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GoHighLevel, monday.com or a custom CRM: which fits you?
Pick GoHighLevel if your system's main job is replying to leads by text and phone, monday.com CRM if it is running team pipelines and projects, and a custom-built CRM if your records and process do not fit a standard tool. Answer the 7 questions below to see which one fits, the answers that decided it, and what to do next.
Your recommendation
Answer the 7 questions
Your best-fit platform, the answers behind it and your next step appear here.
Why this result
Entry price
Your next step
On a free call we look at your answers and your current tools and tell you which platform we would build on, whether or not you hire us.
How the picker decides
Each answer adds points to one or more platforms, using the weight table below. The platform with the most points is recommended. If two platforms tie, the one that matches your answer to question 1 wins, because the main job of the system matters more than any single feature. The result then lists the two or three answers that added the most points to the winner, so you can see exactly why, and flags a close call when the runner-up is within 2 points.
The weights favour the factors that are hardest to change after launch. A missing phone system, a data model that doesn't fit, or a pricing model that punishes your headcount each force a rebuild, so they carry 2 or 3 points. Email and calendar don't appear as a factor: GoHighLevel and monday CRM both connect Gmail and Outlook to contact records (see GoHighLevel with Outlook and Gmail with monday.com), so Google Workspace against Microsoft 365 rarely decides it.
| Question and answer | GoHighLevel | monday CRM | Custom CRM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. What is the main job the system has to do? | |||
| Follow up inbound leads fast: texts, calls, booking appointments | +3 | 0 | 0 |
| Run team pipelines and projects, with sales handing off to delivery | 0 | +3 | 0 |
| Keep a custom database for operations: records, assets, orders, jobs | 0 | 0 | +3 |
| 2. Do you need texting, calls and missed-call text back built in? | |||
| Yes, it has to be built in | +3 | 0 | 0 |
| Nice to have, an add-on is fine | +1 | 0 | 0 |
| No, email and tasks are enough | 0 | +1 | +1 |
| 3. How many people will log in? | |||
| 1 or 2 | +1 | 0 | +1 |
| 3 to 10 | 0 | +2 | +1 |
| More than 10 | +2 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. Do you run marketing or systems for clients? | |||
| Yes, marketing for clients, and I want my own brand on it | +3 | 0 | 0 |
| Yes, client projects, but not marketing | 0 | +2 | 0 |
| No, it's for my own business | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. How custom is the data you need to track? | |||
| Standard: contacts, deals, appointments | +1 | +1 | 0 |
| Some custom fields and a few linked lists | 0 | +2 | 0 |
| Many linked tables with their own relationships | 0 | 0 | +3 |
| 6. Which best describes what you use today? | |||
| Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, plus separate form, scheduling, email and review tools | +2 | 0 | 0 |
| A project tool (Asana, Trello, Jira) that sales should connect to | 0 | +2 | 0 |
| Microsoft 365 with Teams at the centre | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| Spreadsheets in Google Sheets or Excel that have become the system | 0 | 0 | +2 |
| 7. How do you prefer to pay? | |||
| A flat monthly fee, any number of users | +2 | 0 | 0 |
| Per seat, starting small and adding people later | 0 | +2 | 0 |
| No per-user licence at all; we would rather own the system | 0 | 0 | +2 |
GoHighLevel's higher maximum reflects that three of the questions (texting, client marketing, flat pricing) describe things only it offers among these three. If none of those apply to you, it can't win on them.
GoHighLevel vs monday.com vs custom CRM: entry prices
The three platforms price in different ways, which is why question 7 matters. GoHighLevel charges per account with unlimited users, monday CRM per seat, and a custom-built CRM has no licence fee: you pay for the build and hosting.
| Platform | Entry paid plan | Next plan | How it is billed |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoHighLevel | Starter $97 a month ($970 a year), 3 sub-accounts | Unlimited $297 a month ($2,970 a year), unlimited sub-accounts | Per account, unlimited users and contacts; texts, calls, email and premium AI billed by use |
| monday.com CRM | Basic $12 per seat a month yearly ($18 monthly) | Standard $17 per seat yearly ($25 monthly); Pro $28 ($41) | Per seat, plans start from 3 users; quote above 40 users |
For 10 users, that is $970 a year on GoHighLevel Starter or $2,970 on Unlimited before usage, $2,040 a year on monday CRM Standard, all on yearly billing. Run your own numbers in the GoHighLevel pricing calculator or the monday CRM pricing calculator, see plan limits in monday CRM plan limits, and compare eight CRMs in the CRM pricing comparison 2026.
