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Comparison

DeployOS vs WHMCS + cPanel

WHMCS handles the billing and client area; cPanel/WHM is the control panel that actually creates and limits each client's hosting account - in practice you need both to resell hosting the traditional way, and they're sold separately, by different companies, each with its own recurring bill. DeployOS's Client Hosting Mode is built to do the same job - packages with real resource limits, clients, invoices, automatic suspend/restore - directly on a Docker VPS you already run, under one licence.

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 DeployOSWHMCS + cPanel
What you pay forOne DeployOS Agency licence - one-timeA WHMCS licence AND a separate cPanel/WHM licence - both recurring, from two different companies
Cheapest realistic stack$299 once, everWHMCS Plus $34.95/mo + cPanel Admin $35.99/mo ≈ $71/mo ($852/yr), and both have raised prices every year since
Runs on your serverNothing, permanently - SSH only, on demandcPanel/WHM, a full always-on hosting control panel with root access
Client resource limitsPer-client Docker CPU/RAM/disk caps you set per PackagePer-cPanel-account quotas (disk, bandwidth, email, DB) on shared Linux resources
What clients can runAny Docker app - Node, Python, Go, databases, your 247 templatesShared-hosting-era PHP/MySQL sites; modern app stacks need a separate solution
Suspension on non-paymentAutomatic - an on-VPS Portal container enforces it, polling your billing statusAutomatic via WHMCS-to-WHM API integration
Payment collectionHowever you already collect payment today (your own Stripe link, PayPal, bank transfer) - DeployOS just tracks paid/unpaid100+ built-in payment gateway integrations
Client-facing areaBranded status page + invoice link per clientFull client area: tickets, invoice history, domain management, knowledgebase
Support ticketingNot built - point clients at your own email/chatBuilt-in ticket system
Why teams choose DeployOS
  • –No cPanel/WHM licence stacked on top of a WHMCS licence - one one-time Agency purchase replaces two recurring subscriptions
  • –Real per-client isolation via Docker resource limits, not a 2000s shared-hosting quota system
  • –Clients can run anything Docker can run - not just PHP/MySQL sites built for cPanel's world
  • –Pay once and keep the billing/reseller layer forever - no bill that goes up every January
  • –The same desktop app that bills your clients also deploys and manages every app on the box
Where WHMCS + cPanel is the better fit
  • –A genuinely mature, full-featured client support-ticket system - DeployOS has none yet
  • –100+ payment gateways built in, with real automated billing and dunning - DeployOS's Manual mode today is bring-your-own-payment-link
  • –A real client login area with invoice history, domain management and a knowledgebase - DeployOS's client-facing surface is newer and lighter
  • –Two decades of maturity: every hosting-adjacent integration imaginable (domain registrars, SSL resellers, fraud screening, affiliate programs)

Common questions

Do I need cPanel/WHM to use DeployOS's Client Hosting Mode?

No. DeployOS isolates each client's apps with Docker resource limits (CPU, RAM, disk) directly on your VPS instead of creating cPanel accounts, so there's no separate control-panel licence to buy at all.

Can my clients log in and see their invoice history like a WHMCS client area?

Today each client gets a branded status page and a link to their current invoice - not a full login dashboard with history. That's the most mature part of WHMCS and the most honest gap on our side right now; a fuller client area is on the roadmap.

Is this actually cheaper than WHMCS + cPanel?

For a small agency, WHMCS's cheapest tier (Plus, $34.95/mo) plus cPanel's cheapest tier with enough accounts to matter (Admin, $35.99/mo for up to 5) runs about $71/mo - roughly $852 in year one alone, before your hosting server, and both have raised list prices every year since cPanel moved to account-based licensing in 2019. DeployOS's Agency tier is $299 once.

Does DeployOS handle domain registration, SSL resale, or fraud screening like WHMCS does?

No - those are explicit non-goals for Client Hosting Mode. DeployOS handles hosting, billing status, and automatic suspension; domain registration and SSL resale stay with whatever registrar you already use (DeployOS issues Let's Encrypt certificates automatically, same as it does for every app).

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