Feature
GoHighLevel Workflows: What It Does and How to Use It
By Marnix Geerkens. Published 2026-05-28. Updated 2026-05-28.
In short
GoHighLevel Workflows are the automation engine that powers almost everything in the platform. A workflow starts when a trigger fires (form submitted, appointment booked, tag added, etc.) and then runs a sequence of actions (send SMS, update contact, move pipeline stage, trigger another workflow). Every plan includes workflows, and you can build unlimited automations.
- Available on all plans: Starter ($97/mo), Unlimited ($297/mo), Pro ($497/mo)
- No usage billing for workflow runs themselves (SMS and email actions have separate usage costs)
- Hundreds of triggers and actions including AI steps, webhooks, and sub-workflow calls
What GoHighLevel Workflows do
A workflow is a series of steps that runs automatically when a specific event happens. The event is the trigger. The steps are actions.
Triggers include: a form is submitted, an appointment is booked or cancelled, a contact is tagged, a payment is made, a message is received, a pipeline stage changes, a specific date arrives, or a webhook fires from an external system.
Actions include: send an SMS, send an email, create or update a contact, add or remove a tag, move a contact to a pipeline stage, assign to a team member, create an appointment, trigger a Voice AI or Conversation AI agent, run another workflow, call a webhook, wait for a set time, add a condition branch, and many more.
Between any two steps you can add a Wait step (wait 5 minutes, wait until 9am, wait for a reply) or a Condition step (if the contact has tag X, go to branch A, otherwise go to branch B).
How to build a workflow
Go to Automation, then Workflows, and click New Workflow. Give it a name and choose a trigger from the list.
Configure the trigger. Most triggers let you add filters (only fire when the form is the Contact Us form, not the Newsletter form).
Add your first action. Click the plus button below the trigger, choose an action type, and configure it. Repeat for each step in the sequence.
Add Wait and Condition steps where needed. Waits make the workflow pause before the next action. Conditions split the workflow into branches based on contact data.
Test with a real contact using the Test Workflow button. Check the execution log to see each step pass or fail.
Turn the workflow on when it is ready. GHL shows live execution counts so you can monitor it.
Popular workflow templates
Missed call text-back: trigger fires when an inbound call is missed, action sends an SMS within one minute asking how you can help.
New lead nurture: trigger fires when a lead form is submitted, the workflow sends a welcome SMS immediately, waits 10 minutes, sends an email, waits 24 hours, sends a follow-up SMS, and repeats for 5 to 7 days until the lead replies or books.
Appointment reminder: trigger fires 24 hours before an appointment, action sends a reminder SMS. A second trigger fires 1 hour before, action sends another reminder.
Pipeline stage change: when a deal moves to Proposal Sent, the workflow sends the client an email with the proposal link and assigns the task to the sales rep.
Review request: trigger fires 24 hours after an appointment is marked complete, action sends an SMS with a Google review link.
Workflow AI actions
Workflows can include AI actions that connect to GHL Conversation AI, Voice AI, or Agent Studio. This makes workflows more than rule-based automation.
For example: a workflow can start a Conversation AI thread with a contact and wait for the AI to complete the conversation before moving to the next action. Or it can trigger a Voice AI outbound call and then branch based on whether the AI booked an appointment or not.
Workflow AI can also use the Content AI action to generate copy for an email or SMS using contact data as variables, personalizing messages at scale.
Frequently asked questions
Are GoHighLevel workflows included in the base plan?
Yes. Workflow creation and execution are included on all GHL plans starting at Starter ($97/mo). The only usage costs come from actions within workflows that trigger SMS, email, or AI, which are billed separately.
How many workflows can I create in GoHighLevel?
GHL does not publish a hard limit on workflow count. In practice, agencies run hundreds of workflows across sub-accounts without hitting any ceiling.
Can a GoHighLevel workflow trigger another workflow?
Yes. The Go To Workflow action sends a contact from one workflow into another. This lets you build modular automation: one workflow for initial outreach, another for nurture, another for appointment prep.
Can workflows branch based on conditions?
Yes. The If/Else action adds a condition step. You can branch on contact fields, tags, appointment status, custom values, pipeline stage, and more.
What is the difference between a Workflow and a Campaign in GoHighLevel?
Campaigns are the older automation feature in GHL. Workflows replaced them and offer many more trigger types, action types, and branching options. GHL recommends building new automation in Workflows.
Can I import workflow templates in GoHighLevel?
Yes. GHL has a template library inside the Workflow builder. You can also import workflows from Snapshots, which bundle an entire account setup including workflows, funnels, and pipelines.