Still stuck between two?
The head-to-head pages go deeper than a quiz can: GoHighLevel vs monday.com covers flat versus per-seat cost at 5, 15 and 30 users and the texting gap,. Short answers to the questions people ask before deciding: is GoHighLevel worth it for a small business?, does GoHighLevel integrate with monday.com? and how much does white label GoHighLevel cost? For a wider shortlist beyond these three, start with how to choose a CRM.
aibrevo sets up GoHighLevel and monday.com and builds custom CRMs. Alpit Patel founded aibrevo in San Francisco in 2021, and the 16-person engineering team led by CTO Shivam builds on whichever platform fits the job, so the picker has no reason to steer you to one.
GoHighLevel, monday.com and custom CRM questions
Is GoHighLevel better than monday.com?
Neither is better across the board. GoHighLevel is the better fit when the work is getting leads to reply: texting, calls, missed-call text back and booking, on a flat $97 or $297 a month with unlimited users. monday CRM is the better fit when sales hands off to delivery and the team works in boards, at $12 to $28 per seat a month billed yearly. Prices checked October 28, 2026.
When is a custom-built CRM better than GoHighLevel or monday.com?
When your records do not fit a standard pipeline (properties, assets, jobs, shipments), when per-seat licences across a large team cost more each year than a build, or when the CRM has to run inside your own product. A custom CRM is scoped and quoted in writing after a free 30-minute call, and the client owns the code.
Which CRM is best for a small business that texts leads?
GoHighLevel, of these three. It includes its own phone numbers, two-way texting, calling and missed-call text back, while monday CRM needs add-on apps or integrations for texting. Starter costs $97 a month with unlimited users, and texts and calls are billed by use on top. In the US you also need A2P 10DLC registration before texting, which takes planning.
Can I switch from one CRM to another later?
Yes, but plan for it. Contacts and deals export to CSV or Excel from all three, so the records move easily. What does not move is the logic: automations, workflows, formulas and linked-record structure must be rebuilt by hand in the new platform. Picking the right platform first costs less than rebuilding later.
Is monday CRM good for a small team?
Yes, for a team of 3 or more that needs a ready-made sales pipeline with email tracking and dashboards, from $12 per seat a month billed yearly (checked October 28, 2026). Teams of 1 or 2 pay for the 3-seat minimum, and teams that text leads usually fit GoHighLevel better.
Can GoHighLevel and monday.com be used together?
Yes. Some businesses use GoHighLevel for lead capture and texting and monday.com for delivery. Since February 2026 HighLevel workflows include monday.com actions, such as creating and updating items. For data flowing from monday.com back into GoHighLevel, use Zapier, Make, n8n or webhooks. Running two systems costs more, so do it only when both jobs are real.
Sources
- HighLevel pricing: Starter $97, Unlimited $297, Founder (formerly Agency Pro) $497 a month (plan name checked October 31, 2026); unlimited contacts and users; 14-day free trial; usage-based costs for phone, SMS, email and premium AI. Checked October 28, 2026.
- monday.com CRM pricing: Basic $12, Standard $17, Pro $28 per seat a month yearly ($18, $25, $41 monthly); plans start from 3 users, quote above 40; 14-day trial; 5 and 15 columns per board on Basic and Standard. Checked October 28, 2026.
- aibrevo, Does GoHighLevel integrate with monday.com?: monday.com actions in HighLevel workflows since February 2026.
Want a second opinion before you commit?
On a free 30-minute call we look at how you sell and deliver today and tell you which of the three we would build on, and what it would take.
