How can we improve WHMCS?

1: This Useresponse system sucks! There is no form persistance so I lost a very long well thought out reply. Use garlicjs.com. It takes like 5 seconds to implement. $500 for this POS use response and it have 5% of whmcs functionality and it sucks. Okay sorry.

2: WHMCS is named WHMCS because it started support with WHM/Cpanel only, check the about us page or wiki I believe if you dont believe me. It CAN BE and SHOULD BE used by others to HELP KEEP COSTS LOW... there is a fixed number of hosts but honeslty it could be used by many other SUBSCRIPTION or ECOMMERCE companies and their advancements are our gains(especially owned license investors like me:) )

3: Host Bill is a JOKE!!! Properly written object oriented code DOES NOT bloat. Especially properly written MODULE based MVC architecture based code. So there is no need to build and maintain 100's of modules. This drives UP the cost of development because you need to separately patch, support, bill and alert customers of those updates as well as maintain multiple feature requests threads sub divided by product. Trust me (see below). Host Bill ALSO and MORE IMPORTANTLY http://www.hostbillforums.com/index.php?topic=112.30 - Yes that is right, you can NOT even build a module yourself for hostbill. You are forced to wait on their production schedule / PAY THEIR HOURLY RATES! - So you people who are too blind to see the benefits(also below) of WHMCS over all of the competition need to stop commenting on this thread where people are trying to progress a good product to the point of AMAZING.

4: From the accounting standpoint. Stop modularizing WHMCS, it not only adds to the cost which eliminates any deferment gains(gains by making it an addon that shared hosts will not have to bear the costs of) because it would be raising the development costs as a whole to ALL production coding! Smaller hosts can select the monthly licensed option if they can not afford the upfront license. Spreading even $15,000 US(sorry I am American lol) over the number of customers WHMCS has would be more feasible especially when talking maintenance. Also think about it this way: Would you like to pay $500 for the addon or whatever just to sell/manage your first colo/dedicated? STOP PUTTING BARRIERS TO ENTRY FOR HOSTS TO SCALE!!! I think I would know. I have been a web develop for 10+ years. I have an extensive accounting background (Studying for my C.P.A. currently) and have analyzed pricing models for licensed software for many years. Also note: your Accountant would love you if you could produce Purchase Date, Purchase Amount(for hardware) separate them by line item on invoice, ASSET TYPE(networking hardware has different Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System(MACRS aka Tax Depreciation) than servers potentially, Vendor, AND USE --- whether it is internal or for client use it may make a difference in their tax planning strategy. I am working on becoming literate in consulting in that area myself.

5: WHMCS is great because it is SUPPORT included , Hostbill is like a per incident charge ( even if it is their fault). 2) You Can build modules as mentioned above you can not do that with Hostbill 3) You CAN lease the software monthly 4) If you chose to invest(like I did) and buy it upfront then the support and upgrades is really reasonable. If you do the math, present value of an annuity etc its a good deal(your break even point like 3 years or less versus renting PLUS you never have to worry about a missed CC payment closing your business) . 5) Community Addons - yes not just company based like HostBill (No addons deserved to points) 6) English as a first language based support . No offense to non native English speakers but you all will agree that each culture has their own little communication differences. I wish I could remember a specific example but I remember it mostly when trying to deal with developers/designers in India when it comes to cultural differences in BUSINESS LOGIC/promotion/marketing/wording etc. 7) We have a feature requests system... I dont have hostbill so not sure if they have one or not. 8) WHMCS has a great community of active supporters, addon developers, and end users who all appreciate its flexibility 9) MOST IMPORTANT ... cost... this product was a God send. It allowed me to dump hsphere/modernbill/pleskbilling/custom solutions/manual processing considerations in the trash.

Thank you for your time and reading..

P.S. Please vote on my suggestion for multiple tiers of product groups please! Figured since there is so many votes on this one I could use the following alert to capture some attention to request while concretely answering this one.
https://requests.whmcs.com/responses/product-group-levels

Would love this feature would like to see it be in progress.

Please, please, please make me leave Ubersmith.

The main reason I need a module like this included in WHMCS is the inventory; it would really help my business if I had the ability to "stock" or list all the servers I have in inventory regardless of location and automatically/manually assign them to clients as they are purchased.
Currently I have to copy/paste server details in the clients profile every time a server is purchased and deployed, that sometimes can become time consuming and tedious. I know at least a dozen people who have to deal with the same thing.

I can't wait for a solution to this.

You are correct, the range of systems and industry practices is ever growing and changing which actually in a way links in with the last part of my previous reply.

it would be all to easy to have too narrow a view on what hosting actually is and all that it encompasses and i dare say that many hosts do have too narrow a view in some aspects if not all. I myself offer a large range, but there are still areas that are just not yet viable for me to entertain.

