# Is Hostbill worth the $$$?



## VPSSoldiers (Aug 16, 2015)

I was just dreaming about the future and thinking about things and just wondered, is hostbill really worth the cost?


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## MannDude (Aug 17, 2015)

What the cost at now? There was an ongoing joke in the past about how they seemingly raised the price on a month to month basis. I used to have a leased Hostbill license that I paid like... $7/mo for I think.

Their site doesn't seem to show the pricing and comically I am getting a certificate error when I click 'buy now' to reveal the pricing...


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## VPSSoldiers (Aug 17, 2015)

You can see all the license prices here http://hostbillapp.com/products-services/compare/ it starts at $999.


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## NetDepot-KH (Aug 17, 2015)

The software itself is works however I will not prefer HostBill when I have WHMCS. Short Answer = NO Worth IT.


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## RLT (Aug 17, 2015)

That page makes me nauseous on the nexus 6. All the zig zag in the tables.


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## HalfEatenPie (Aug 17, 2015)

No it's not worth the outrageous amount they want and here's why.

Hostbill received a ton of good publicity and suddenly became a "hot item" during a period where WHMCS vulnerabilities were running wild.  Two major ones if I recall correctly.  During this period they were more affordable and were a viable alternative to WHMCS in terms of pricing.  Hostbill also had available modules they coded that interacted with SolusVM, Proxmox, cPanel, etc. which meant that you didn't have to rely on a single third party developer to maintain the plugin which was another big plus (also, you know the Hostbill coder(s) know their software inside and out... so they're obviously going to be much better at coding plugins for their own software than third party developers).  

During this period I think Hostbill's popularity went to their heads and they started fluctuating the price ridiculously, going up to 10k for the cheapest license.  

Now, it's stabilized a bit, however still paying 1k for their bare minimum set (the Enterprise 10 edition) is still fairly expensive in comparison to WHMCS.  The vulnerabilities in WHMCS has been fixed and now WHMCS is owned by/in partnership with cPanel, which is even better news for WHMCS users.  Hostbill has lost it's actual market appeal and was a fad.  Many people are still using Hostbill simply because that's what they transitioned to and migrated to.  it's not easy migrating out of a billing system that handles the entire financial side of your business.  

So... tldr: No Hostbill is not worth the money it wants.  The entire pricepoint they have is to try and attract "enterprise" customers.  However, if you actually use it and compare it to WHMCS, I'd say WHMCS has them beat now (unless you pay 5k for their All-inclusive edition).  Also, who the hell charges money so people can report bug reports?  Why is Hostbill advertising that "Hey!  You can submit bug reports for free!"  That's always been a thing for many people.  

Also, just to add.  Their ticketing/support section and their license section on that link is messed up.  You get 10 support tickets/year (under license section) for whichever license you buy... However optional support after 1st year is 75 dollars a ticket, or you can purchase a ticket bundle of 50 tickets/1000 dollars.  Instead they probably should have proofread that page and just kept it "you get 10 support tickets for free on the first year.  After that first year, you have to pay that much per ticket.  However, you can also purchase a ticket bundle for a set amount of tickets for 1k.  This page looks so sloppy to me.  

Of course this is just looking at it from a VPS side.  Hostbill I think is looking to compete as a full inclusive billing system.  Kind of like a cross breed between WHMCS and Ubersmith.  This including automation on the datacenter end and dedicated server systems.  For that, I can see some value in it and can see how it could be beneficial.  However, Hostbill's sporadic pricing changes (e.g. people who previously bought a monthly subscription to Hostbill were suddenly without a license, people who bought a lifetime license suddenly had to play an obnoxious amount for updates, etc) I still wouldn't touch it with a 20 feet pole.


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## Licensecart (Aug 17, 2015)

Well I used to think No, but then WHMCS up'ed their support and updates and made me think is Hostbill that expensive lol, you pay $999 but you don't pay that again, with WHMCS you are paying almost $100 a year, it soon goes over that $999 mark. But yeah Hostbill's support is awful, and it's buggy. I use Dacentec for a test server, the label doesn't save successfully, you can get blue alert with a label_info in it, a 404 but it does safe but it's white text lol. So it's down to you.


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## matteob (Aug 17, 2015)

Licensecart said:


> I use Dacentec for a test server, the label doesn't save successfully, you can get blue alert with a label_info in it, a 404 but it does safe but it's white text lol. So it's down to you.



This bug has been fixed within 1 week. Tell Dacentec to update their enviroment

For me Hostbill has different target then WHMCS and are not comparable. Developers are wring the eye on medium big companies. For example we use it for SeFlow brand and you can do something that with whmcs you can't easily. For example our flexcloud line, is similar to DO / VULTR billing. You charge initial credit then, every month system will generate invoice on hourly usage. Is all automatic and managed by hostbill. Latest release had full support to onapp v4, multi-location, inject ssh, run custom recipes, setup reverse and much more. 

this is only and example, but it offer lot more feature. 

