You can start a web hosting business without buying servers: rent reseller hosting or a VPS, split it into hosting accounts for your clients, and sell them under your own brand at your own prices. This guide explains the two routes, what you are responsible for on each, and the steps from choosing a plan to signing your first client.
For most new hosting businesses, reseller hosting is the right start: Domain India runs the server, and you create and sell client accounts from DirectAdmin or WHM. DirectAdmin reseller plans start at ₹617 a month with unlimited hosting accounts and 10% off for yearly billing. A VPS gives you a whole server, but it is self-managed: you install the panel, secure the server, do the updates and handle every problem yourself. Choose a VPS only when you have the skills and a reason reseller hosting can't meet.
1. Reseller hosting or a VPS?
| Question | Reseller hosting | VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs the server? | Domain India | You |
| What you manage | Packages, client accounts, your brand and billing | Everything: OS, panel, security, updates, backups, email delivery |
| Control panel | DirectAdmin or cPanel/WHM, ready to use | You install one yourself, or run without a panel |
| Security and backups | Server-wide security and weekly backups included | Your job |
| Skills needed | Basic hosting knowledge | Linux server administration |
| Best for | Most new hosting businesses | Experienced admins with special requirements |
If you have never run a Linux server, start with reseller hosting. You can move to a VPS later, once you know what your clients need.
2. Choose a reseller plan
Domain India sells reseller hosting on DirectAdmin, cPanel/WHM and Windows (Plesk). Compare the current plans on the reseller hosting page.
- DirectAdmin reseller plans have no limit on the number of hosting accounts and no per-account panel licence, so every client you add improves your margin. The Starter plan costs ₹617 a month, and yearly billing gets a 10% discount.
- cPanel reseller plans suit clients who ask for cPanel by name. cPanel is licensed per account, so each plan includes a fixed number of cPanel accounts, and your cost per client is higher.
Size the plan by disk and bandwidth first: everything you sell has to fit inside your plan's own limits. Prices on this page are Domain India list prices on 24 September 2026, excluding 18% GST.
Reseller plans don't include hourly backups, wildcard SSL certificates or a WHMCS licence. The plans are WHMCS-compatible; billing software is bought separately from its vendor.
3. Set up your reseller account
- Order and log in.When the account is active, open My Hosting in the client area and use the panel button, or the login details on the service's Manage › Access tab.
- Secure the login.Turn on two-factor authentication for the client area and use a long, unique panel password. Your reseller login controls every client account under it.
- Set your nameservers.Use Domain India's hosting nameservers shown on your service page, or your own branded ones such as ns1.yourbrand.com. See setting up private nameservers.
- Create packages.Define three or four packages (for example Basic, Business and Pro) with limits for disk, bandwidth, email accounts and databases.
- Create a test account.Build a site, send and receive email and restore a backup before your first real client arrives.
The detailed walkthroughs are DirectAdmin reseller hosting step by step and the smart reseller's guide to cPanel hosting.
4. Billing and your brand
Your clients pay you, not Domain India, and see your brand. You set your own prices.
- Billing software such as WHMCS or Blesta automates invoices, account creation, reminders and suspensions. Licences are bought from their vendors. See setting up billing for your reseller business and Blesta for reseller hosting.
- White label: see white-label branding for resellers.
- Tax: hosting is a taxable service in India. Ask your chartered accountant about GST registration and invoicing before you start charging.
5. Price for the long run
Work out your real cost per client before you set a price: your plan's monthly cost divided by the clients it can hold, plus billing software, payment gateway fees and your own time for support and migrations. Then price for value. Small businesses stay with a host who answers quickly, moves their old site and fixes their email; the cheapest plan in town attracts the clients most likely to leave.
Be clear about renewal prices from the start, and never promise your clients more than your provider delivers. Domain India gives no uptime guarantee, so don't advertise one on top of our service.
6. Support your clients
You are your clients' first line of support. Domain India supports you with the server, the network and control-panel questions, through the same 24/7 live chat and tickets every customer uses; tickets get a first response within 15 minutes, and there is no phone support. There is no separate reseller support team.
Keep a short help page for your clients with your nameservers, webmail address and mail settings. For common client problems, see website not loading on reseller hosting and technical support for reseller hosting.
7. If you choose a VPS
A Domain India VPS is self-managed. You get root access to your own server, and everything that runs on it is yours to set up and maintain.
- Control panel: at checkout you can choose no panel, or one of the panels listed on the VPS page. cPanel is not offered on VPS. Check that the panel's licence allows the number of client accounts you plan to host.
- Security, updates and backups: your responsibility, including the firewall and keeping copies of client data off the server. Start with essential security and optimisation tips for your VPS.
- Email: if your clients will send mail from the VPS, ask support about outbound mail and reverse DNS before you sell email hosting.
- Server control: there is no VPS management page in the client area. You reboot from inside the server over SSH; for start, stop, reinstall, resize or console access, open a ticket. See managing your VPS.
Shutting down from inside the server leaves the VPS off until support starts it again. Use a reboot, not a shutdown, unless you mean it.
8. Grow steadily
- Watch your limits. When you regularly use most of your disk or bandwidth, upgrade the plan before clients notice.
- Act fast on abuse. Suspend and investigate an account that sends spam or hosts malware before it affects the server's reputation.
- Add services clients ask for, such as domain registration and business email, rather than competing on price alone.
Domain India reseller and VPS plans
New shared and reseller hosting purchases can be refunded in full within 30 days under our refund policy. VPS plans are non-refundable once provisioned. The card below shows the current VPS entry price, excluding 18% GST.
- 1 vCPU
- 2 GB DDR4 RAM
- 64 GB NVMe SSD Storage
- 2 TB Monthly Bandwidth
Frequently asked questions
How much does DirectAdmin reseller hosting cost at Domain India?
The DirectAdmin reseller Starter plan costs ₹617 a month, excluding 18% GST, and yearly billing gets a 10% discount. DirectAdmin reseller plans have no limit on the number of hosting accounts.
Should I start a hosting business with reseller hosting or a VPS?
Start with reseller hosting unless you are an experienced Linux administrator. Domain India runs the reseller server, its security and its weekly backups; on a VPS you do all of that yourself.
Is a WHMCS licence included with Domain India reseller hosting?
No. The reseller plans are WHMCS-compatible, but WHMCS or Blesta is bought separately from its vendor.
Does Domain India have a separate support team for resellers?
No. Resellers get the same support as every customer: 24/7 live chat and tickets with a first response within 15 minutes. There is no phone support. You support your own clients.
Is a Domain India VPS managed?
No. A Domain India VPS is self-managed by default. You are responsible for the operating system, control panel, security, updates and backups.
Can I use cPanel on a Domain India VPS?
No. cPanel is not offered on VPS. You can run the VPS without a panel or choose one of the panels listed on the VPS page; for cPanel, use a cPanel reseller plan instead.
Can I get a refund if reseller hosting doesn't work out?
New shared and reseller hosting purchases can be refunded in full within 30 days. Renewals and VPS plans once provisioned are non-refundable.
Ready to start your hosting business? Compare plans on reseller hosting and VPS, or open a ticket if you want help choosing.
DirectAdmin, cPanel and Windows reseller plans with white-label branding, free SSL and weekly backups.
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