Anyone who’s been in the business of reseller hosting for a while will tell you that they swear by WHMCS. Resellers use it for everything, from billing to keeping track of invoices, to server rental. So, if you’re new to the industry, you’ve probably been hearing “WHMCS” so often that you might not even realise that there are excellent alternatives on the market.

And if you’re very new to the industry, then you probably have no idea what is WHMCS, or why you need it, or what qualities to look for in an alternative. Whether you’re new or have a few years of experience on you, this guide will point you to some great WHMCS alternatives that will help your reseller hosting business to thrive.

We’ll start with the basics like what is WHMCS and what it’s used for.

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What is WHMCS?

WHMCS stands for Web Host Manager Complete Solution. It’s a client management platform that was designed for people who have their own reseller hosting business. It helps you keep track of all your client accounts and all your domains, so you can more effectively manage your reseller hosting business. This billing and management software is included in Hosting.co.uk’s White label Reseller Plans.

What is WHMCS used for?

You can use WHMCS for almost everything involved in reseller hosting, but here are some of its most noteworthy functions:

The gateway to on point customer support

WHMCS’s intuitive client portal makes it easy for your customers to keep track of their accounts and manage their own support tickets and invoices. This way, they don’t have to message you every single time they run into a problem, and you can spend your time focusing on other business activities.

Easy package creation

Ever struggled to figure out how to scale your packages to appeal to clients with different needs and budgets? Or had trouble figuring out which package best fits a particular service that you want to offer to your customers? WHMCS has an insanely useful “Products/Services” page that helps you analyse your packages to make sure that all your packages are different from each other, that your packages are appropriately priced, and that you’ve packaged every service you plan to offer to your clients.

Automated billing platform

When most people think of what is WHMCS’s most important feature, this is the one they’re usually thinking about. WHMCS offers automated billing so that your money keeps coming to you with barely any additional effort on your part. This automated billing system helps you create professional invoices for your clients, set up automatic payment reminders, and bill your clients in multiple currencies.

Automated domain management

WHMCS offers your clients a management dashboard where they can check available domains, automatically renew their domain registration, manage their DNS Host Records, and perform WHOIS lookups.

It works flawlessly with cPanel and Plesk

cPanel and Plesk are user-friendly graphical web hosting interfaces that help web hosting clients to manage their websites effectively.

With all these great features, it’s no wonder WHMCS is the leading tool for people who make money from reselling hosting.
But still, some resellers have started looking for alternatives. And here’s why:

What is WHMCS’s biggest problem?

Many resellers were excited when they learned about WHMCS’s recent update, but they soon started to realise that the cost of WHMCS has been steadily increasing. For people who are just starting out with reseller hosting, this price increase has become a bit uncomfortable. That’s why it helps to have a list of alternatives to WHMCS that share a lot of the same great features without requiring you to shatter your piggybank.

6 WHMCS Alternatives that resellers should know

1. Upmind

Upmind is the most modern alternative to WHMCS, renowned for its intuitive UI and high-converting checkout pages. It seamlessly integrates all e-commerce functionalities along with provisioning and automation. Here are some of Upmind’s best features:

Forever free plan, with pricing based on active clients
Modern, user-friendly interface
Customizable client area templates
Automated payment reminders
Supports multiple languages and currencies
Advanced support ticket system
Multiple widgets, like domain name search
Affiliate, coupon and promotions management
Flexible APIs and Webhooks
View monthly reports and track sales

2. BillingServ

Billingserv is a cloud-based platform that automates bills and accepts online payments. It’s easy to use, stable, and much more affordable than using WHMCS, so it’s definitely a great fix for what is WHMCS’s biggest drawback. Here are some of BillingServ’s best features:

Automated payment reminders
Works with the biggest payment gateways, like PayPal, Stripe, and GoCardless
Simplifies the process for selling digital products
100% uptime
Works seamlessly with Plesk
No setup required on your part
Built-in DDoS protection
Flawless integration with cPanel and WHM
No additional payment to use your brand
Easy customer management

3. HostBill App

HostBill App allows you to effectively manage clients and billing by automating payment collection and invoices. It’s built to integrate with many different hosting setups, so it’s great for any reseller. Here are some of HostBill App’s best features:

Hourly billing
Multi-currency support
Easy domain, customer and invoice management
Supports more than ninety payment gateways
Saas, Cloud, and web-based deployment
Lightning quick invoice processing and discount management
Multiple payment gateway integration
Customisable billing
Multiple collaboration tools
Tax Calculator and software development
Recurring Billing
Customisable invoices

4. ClientExec

ClientExec helps you monitor all your web hosting management duties. Like WHMCS, it automates billing, invoicing, domain registration and more, but for about half the price you’d pay for WHMCS. Here are some of ClientExec’s best features:

Graphical User Interface for easy account management
Unlimited payment gateways
Invoice automation for easy payment collection
Easy setup
Automated daily tasks
Invoice archival and credit tracking
Detailed revenue reports and support reviews
Easy checkout management
Separate interface for clients and admin
Easier ticket creation from emails

5. WISECP

WISECP automates billing and customer support so you can manage your products, sales and clients for a reseller business that runs smoothly. WISECP’s main feature is that it’s user-friendly enough for even new users to find their way around your website. Here are WISECP’s best features:

Built-in fraud protection
Automated billing
Multi-currency support
Multi-language functionality
Smart search for invoices
Advanced client support system
Customised invoices
Advanced customer document verification system
Free software licensing addon
Built-in SEO tools
Advanced reseller system
Easy setup

6. BoxBilling

BoxBilling is a free open-source alternative to WHMCS that helps you manage your billing and your clients to more effectively operate your reseller hosting business. Here are some of BoxBilling’s best features:

Automatic hosting account creation
Shared and reseller hosting accounts
Multi-currency support
Web 2.0 AJAX interface
Customised invoices and flexible invoicing system
Automatic suspension of overdue accounts
Easy refunds
Customised taxation
Invoices can be issued without product setup
Support for multiple payment gateways

Free consultation

Still not sure which tools are the best for your reseller hosting business? Click here to set up a free consultation with our tech experts!

Wrapping up

Now that you’ve finished this guide, you know what is WHMCS and why it’s an amazing tool for reseller hosts and you can get it right on Hosting.co.uk at affordable prices. However, it’s not the only powerful tool that helps you automate your billing. We hope this list helped you find a great alternative that offers unique features at a fraction of the cost of WHMCS.

Liked this guide? Then you’ll love our tips on reseller hosting business strategies.