A direct cPanel licence is bought from cPanel and priced by the number of hosting accounts on the server. A shared cPanel licence is supplied by a licence provider, such as Tremhost, at a flat price with unlimited accounts: $5 a month for a VPS or $6 for a dedicated server. Both run the same cPanel and WHM software with official updates. The differences are in price structure, who holds the licence and who you deal with when something goes wrong.
How direct cPanel pricing works
cPanel sells licences in tiers based on how many cPanel accounts the server hosts. As listed on cPanel’s own 2026 cPanel Store licence pricing page (checked 5 November 2026, effective 16 December 2025), the monthly prices in US dollars are:
- Solo Cloud: 1 account, $29.99.
- Admin Cloud: up to 5 accounts, $35.99.
- Pro Cloud: up to 30 accounts, $53.99.
- Premier Cloud: 100 accounts, $69.99, plus $0.49 for each account over 100.
- Premier Metal: 100 accounts, $69.99, plus $0.49 for each account over 100.
Cloud licences are for virtual servers and Metal for physical servers. Because pricing follows account numbers, the cost grows as your server grows. For example, a Premier Cloud server with 150 accounts costs $69.99 plus 50 × $0.49, or $94.49 a month.
How a Tremhost shared licence is priced
Tremhost’s cPanel and WHM licence is a shared licence supplied by Tremhost that receives official cPanel updates. As listed on the Tremhost cPanel licence page:
- VPS: $5 a month, unlimited cPanel accounts.
- Dedicated server: $6 a month, unlimited cPanel accounts.
- Lifetime: $190 once for a VPS, $250 once for a dedicated server.
- Included: Softaculous, the SitePad website builder and FleetSSL.
The price does not change with the number of accounts. Your server’s CPU, memory and storage set the practical limit.
Side by side over a year
Using the published monthly prices above, for a virtual server:
- A single site (Solo Cloud): $359.88 a year direct, compared with $60 a year for the Tremhost VPS licence.
- Up to 30 accounts (Pro Cloud): $647.88 a year direct, compared with $60.
- 150 accounts (Premier Cloud plus 50 extra): $1,133.88 a year direct, compared with $60.
These are licence costs only. Server, backups, security tools and your time are the same either way.
What is the same
- The cPanel and WHM software, features and interface.
- Official vendor updates, including security releases.
- Compatibility with standard plugins and tools such as CloudLinux, Imunify360, LiteSpeed and JetBackup.
What is different
Who holds the licence
A direct licence is in your own account with cPanel. A shared licence is supplied and managed by the licence provider, so it continues for as long as you keep paying that provider. Choose a provider you trust and keep its contact details with your server documentation.
Who you contact
With a direct licence, licensing questions go to cPanel under its terms. With a Tremhost shared licence, activation and licensing issues go to Tremhost by ticket, WhatsApp on +263 73 563 9917 or booked call, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 CAT.
How you pay
The cPanel Store charges in US dollars, normally by card. Tremhost also charges in US dollars and accepts EcoCash, InnBucks, ZimSwitch, Omari, Visa, Mastercard, Bitcoin, Tron and Litecoin.
How cost scales
Direct pricing rises with accounts. A flat shared licence does not, which matters most for hosting businesses and agencies with many small accounts.
Checklist before you buy any cPanel licence
- Count your accounts today and in a year. With direct pricing, crossing a tier boundary changes the bill.
- Confirm the server type. Virtual and physical servers are licensed differently by both cPanel and Tremhost.
- Check your operating system. cPanel supports specific Linux distributions and versions.
- Decide on add-ons. If you need CloudLinux, Imunify360, LiteSpeed or JetBackup, price the bundle as well as the single licence.
- Plan backups and security. No licence includes off-server backups or someone watching your server.
- Write down who to contact. Keep your licence provider’s support details with your server documentation.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose a direct licence if your policies require software licensed in your own name directly from the vendor, or if you need cPanel’s own licensing terms.
- Choose a shared licence if price and flat costs matter most, you host many accounts, or you need to pay by local methods.
- Choose neither if you would rather not run the server: a managed cPanel VPS from $80 a month includes cPanel and WHM, LiteSpeed, CloudLinux, Imunify360 and backups, run by Tremhost’s technicians.
Frequently asked questions
Is a shared cPanel licence the same software?
Yes. It runs the same cPanel and WHM and receives official vendor updates.
Can I switch from a direct licence to a shared one?
Yes. Ask Tremhost support to plan the switch with you, so the server is never left without an active licence, then cancel the direct licence.
Are bundles available?
Yes. Tremhost’s cPanel VPS bundle adds CloudLinux, Imunify360, JetBackup and LiteSpeed for $12 a month.
Will direct prices change?
They have changed before. Always check cPanel’s current pricing page before comparing.
Next step
Compare every control panel and add-on on the Tremhost licences page.
