What a funnel is, in systeme.io terms
A sales funnel is a fixed sequence of pages that moves a visitor toward one action: join a list, buy, or buy more. Funnel jargon comes from marketers, not from any one tool, so the same idea has several names. This glossary gives the common term, the name systeme.io uses in its help center, and an honest note on when it serves the buyer.
systeme.io offers four funnel types: Build an Audience (an opt-in page plus a thank-you page), Sell (an order form plus a thank-you page), Custom (a blank funnel you add steps to), and Run an evergreen webinar, which is only on the Webinar and Unlimited plans. Everything here is drawn from systeme.io help articles and its pricing page read on 30 October 2026. We did not build or run a live funnel for this guide, and all conversion numbers below are hypothetical.
Top of the funnel: getting the email
| Term | Plain definition | How systeme.io implements it |
|---|---|---|
| Squeeze page (opt-in page) | A short page whose only job is to collect an email address. | An Opt-in page step with a form; systeme.io requires at least one Email field and a button set to Submit form. |
| Lead magnet | The free item offered in exchange for the email, such as a checklist or mini-course. | Not a named feature; you deliver it from the next step or an email. |
| Double opt-in | A confirmation email the subscriber must click before joining the list. | Optional; systeme.io deletes contacts who do not click within 24 hours. |
| Opt-in thank-you page | The page shown right after sign-up. | A Thank you page step from the Opt-in category. |
| Sales page | A long page that explains the offer before checkout. | A Sales Page funnel step. |
| Deadline or countdown | A time limit on seeing an offer. | Deadline settings give each contact their own window from sign-up and redirect them afterwards; countdown timers can sync to it. |
At checkout: the first purchase
| Term | Plain definition | How systeme.io implements it |
|---|---|---|
| Order form (payment page) | The checkout page. | An Order form step with a price plan attached. |
| Tripwire | A deliberately cheap first product meant to turn a subscriber into a paying customer. | Not a systeme.io term; it is simply a low price plan on an order form. |
| Two-step order form | Checkout that collects contact details first and payment second. | A Two-step order form element; people who finish step one can trigger a Funnel step form subscribed automation. |
| Order bump | A small checkbox add-on shown on the checkout before paying. | An Order bump element on the payment page with its own single price; charged as a separate transaction from the main offer. |
| Coupon | A code that reduces the price. | Percentage or fixed amount, an expiry date and an optional usage limit; on subscriptions it applies to each payment. |
After payment: upsell, OTO and downsell
| Term | Plain definition | How systeme.io implements it |
|---|---|---|
| Upsell | A second, usually bigger, offer shown right after the first purchase. | An Upsell funnel step placed after the order form; accepted upsells are charged as a separate transaction. |
| One-click upsell | An upsell bought without re-entering card details. | systeme.io says the customer can buy the upsell without re-entering payment information. |
| OTO (one-time offer) | An upsell framed as available only on this page, once. | Not a systeme.io term; it is an upsell step, sometimes paired with a deadline. |
| Downsell | A cheaper alternative shown when the upsell is declined. | A Downsell step, which must follow the upsell step. |
| Sales thank-you page | The confirmation page after purchase. | A Thank you page step from the Sales category; it can show an order summary. |
| Split test (A/B test) | Showing two versions of a page to compare results. | Both variants must be in the same funnel and lead to a shared goal page; results appear in a statistics table. |
When each tactic helps buyers and when it annoys them
Funnel tactics work best when the extra offer saves the buyer a later decision. They backfire when they feel like a trap. A practical test: would you be comfortable if the buyer read your funnel structure in a review? If not, change the offer, not the wording.
