Starter vs Unlimited: when the $297 plan costs less
Starter ($97 a month) includes 3 sub-accounts and can't rebill usage; Unlimited ($297) has unlimited sub-accounts and passes phone and email usage on to clients at cost. Choose Unlimited if you have more than 3 clients, or if, with 3 clients, the usage you bill back passes $66.67 per client a month.
Rates verified against 5 official HighLevel pages. Latest change: , Verizon carrier fee for US texts went up. Change log · How we check
On price alone, Starter is $200.00 a month cheaper. But once your clients send enough texts and emails, Unlimited becomes the cheaper plan, even with only one to 3 clients. The rates behind this page, each with its official source, are in the full GoHighLevel pricing guide.
The break-even point
If you bill usage back to clients on Unlimited, it costs less than Starter once the phone and email usage you'd otherwise absorb passes the $200.00 price difference:
| Clients | Unlimited is cheaper once usage per client passes |
|---|---|
| 1 | $200.00 / month |
| 2 | $100.00 / month |
| 3 | $66.67 / month |
"Usage" here means SMS (with carrier fees), email, call minutes, phone numbers and A2P campaign fees. These are the items the pricing page says Unlimited can rebill. A typical load (500 SMS segments, 5,000 emails, 60 outbound and 60 inbound call minutes, one local number and one A2P campaign per client per month) comes to about $23.08 per client, well below the break-even. Text-heavy clients reach it quickly:
| SMS volume | Starter net / month | Unlimited net / month | Agency Pro net / month | Cheapest that fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 SMS segments per client | $166.24 | $297.00 | $497.00 | Starter |
| 2,000 SMS segments per client | $223.48 | $297.00 | $497.00 | Starter |
| 5,000 SMS segments per client | $337.96 | $297.00 | $497.00 | Unlimited |
| 8,000 SMS segments per client | $452.44 | $297.00 | $497.00 | Unlimited |
| 12,000 SMS segments per client | $605.08 | $297.00 | $497.00 | Unlimited |
When Starter is still right
- You run HighLevel for your own business, or you don't bill usage to clients. Every plan pays the same usage, so the cheaper plan fee wins.
- You have 3 or fewer sub-accounts and light messaging.
When to go straight to Unlimited
- You'll pass more than 3 clients through HighLevel. Starter includes 3 sub-accounts.
- Your clients run SMS campaigns, reminders or missed-call text-back at volume, and you bill that usage back.
If you'll also want SaaS mode or a markup on usage, look one step further: Unlimited vs Agency Pro. All three plans side by side are in pricing plans compared.
Rates used
| Item | Price | Official wording | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS, US/Canada, outbound or inbound Carrier fees are added on top (see below). | $0.00747 / segment | A 10% discount is applied to the $0.0083 list price | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Carrier fee, SMS (highest outbound fee listed: Verizon) The calculator applies this to every segment. It is the highest outbound SMS fee in the official carrier table (Verizon and US Cellular), so estimates for outbound texts err on the high side. Some carriers list higher inbound fees (up to $0.0100). | $0.005 / segment | Verizon: $0.0050 (SMS Out) | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Carrier fee, SMS (AT&T, for comparison) One example from the same table. Not used by the calculator. | $0.0035 / segment | AT&T SMS: $0.0035 (out/in) | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Markup on pass-through charges (e.g. carrier fees) | 5% | A fixed 5% markup is applied to these charges at the location (sub-account) level | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| MMS, US/Canada, outbound | $0.022 / message | Outbound: $0.0220 | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Calls, US/Canada, outbound Billed in full minutes; partial minutes round up. | $0.0166 / minute | Outbound: $0.0166 / minute total | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Calls, US/Canada, inbound | $0.01165 / minute | Inbound: $0.01165 / minute total | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Calls forwarded to a US number | $0.02 / minute | USA Forwarding: $0.02 / minute | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Local phone number | $1.15 / month | Local: $1.15 / month | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Toll-free phone number | $2.15 / month | Toll-Free: $2.15 / month | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| A2P 10DLC registration, one-time (Sole Proprietor or Low Volume campaign) | $22.50 one-time | $22.50 (incl. $3 Fast Track) | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| A2P 10DLC registration, one-time (High Volume campaign) | $64 one-time | $64.00 (incl. $3 Fast Track) | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| A2P campaign fee (upper end) This calculator uses the upper end so it does not understate. | $10.50 / month | Low Volume (LV): $1.50- $10.50/Campaign; High Volume (HV): $10.50/Campaign | LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Email sending | $0.675 / 1,000 emails | Email usage is $0.675 per 1,000 emails across all plans. | HighLevel Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| Email validation | $2.50 / 1,000 validations | $2.50 per 1,000 email validations | HighLevel Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
| WhatsApp, per enabled sub-account Conversation and template charges are extra and vary by country. | $10 / month | $10/mo per enabled sub-account | HighLevel Pricing & Billing Guide (help center) checked 2026-10-03 |
Frequently asked questions
Does Starter really limit you to 3 sub-accounts?
Yes. The pricing page says: The Agency Starter ($97/mo) includes 3 Sub-Accounts, making it perfect for a single business owner or a new agency. The Agency Unlimited ($297/mo) includes unlimited Sub-Accounts, allowing you to scale your agency and add as many clients as you want without your software costs increasing.
(HighLevel pricing page, checked 2026-10-03)
Can Starter rebill SMS and email to clients?
No. Rebilling is listed only on Unlimited ("Rebill Phone & Email (no markup)") and Agency Pro ("with Markup"). On Starter you pay all usage yourself.
Can I upgrade from Starter to Unlimited later?
Yes. The pricing page says: You can upgrade from Starter to Unlimited (or Pro) as you sign more clients. If you upgrade mid-month, you will only be charged the prorated difference. You can also downgrade if your needs change.
(HighLevel pricing page, checked 2026-10-03)
Does Starter include API access?
The pricing page lists "API Access" among the core features of every plan, then adds "Basic API Access" to Unlimited and "Advanced API Access" to Agency Pro. It doesn't explain the difference on that page.
Is paying yearly cheaper?
Yes. Starter is $970 a year and Unlimited $2,970, ten months of the monthly price.
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Sources for this page
- HighLevel pricing page: page showed "modified no date shown", checked 2026-10-03
- LC Phone Pricing & Billing Guide (help center): page showed "modified Tue, 29 Sep, 2026 at 7:44 AM", checked 2026-10-03
- HighLevel Pricing & Billing Guide (help center): page showed "modified Sat, 22 Aug, 2026 at 5:09 PM", checked 2026-10-03