WHMDC: The New Self-Hosted Billing & Automation Platform Entering the Hosting Market

WHMDC

WHMDC is announcing a new self-hosted billing and automation platform built for hosting providers, developers, and service operators who want full control over their infrastructure without SaaS lock-in, per-client billing, or dependency-heavy stacks.

The goal is to provide a modern, lightweight alternative to incumbent hosting automation platforms such as WHMCS, while addressing long-standing industry concerns including performance, security, licensing models, dependency bloat, and framework complexity.

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What WHMDC Is

WHMDC is a fully self-hosted billing and automation system written in pure PHP 8 + MySQL, with zero Composer or framework dependencies, allowing it to run smoothly on low-resource VPS, shared hosting environments, or any standard PHP stack.

It provides a complete end-to-end solution for managing clients, services, domains, automation, invoicing, support, payments and more!

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Just some of the 109+ (and growing) Features

• Modern responsive UI
• Pretty URL routing (no query strings)
• Stripe, PayPal, Bank Transfer gateways
• Registrar modules: eNom + Domainbox
• Invoices, services, tickets, quotes, credits
• Multi-currency + pro-rata billing
• Domain search + TLD pricing manager
• Passkeys (WebAuthn) + email 2FA
• Modular plugin system (gateways, servers, registrars)
• Auto Login (cPanel hosting accounts auto login from the client dashboard)
• 109+ core features included as standard
• Entirely self-hosted, putting you back in control

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Why WHMDC Is Entering the Market

The hosting industry has relied heavily on WHMCS for more than a decade.
While it remains widely used, many providers have expressed ongoing concerns about:

• Software aging & legacy code
• Increasing dependency complexity
• Framework overhead
• Recurring subscription costs
• Paid add-ons for essential functionality
• Slow UI evolution
• Limited transparency around roadmap updates

WHMDC aims to offer a fresh approach:

1. Lightweight Architecture

Pure PHP 8, no frameworks, no Composer—ideal for low-resource VPS and cPanel.

2. Full Feature Access

All premium features included as standard, not locked behind add-ons.

3. Modern Security Standards

Built-in passkeys, stronger session controls, and clean routing.

4. Predictable Ownership

Self-hosted, no locking, no forced ecosystem, no per-client billing.

5. Modern UI and UX

Clean, minimal, modern interface for both admin and client areas.

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Early Look & Screenshots

Full information, preview screens, and feature list are available at:

https://WHMDC.com

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WHMDC is currently preparing for wider public release.
Discussion, technical feedback, and industry perspectives are welcome, especially from providers interested in self-hosted alternatives or modern PHP 8 application design.

WHMDC

WHMDC

MannDude

Do you have a working demo available? Would like to see how things feel as an end-user and admin.

Have there been or will there be any 3rd party security audits?

Open source? Ioncube encoded or similar?

Looks nice from the two screenshots but would like to take it for a spin via a demo if possible.

WHMDC

@MannDude said:
Do you have a working demo available? Would like to see how things feel as an end-user and admin.

Have there been or will there be any 3rd party security audits?

Open source? Ioncube encoded or similar?

Looks nice from the two screenshots but would like to take it for a spin via a demo if possible.

Yes! We are currently deploying the WHMDC demo here - keep an eye out https://demo.whmdc.com/

WHMDC

Demo now Live - https://demo.whmdc.com/

Cloudnium_Tang

Looks pretty good, how's the pricing?

WHMDC

@Cloudnium_Tang said:
Looks pretty good, how's the pricing?

Thank you - if you have any thoughts you could pop along to - https://demo.whmdc.com/news/whmdc-demo-launched

Thankyou

AuroraZero

@MannDude said: Have there been or will there be any 3rd party security audits?

Open source? Ioncube encoded or similar?

Also interested in these questions. Would be nice if they were answered.

WHMDC

@AuroraZero said:

@MannDude said: Have there been or will there be any 3rd party security audits?

Open source? Ioncube encoded or similar?

Also interested in these questions. Would be nice if they were answered.

Hello!

Yes, third-party audits are planned once WHMDC reaches feature-complete beta. We’re already following secure development practices (prepared statements, strict API validation, CSRF protection, rate-limiting, separation of privileges, etc.), but an external audit is something we consider essential before stable release.

WHMDC will be source-available for reviewers with core licensing protection in place. We won’t be using IonCube. Our goal is to strike the right balance between transparency for users, security, and protecting the long-term sustainability of the project.
Modules, themes and integrations will remain fully open.

The public demo is now live at:
https://demo.whmdc.com

We welcome all feedback - good or bad - as this is shaping the platform before release.

If there are specific areas you’d like to inspect or test, we’re more than happy to open them up or provide temporary extended access.

Thanks again for the interest - genuinely appreciate the questions.

armandorg

I’ll be keeping an eye to it aswell. Dev documentation too.

willie

It's always good to have another alternative but we really need something completely FOSS.

budi1413

@willie said:
It's always good to have another alternative but we really need something completely FOSS.

https://fossbilling.org

AGXL

My compliments — the demo looks absolutely fantastic, and it even works flawlessly! This is truly excellent work, and I’m already looking forward to the final product. It’s a real competitor to WHMCS and similar systems. The name is also very well chosen from a strategic standpoint. A genuinely fascinating project!

