· CoreInto Team · 2 min read
What WHMCS really costs as your hosting company grows
WHMCS prices by active clients in nine tiers. Here is what that means at 250, 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 clients in 2026, and what to count before you compare.
Billing software is one of the few costs of a hosting company that rises with success. WHMCS, the most widely used system, is priced by the number of active clients, so every few hundred new clients can move you into a new tier. This post sets out the 2026 tiers and what to count before you compare.
The 2026 tiers#
As listed for 2026, WHMCS licences are monthly and priced like this:
| Tier | Active clients | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | up to 250 | $34.95 |
| Professional | up to 500 | $54.95 |
| Business 1000 | up to 1,000 | $84.95 |
| Business 2500 | up to 2,500 | $179.95 |
| Business 5000 | up to 5,000 | $284.95 |
| Business 10000 | up to 10,000 | $399.95 |
| Business 50000 | up to 50,000 | $1,249.95 |
| Business Unlimited | no limit | $1,999.95 |
What a growing company pays over a year#
A company with 400 clients is in the Professional tier, about $660 a year. At 900 clients it is in Business 1000, about $1,020 a year. At 4,000 clients, Business 5000 costs about $3,420 a year, and at 9,000 clients Business 10000 costs about $4,800 a year. The step from 10,000 to 10,001 clients more than triples the bill.
Add-ons on top#
The tier price is not always the whole bill. WHMCS sells some capabilities separately, such as the Licensing Addon for companies that sell software, branding removal on lower tiers and project management. Add the third-party modules you depend on: gateways for local payment methods, extra registrars, themes. Many of them are subscriptions too.
What to count before you compare#
- Your real client count, as the vendor counts it. WHMCS counts active clients; other systems count differently.
- The add-ons and modules you use today, with their prices.
- Where you will be in two years, not where you are today.
- The cost of moving: a migration that can be repeated and checked before the switch is far cheaper than one that cannot.
How CoreInto approaches it#
CoreInto also prices by client count, but in a few wide steps and at a fraction of the price, with every feature in every plan, including a Licensing Manager, the mobile app and the website builder. Our CoreInto vs WHMCS page puts both price lists side by side, and it is honest about where WHMCS is still ahead: its marketplace is far larger.
Prices change, so check each vendor's own page before deciding. If you want to see your own data in CoreInto first, the free trial imports a sample from WHMCS in minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does WHMCS cost in 2026?
From $34.95 a month for up to 250 active clients (Plus) to $1,999.95 a month for Business Unlimited, as listed for 2026.
Does WHMCS charge extra for software licensing?
WHMCS sells its Licensing Addon separately from the licence.