Hosting licenses are the paid software keys that let you run commercial tools such as cPanel, Plesk, CloudLinux, LiteSpeed and Imunify360 on your own VPS or dedicated server. Which ones you need depends on what the server does: a control panel is usually first, then performance, security and backup tools. This guide explains what each licence does, what Tremhost charges for it and what to check before you buy from any provider.
Do you need your own licences?
Only if you run your own server. On shared hosting, reseller hosting or a managed cPanel VPS, the provider already licenses the software and includes it in the plan. You buy licences yourself when you rent an unmanaged VPS or dedicated server and want to install a control panel and related tools on it.
Licences are usually tied to a server’s IP address and to the server type, VPS or dedicated, so the type you order must match your machine.
Control panels
cPanel & WHM
The common Linux hosting panel: WHM for the server administrator, cPanel for each account owner. Tremhost’s cPanel licence allows unlimited cPanel accounts and includes Softaculous, SitePad and FleetSSL. It costs $5 a month for a VPS or $6 a month for a dedicated server, or $190 (VPS) or $250 (dedicated) once off for a lifetime licence.
Plesk
A panel that runs on Linux and Windows Server, with a layout many first-time users find simpler. Plesk is $5 a month for a VPS and $6 a month for a dedicated server, with bundles at $15 and $16 a month.
Virtualizor
A panel for creating and managing VPSs on KVM, Xen, Proxmox and other virtualisation platforms, for anyone selling virtual servers. $3 a month or $34 a year.
WHMReseller
Adds alpha and master reseller levels to WHM, so you can sell reseller accounts. $6 a quarter or $22 a year.
Performance and security
- CloudLinux: isolates each hosting account with its own resource limits, so one busy or compromised site cannot slow down or read the others. $6 a month, or $250 lifetime.
- LiteSpeed Web Server: a drop-in replacement for Apache that serves PHP and WordPress sites efficiently, with built-in caching. Priced by CPU cores: $5 a month for 2 cores, $8 for 4, $12 for 8 and $15 for the top X-core tier.
- Imunify360: web application firewall, malware scanning and clean-up, PHP protection and a network firewall. $5 a month, or $190 lifetime.
- OSM (Outgoing Spam Monitor): detects and stops spam leaving a cPanel or DirectAdmin server, protecting your IP reputation. $5 a month or $34 a year.
Backups and website tools
- JetBackup: unlimited backup jobs and destinations, with self-service restores for account owners. $5 a quarter or $17 a year.
- Softaculous: one-click installer for WordPress and hundreds of other apps. $17 a year.
- SitePad: drag-and-drop website builder with 500+ themes. $9 for six months or $17 a year.
- WHMCS: billing and automation for hosting businesses. $50 once off.
How Tremhost licences work
Tremhost’s licences are shared licences supplied by Tremhost that receive official vendor updates, so you can run current versions and apply updates as they are released. They are not licences issued directly to you by cPanel, Plesk, CloudLinux or the other vendors. Activation is automatic after payment, and Tremhost will configure the server for you free of charge. Prices are in US dollars, payable by EcoCash, InnBucks, ZimSwitch, Omari, Visa, Mastercard or cryptocurrency.
What to check before buying licences from any provider
- Updates: does the licence receive official vendor updates, and how quickly after release?
- Account limits: is the price for a fixed number of accounts, or unlimited?
- Activation: how long it takes, and what you need to run on the server.
- IP changes: what happens if you move the licence to a new server or IP address.
- Billing terms: monthly, quarterly, yearly or lifetime, and what a lifetime licence covers if the server is replaced.
- Support: who answers when a licence stops validating, through which channel and during which hours.
- Bundles: whether buying several licences together costs less than buying them one by one.
A typical stack for a hosting server
A common set-up for a VPS that hosts client websites is cPanel & WHM, CloudLinux for isolation, LiteSpeed for speed, Imunify360 for security and JetBackup for backups. Tremhost’s cPanel bundles combine these from $12 a month for a VPS or $13 a month for a dedicated server. Bought separately at monthly prices, cPanel ($5), CloudLinux ($6), Imunify360 ($5) and a 2-core LiteSpeed licence ($5) come to $21 a month before JetBackup.
If you would rather not manage licences at all, a managed cPanel VPS from $80 a month includes cPanel and WHM, LiteSpeed, CloudLinux, Imunify360 and backups, run by Tremhost.
Frequently asked questions
Monthly or lifetime: which is better?
Lifetime makes sense if you will run the same server for several years; for cPanel on a VPS it equals 38 months at $5. Monthly suits short projects and servers you may replace.
Can I resell licences to my own clients?
Yes. The licence reseller programme starts from $30 once off and includes a WHMCS module and API access.
Do I need cPanel and Plesk?
No. Choose one control panel per server. cPanel runs only on Linux; Plesk also runs on Windows Server.
Where can I read more about cPanel licences?
See cPanel license: what you get and how it works.
Next step
See every licence and price on the Tremhost licences page, or ask on WhatsApp at +263 73 563 9917 (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 CAT) which licences your server needs.
