I am an independent ClickFunnels Affiliate, not an employee. I receive referral payments from ClickFunnels. The opinions expressed here are my own and are not official statements of ClickFunnels or its parent company, Etison LLC.
You have likely heard a lot of shady things about ClickFunnels as you’ve begun to explore the software. You are probably even wondering whether or not ClickFunnels is a pyramid scheme.
The way the company is set up, you may think that this is true. But as with many things, there is more than meets the eye, and the true answer lies in the details.
In this article we will discuss what pyramid schemes are and why you should avoid them, and whether or not ClickFunnels is a legitimate company with a good product, or just another scheme to get your money.
What is a Pyramid Scheme?

A pyramid scheme is a setup where a founder, or person with the idea for the scheme recruits a few people to get in on an often imaginary investment.
Those people are then rewarded for recruiting more members to join in on the investment.
There is a high dollar entry fee in order to get into the pyramid, and people at the top are paid with the fees of those who enter at the bottom.
Pyramid schemes can still exist where real products or services are involved, and not just in imaginary investment situations.
If people are rewarded more for recruitment of new members and not as much for selling products, a pyramid scheme is likely in place.
If there is a legitimate product or service that exists outside of the recruitment of new members, then the business is likely operating a legit multi-level marketing (MLM) company.
Just because a business pays people to recruit new members in an MLM fashion, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a pyramid scheme.
Another indicator of a legit business is the opportunity to sell the products without having to actually buy the products or pay a starter fee.
Why Do People think ClickFunnels is a Pyramid Scheme?
ClickFunnels has elements of recruitment that allow users to make money, thus lending people to believe that it’s a pyramid scheme.
As a ClickFunnels affiliate your job is to sell training and software that ClickFunnels provides.
You also have the ability to recruit affiliates that are “under” you. When anyone on the level below you makes a sell, you get 5% of the sale.
As you can see there are several elements that can elude to a pyramid scheme, but in actuality, ClickFunnels doesn’t really fit this category of business.
Why?
ClickFunnels first and foremost is a software for building sales funnels.
They also provide excellent free training and paid courses, books, and summits.
Because ClickFunnels is a legitimate product that is meant to help people grow their business through their funnel builder and top-of-the-line education, this is the main element to the business.
Recruiting people is secondary, if not even tertiary.
ClickFunnels is grown through affiliates selling their products.
It’s sold by marketers who have found awesome value in using the software and want to make some money spreading the word.
You make a lot more money by selling the books, products, and training than you do by recruitment.
You also can make infinitely more money if you actually learn to use ClickFunnels and implement it in your business.
ClickFunnels has what they call the Two-Comma club, or people who have made over a million dollars in one single funnel using ClickFunnels funnel software.
As of this writing there have been over 730 people who fit this category.
When there is that much opportunity from using the product, affiliate marketing is only a secondary way to make money, and recruitment barely makes a mark.
This is why ClickFunnels is definitely not a pyramid scheme.
They actually provide a product that produces value to people.
Is ClickFunnels an MLM?
ClickFunnels isn’t really an MLM either.
As stated above there are elements that the founder, Russell Brunson, has pulled from MLM companies, but the percentage of income made from these aspects of the business is negligible compared to people who sell the products and services through affiliate marketing.
It definitely pales in comparison to the income of those who actually learn to use the software and implement it in their business.
Being an MLM would suggest people get money for signing people up to sell ClickFunnels, and that’s just not the case.
You don’t even need to pay for a ClickFunnels account to sell ClickFunnels. This is a major sign that it’s not an MLM, and definitely not a pyramid scheme.

So ClickFunnels is Legitimate?
TL;DR: Yes. ClickFunnels is a legitimate company.
Many people use the product to great success without selling it, or selling ClickFunnels is secondary to the income they are making by just utilizing the software in their business.
Plus the people behind ClickFunnels want you to succeed.
They are world class marketers who are friends with other world class marketers. They and their friends do all kinds of summits, courses, and training (many of which are included with a ClickFunnels subscription or are free of charge) to help educate people who are new to the world of funnels or who need to up their game.
Success of their customers is a driving force behind the company, and it will be hard for you to be involved with ClickFunnels and not pick up a wealth of knowledge about how to make funnels work in your business.
This caring nature makes them very legit and worth being a part of.
Do People Actually Make Money With ClickFunnels?
People do actually make money with ClickFunnels in many sense of the phrase.
As we’ve discussed in this article, a lot of people are able to make money selling ClickFunnels and their related products to businesses and individuals alike.
If you are interested in this aspect of making money with ClickFunnels, I recommend checking out the free Affiliate Bootcamp Summit.
You will learn how people are feeding their families and excelling in their careers as affiliate marketers by selling ClickFunnels.
You can also use the ClickFunnels software and surrounding education to learn about funnels, easily and quickly build them, and implement them in your business, no matter what you sell.
If you want to utilize funnels in your business, I recommend starting with a free 14-Day ClickFunnels Trial. You will not only get access to the program, but also FunnelFlix, a Netflix-esque library of funnel education. Get the trial. Learn to use the software and build funnels. Implement them in your business.
There are over 730 people who have made over $1 Million in one ClickFunnels funnel. Just imagine how many more are still making good money but haven’t hit that mark yet. And that’s not even including the people who are selling ClickFunnels as an affiliate.
People make money with ClickFunnels in numerous ways, and the knowledge you get from their ongoing training is worth more than money.
Ditch all the claims that ClickFunnels is a pyramid scheme and get in on the new form of business: sales funnels.