GoHighLevel vs Invent: 2025 Chat & Automation Platform Showdown

Business process automation and conversational AI are now mission-critical for fast-scaling companies. The right platform can determine your speed, scalability, and even your long-term budget.

GoHighLevel is a big name in all-in-one business software, powering digital agencies and midsize businesses with CRM, marketing, and automation. But Invent is shaking up the market with a radically simple pricing structure and a tech stack built for modern operators.

Today, we break down GoHighLevel, the industry workhorse, against Invent, the AI-native challenger that could transform your growth trajectory.

Platform approaches: Two different worlds

Traditional platforms like GoHighLevel depend on legacy pricing models and complex feature gating:

• Contacts, users, and email/SMS usage all factor into your bill.
• Need more power? Move up to a costlier plan or buy add-ons.

Invent flips the script with transparent, usage-based pricing:

• Pay only for conversations you actually have, not database size or admin access.
• Unlimited contacts, assistants, and full integration from day one.

Core platform differences

GoHighLevel

• Contacts-based & seat pricing: Cost tied to CRM size and users.
• Feature tiers: Higher tiers unlock needed automations/integrations.
• Strong suite: Funnels, websites, SMS/email marketing, reviews, calling, and more.
• Agency tools: White-label, multi-account management.

Invent

• Pay-per-message pricing: No tier games, no scaling surprises.
• All features included: No feature gates or hidden costs.
• Modern AI: Latest models, prompt engineering, retrieval (RAG), and real-time database access.
• Multi-channel: WhatsApp, Slack, web, SMS, email—all integrated from day one.

A side-by-side comparison table of GoHighLevel vs. Invent features. The chart lists features such as Knowledge Base, API Access, Unlimited Bots, Multi-Channel, Custom Integration, AI Model Options, and Prompt Engineering. Invent is shown as offering more included and advanced features (such as 2GB knowledge base, always-free API, unlimited bots, full multi-channel and custom integration, access to GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and native prompt engineering support), whereas GoHighLevel's features are limited to higher plans or add-ons.

The pricing reality check

GoHighLevel: Tiered and limited

• Starter: $97/month (single location, limited automations)
• Pro/Agency/unlimited: $297–$497/month (required for API & whitelabel)
• Add-ons: Additional charges for SMS, bulk email, and calling
• Scaling friction: More contacts/users = higher bills

Invent: Transparent, usage-based

• Free: 200 messages/month to try everything
• Scalable: $0.0009/message (true pay-per-use)
• Unlimited: No cap on contacts, users, or bots
• All Features: No add-ons or premium “unlock” charges
• All Channels: WhatsApp, Slack, web, more—all included
  

Example: For a growing business with 2,000 contacts

• GoHighLevel: ~$1,164+/year (Pro required for key APIs/features)
• Invent: ~$216/year (actual usage)
• You Save: ~$948/year
  

Why Agencies are switching to Invent

1. No More price surprises
Eliminate the stress of ballooning costs when your contact list grows or you add new users.
With Invent, your bill is based only on active conversations, not database size or admin seats.

2. Developer freedom out-of-the-box
Stop waiting for expensive Pro or Agency upgrades just for API or webhook access.
Invent provides full REST API and HTTP actions immediately, enabling unlimited custom integrations with no vendor lock-in.

3. Enterprise-grade reliability
Enjoy built-in SSO and a 99.9% uptime SLA as standard, not as pricey add-ons.
Automatic prompt caching optimizes costs on high-volume automations, ideal for growing agencies.

4. A modern AI-First platform
Support for multiple languages and leading AI models (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, and Grok models).
Real-time database and external API connections natively, no need for clunky workarounds, plugins, or middleware.

5. Future-proof your automations
No more feature gates, access cutting-edge AI features, channels, and workflow automation as soon as they launch, not just at a higher plan.

In short: If you’re frustrated with GoHighLevel’s scaling costs, upgrade obstacles, or slow AI adoption, Invent provides true pay-for-what-you-use flexibility, open developer access, and AI features that work across channels, right out of the box.

Ready to switch?

Stop paying for contacts you don’t message, and unlock the full power of AI automation without enterprise headaches.

Get started free: 200 messages/month, all features, no credit card required.