GoHighLevel Alternative for E-commerce Agencies
GoHighLevel offers funnel builders and marketing automation that overlap with some e-commerce marketing, but it can't manage the dual reality of e-commerce agency work: phased store build projects with milestone billing and ongoing optimization retainers with recurring monthly deliverables. GHL doesn't track development phases, manage client approval on store designs, coordinate your team across Shopify and WooCommerce builds, or bill differently for project work versus monthly CRO retainers. AgencyPro handles both sides of your e-commerce agency natively.
If you're a E-commerce agency looking for an alternative to GoHighLevel, you're not alone. Many E-commerce teams switch when they outgrow GHL's capabilities — particularly around no real project management or task tracking. AgencyPro is purpose-built for agencies like yours, combining project management, client portals, and billing into one platform.
Why E-commerce Agencies Struggle with GoHighLevel
GoHighLevel's funnel builder competes with your Shopify and WooCommerce expertise instead of helping you manage the 50+ task process of building a client's e-commerce store from discovery through launch
E-commerce clients investing $15K-$50K in a store build want to see project progress, approve designs, and review staging — GHL's client portal only shows marketing metrics, not build status
Managing milestone billing for store builds (deposit, design approval, dev complete, launch) alongside monthly retainer billing for CRO clients requires separate tools because GHL handles neither
Your development and optimization team can't see their workload across concurrent Shopify builds and WooCommerce maintenance retainers because GHL has no resource management or capacity planning
Why E-commerce Agencies Switch to AgencyPro
E-commerce Store Build Management
Structure Shopify, WooCommerce, and custom e-commerce builds with proper phases — discovery, UX design, development, content migration, QA, and launch. Each phase has milestones, dependencies, and client approval gates. GHL's funnel builder creates simple landing pages, not the project management infrastructure needed to deliver complex e-commerce builds on time and on budget.
Client Project Portals
Every e-commerce client gets a branded dashboard showing their project timeline, current phase, upcoming milestones, and pending actions like design approvals or content submissions. For retainer clients, the portal shows optimization work in progress and monthly deliverable status. GHL shows funnel analytics — not the project visibility e-commerce clients paying premium rates expect.
Dual Billing for Build + Retainer
E-commerce agencies need milestone billing for store builds and retainer billing for ongoing optimization. Many clients have both simultaneously. AgencyPro handles both billing models natively within the same client workspace. GHL's payment system processes product transactions — it wasn't designed for professional services billing of any kind.
E-commerce Team Coordination
Your Shopify developers, UX designers, content migrators, and CRO specialists work across overlapping build projects and retainer accounts. AgencyPro shows who's available, who's overloaded, and when you can start the next client build. GHL tracks marketing contacts — it doesn't know your team exists.
AgencyPro vs GoHighLevel: Key Feature Comparison
Store Build Templates
Phased project structures for Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and custom e-commerce builds with platform-appropriate milestones, task dependencies, and client approval gates.
Client Approval Gates
Require formal client sign-off on wireframes, design mockups, staging site review, and content before proceeding to the next build phase. Approval records support milestone billing.
Retainer Management
Track monthly CRO, SEO, and maintenance retainers with hour or deliverable quotas. Monitor ongoing optimization work alongside active build projects for the same client.
Dual Billing Engine
Generate milestone invoices for store builds and retainer invoices for monthly optimization work. Both billing models work natively — no external accounting software needed.
Client Portal
Branded dashboards showing build project timelines, phase status, deliverables for review, and retainer utilization. Clients see a professional overview of all their agency work.
Development Time Tracking
Track development and optimization hours per task, per phase, and per team member. Understand true project costs for accurate future bidding and retainer pricing.
Key Features for E-commerce Agencies
Store Build Templates
Phased project structures for Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and custom e-commerce builds with platform-appropriate milestones, task dependencies, and client approval gates.
Client Approval Gates
Require formal client sign-off on wireframes, design mockups, staging site review, and content before proceeding to the next build phase. Approval records support milestone billing.
Retainer Management
Track monthly CRO, SEO, and maintenance retainers with hour or deliverable quotas. Monitor ongoing optimization work alongside active build projects for the same client.
Dual Billing Engine
Generate milestone invoices for store builds and retainer invoices for monthly optimization work. Both billing models work natively — no external accounting software needed.
Client Portal
Branded dashboards showing build project timelines, phase status, deliverables for review, and retainer utilization. Clients see a professional overview of all their agency work.
Development Time Tracking
Track development and optimization hours per task, per phase, and per team member. Understand true project costs for accurate future bidding and retainer pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AgencyPro compete with GHL's funnel builder for e-commerce clients?
No. AgencyPro is an agency management platform, not a website or funnel builder. If your e-commerce agency builds stores on Shopify, WooCommerce, or custom platforms, AgencyPro manages the project around that work — phases, team assignments, client approvals, and billing. GHL's funnel builder is a client deliverable tool; AgencyPro is your agency operations tool.
How does AgencyPro handle both store builds and ongoing retainers?
Store builds use phased project management with milestone billing — payments tied to discovery completion, design approval, development completion, and launch. Ongoing optimization uses retainer billing with monthly hour or deliverable tracking. Many e-commerce clients have both simultaneously, and AgencyPro manages each within the same client workspace.
Can e-commerce clients track their store build progress?
Each client gets a branded portal showing their project timeline, current phase, upcoming milestones, and pending actions. Clients reviewing a $30K Shopify build see exactly where their project stands and what needs their attention — design approvals, content submissions, staging review. This level of transparency is impossible in GHL.
Does AgencyPro support different e-commerce platform builds?
Yes. Create custom project templates for Shopify stores, WooCommerce sites, BigCommerce builds, headless commerce projects, and marketplace integrations. Each template has platform-appropriate phases, tasks, and milestones. Start new projects with the right structure instantly instead of building project plans from scratch.
Switching from GoHighLevel Is Easier Than You Think
Switching from GoHighLevel to AgencyPro is straightforward. Our team helps migrate your projects, client data, and workflows so nothing falls through the cracks. Most E-commerce teams are fully operational within a week.
GoHighLevel Alternatives for Other Industries
Other Alternatives for E-commerce Agencies
Learn more about AgencyPro for E-commerce Agencies
View the E-commerce Agencies use case page →E-commerce Agencies Need Build Management, Not Funnel Builders
Replace GoHighLevel with AgencyPro's phased store build management, client portals, and dual billing for project and retainer e-commerce agency work.