How does WHMCS compare to much more expensive solutions?

[Waldo X]

Firstly, thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this, and especially to anyone who can offer some insight.

 

I work for a small ISP, Web Hosting and IT solutions company. We have approximately 4500 customers and are currently using home-built web-based software. There are a lot of advantages to custom written software, but a major disadvantage is that it's often not written with a detailed plan or grand vision in mind. This is the case with ours; it's been extended and modified countless times over the last 15 years and is in dire need of a complete overhaul.

 

I have been tasked with researching Billing/CRM Software and helping our company decide whether we want to re-write our entire system, or go with a 3rd party solution. None of the free solutions out there were robust enough for our needs, and when it comes to paid software, most offerings are hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month.

 

Here are ballpark prices for a few of the other solutions I've looked at (for our company size):

 

• jBilling - $2200/mo
  
• BillMax - $600/mo
  
• Innovaware - $1200/mo
  

 

And then you have WHMCS at $18.95/mo!

 

I recently purchased a 30 day license and have been evaluating the software. I'll be honest, I'm impressed. It seems to be just as robust as any of those much more expensive offerings. It's looks nicer than some of them. It's seems like it won't be too hard to customize as needed.

So what's deal? Why are those other offerings so much more expensive? What do you get with those guys that you don't get with WHMCS?

 

Has anyone done similar research, and come up with a pros and cons list you'd care to share?

 

Is anyone reading this running a company with a wide range of products and services and using WHMCS?

 

I would appreciate any and all thoughts and opinions on this topic.

 

Thank you!

[Bubka3]

So what's deal? Why are those other offerings so much more expensive? What do you get with those guys that you don't get with WHMCS?

You'll most likely get better support and more individual attention.

 

Has anyone done similar research, and come up with a pros and cons list you'd care to share?

WHMCS is so cheap because it sells licenses in volume. This comes with some cons, such as more support is needed and most suggestions are simply tossed in a tracking system. If you went with a smaller project, the suggestion might be implemented next version.

 

Is anyone reading this running a company with a wide range of products and services and using WHMCS?

There is plenty of people running WHMCS, just google Powered by WHMCompleteSolution.

 

It pretty much comes down to: if you can help yourself, WHMCS is a great fit. If you need more hand holding, you'll be waiting a bit for it here.

Edited August 23, 2013 by Bubka3

[Waldo X]

Thanks so much for the reply. I was actually thinking it probably had a lot to do with support, and you've elaborated on that nicely.

[Alex - Arvixe]

+1 to Bubka3. For WHMCS its all about volume sales at a really inexpensive price. Which is why you occasionally get the customer service complaints (slow responses etc...) every now and again, as WHMCS does have a huge client base.

 

That being said, WHMCS is very easy to customize as you said above and there are many module developers out there that provide quality work (ModulesGarden.com for example).

[stormy]

I would add that it's almost mandatory to customize WHMCS from top to bottom, starting with the templates themselves (which have gotten better over the years). We rely on a lot of third party modules, and we have invested a nice chunk of money on custom development.

 

All that makes upgrades a pain, because you have to make sure that nothing else breaks with the upgrade (a too frequent situation).

 

That said, once you figure out the quirks, it does work, and it can handle your 4,500 customers with no issues.