ClickFunnels vs ClickBank - Which One Do You Actually Need? (2026)

ClickFunnels and ClickBank are not competitors, they do different jobs. ClickFunnels is funnel-building software: pages, checkout, order bumps, one-click upsells, email and courses for a monthly fee (from $97 a month, $81 billed annually). ClickBank is an ecommerce platform and affiliate marketplace: it processes the order, takes a 7.5% + $1 fee per sale, and pays the seller and the affiliates who drove the sale.

The quick answer: sellers use ClickFunnels to build the funnel and can add ClickBank to tap its affiliate network. Affiliates use ClickBank to find products to promote and can use ClickFunnels to build bridge pages and email lists. Many people use both.

ClickFunnels vs ClickBank at a Glance

What Is ClickFunnels?

ClickFunnels is an all-in-one platform for building sales funnels: an opt-in page to capture a lead, a sales page, a checkout with an order bump, one-click upsells, and email follow-up. It also hosts courses, communities, a store and a website. You connect a payment gateway such as Payments AI or Stripe and keep your customer data in its CRM. Read our full ClickFunnels review.

What Is ClickBank?

ClickBank describes itself as "an e-commerce platform and affiliate marketplace" that sits between the customer, the product owner and the affiliate marketer. Sellers list direct response offers, usually digital or physical products sold with a long sales letter or video sales letter, in the ClickBank marketplace. Affiliates pick offers, generate tracking links and send traffic. ClickBank processes each order with its own order form, collects the money and splits it.

How ClickBank Fees Work

ClickBank charges per sale rather than per month. Its "How ClickBank Works" page explains:

• ClickBank takes a 7.5% + $1 transaction fee from the total purchase price.
• Sales tax and any shipping are then taken out.
• The remainder is split between the seller and the affiliate under a RevShare (percentage) or CPA (fixed amount) agreement.

ClickBank's own example: a $100 sale pays an $8.50 fee, then $6 in taxes and shipping, leaving $85.50. With a 65% RevShare, the affiliate earns $55.58 and the seller keeps $29.92.

Other ClickBank charges and rules from its support center:

How ClickFunnels Costs Work

ClickFunnels charges a subscription and takes no percentage of your sales.

Your payment processor still charges per transaction. ClickFunnels' help center lists a standard base fee of 2.9% + $0.30 for Payments AI and says ClickFunnels "charges no additional fees beyond the standard processor rates." There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. Details in our ClickFunnels pricing guide.

Fee Comparison on a $100 Sale (Example)

Arithmetic on list rates only. Taxes, refunds and other processor charges are excluded. The real difference is not the fee, it is who finds the buyers: ClickBank gives access to an affiliate marketplace; ClickFunnels gives you the tools to sell to the traffic you bring.

How Sellers Use ClickFunnels and ClickBank Together

ClickFunnels has an official ClickBank integration for vendors, documented in its help center (updated January 2026). It uses the External Purchases app. In ClickFunnels' words, it lets you "manage tracking, automations and fulfillment of purchases made on the ClickBank platform."

What it gives you:

• ClickBank orders create orders and contacts in ClickFunnels.
• Purchases can trigger workflows, emails and course or membership access.
• You can build upsells, downsells and membership access around ClickBank products.
• Affiliate tracking and commissions stay with ClickBank.

ClickBank's integrations page also lists ClickFunnels and notes that you need a primary ClickBank account and an account nickname to complete the setup.

How Affiliates Use ClickFunnels With ClickBank

Affiliates do not need ClickFunnels to promote ClickBank products. A link in a video description or email works. A funnel helps you own the relationship instead of sending every visitor straight to someone else's sales page.

Why this matters:

• You keep the email list. If the offer disappears, your audience does not.
• You can promote more than one offer to the same subscribers over time.
• You can test headlines and pages with ClickFunnels' A/B testing.

Check each seller's and traffic platform's rules before running ads to a bridge page. For click tracking across offers, a tool such as ClickMagick is common. ClickFunnels also runs its own affiliate program if you want to recommend the software itself; see the ClickFunnels affiliate program.

Running Your Own Affiliate Program: ClickBank vs ClickFunnels

If you are a seller who wants affiliates, both can pay them, in different ways.

ClickBank suits sellers who want marketplace reach and do not want to handle affiliate payouts. ClickFunnels' Affiliate Center suits sellers who already have an audience of partners and want to keep checkout and customer data in one place.

Pros and Cons

ClickFunnels

ClickBank

Which Do You Need?

You Need ClickFunnels If

• You are a creator or coach who will drive your own traffic and wants a complete sales system.
• You want order bumps, upsells, email follow-up and course delivery in one place.
• You are an affiliate who wants to build an email list instead of sending raw clicks to offers.

You Need ClickBank If

• You are an affiliate looking for products to promote with no upfront cost.
• You are a seller of a direct response offer who wants affiliates to sell it for you and is happy to pay per sale.

You Need Both If

• You sell on ClickBank and want better fulfillment, automation and upsells around your orders.
• You promote ClickBank offers and want bridge pages and email funnels to protect your traffic.

Common Mistakes

• Treating them as alternatives. One builds the sales process; the other is a marketplace and processor.
• Ignoring ClickBank's total cost. The 7.5% + $1 fee is only part of it; affiliate commissions, refunds and the return allowance also affect your take-home.
• Mismatched products in the integration. Prices and billing must match exactly between ClickBank and ClickFunnels.
• Sending paid traffic straight to an affiliate link. Without an opt-in step, you lose the visitor if they do not buy.
• Assuming a funnel brings traffic. ClickFunnels builds pages; you still need ads, content, email or affiliates.

Alternatives Worth Knowing

• Funnel builders: Systeme.io (free plan, from $17 a month paid) and GoHighLevel. See ClickFunnels vs Systeme.io and ClickFunnels vs GoHighLevel.
• Checkout tools: SamCart and ThriveCart. See ClickFunnels vs SamCart and ThriveCart vs ClickFunnels.
• Affiliate marketplaces: other networks exist alongside ClickBank; compare fees and payout rules before listing a product.

Our Verdict

ClickFunnels and ClickBank answer different questions. ClickBank answers "who will sell my product?" with an affiliate marketplace, order processing and affiliate payouts, for a 7.5% + $1 fee per sale. ClickFunnels answers "how do I sell it well?" with funnels, order bumps, one-click upsells, email and courses, for a monthly subscription and no cut of your sales.

Sellers with their own traffic usually need only ClickFunnels. Sellers who want affiliates can add ClickBank and connect the two. Affiliates start free on ClickBank and add a funnel builder when they are ready to build an email list.

Frequently Asked Questions