For support remember that you pay one time and had included all minor releases,module major version upgrade costs only about 90€ and you will get 30 days support included. For example we upgraded friday to latest onapp version and found two new bug. I opened a ticket and support is watching to fix immediately.

Same for dedicated, we used own panel in past, then switched to hostbill, you can do all, see graph, automatize payments, reboot server, control server over IPMI, reimage O.S. and much more and is less expencinve then develope own panel.

Definitely worth the moneyif you need this product type.


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## Licensecart (Aug 17, 2015)

matteob said:


> Licensecart said:
> 
> 
> > I use Dacentec for a test server, the label doesn't save successfully, you can get blue alert with a label_info in it, a 404 but it does safe but it's white text lol. So it's down to you.
> ...


Ah but I don' t blame them not upgrading with the history of their system it's just as bad as whmcs, and a lot of people still haven't upgraded to whmcs v6 yet haha. The only exploit I know of happened on Hostbill was the upgrading system. People could get the whole database.  but don't worry whmcs are having an automatic system soon can't wait to see how bad that is lol


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## KS_Phillip (Aug 17, 2015)

I cannot in good faith recommend HostBill to anyone.  We've had a lifetime unbranded owned license for several years now, and while it mostly "works", they've changed the terms of the contract (and features, and pricing) so many times that it's almost impossible to keep track of.  The current license doesn't even allow you to write your own addons/plugins, and most of the features that were included when we purchased our copy haven't been updated in years (instead they've been replaced by new, paid modules, with identical functionality).


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## matteob (Aug 17, 2015)

KS_Phillip said:


> I cannot in good faith recommend HostBill to anyone.  We've had a lifetime unbranded owned license for several years now, and while it mostly "works", they've changed the terms of the contract (and features, and pricing) so many times that it's almost impossible to keep track of.  The current license doesn't even allow you to write your own addons/plugins, and most of the features that were included when we purchased our copy haven't been updated in years (instead they've been replaced by new, paid modules, with identical functionality).



You brought an unbranded license at one time and you can use it lifetime. You really can't expect free major release upgrade for free. I can discuss about lack of monthly license, but every company that permit lifetime license had separate support & upgrade plans package

Developers need to be paid monthly


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## HalfEatenPie (Aug 17, 2015)

matteob said:


> KS_Phillip said:
> 
> 
> > I cannot in good faith recommend HostBill to anyone.  We've had a lifetime unbranded owned license for several years now, and while it mostly "works", they've changed the terms of the contract (and features, and pricing) so many times that it's almost impossible to keep track of.  The current license doesn't even allow you to write your own addons/plugins, and most of the features that were included when we purchased our copy haven't been updated in years (instead they've been replaced by new, paid modules, with identical functionality).
> ...


While I totally understand where you're coming from, if I recall correctly (and correct me if I'm wrong) at the time of purchase they were offering updates with their lifetime license.  Kinda crazy and not sustainable long term, however they did "enter a contract" that way.  Ignoring that...  They practically left their early adopters high and dry in a pricing sense.  People who originally were using the software and paying for it at the lower price range are suddenly expected to pay the much higher price.  It's a dick move. 

I'm not denying developers need to be paid monthly, however they're the one who structured the agreement.


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## KS_Phillip (Aug 17, 2015)

matteob said:


> KS_Phillip said:
> 
> 
> > I cannot in good faith recommend HostBill to anyone.  We've had a lifetime unbranded owned license for several years now, and while it mostly "works", they've changed the terms of the contract (and features, and pricing) so many times that it's almost impossible to keep track of.  The current license doesn't even allow you to write your own addons/plugins, and most of the features that were included when we purchased our copy haven't been updated in years (instead they've been replaced by new, paid modules, with identical functionality).
> ...


When the terms of the sale included free major releases for 'life', I absolutely can expect them.  I said nothing of a support package.  I am acutely aware of developers needing to be paid, as I have a company full of them.  HostBill retroactively modifying the terms to exclude custom development (i.e. by us, on our copy, for our own purposes) is an issue as well.


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## Phill Fernandes (Aug 25, 2015)

From what Phillip has said it seems like Hostbill has a business model that is unsustainable. Essentially rendering it's own software to replace functionality with paid modules. Part of the issue I see is the skew of Hostbill that is aimed at competing with WHMCS is drastically overpriced. I don't even see a way to buy a monthly license.

They should really look to adjust the pricing to better compete with WHMCS.

