We paid GHL $13,200 in 2025. I just cancelled.
March 2026. I am looking at our GHL invoice. $1,100.
That is $13,200 a year. For a CRM that owns our data, locks us into their ecosystem, and charges more every time we grow.
So we built our own.
What we built
This is version one. We are building this in public, documenting every decision, every mistake, every win.
Here is what we actually use:
CRM: Jarvis (built on OpenClaw + DuckDB). Free. Local. We own everything.
CMS: Sanity. Pay-per-usage. We pay for what we use, not a monthly seat.
Email: Resend. Pay-per-email. Free tier covers most use cases.
SMS: Twilio direct. Pay-per-message. No platform markup.
Calendar: Cal.com. Free for our use case.
Voice AI: Retell. Pay-per-minute. Usage-based only.
Everything is pay-per-usage. No monthly subscriptions. No seat licenses. You pay for what you use, when you use it.
The number that matters
$1,100 per month to pay-per-usage. That is $13,200 back in our pocket every year.
Not because we cut capabilities. Because we stopped renting and started owning.
The real difference?
Jarvis knows more about our contacts than GHL ever did. Resend has better deliverability. Twilio SMS actually works. And we own every line of data.
What we are teaching
This is not theory. We are building this stack live in AI Avengers Lab.
Every week we run workshops where we build these systems together. You see the code. You see the decisions. You see the mistakes. And you build alongside us.
We document everything on YouTube. But the real work happens in the Lab.
You should own your data. You should own your tools. You should own your stack.
Join AI Avengers Lab
If you want to build this stack with us - not just read about it, but actually build it - join AI Avengers Lab.
We run live workshops every week. We share the code. We debug together. We build in public.
https://www.skool.com/ai-avengers-3116/about
Related reading from this series
This post is part of the Replace SaaS with Claude playbook. The full series covers every step with concrete workflows, pricing, and lessons from running my own business on Claude.
- Replace SaaS with Claude - the full playbook
- 5 AI Tools Running My Business Pay Per Usage | AI Avengers
- Cal.com vs Calendly for Business Owners | AI Avengers
- ConvertKit vs Resend vs GHL Email in 2026 | AI Avengers
- DuckDB vs Traditional CRM for Business Owners | AI Avengers
- GoHighLevel vs Custom AI Stack: 2026 Comparison | AI Avengers
- Migrate From GoHighLevel: Step-by-Step Guide | AI Avengers
- n8n Free Automation Setup for Business Owners | AI Avengers
- The $30/Month AI Tech Stack That Replaces $1,100/Month
- GoHighLevel Hidden Fees: What You Actually Pay | AI Avengers
- Replace GHL Automations With n8n (Free) | AI Avengers
- Replace GHL in 30 Minutes - Free Sovereign Stack Guide
- Replace Zapier With Free AI Automation Tools | AI Avengers
- How I Replaced GoHighLevel and Saved $12,840/Year
- Resend vs Mailchimp: Free Business Email | AI Avengers
- Save $400-1,000/Month by Canceling SaaS Subscriptions
- What Is a Sovereign AI Stack and Should You Build One?
- Twilio vs GHL SMS: Businesses Are Switching | AI Avengers
- Why I Killed My Open-Source AI Projects | AI Avengers
For more playbooks, visit the AI Avengers home page or join the AI Avengers Skool community to put these into practice with weekly office hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really replace GHL for $35/mo?
Yes - if your volume is similar to ours (3,000 contacts, email + SMS outreach, basic CRM). The stack we use: Jarvis CRM (free), Resend ($20/mo), Twilio (~$15/mo), Cal.com (free). Total: ~$35/mo vs $1,100/mo GHL.
What do you lose by leaving GHL?
The drag-and-drop funnel builder and the all-in-one dashboard. If you rely heavily on GHL's visual builders, the migration takes longer. But for CRM, email, and SMS - the sovereign stack is functionally equal or better.
Is Jarvis available for others to use?
Jarvis is built on OpenClaw (MIT open source). The full setup guide is inside AI Avengers Lab. We're documenting every step of the build.
How long does the migration take?
We did the core migration in one weekend. Exporting contacts, setting up Resend, configuring Twilio - about 6-8 hours of actual work. The Jarvis CRM setup took another day.
What about GHL's AI features?
We use Claude Code directly via the API instead of GHL's AI wrapper. It's faster, smarter, and costs a fraction. GHL's AI is just a wrapper around the same models you can access directly.
Creator of AI Avengers Lab. Building sovereign AI stacks for business owners and professionals- no npm, no SaaS middleware, just Claude Code and direct API connections.