Manoj Saharan
Manoj Saharan

We paid GHL $13,200 in 2025. I just cancelled.

Manoj Saharan
Manoj Saharan
March 16, 2026
8 min read
We paid GHL $13,200 in 2025 and cancelled — here's what replaced it
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Want the actual scripts — not just the architecture?

AI Avengers Lab members get the full working setup: pre-built code, campaign scripts, and weekly live builds. $89/mo.

See what's inside the Lab

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

GoHighLevel cost comparison - $1,100/mo vs pay-per-usage sovereign stack

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.

AI Avengers sovereign tech stack - pay-per-usage model

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

AI Avengers Lab

This guide gives you the architecture.The Lab gives you the working code.

Stop reading about the sovereign stack. Start building it. Lab members get every script, every config file, and weekly live sessions where we ship new integrations together.

  • Full working code: DuckDB CRM schema, Mailgun wrapper, Claude Code config
  • Weekly live builds — we add new integrations together
  • Private community of operators building sovereign AI stacks
  • Direct access to Manoj — ask questions, get real answers
Join the Lab — $89/mo

Cancel anytime. No contracts.

1-on-1 with Manoj

Want me to look at your specific setup?

Book a 1-hour session. Bring your stack, your tools, your blockers. I tell you exactly what to build first. $197.

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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.

Ready to build — not just read?

AI Avengers Lab: working code, live builds, community. $89/mo.

Join the Lab

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Manoj Saharan
Manoj Saharan
Co Founder, AI Avengers

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.