| Tactic | Helps the buyer when | Annoys the buyer when |
|---|---|---|
| Squeeze page | The free item solves a real, small problem on its own | The "free" item is a disguised sales pitch |
| Tripwire | The cheap product is complete and useful | It is deliberately incomplete to force the next purchase |
| Order bump | It is a clear companion, such as templates for the course just bought | It is pre-ticked or unrelated |
| Upsell or OTO | It is the natural next step and priced fairly | The "one time only" claim is false and the offer reappears next week |
| Downsell | It offers a genuinely smaller option | It stacks a third offer after two declines |
| Deadline | The deadline is real, such as a cohort start date | The timer resets or is invented, which can also raise consumer protection issues |
Worked example: a hypothetical funnel to revenue and fees
These numbers are invented to show the arithmetic, not benchmarks. A funnel gets 2,000 visitors to a squeeze page. 25% opt in, giving 500 leads. 4% of leads buy a $27 tripwire (20 buyers, $540). 30% of buyers tick a $10 order bump (6 bumps, $60). 10% of buyers take a $97 upsell (2 upsells, $194). Of the 18 who decline, 1 in 9 takes a $47 downsell (2 downsells, $94). Total revenue: $888, or $0.44 per visitor and $1.78 per lead.
systeme.io's pricing page says it adds 0% transaction fees, but your payment processor still charges. At Stripe's US standard rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents, and because systeme.io charges bumps, upsells and downsells as separate transactions, this funnel runs 30 card transactions: 2.9% of $888 is $25.75, plus 30 times $0.30 is $9.00, so about $34.75 in fees and $853.25 net. Each $10 bump pays $0.59 in fees, nearly 6% of its price, which is why very cheap bumps earn less than they appear to.
| Step | People | Price | Revenue | Card transactions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squeeze page visits | 2,000 | - | - | 0 |
| Leads (25%) | 500 | Free | - | 0 |
| Tripwire buyers (4% of leads) | 20 | $27 | $540 | 20 |
| Order bump (30% of buyers) | 6 | $10 | $60 | 6 |
| Upsell (10% of buyers) | 2 | $97 | $194 | 2 |
| Downsell (1 in 9 of 18 decliners) | 2 | $47 | $94 | 2 |
| Total | - | - | $888 | 30 |
Plan limits that shape a systeme.io funnel
On 30 October 2026 systeme.io listed Free with 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels and 1 course; Startup at $17 a month with 5,000 contacts and 10 funnels; Webinar at $47 a month with 10,000 contacts and 50 funnels; and Unlimited at $97 a month. Annual billing was described as 2 months free. The pricing table also lists order bumps, one-click upsells and A/B tests by plan, but those per-plan values did not come through when we read the page, so check them in the comparison table before you design around them.
- Count funnels, not pages: a lead funnel and a sales funnel use two of the Free plan's three.
- Count contacts including people who only opted in for the free item.
- An evergreen webinar funnel needs Webinar or Unlimited.
- Price bumps high enough that the fixed card fee is a small share.
Questions before you decide
What is the difference between an order bump and an upsell?
systeme.io describes an order bump as a small checkbox offer on the checkout form before payment, and an upsell as a second offer after the first purchase that the customer can buy without re-entering payment information. Both are charged as separate transactions.
Does systeme.io take a cut of funnel sales?
Its pricing page says all plans have 0% transaction fees and that you accept payments using Stripe or PayPal at no extra cost. Stripe or PayPal still charge their own processing fees on each transaction.
Is a tripwire a systeme.io feature?
No. Tripwire is marketing jargon for a low-priced first offer. In systeme.io you build it as an ordinary order form with a low price plan, optionally followed by order bump and upsell steps.
Can a deadline be different for each subscriber?
Yes. systeme.io's deadline setting gives each prospect their own access period from when they registered, applies to Order Form and Sales Page steps, and redirects expired contacts to a page you choose. It needs the prospect's email.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- systeme.io Help: How to create a funnel Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: How to add an order bump to a payment page Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: The difference between an upsell and an order bump Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: How to create an upsell and a downsell Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: What is a two-step order form Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: How to build your contact list using a sales funnel Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: How to create a thank you page Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: How to create and add a coupon code Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: How to create a deadline for a sales funnel Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io Help: How to create a split test Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Stripe pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.