TL;DR
Reseller Hosting drums to a completely different beat compared to regular shared hosting plans. In looking out for these specific special features, top brands have come to our attention with the most notable among them being ScalaHosting for its innovative technologies
Cloudways
Cloudways Review
Cloudways is not your bargain basement host, but worth every penny for serious site runners seeking premium support and top-notch hosting across multiple clouds. Newbies beware: this is high octane hosting for the seasoned operators.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
Cloudways Pros
- Topnotch server uptime and speed performance
- Good abstration over complex cloud server setups with integrated dashboard
- Outstanding customer support
- High scalability
- Easy server cloning, site staging, and website transfer
- Host unlimited applications in one account
- 25% discount for first two months with coupon “HOSTSCORE”
Cloudways Cons
- Getting expensive – Prices increased steadily for the past few years
- Limited trial period
Ultahost
Ultahost Review
Being the new kid in town Ultahost hosting offers are tempting. That’s especially true for their cheaper plans like Shared Hosting or WordPress Hosting. The cost is meager, and the company doesn’t overly penalize those that don’t want extended contracts. There’s no harm in taking them for a spin at just $3 per month with 99.99% uptime guarantee and free website migrations.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
HostScore
Ultahost Pros
- Outstanding server uptime and speed performance
- Highly competitive pricing
- Easy-to-use user dashboard
- NVMe SSD storage in all shared hosting plans
- Free malware scan & web applications firewall (WAF) in all shared hosting plans
- Choice of 5 server locations in four continents
Ultahost Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Limited disk space.
NameCheap
NameCheap Review
While NameCheap hosting plans may not boast the top-tier features, they deliver sufficient functionality at very competitive pricing. Overall – not flashy, but solid. Budget-savvy webmasters, this one’s for you.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
HostScore
NameCheap Pros
- Budget-friendly shared hosting plans
- Excellent domain name prices with free lifetime privacy protection
- Free site migration
- Perl, Ruby, and Python support in shared hosting plan
NameCheap Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Limited VPS plans
- Only US and UK-based servers
- Pay extra to choose UK-data center
LiquidWeb
LiquidWeb Review
LiquidWeb is one of those big-name premium web hosting service providers that many people can only wish they could afford. Due to their focus on enterprise-scale solutions, they have left out standard shared hosting and the closest most people come is to their Managed WordPress hosting plans. That being said, looking upwards on their plan scale, the sky is the limit.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
HostScore
LiquidWeb Pros
- Powerful enterprise hosting solutions with great scalability
- 100% network uptime, backed by detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA)
- Excellent customer support – 59-Second support response guarantee
- Self-operated data centres – Higher degree of security and data integrity compared to providers renting space from third-parties
- PCI-Compliant and HIPAA-Compliant hosting servers available
LiquidWeb Cons
- No standard shared hosting plans
- No Asia-based data center
InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting Review
Backed by excellent performance and customer support, InMotion Hosting is easily one of the top web hosting choices in the market. There are extensive plans available for website to scale up with. And for those with an already existing site, free migration services for easy transfer.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
HostScore
InMotion Hosting Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Lowest shared hosting plan supports Python, Node.JS, Ruby and GIT version control
- Choice of data center locations in the United States and Europe
- Free AutoSSL
- Built-in hack, DDoS, and malware protection
- 90-day money back guarantee
- Free website migration services
InMotion Hosting Cons
- Lower shared hosting plans lack speed optimization
- Price increase during the renewal
GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks Review
With their eco-friendly vision GreenGeeks has positioned themselves in a unique spot to offer hosting that some companies have bylaws mandating them to take advantage of – green hosting. Combined with above-average performance and a good spread of supporting technologies, they are an attractive option for many.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
HostScore
GreenGeeks Pros
- Returns 3x power consumed with renewable energy credits
- Affordable pricing
- Free daily backup for all shared hosting plans
- All plans support Perl, Python and Git
- Free website migration assistance
- Root access, control panel and cPanel/WHM included in reseller hosting plans
GreenGeeks Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Slightly lacklustre customer service
- Non refundable setup fees
Verpex
Verpex Review
As a newcomer in the hosting industry, Verpex shows promise with feature-rich, affordable plans and solid customer support. Sadly, however, their premium hosting plans fall short in value compared to top-tier providers.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
HostScore
Verpex Pros
- Budget-friendly shared and VPS hosting plans
- 45-day money back guarantee
- Daily backup included in all shared hosting plans
- Unlimited free site migrations
- Choice of 12 distributed data centers across five continents
Verpex Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
HostArmada
HostArmada Review
HostArmada can be fortress for your website with solid security features, but beware the lurking price hike post-term. Stay vigilant and weigh the renewal costs before committing.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
HostScore
HostArmada Pros
- Affordable pricing
- Daily remote backup included
- Host unlimited websites in mid-to-high shared hosting account
- 45-day money back guarantee
- Free malware scan & web applications firewall (WAF) in all shared hosting plans
HostArmada Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Lack server speed features in lower shared hosting plans
Chemicloud
Chemicloud Review
A relatively new player in the web hosting scene, Chemicloud first emerged in 2016. Since then, they’ve been growing slowly but steadily. Part of that is their focus on increasing their capabilities alongside their customer base.
