# GHL or Best-of-Breed? Stop Buying Tools You Won't Use
I’m going to start with a statement that usually gets me kicked out of digital marketing Facebook groups: Most Brisbane business owners are paying for 40% more software than they actually need, and yet they still can’t tell you where their last lead came from.
It’s a mess. I’ve sat in boardrooms from Milton to the Gold Coast, looking at tech stacks that look like a digital version of a kitchen junk drawer. You’ve got a CRM that nobody logs into, an email tool that sends one newsletter a year, and a landing page builder that’s currently hosting a page for an offer that expired in 2022.
In 2026, the debate has shifted. It’s no longer just about "which tool is best." It’s about a philosophical divide: GoHighLevel (GHL)—the all-in-one behemoth—versus the Custom Stack—a hand-picked selection of "best-of-breed" tools like HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and Shopify.
Everyone has an opinion. The GHL fanboys will tell you it’s the only way to scale. The purists will tell you that all-in-one tools are "jacks of all trades, masters of none."
They’re both right. And they’re both wrong.
Here is the honest, unvarnished truth about choosing your engine for 2026.
The All-In-One Mirage: What is GoHighLevel Really?
If you haven't been targeted by an ad for GoHighLevel yet, your algorithm is broken. GHL is a "business-in-a-box." It handles CRM, email marketing, SMS, funnels, reputation management, social media scheduling, and even memberships.
For a beginner, it sounds like a dream. One login. One bill. One interface.
The "Frankenstein" Problem
Most agencies (and I’m being blunt here) love GHL because they can white-label it and sell it to you as their own "proprietary software." I’ve seen local agencies charge $300 a month for what is essentially a $97/month GHL sub-account with a logo slapped on it.Is that inherently bad? Not if they’ve built out the automation for you. But if you’re just buying the tool, you’re buying a massive, complex engine without a steering wheel.
The GHL Reality: It is a powerful tool, but it’s built on a "quantity over quality" framework. Its email builder isn't as slick as Klaviyo's. Its CRM isn't as intuitive as Pipedrive's. Its landing page builder is... well, it’s fine, but it’s not Webflow.
However, for a small business in Chermside trying to manage five different subscriptions, GHL solves the biggest killer of ROI: Data Fragmentation. When your leads are in one tool and your emails are in another, you lose the plot. If you want to fix this, you need a clear SSOT blueprint to ensure your data actually talks to itself.
The Custom Stack: The Porsche of Marketing (If You Can Drive It)
On the other side of the fence, we have the Custom Stack. This is the "Best-of-Breed" approach. You use Shopify for e-commerce, Klaviyo for email, Pipedrive for sales, and maybe WordPress or Webflow for your site.
Why people choose this:
1. Depth of Features: Klaviyo’s predictive analytics for e-commerce will beat GHL’s email tool every single day of the week. 2. User Experience: These tools are built for humans. GHL often feels like it was built by engineers who hate designers. 3. Stability: If GHL goes down (and it does), your entire business is dark. If your email tool goes down in a custom stack, your CRM still works.The Hidden Tax:
Custom stacks come with a "Complexity Tax." You need Zapier or Make.com to glue everything together. You need to manage multiple API keys. You end up with excessive SaaS waste because you’re paying for features that overlap across four different platforms.I’ve seen a law firm in the CBD paying for HubSpot Marketing Hub and Mailchimp because the marketing manager liked the Mailchimp templates better. That’s $800 a month down the drain because of a lack of discipline.
Decision Matrix: Which one for YOUR business?
Stop listening to the gurus and look at your actual operations.
Choose GoHighLevel if:
You are a Lead-Gen Service Business: If you are a plumber, a dentist, or a gym, GHL is almost unbeatable. You need a calendar, a simple funnel, and automated SMS follow-up. You don't need a high-end data warehouse; you need the phone to ring. You hate tech management: If the idea of setting up a Zapier trigger makes you want to throw your laptop into the Brisbane River, go with GHL. One platform, one support ticket. Your budget is tight: Consolidating five tools into one $97-$297 USD payment is a massive win for cash flow.Choose a Custom Stack if:
You are an E-commerce Brand: If you sell physical products, GHL is not for you. You need the deep integrations of Shopify and the granular segmentation of Klaviyo. You have a dedicated Marketing Ops person: If you have someone whose job it is to optimise marketing operations, a custom stack allows them to squeeze every drop of performance out of each channel. You have complex sales cycles: If you’re in B2B SaaS or high-end consulting with 6-12 month sales cycles, you need a CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce that can handle multi-touch attribution properly.The 2026 "Hybrid" Reality
What we’re seeing now in the Australian market is a middle ground. Many of our clients use GHL as their "Front-End" (landing pages, SMS automation, lead capture) but push that data into a more robust CRM for long-term management.
But a word of caution: More tools do not equal more profit.
I’ll say it louder for the people in the back: I have never seen a business double its revenue just by switching from Mailchimp to ActiveCampaign. I have seen businesses double their revenue by actually using the tools they already have to follow up with leads within five minutes.
The Pitfalls: Where both sides get it wrong
The GHL "Automation Graveyard"
People buy GHL, get excited, and build 50 different automations. Three months later, they have no idea why a customer just received a "Welcome" email and a "Why did you leave?" email at the same time. It becomes a mess of conflicting logic because the barrier to entry is so low.The Custom Stack "Integration Hell"
I once worked with a construction company in Fortitude Valley that had a custom stack so complex they were afraid to touch anything. One update to a WordPress plugin broke the API connection to their CRM, and they lost three weeks of lead data. They didn't even know it was broken because there was no central dashboard.Actionable Implementation: Your 48-Hour Audit
If you’re stuck in the middle, do this over the next two days:
1. The Bank Statement Test: Go through your company credit card. List every software subscription. If you see two tools that both send emails, pick one and kill the other. 2. The "Lead Journey" Map: Draw a line on a piece of paper. From the moment someone clicks an ad to the moment they pay you—how many different logins are required to track that? If it's more than three, your stack is too heavy. 3. The Mobile Check: Open your CRM on your phone while you’re getting coffee. Can you easily see who you need to call today? If the interface is so clunky (looking at you, GHL) that you don't use it on the go, it's failing you.
Conclusion
There is no "best" tool. There is only the tool that your team will actually use.
If you’re a small team looking for speed and simplicity, GoHighLevel is a phenomenal choice—provided you don't get distracted by the 9,000 features you don't need. If you’re a scaling brand with specific technical requirements, don't settle for the "good enough" features of an all-in-one; invest in the best-of-breed and the talent to manage it.
At the end of the day, your tech stack should be invisible. It’s the plumbing. If you’re spending more time fixing the pipes than drinking the water, something is wrong.
Ready to stop the tech leak and actually start scaling?
At Local Marketing Group, we don't just sell you a platform. We build the strategy that makes the tools work. Whether you need a streamlined GHL setup or a high-performance custom stack, we help Brisbane businesses cut the waste and find the ROI.
Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s audit your stack before you waste another cent on "all-in-one" promises that deliver nothing.