WHMDC

@AGXL said:
My compliments — the demo looks absolutely fantastic, and it even works flawlessly! This is truly excellent work, and I’m already looking forward to the final product. It’s a real competitor to WHMCS and similar systems. The name is also very well chosen from a strategic standpoint. A genuinely fascinating project!

Thank you for the incredibly positive feedback, AGXL.

The goal behind WHMDC is to deliver a next-generation, self-hosted automation and billing platform that removes the limitations, complexity, and rising costs that providers face with existing solutions.

The demo represents only the beginning of what WHMDC is designed to achieve:

• A faster, cleaner, modern UI
• Fully modular architecture
• Deep WHM/cPanel integration
• Transparent pricing
• No hidden paywalls
• A roadmap shaped directly by provider feedback
• Premium features included in the core as standard!

We’re excited to continue refining the platform in collaboration with the community and early testers. Your feedback helps ensure WHMDC becomes a true, modern alternative in the hosting automation space.

Thanks again for the support, more to come very soon!

Team WHMDC!

MikeA

Cool. Seems like it'll have good core features. Who are you exactly? Surely you're someone around the community since you're building a billing system for hosting. Basically impossible for someone to build a system like this with no experience in hosting. Would be good to know who's behind it since there's zero information. Billing software that a business relies on 100% needs some transparency on who develops it. If there is I'd be happy to try it out.

legendary

Hm, looks like codecanyon.net work. Few questions:

1. Where is the company based? India?
2. What's your initial capital?
3. Team size?
4. Why no framework? Do you believe that your own framework is better then time proven engines?
5. How much of a vibe coding went into the codebase?

WHMDC

@MikeA said:
Cool. Seems like it'll have good core features. Who are you exactly? Surely you're someone around the community since you're building a billing system for hosting. Basically impossible for someone to build a system like this with no experience in hosting. Would be good to know who's behind it since there's zero information. Billing software that a business relies on 100% needs some transparency on who develops it. If there is I'd be happy to try it out.

Transparency is essential for any platform that businesses rely on for billing and automation.

WHMDC is being developed by a small, dedicated team with extensive experience in:
• Hosting automation
• WHM/cPanel integrations
• Payment gateways
• Custom provisioning systems
• Internal business tooling for multi-site environments

Behind the scenes, the team has built and maintained a number of private systems for hosting, retail, and enterprise operations over the years. WHMDC is the evolution of that work, rebuilt from the ground up as a modern, modular, fully self-hosted platform with a long-term roadmap.

A full WHMDC About / Team page is being prepared for the main site, including development background, roadmap transparency, and public release timeline. This will launch before WHMDC exits early access so users have complete visibility.

DP

@WHMDC said: WHMDC is being developed by a small, dedicated team

🇬🇧 ?

WHMDC

@legendary said:
Hm, looks like codecanyon.net work. Few questions:

1. Where is the company based? India?
2. What's your initial capital?
3. Team size?
4. Why no framework? Do you believe that your own framework is better then time proven engines?
5. How much of a vibe coding went into the codebase?

Hello

WHMDC isn’t based on any template or Codecanyon product and the entire platform has been built from the ground up specifically for hosting automation, provisioning and billing.

The team behind it has spent years building internal systems, WHM/cPanel tooling and automation workflows, so this project is simply the public evolution of work that already existed privately.

As for frameworks, the architecture is intentionally lightweight and modular because it performs better for this type of system than dropping a large framework on top.

The codebase is structured, consistent and fully designed for long-term maintainability with nothing “vibe coded” or rushed together.

A full company overview will be published before public release, but the platform stands on its own merits, and anyone testing it can see immediately that it’s a purpose-built system rather than repurposed code.

Thankyou for your feedback, this is the point of showcasing our product. We understand companies have attachments to their existing products, we are simply offering an extra choice into the industry.

Please see free to have a play about or join our launch list at www.WHMDC.com

WHMDC

@TheDP said:

@WHMDC said: WHMDC is being developed by a small, dedicated team

🇬🇧 ?

Yes, 100% based in the UK 💪

Baby6

Fix your site first.. it's not accessible right now.

WHMDC

@Baby6 said:
Fix your site first.. it's not accessible right now.

Hello, our systems are online?

BlaZe

How long will you run this until the big guys dump their cash pile and buy you folks out? (the same has happened with WHMCS, cPanel, SolusVM, etc.) and then the price hikes, shitty updates, bad support, etc. will start.

imok

@WHMDC I suggest removing the “Next-Gen **** Alternative” tagline before **** sends you a legal notice.

Consider this a non-legal notice from someone who is definitely not ****.

WSS

@imok said:
@WHMDC I suggest removing the “Next-Gen **** Alternative” tagline before **** sends you a legal notice.

Consider this a non-legal notice from someone who is definitely not ****.