Learn More in Our In-depth Review
Key Features for Hosting Resellers
Customer Support Channels
Data Center Locations
Chemicloud Pros
- Excellent reliability and speed
- Dev-friendly packages available
- Well-priced
- Impressive customer support
Chemicloud Cons
- Lack of other business services
- Limited knowledge base
How Reseller Hosting Works?
The reseller hosting business isn’t difficult to understand. Basically, the concept is the same as if you were to buy wholesale goods from an OEM manufacturer – then rebrand and sell them as your own. Along the way you mark up the price and that’s how you make your profit.
However, as with the regular reseller business, profit margins aren’t terribly high. You also have to pay for the hosting account in advance – irrespective of whether you have customers or not. This means that reseller hosting isn’t necessarily suitable for everyone.
Reseller hosting can be suitable if you:
- Need web hosting and want to earn a little extra for selling excess resources
- Are looking for a small boost to your main income
- Intend to work towards becoming a full web host eventually
Although not terribly complex, it would be better if you were familiar with web hosting in order to work a reseller account. This will give you a broader knowledge base to start your business on.
What to Look for in Reseller Hosting Plans?
Reseller hosting is when you buy web hosting space (and the corresponding features) to partition out and sell to your own customers. This allows you to take advantage of existing resources and run your own web hosting business, in a sense.
Because of this nature, there is a specific set of features out of the norm that you need to consider in reseller hosting. Some of these include storage space (nowadays it’s mostly SSD reseller hosting), whitelabelling, control panel licensing, account configuration tools, and more.
Although reseller plans may look like regular types of web hosting, there are some differentiators that you need to be aware of.
Server Resources
These include elements like memory (RAM), storage space, and CPU. The reason you need to pay more attention in this area is that you need to keep in mind that the resources have to be partitioned out among your potential customers.
Customer Support
Resellers have to provide their own support (albeit indirectly from the web host). This means even greater emphasis is needed in the service provider’s customer service. Spend some time talking to your potential host and gauging their speed and knowledgeability before signing up for a plan.
Control Panel Licensing
As a reseller, you get a limited number of licenses you can share out among your customers. Make sure you assess the plans available and see if the licenses provided are enough to cover how you intend to partition out your plans.
Speed and Reliability
This is usually among the top complaints of web hosting buyers. Make sure the host you choose has a good track record (follow their performance tracks on HostScore). If their servers go down – all your customers will be affected! The effect, in essence, is multiplied manyfold.
Cost versus Functionality
Rather than focus on the price of the plans available on a host, make sure you assess price against features provided. There’s no point buying the cheapest if it won’t support what you want to do in your reseller business.
Final Thoughts
The reseller business is very different from buying a web hosting plan for your personal use. Not only is the assessment criteria different, but you’ll require additional skills to manage the master control panel as well.
All of this contributes to a relatively large investment in both time and money. If you’re considering reseller hosting as a business, make sure you build a proper business plan that not only covers hosting fees, but your complete business.
You’ll need to look towards other elements such as technical work, outlay in time, business environment factors, and of course sales and marketing. Remember, the web hosting market is highly competitive – consider what it takes for you to have the competitive edge.
