EngageBay vs HighLevel Comparison
Compare EngageBay vs HighLevel features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
EngageBay
6.3/10
EngageBay is an all-in-one CRM that combines marketing automation, sales pipelines, and a helpdesk for small businesses and startups on tight budgets.
HighLevel
6.2/10
All-in-one CRM and marketing automation platform, sold mainly to agencies that manage and resell software to many client sub-accounts.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.3/10 | 6.2/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $15/user/mo Basic | $97/mo Starter |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free | $97/mo Starter |
| Features | ||
| Built-in Calling | ||
| Contact Management | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Lead Management | ||
| Marketing Automation | ||
| Mobile Access | ||
| Reporting & Analytics | ||
| Sales Automation | ||
| Collaboration | Not listed | |
| Customer Support Management | Not listed | |
| Opportunity Management | Not listed | |
EngageBay vs HighLevel cost by team size
EngageBay costs less up to 10 users; HighLevel costs less from 25 users.
| Team size | EngageBay | HighLevel |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | $97/moStarter |
| 5 users | FreeFree | $97/moStarter |
| 10 users | FreeFree | $97/moStarter |
| 25 users | $375/moBasic | $97/moStarter |
| 50 users | $750/moBasic | $97/moStarter |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose EngageBay
- Has a free plan (HighLevel does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $97/mo
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for small business (9/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose HighLevel
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Scalability score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for agencies (10/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (4/10 vs 2/10)
Pros & Cons
EngageBay
Pros
- The free plan covers up to 15 users, which is generous next to HubSpot or Zoho free tiers.
- Marketing, sales pipelines, and helpdesk sit in one dashboard, so small teams avoid buying three separate tools.
- Paid tiers are priced well below HubSpot's equivalent suites, and multi-year billing saves up to 15 percent.
- Many reviewers describe support as responsive during setup, and free migration and onboarding are included.
- The integrations directory is broad, covering ecommerce, accounting, and telephony, plus Zapier and Make for automation.
Cons
- Contact limits are low: 500 on Basic and 10,000 even on Pro.
- Marketing automation needs Growth or above, and custom reporting, SSO, and role management are Pro-only.
- Reviewers report bugs, slow loading, and occasional reliability problems, including a 2025 Capterra review titled 'Lots of features but unreliable'.
- Reporting and customization are described as basic for complex sales cycles.
- Some users report email deliverability problems and a past price increase.
HighLevel
Pros
- Flat plan pricing with unlimited contacts and users, so adding team members does not raise the bill.
- Agencies can white-label the platform and rebill usage costs to clients, often with a markup, on the Unlimited and Founder plans.
- SaaS mode on the $497 plan lets agencies resell the software under their own brand as a recurring product.
- Combines CRM, SMS, email, funnels, workflows and calling, replacing several separate tools.
Cons
- Usage fees for SMS, email, calls, phone numbers and AI come on top of the plan price. Reviewers report real bills well above list price.
- Reviewers often cite a learning curve of several weeks before the automation features are productive.
- Reviews describe support quality as inconsistent and mention occasional platform stability issues.
- Key extras such as HIPAA compliance ($297 a month) and premium support ($500 a month) cost extra below Enterprise.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
EngageBay scores higher on our CRM criteria: 6.3/10 against 6.2/10 for HighLevel. The largest gap is in Customization: 5/10 for EngageBay and 8/10 for HighLevel.
EngageBay costs less for 10 users: free on its Free plan, against about $97/mo on its Starter plan for HighLevel, billed monthly.
EngageBay has a free plan; HighLevel does not list one.
HighLevel is the better fit for agencies: we rate it 10/10 for them, against 5/10 for EngageBay.
