Agency level vs sub-accounts

HighLevel's agency view vs Votel's agency account: where does your own business live?

Every agency on HighLevel hits the same question early: where do my own leads go? The answer is a sub-account set aside for the agency. It works, but it means running your business and managing your clients happen on two different screens.

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Researched by HighLevel vs Votel Editorial Team · Last verified September 11, 2026 · Methodology · We may earn a commission if you join Votel through our links. Details

01Side by side

Same job, both platforms

Screenshots from our own live accounts on both platforms, HighLevel on the left, Votel on the right.

GoHighLevel agency Sub-Accounts list — Your client as a record
Where you look up a paying client on each platform.

A client's contact record in the Votel agency CRM with the Billing tab showing plan and payment history — Your client as a record
Where you look up a paying client on each platform.

02Line by line

Agency level, checked against both platforms' docs

This is a difference in structure more than a missing button. It shows up every day, which is why agencies notice it.

Agency level, checked against both platforms' docs
Claim	GoHighLevel	Votel
Your own CRM at the agency level Votel wins	No. Contacts, conversations, and calendars only exist inside sub-accounts	Yes. The agency account has its own contacts, inbox, calendars, and pipelines
Where you run your agency's own sales Votel wins	A separate Agency Sub-Account, which HighLevel recommends so agency work doesn't mix with client accounts	The same account you manage clients from
Your clients as CRM records Votel wins	Client accounts are managed in the agency view. Tracking them as customers happens inside your agency sub-account, a different screen	Each sub-account appears as a contact in your CRM. Its Billing tab shows tenant status, plan, cards, purchases, invoices, balance, service usage, and applied snapshots, with Login as one click away
Creating a client account Votel wins	From the Sub-Accounts page in the agency view	From the Sub-Accounts page, or straight from a contact record
Logging into a client's account Votel wins	Switch into the sub-account from the agency view	Login as, or generate a one-time login link to send the client
Numbers across all clients Tie Different lenses: HighLevel rolls up activity counts per client, Votel rolls up usage and billing per client.	Agency rolled-up reporting: up to 8 columns of aggregated counts per sub-account, Agency Pro ($497/mo) only	Activity > Balance Activity groups every charge by sub-account, then by service: transactions, amount billed, and usage per client

Where HighLevel holds up

The Agency Sub-Account pattern works. Thousands of agencies run their own sales out of one, and HighLevel ties SaaS billing and rebilling to it on SaaS-enabled plans. On Agency Pro you also get a rolled-up table of key numbers across every client. If your team already has a rhythm with it, nothing is broken.

Our take

If you've ever had to explain to a new hire why your agency's leads live in an account that looks like a client, Votel's structure is the one you'd have designed. If your HighLevel setup is built around the agency sub-account and it runs fine, this alone isn't a reason to move, but it's a daily annoyance you stop having.

Questions

What agencies ask about this

Does GoHighLevel have contacts at the agency level?

No. In HighLevel, contacts, conversations, and calendars live inside sub-accounts. The agency view is for managing sub-accounts, billing, snapshots, and settings. HighLevel recommends creating an Agency Sub-Account for your own business so it stays separate from client accounts.

What is a HighLevel Agency Sub-Account?

A regular sub-account you designate as your agency's own workspace. You run your own CRM from it, and on SaaS-enabled plans it's where SaaS plans, subscriptions, and rebilling payment connections are managed.

How do I see all my clients in one place in Votel?

Settings > Sub-Accounts lists every client account. From there you can edit it, change its plan, deactivate it, or log in as the client. Each client also appears as a contact in your own CRM, so their billing, plan, usage, and conversations sit on one record.

Can I roll up reporting across sub-accounts in HighLevel?

Yes, on the Agency Pro plan. Agency rolled-up reporting shows up to 8 columns of aggregated numbers per sub-account, such as contacts, appointments, messages, and reviews. It's account-level totals, not individual contacts.

Sources for this page

Side-by-side deep dives