I agree with you. I would like to see a stripped back system released along side the mainstream release, Imagine the benefit of that sort of system to any company with the capacity to use it. The core system/api would be all that is needed and the company builds that into their system or builds their system around it. Look at

The current mainstream release can be used in such a way anyway, anybody can write up a system to access the core functions so i see no reason why a core rlease couldnt be acheived. It could be done now, by stripping out the things are not needed, but to know what it the minimum required install would take a lot of trial and error.I know the main stream releases work out of the box without much hassle in respect of installation. That said, such a company would be investing in development along side the core so would they even need the core in the first place. i guess that is something they would decide.

I have often wondered why it is that the core system cant be separated. I would definitely like to have the core located on a server that isn't publicly accessible. It would certainly allow for a far more secure system so long as the forward facing site is sufficiently secure.

Hosting does not mean Shared Hosting even if that is stuck in our heads. Web Hosting covers all forms of network based hosting including dedicated servers, Cloud and NOCs. There are many forms of web hosting.

The name of WHMCS automaticly encompences all forms of hosting and even other services. Currently WHMCs is not a complete web hosting application. This feature request of "Colo/Dedicated Server Management Addon
"would be a big leap forward to being a complete solution. Also this request is for an ADDON which makes perfect sense as not every user of WHMCS needs this feature set. Even if it becomes a paid addon, that would still be great in my mind but included is fine too. I just think we who need these features, might just have the some money for it too.

I like most of the specs people are looking for in these posts so I have 1+ all the ones I am in favor for. I'll post again after I ponder what else may be useful capibilities.

All applications have a beginning base. They then grow and adapt to change.

The developers at WHMCS have been adding features to this application since they began.

Once a program is created the developers keep changing it as programs are almost like a living breathing entity. And programmers keep feeding the entity. The second development ends the program dies a slow death where only the diehards use it.

I say bravo keep the add-ons coming if someone has a need for said add-on let them purchase it.

Agree with CDJ Hosting and Altomarketing, this could add bloat and expense to WHMCS.

Could be an addon.

The clue is in the name to be fair Web Host Manager Complete Solution. Yes it is highly customisable and can fit in other needs very very easily, but it is first and foremost a hosting tool you cant dispute that otherwise it would be named something else like, oh i dont know.. BMCS, i hope that clears things up for us all :)

For all you naysayers out there about what WHMCS is or is not here is what it does:

Auto Activates Services
Auto DeActivates Services
Has an intuitive web interface for clients
Has an intuitive web interface for admins

I am currently creating some modules for WHMCS so I can use it for a SAAS application I am getting ready to launch. The thing is, the customers don't install it, and the customers still need to be autobilled and the service needs to be Activated and Deactived and there is a hosting piece to it but the hosting piece is something entirely separate but can only be ordered once the main program is ordered. There is no hosting without the software. All of this I have to create as plugins for the program.

WHMCS is a very versatile application as long as you know how and are willing to manipulate it.

This feature set that they are planning on is going to be a huge boom for the Dedicated market which is great!

I even have a friend of mine who operates print presses getting ready to utilize WHMCS. (how does it work for him?)

It has an awesome ticket system which he can utilize to keep correspondences with his customers, it has the project management plugin which allows for tracking of projects, it has the website tie in which is very important to get orders placed and customers to view a timely update on their projects.

The program does more than just HOSTING. You just have to apply it to your needs.

I have seen WHMCS come a long way in the last few years, all the time heading nearer toward being so much more than "just a billing system", I see no reason WHMCS could not indeed handle this scenario and a great many more. I think it comes down to what the company is willing to pay for and what is expected to be included.

This feature should come from WHMCS, I believe they are ideally placed to implement it but i feel it would be more beneficial as a paid addon to the system rather than an inclusive part of the bundle. There are a great many hosting providers that are simply reselling and not co-locating, I dont think it would be fair to implement it and increase the pricing for those that may never use it.In all fairness, i do believe WHMCS should be more modular. Order what you need, leave what you don't, so in effect stripping out everything that is not required, initial install being the core API and then adding in the "addons" as you need them.

It is how i got started but i still feel the basic install was far too bloated for my requirements, now i use the majority of the system, but there are still some features that i just have no use for at the moment.I feel this would be a major benefit to a lot of startups.

I agree with Mark, and I believe that his figures are actually too low, unless we are talking about a very basic addon/feature.

I believe that this effort should be linked to a more overall project that is able to join together a service delivery process: starting from a service catalog, with an updated CMDB, on to the change managent process and SLA/Customer Support.

Bits and pieces are already there, really, they just need to be tied all together and add a CMDB that keeps track of assets, their configuration and life state.

In the end this are the features that have been asked for, and if you do the job by following the ITIL blueprint you just have it organized.

If more people are willing to pay for it we could create it and release it. However by looking at the time it would take to create the total costs to create a module with the listed features is something around 5000-6000 euro to create and 1000 euro/year to maintain I think. If enough people are willing to pay for it so we can get to the listed numbers we will create it and release it.

Feel free to contact me directly if interested. [email protected]

+1 For This request

I know a LOT of the dedicated/colo companies out there have a more resources available to them. Maybe we could all pool together for development, I know if it came down to it, I would spend $1,000 to make this happen.