GoHighLevel pricing for contractors: Starter vs Unlimited, and the add-ons that change the bill

Key takeaway: One contracting business: start the free trial on Starter. Don’t spend another $200/month on agency features you won’t use. Use the trial to test your lead workflow, then choose monthly or annual billing and the AI plan that fits your volume.

Know which plan one business actually needs

If you are deciding whether to keep marketing and job operations in separate tools, read HighLevel vs Housecall Pro before buying both. The HighLevel overview introduces the wider CRM and marketing product; the prices below are standard USD rates checked October 22, 2026.

Starter is $97/month or $970/year, with 3 sub-accounts, unlimited contacts and users, 24/7 support and core features. Start the free trial here for one contracting business.

Unlimited is $297/month or $2,970/year. It adds unlimited sub-accounts, phone/email rebilling without markup and basic API access. Agency Pro is $497/month or $4,970/year, with SaaS mode, markup rebilling and advanced API access. Enterprise requires a custom quote. These prices, limits and entitlements come from the official pricing page.

Unlimited costs $200/month more than Starter for those agency extras. Running your own contracting business is the reason to start on Starter; managing client accounts is the reason to look at Unlimited.

Do the add-on math before you sign

The platform subscription is only the starting cost. These listed add-ons have separate billing units:

Add-on	Listed price
AI Employee Growth Plan	$50/month per sub-account
AI Employee Unlimited Plan	$97/month per sub-account
Branded Client Portal App	$49/month per sub-account
Dedicated email IP	$59/month per IP
HighLevel Certification Program	$97/month

Source: official pricing, checked October 22, 2026. The AI billing details are explained below.

For one enabled location, the following subscription-only examples assume the AI add-on stays at its current monthly price for twelve months. They exclude usage, taxes, setup and other services; the annual platform row is not an annual AI plan.

Example	Billing	12-month total
Starter + AI Employee Growth	$97 + $50 = $147/month	$1,764
Starter + AI Employee Unlimited	$97 + $97 = $194/month	$2,328
Annual Starter + monthly AI Employee Unlimited	$970/year + $97/month	$2,134
Unlimited + AI Employee Unlimited	$297 + $97 = $394/month	$4,728

Annual Starter saves $194 against twelve $97 monthly payments ($1,164 versus $970). Choose that longer commitment only after checking the workflow and ongoing costs.

Watch out: Three missed calls can mean three texts. Count redials when estimating volume, and check usage against your account’s SMS rates. Delivery still depends on an eligible sending number and contact preferences (missed-call help).

Make the 14-day trial prove missed-call text-back

The trial provides access to your chosen tier for 14 days. Billing begins automatically afterward unless you cancel, and telecom or third-party usage fees may apply during the trial (pricing and trial terms). Note the cancellation deadline before starting.

The native missed-call feature needs an eligible, verified number: A2P 10DLC for local numbers or toll-free verification. Use the separate WhatsApp feature for WhatsApp follow-ups.

Tip: Write the reply so it makes sense without a name. Contact-name placeholders need an existing recognized contact. Test the message as an unknown caller before relying on personalization (setup help).

Trial checklist: what to test before you pay

1. Start SMS verification on day one; approval can take days. Set a reminder to cancel before day 14 if it isn’t working. HighLevel says standard A2P brand approval may take several business days (approval timing).
2. Open Settings → Phone System → Voice → Voicemail & Missed Call Text Back, then the Missed Call Text Back side panel. Enable the feature, click Customize, write the message, send a test and Save.
3. Choose a ring timeout your office can answer within. HighLevel recommends 10–20 seconds.
4. Test it: call from a phone that is not in the CRM and let it ring out. Check the sending number and how the reply reads without a name.
5. Test it: call three times in a row. Check attempts and delivery, then decide whether repeat messages are acceptable.
6. Test it: answer a call and confirm no text is sent. Test a DND contact and confirm no text arrives; with no eligible number, check for a failed attempt.
7. Check usage after the tests and estimate a month’s SMS cost using your account rates.
8. Try the reviews and CRM features you need, and record the setup work still outstanding before the trial ends.

The setup and behavior checks follow the missed-call help article. Run them before deciding whether the workflow is worth paying for.

Decide on AI Employee last, not first

If voice answering is part of the purchase, use the AI receptionist demo checklist to test difficult calls and the booking handoff. If the office needs a person for exceptions, compare AI and live answering services before choosing automation.

Start with a usage estimate. HighLevel offers pay-per-use AI without a monthly AI subscription fee; billable usage still costs extra. Growth is $50/month per enabled location and includes 1,000 Conversation AI responses and 100 Voice AI minutes per month. Inbound, outbound and widget voice use share that allowance; overages are billed at applicable pay-per-use rates, subject to your usage-limit settings.

AI Employee Unlimited is $97/month per enabled location, with unlimited Conversation AI and Voice AI subject to fair use. Phone System charges remain separate. Agent Studio remains pay-per-use. These details come from AI Product Pricing, checked October 22, 2026.

Choose pay-per-use, Growth or Unlimited from your expected volume and current account rates. Price the models and call patterns you will actually use.

For the solo-owner decision, see HighLevel for a one-truck contractor: native-tool overlap, setup ownership and one-truck versus crew subscription costs.

Putting reputation management to work? Our review-request comparison and setup guide connects a paid invoice to a request and a repeat guard.