Side Note:  Kudos @KS_Phillip, the only other guy I have seen that spells Phillip with 2 Ls.


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## serversec (Oct 4, 2015)

I think it worth. Hostbill and WHMCS are for different clients niches. As said on this topic, Hostbill approach medium - big companies and WHMCS is for low budget and small providers.

Have different levels of softwares for everyone requirements.


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## ChrisM (Oct 4, 2015)

With their bipolar pricing I would recommend you stay away from them. 

If you wanna stay away from WHMCS I would recommend you checkout http://www.blesta.com/


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## Evolve Web Hosting (Oct 5, 2015)

I personally wouldn't suggest them either. Along with Chris (and LicenseCart), I'd suggest checking out Blesta.  At the end of the day, it will come down to figuring out what meets your specific needs though.


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## Jonathan (Oct 5, 2015)

I'll second Blesta.


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## HN-Matt (Oct 6, 2015)

Could always try ISPsystem's BILLmanager.

Not an endorsement as I haven't tried it myself, but it remains a curiosity.


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## host4go (Oct 6, 2015)

Blesta is nice, specially the multicompany functionality. 

ClientExec as also come a long way and I really like it.


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## VisionGroup (Oct 9, 2015)

Hi All,

As an owner of a IT business and previous web hosting business.

I can tell you know that WHMCS is a heap better than hostbill for many reasons, listed below:

1) updates would break things ( somtimes many )

2) cost ( they have changed the price so often! )

3) Support, no support really.

Just my 2 cents worth...


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## netdude (Oct 23, 2015)

I use HostBill on UNMETERED.IO ... Spent around $3.3k US on license and modules so far : when I see the nulled modules going around I kind of facepalm with the prices for things like the chat module which I don't even use anymore due to wackyness sometimes n lack of flawless function (although that was probably somebody who shall remain nameless' fault while tinkering in the database; my bad) : spending $300US on something ... ugh, would be nice if it used WebSockets 

Other than that : any problems I've noticed in the code I've opened a bug report and it was fixed soon enough ; I know it's not ideal but I deal with / resell public companies and other huge entities and even their interfaces aren't absolutely flaweless ... My only two actual HB-coding issues were (biggie) lack of it being able to apply an affiliate generated voucher to checkout (resolved now) but that took around 2 weeks to fix once I noticed it ... and the other being members not having the ability to create sub-accounts : I think that was something database related and they fixed that in under a week ; both issues have not returned 

I dunno, they've been kicking the price up and down : when I accept that the software earns me more every ... than it's cost : i accept that any peeves I have about the software is just irrational nitpicking for a suite that works pretty darn spiffy  I am particularly infatuated with the "Charge CC" button


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## TO.oL (Nov 3, 2015)

nothing can beat whmcs, some providers are giving out free license for whmcs with the reseller and dedicated servers.


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## PowerUpHosting-Udit (Nov 7, 2015)

The biggest advantage of having WHMCS over hostbill is the pricing and constant free upgrade. If you have got yourself and unbranded monthly license for $18.95/month, then nothing can go wrong. 


Also, the frequent updates and FREE bug fixes are what gives them an edge over Hostbill. Even the support provided by WHMCS is far better than hostbill. 


Though Hostbill has got its advantage, as they are looking to integrate WHMCS+Ubersmit, so it comes down to your budget and requirement.


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## Licensecart (Nov 7, 2015)

PowerUpHosting-Udit said:


> The biggest advantage of having WHMCS over hostbill is the pricing and constant free upgrade. If you have got yourself and unbranded monthly license for $18.95/month, then nothing can go wrong.
> 
> 
> Also, the frequent updates and FREE bug fixes are what gives them an edge over Hostbill. Even the support provided by WHMCS is far better than hostbill.
> ...



Not free if you have a owned license with them, $100 a year, and you don't want frequent updates which can make or break your installation.


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## HostHoney (Nov 9, 2015)

Hostbill is a good product, I did not like everything it had, there were items like the layoit of the admin area, and some of the features seemed more for a dedicated server provider than a shared host of vps provider. I would prefer to use WHMCS or Blesta over Hostbill due to the pricing, and If you want the plugins the cost is tremendously high but that is my point of view.


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## PowerUpHosting-Udit (Nov 9, 2015)

Licensecart said:


> Not free if you have a owned license with them, $100 a year, and you don't want frequent updates which can make or break your installation.



With Free support, I was referring to the leased license and not the pre-owned license.


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## Licensecart (Nov 9, 2015)

PowerUpHosting-Udit said:


> With Free support, I was referring to the leased license and not the pre-owned license.



You said:



PowerUpHosting-Udit said:


> constant free upgrade



before the monthly....


