A cPanel licence lets you run cPanel and WHM on your own VPS or dedicated server, so you and your customers can manage websites, email, databases, DNS and SSL from a web browser. Official cPanel licences are priced by the number of accounts on the server. Tremhost supplies shared cPanel and WHM licences with unlimited accounts from $5 a month for a VPS and $6 a month for a dedicated server, receiving official vendor updates.
cPanel and WHM in brief
cPanel and WHM are one software suite with two interfaces:
- WHM (WebHost Manager) is the administrator’s panel. You use it to create, suspend and delete hosting accounts, define packages, manage DNS zones, configure backups and security, and monitor the server.
- cPanel is the panel each account owner sees. It covers files, email accounts, databases, domains, SSL, PHP versions and one-click app installs.
The suite has three tiers of user: the server administrator, resellers who can create their own customers’ accounts, and individual website owners. Without it, most of these tasks would need the command line.
When you need your own cPanel licence
You do not need to buy a licence for ordinary web hosting or reseller hosting; the provider’s licence covers those accounts. You need your own licence when you run cPanel on a server you control, for example:
- You have an unmanaged KVM VPS and want cPanel for your own or your clients’ sites.
- You run a dedicated server for a hosting business.
- You are moving many sites off shared hosting and want to keep the familiar panel.
Tremhost cPanel licence options
These are shared licences supplied by Tremhost that receive official cPanel updates. Each includes unlimited cPanel accounts, plus Softaculous, the SitePad website builder and FleetSSL. Prices in US dollars, as listed on the live cPanel licence page:
Single licences
- VPS: $5 a month.
- Dedicated server: $6 a month.
- Lifetime VPS: $190 once.
- Lifetime dedicated: $250 once.
Bundles
The bundles add CloudLinux, Imunify360, JetBackup and LiteSpeed, each with unlimited accounts:
- VPS bundle: $12 a month, $33 for 3 months, $65 for 6 months or $125 for 12 months.
- Dedicated bundle: $13 a month, $35 for 3 months, $70 for 6 months or $138 for 12 months.
What the bundle tools do
- CloudLinux gives each account its own CPU, memory and process limits and isolates accounts from one another, so one busy or compromised site cannot drag down the rest.
- Imunify360 adds a firewall, malware scanning and cleanup, and protection against brute-force logins.
- JetBackup runs scheduled backups to local or remote destinations and lets account owners restore files, databases and email themselves.
- LiteSpeed replaces Apache as the web server and adds server-level caching, which helps PHP and WordPress sites.
If you host other people’s sites, these four tools cover most of the isolation, security, backup and performance work you would otherwise do by hand. For a server that hosts only your own few sites, a single licence may be enough.
How to choose
- Match the licence to your server type. VPS licences are for virtual machines; dedicated licences are for physical servers.
- Check your operating system. cPanel runs on specific Linux distributions, such as AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CloudLinux and Ubuntu. Confirm your version is supported by the current release before installing.
- Monthly or lifetime? At $5 a month, the $190 VPS lifetime licence takes 38 months to pay for itself. Choose lifetime only for a server you expect to keep for years.
- Single or bundle? If you would buy two or more of CloudLinux, Imunify360, JetBackup and LiteSpeed anyway, the bundle usually costs less.
- Who runs the server? A licence is software, not management. Operating system updates, hardening and troubleshooting remain your job.
Setting up cPanel on a new server
- Start with a fresh operating system. cPanel expects to be installed on a clean server, not one already running a web server or another control panel.
- Give the server enough memory. cPanel itself, the mail server, databases and your sites all use RAM. A server with 2 GB is a practical minimum for a few small sites; plan more for many accounts.
- Set a proper hostname and point its DNS record at the server before installing.
- Order the licence and install cPanel following the provider’s activation instructions, so the licence is recognised on your server.
- Harden and back up straight away: enable two-factor authentication in WHM, set up a firewall and configure backups to a location off the server.
Prefer not to run the server yourself?
A managed cPanel VPS from $80 a month comes with cPanel and WHM, LiteSpeed, CloudLinux, Imunify360 and backups already set up and looked after by Tremhost’s technicians. It is ready in about three hours and includes free migration from your current cPanel host.
Paying and support
Licences are priced in US dollars and can be paid by EcoCash, InnBucks, ZimSwitch, Omari, Visa, Mastercard, Bitcoin, Tron or Litecoin. Support is by ticket, WhatsApp on +263 73 563 9917 and booked calls, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 CAT. Every control panel and add-on licence is listed on the Tremhost licences page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a shared cPanel licence?
It is a cPanel and WHM licence supplied by a licence provider, Tremhost here, rather than bought directly from cPanel by you. It runs the same software and receives official vendor updates.
Is there a limit on accounts?
Tremhost’s cPanel licences include unlimited cPanel accounts. Your server’s CPU, memory and storage set the practical limit.
Do I need a licence for reseller hosting?
No. Reseller plans include WHM and unlimited cPanel accounts on Tremhost’s servers. You need your own licence only on a server you run.
Can I add CloudLinux or Imunify360 later?
Yes. They are also sold separately, or you can move to a bundle.
Next step
Pick a single, bundle or lifetime option on the Tremhost cPanel licence page.
