How to start a SaaS agency with HighLevel SaaS Mode

HighLevel's SaaS Mode lets an agency sell the platform as its own subscription software. A client picks a plan on your pricing page, pays, and HighLevel creates their account automatically with your branding and your pre-built setup. HighLevel's own description: "SaaS Mode transforms HighLevel into your own sellable software product" (HighLevel pricing FAQ).

SaaS Mode is included only on the Agency Pro plan, $497/month or $4,970/year. The $97 Starter and $297 Unlimited plans do not include it. If you are unsure whether you need it yet, read Agency Pro vs Unlimited first.

This guide walks through the launch in order. Expect the setup to take days of focused work, not an afternoon.

Step 1: Pick one niche and one painful problem

The most common mistake is launching "a CRM for small businesses." Nobody searches for that and nobody feels urgency about it. Pick a group of businesses that share the same workflow and the same problem, then build for that problem.

Good starting questions:

• Which industries do you already know or have contacts in?
• What do those owners complain about? Missed calls, no-show appointments, slow quote follow-up, few reviews?
• Do they already pay for software, so a monthly fee is normal for them?

Our guide to white-label CRM setups by niche covers roofers, dentists, med spas and other common choices.

Step 2: Start the trial and set up your agency branding

HighLevel offers a 14-day free trial on any plan, and billing starts automatically at the end of the trial unless you cancel (HighLevel pricing). Use the trial to build, not to browse.

In the agency account, set up the pieces clients will see:

1. Whitelabel domain. Create a CNAME for a subdomain such as app.youragency.com and enter it under Agency View, Settings, Company, Whitelabel. HighLevel issues SSL once DNS points correctly (HighLevel help).
2. Logo, privacy policy and terms URLs in the same company settings.
3. Branded (API) domain so system-generated links use your domain.

The full walkthrough is in how to rebrand HighLevel with your own domain and app.

Step 3: Build a snapshot for your niche

A snapshot is a saved copy of a configured sub-account: pipelines, workflows, calendars, forms, email and text templates, and website pages. When a new client signs up, SaaS Mode can apply the snapshot to their new account automatically (SaaS Configurator guide).

Build one sub-account as if it were your ideal client, test every automation with your own phone number, then save it as a snapshot. For a home-service niche, a starter snapshot might include:

• A "New lead" pipeline with stages from enquiry to job booked
• Missed-call text back
• A web form and booking calendar
• An automatic review request after a job is marked won
• Two or three follow-up text and email templates

Keep the first version small. A client who gets one automation working in the first week is more likely to stay than a client handed fifty features they never set up.

Step 4: Connect payments

The SaaS Configurator supports two billing architectures (HighLevel help):

• SaaS V1 uses Stripe as the system of record. Connect Stripe under Agency View, Settings, Stripe.
• SaaS V2 uses an internal Agency Sub-Account as the system of record, with a payment provider connected under that sub-account's Payments, Integrations. HighLevel's SaaS FAQ lists Stripe, NMI, Authorize.net and Square for V2 (SaaS FAQ).

If you are starting fresh and use Stripe anyway, either works. Note one difference HighLevel documents: SaaS V2 does not support proration when a client changes tier or billing interval.

Step 5: Create your plans in the SaaS Configurator

Each SaaS plan defines the price and what the client gets. HighLevel's configurator lets you set (HighLevel help):

Two or three plans are plenty. See how to price a white-label CRM for how to structure them.

Step 6: Decide how usage is billed

Texts, calls, phone numbers and email cost money per use. On Agency Pro you can rebill these to clients, at cost or with your own markup; on Unlimited you can rebill only at cost, and rebilling with a markup is limited to the $497 plan (HighLevel pricing guide).

For reference, HighLevel's published US rates include $1.15/month for a local number, $0.00747 per SMS segment sent or received plus carrier fees, and $0.675 per 1,000 emails (phone pricing, pricing guide). Whatever you decide, make sure clients understand in plain words that usage is billed separately. Surprise charges are a reliable way to lose a client.

Step 7: Build the pricing page and checkout

You can sell SaaS plans two ways (HighLevel help):

• A funnel or website with an order form that contains the SaaS product.
• A direct sale link copied from SaaS Configurator, Plans and Pricing, which you can put in emails, proposals or a button on any site.

Your pricing page should answer, without a sales call: what the client gets, what it costs, what usage is extra, how to cancel, and who to contact for help.

Step 8: Run a full test signup

Before you show anyone, buy your own cheapest plan with a real card (then refund yourself). Confirm that:

• The sub-account is created and the snapshot loads
• The welcome email arrives and the login link uses your domain
• The client user sees only the features in their plan
• A test text and a test email send and are billed to the client wallet as expected

Step 9: Onboard your first clients by hand

Even though SaaS Mode automates provisioning, do the first few onboardings on a video call. Connect their phone number, import contacts, switch on the first automation and watch it fire. You will learn what to fix in your snapshot, and the client will reach a working setup quickly.

For existing clients you already manage, HighLevel lets you add a SaaS subscription to an existing sub-account from Agency View, Sub-Accounts, Manage Client, and you can set a special price for that client without changing the public plan (HighLevel help).

Step 10: Measure what matters

Track four numbers monthly: new subscriptions, cancellations, revenue, and how many clients actually used the core automation that month. The last one predicts the second. Our churn guide covers what to do with it.

What it costs to launch

Run your own numbers in the reseller profit calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Agency Pro to start a SaaS agency on HighLevel?

To use SaaS Mode (automated signups, plan-based features, rebilling with markup), yes. HighLevel's pricing page lists SaaS Mode only on the $497/month Agency Pro plan. You can resell services on the $297 Unlimited plan and bill clients yourself, but signups and billing are then manual.

Can I try SaaS Mode before paying?

HighLevel offers a 14-day free trial on any plan, with full access to the features of the chosen tier. Billing starts automatically at the end of the trial unless you cancel, and usage-based fees can apply during the trial.

How many SaaS plans should I offer?

Two or three. More options slow buyers down and make support harder. A common structure is a core plan for the main problem, a higher plan with more automation and support, and optional add-ons.

Do clients see the HighLevel name?

With a whitelabel domain, your logo and branded links, clients log in to your brand in the web app. The standard mobile apps carry HighLevel or LeadConnector branding; a mobile app under your own name is a $497/month add-on.

Is a SaaS agency passive income?

No. Software revenue can grow without hiring in proportion to clients, but you still sell, onboard and support every account. Plan for that work.

Sources

• HighLevel pricing page and FAQ
• HighLevel: getting started with the SaaS Configurator
• HighLevel SaaS Mode FAQs
• HighLevel pricing guide (wallets, rebilling, add-ons)
• HighLevel phone system pricing
• HighLevel: whitelabel domain setup
• Stripe pricing

Prices and features were checked on October 27, 2026. Vendors change plans often; confirm on their sites before buying.