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## QuadraNet_Adam (Nov 13, 2015)

Only you can answer if it's worth the $$. What kind of market are you targeting? What kind of services are you selling? HostBill is geared more towards cloud service providers and it's cloud ready with modules for OpenStack, OnApp, etc, and any real company can easily justify the one-time fees that they charge, which isn't ridiculously high.


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## OSTKCabal (Nov 14, 2015)

QuadraNet_Adam said:


> Only you can answer if it's worth the $$. What kind of market are you targeting? What kind of services are you selling? HostBill is geared more towards cloud service providers and it's cloud ready with modules for OpenStack, OnApp, etc, and any real company can easily justify the one-time fees that they charge, which isn't ridiculously high.



I find this post very nearly offensive. Especially the "any real company can easily justify the one-time fees". While it's true that a responsible hosting provider should most certainly have X amount in reserve based on their direct costs of operation, saying that a small business that otherwise provides a great, sustainable service but doesn't want to spend $1000+ on their billing software (plus more for paid addons, apps, modules, etc) isn't a "real company" is really not the way to go about this. They're also not purely geared towards cloud. That's just one of the "editions" that they provide under the current licensing model.


Anyway, I personally find Hostbill to be a waste of money compared to cheaper and, in my humble opinion, better, alternatives. However, Adam makes a good point in saying that it depends on your personal needs, market, and intended customer base.


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## drmike (Nov 14, 2015)

I see pricing like this:


meh.. bad pasting in here again...


Enterprise 10 Edition $999
Cloud Edition $1499
Data Center Edition $1499
Email Edition $1499
All-Inclusive Edition $4999


On top of that....  $19.95 a ticket for support with first 10 included except on the All-Inclusive with 100.


If we take the Enterprise edition and say 24 months of use:


$999 / 24 = $41.63/month...


Seems expensive. 



> any real company can easily justify the one-time fees that they charge, which isn't ridiculously high



I think the prices are high.. but context my side is flawed... It takes a good long test drive, or should before any established company transitions to something.  Unsure how they handle that, isn't clear from their site other than BUY BUY BUY!


The model they do is flawed.  Bad marketing / sales approach to just lunge after the big price point.  Same type of thing I often complain about with providers charging $2 on promos, but $24 on their website.


Why they wouldn't make the trial more apparent and allow short term subscription is beyond me.


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## ViridWeb (Mar 22, 2016)

We prefer WHMCS because it's user friendly and very affordable..


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## gigsgigs (Mar 28, 2016)

Hostbill has more complete module for dedicated and cloud server.


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## davidgestiondbi (Mar 28, 2016)

I can say, I don't regret the move from WHMCS to Hostbill.


Despite the little issue we got at the beginning, now it's work like a charm and received new update every week!


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## RosenHost (Apr 1, 2016)

I believe HostBill is also suitable for datacenters. WHMCS does not have the option such as rack management etc. Am I wrong ?


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## cristipuc (Apr 27, 2016)

If you need a professional solution with weekly updates then you have to opt for hostbill, if you use hostbill you will never use WHMCS


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## drmike (Apr 30, 2016)

Been sitting in WHMCS lately (never really have before).


Yeah, that shitware would never fly in real business world.  Sure it's powerful.  But have to jump all over to do anything.  It's brutal opening tabs up all over to do anything real, and thus prone to human error.


WHMCS needs to hire and pay well some information designer(s) to fix the mess.


Unsure how guys stomach WHMCS.  Kittens should die over it.


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## CenTex Hosting (Sep 10, 2016)

Really no one can answer that but you.


Some things that you need to look at.


Are you a start up? If so do you have the budget for it


What do you really need right now.


The host that I know that are using it like it and would not switch. But the same thing would be with WHMCS you ask the ones that have set this up and have had mods built they would never switch.


What it comes down to what are your needs and wants and goals. 


If it covers all that and you have the budget then get it. But I would not strap myself for a program as you could use those funds to help grow your business. As you grow you could always upgrade to it


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## buildmyblock (Sep 13, 2016)

hostbill is more for datacenter's and large enterprises rather than your small to medium sized webhost i have had a browse of hostbill before and i honestly don't think the price they charge is worth it while there client area and admin area are abit more user friendly than whmcs and also abit more feature intensive to justify that sort of price is ridiculous in any business's mind and that being said whmcs is getting more and more features recently so they may end up taking over there features


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## ChuckC (Dec 5, 2016)

Hostbill is not great. My talks with the staff there left me uneasy. I found some discrepancies in their versions of supported panels, outdated docs. When asked pointed questions their responses were basically Hostbill is the best, of course it supports this. When pressed further, turns out it had not been verified and needed dev work.


Sucks cause it did look great but the attitude and responses + price + no trial = an emphatic NO from me.


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