially around client accounts and white-label SaaS.
| Decision point | Chirply | GoHighLevel |
|---|---|---|
| Published platform plans | Launch $47/mo · Grow $97/mo · Scale $197/mo | Starter $97/mo · Unlimited $297/mo · Agency Pro $497/mo |
| Contacts and users | Unlimited contacts on every plan; seats vary until Scale | Unlimited contacts and users on every listed plan |
| Client sub-accounts | Available through reseller and white-label partner add-ons; up to 100 | 3 on Starter; unlimited on Unlimited and Agency Pro |
| Phone and SMS | Connect your own Twilio account; you own the numbers, logs, and provider relationship | Native Phone System funded through the agency wallet; published rates track Twilio, with documented pass-through rules |
| Connect your own Mailgun account and pay Mailgun directly | LC Email is available natively; current published usage is $0.675 per 1,000 emails | |
| AI | AI receptionist, real-time voice agents, Copilot, knowledge bases, and custom agent tools; model/provider connections remain under your control | Conversation, Voice, Content, Funnel, and Reviews AI; some AI products and usage carry separate charges |
| Automation access | The same capability registry powers the UI, REST API, built-in MCP server, and Copilot | Workflow automation plus Basic API on Unlimited and Advanced API on Agency Pro |
| White-label model | Separate White-Label Partner add-on with custom app domain, branding, plan controls, and your Stripe | Desktop app branding is supported; SaaS Mode and automated account creation are listed on Agency Pro |
| Best-known advantage | Direct provider ownership and one machine-action layer across API, MCP, and Copilot | Mature ecosystem, unlimited locations, large specialist community, and established SaaS operating model |
HighLevel facts above were checked against its official pricing page, pricing and wallet guide, and phone billing guide on August 11, 2026. Pricing and features can change.
Chirply asks each workspace to connect its own Twilio and Mailgun accounts. The workspace owns the provider relationship, phone numbers, sending reputation, recordings, and raw logs. HighLevel provides native phone and email through an agency-wallet model and supports rebilling. HighLevel's current phone guide says rates track Twilio while documenting a fixed 5% location-level markup on specified pass-through charges.
HighLevel uses unlimited sub-accounts on higher plans as a lock-in lever. Chirply separates the core product from partner distribution, with reseller and white-label add-ons supporting up to 100 client workspaces. You buy the operating model you actually need instead of organizing the agency around a bundled location count.
Chirply defines user-facing operations once in a capability registry. The public REST API, built-in MCP server, and in-app Copilot are adapters over the same schemas, permissions, risk classifications, and handlers. HighLevel offers workflow automation and plan-dependent API access, with Basic API listed on Unlimited and Advanced API on Agency Pro.
GoHighLevel has been around longer, with templates, a marketplace, consultants, and migration knowledge built around its limitations. Chirply is building the better model in public: customers can inspect the roadmap, daily progression log, and complete live feature catalog while retaining direct control of their providers and machine access.
Yes—and Chirply is the better answer. Both cover CRM, conversations, calling, email and SMS, workflows, funnels, scheduling, payments, and agency tooling. Chirply adds direct provider ownership and open machine access instead of trapping the agency inside a wallet-driven ecosystem.
Chirply’s public core plans are $47, $97, and $197 per month, while HighLevel lists Starter at $97, Unlimited at $297, and Agency Pro at $497. That is not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison: Chirply client sub-accounts and full white-label access are partner add-ons, while HighLevel bundles unlimited sub-accounts at $297 and SaaS Mode at $497.
No. Chirply connects to the workspace’s own Twilio and Mailgun accounts, so the provider bills the customer directly. HighLevel uses an agency wallet for many usage services and documents plan-dependent rebilling; its current phone guide also documents a fixed 5% location-level markup on specified pass-through charges.
Chirply is the better long-term platform. HighLevel agencies may have migration work around snapshots and marketplace apps, but staying with a wallet-driven stack is not the same as winning. Chirply gives the agency direct provider ownership, open API/MCP/Copilot access, and control of the operating layer.
Start with the complete feature catalog and public ship log, then decide whether Chirply's ownership model fits your agency.