Reseller Hosting vs. White Label Reseller

Simple guide to help you choose the right option

Quick Summary

At a Glance

• Reseller Hosting: You manage shared hosting accounts for your customers
• White Label Reseller: You sell hosting services as your own company

Reseller Hosting

What It Is

Reseller Hosting is based on our shared hosting platform.

You purchase individual shared hosting services and manage them on behalf of your customers. These services include all features outlined in our Shared Hosting Overview and do not include WHM access.

How It Works

• You purchase reseller hosting plans (Basic, Advanced, etc.)
• Each plan is a separate shared hosting service
• You assign each service to a customer
• You manage those services from your Hostwinds account

Simple Example

• Customer A has 1 website, and you therefore order the Basic plan
• Customer B has 2-4 websites, and you purchase, in addition, the Advanced plan

Each customer is on their own shared hosting service, and you manage both.

Key Points

• You are managing shared hosting services
• Each customer is one separate hosting service
• The more services you purchase, the higher your volume discount
• No automation or advanced tooling required
• A larger discount is applied based on the total number of active reseller (shared) services on your account.

Best For

• Hosting a small number of clients
• Simple setups
• Customers who only need shared hosting

White Label Reseller

What It Is

White Label Reseller allows you to run your own hosting business using Hostwinds infrastructure.

You sell hosting services under your own brand while we handle the backend.

It includes the following services:

• Basic shared hosting plan: Used to host your website and manage your website, which includes everything offered shown within our Shared Hosting Overview documentation.
• WHMCS License: Bundled in and installed, allowing you to tie your shared hosting service to our products and allow you to resell.

How It Works

• Customers visit your website
• They purchase hosting from you
• WHMCS automates billing and setup
• Hostwinds provides the service
• You keep the profit margin

What You Can Sell

• Shared Hosting
• Business Hosting
• VPS solutions
• Licenses and add-ons

Key Points

• You are selling hosting as your own company
• Fully branded experience (no Hostwinds visibility)
• You control pricing and customer experience
• Includes WHMCS for automation
• Built to scale as you grow

Best For

• Starting a hosting business
• Automating billing and provisioning
• Scaling beyond shared hosting
• Full control over pricing and branding

Key Differences (Side-by-Side)

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Reseller Hosting if:

• You want something simple and easy to manage
• You only need shared hosting
• You are working with a smaller number of customers
• You prefer a hands-on approach

Choose White Label Reseller if:

• You want to run your own hosting business
• You need automation (billing and provisioning)
• You want full control over pricing and branding
• You plan to grow and scale your services

Final Takeaway

• Reseller Hosting: You manage hosting services
• White Label Reseller: You build and run a hosting business
• Both services are fully managed and fall under our Managed Services, as outlined in our Hostwinds Support Channels & Service Coverage documentation.

Related Resources

• Getting Started With The White Label Reseller Service
• Hostwinds White Label Reseller Overview
• Register a Domain with Hostwinds
• Account Management