Yeah, and their logo is trademarked, too, and this is highly derivative. Yes, I'm aware it's 95% just a font.

https://www.whmcs.com/terms-of-service/

WHMDC

@BlaZe said:
How long will you run this until the big guys dump their cash pile and buy you folks out? (the same has happened with WHMCS, cPanel, SolusVM, etc.) and then the price hikes, shitty updates, bad support, etc. will start.

WHMDC isn’t something we’re building to flip or hand off. The whole idea is to keep it self-hosted, stable, and under our own direction — with everything you need, and nothing you don’t. The aim is to avoid the same acquisition/price-hike cycle everyone’s fed up with (we’ve been through it too, so we get it).

And naturally, as the community asks for new features, we’ll build them directly into the core, not leave people waiting years for basic functionality and improvements.

So no, there’s no plan to sell this off to a bigger company.

Hope that clears it up.

WHMDC

@imok said:
@WHMDC I suggest removing the “Next-Gen **** Alternative” tagline before **** sends you a legal notice.

Consider this a non-legal notice from someone who is definitely not ****.

Thanks for the heads-up. To be clear, “WHMCS alternative” wording is used in the plain, descriptive sense as plenty of software markets itself as an alternative to something. It’s not claiming affiliation or using any of their branding.

That said, I understand how taglines can be misread in quick forum posts, so I’ll ask for tweaks to the wording moving forward just to avoid any unnecessary confusion.

WHMDC

@WSS said:

@imok said:
@WHMDC I suggest removing the “Next-Gen **** Alternative” tagline before **** sends you a legal notice.

Consider this a non-legal notice from someone who is definitely not ****.

Yeah, and their logo is trademarked, too, and this is highly derivative. Yes, I'm aware it's 95% just a font.

https://www.whmcs.com/terms-of-service/

Just to clarify, our branding isn’t derived from WHMCS’s logo or assets, and we’re not using any of their trademarks or protected design elements. The similarities begin and end with the fact that a lot of hosting software uses clean, modern typography.

We’re careful with IP, so there’s no conflict here, but thanks for the heads-up all the same.

SimpleSonic

@WHMDC

Does your PayPal integration support billing agreements or just basic PayPal with subscriptions?
Which control panels will you have integration for?

Also, one area where WHMCS specifically falls short, and has for years, is built-in ability for clients to choose a specific server location during the ordering process.

Many hosting providers offer several locations for their shared and reseller hosting products, and providers shouldn't have to jump through hoops and need custom code, hooks, etc., or have to use an addon module, to simply use multiple server locations with your billing app to allow clients to choose from those locations during signup.

Baby6

Maybe your software will have good features..
But I will never use it..

Why? Because it's contains the word WHM

I'm not a hard-core heater of WHMCS, even I am using it for years..

The only issue for me is if you can't even drop the name then you are not an alternative..

I might try and use it if your software name XYZ or anything except WHM

Anyways it's just my opinion..

GOOD LUCK TO YOU

WHMDC

@Baby6 said:
Maybe your software will have good features..
But I will never use it..

Why? Because it's contains the word WHM

I'm not a hard-core heater of WHMCS, even I am using it for years..

The only issue for me is if you can't even drop the name then you are not an alternative..

I might try and use it if your software name XYZ or anything except WHM

Anyways it's just my opinion..

GOOD LUCK TO YOU

Thanks for the honest feedback it’s genuinely appreciated.

Just to clarify, the “WHM” in WHMDC stands for Web Host Manager, as in Web Host Manager Desk Cloud - not WHMCS. The name literally describes what the platform is: a modern desk/cloud system built for managing servers, automation, provisioning, and the hosting workflow.

It isn’t connected to WHMCS in any way. The entire platform is built from scratch with its own architecture, its own identity, and a direction that goes far beyond the limitations of the older systems.

Branding can evolve over time, but for now the name simply says exactly what the software is.

Really appreciate the feedback and you’re always welcome to try it later if the direction or branding clicks more with you.

cservers

Hello,

What is the compatibility level of WHMDC with existing integrations/addons for WHMCS in the marketplace? Is there any?

If it existed you could leverage what is possibly the best current asset of WHMCS...

Baby6

@WHMDC said:

@Baby6 said:
Maybe your software will have good features..
But I will never use it..

Why? Because it's contains the word WHM

I'm not a hard-core heater of WHMCS, even I am using it for years..

The only issue for me is if you can't even drop the name then you are not an alternative..

I might try and use it if your software name XYZ or anything except WHM

Anyways it's just my opinion..

GOOD LUCK TO YOU

Thanks for the honest feedback it’s genuinely appreciated.

Just to clarify, the “WHM” in WHMDC stands for Web Host Manager, as in Web Host Manager Desk Cloud - not WHMCS. The name literally describes what the platform is: a modern desk/cloud system built for managing servers, automation, provisioning, and the hosting workflow.

It isn’t connected to WHMCS in any way. The entire platform is built from scratch with its own architecture, its own identity, and a direction that goes far beyond the limitations of the older systems.

Branding can evolve over time, but for now the name simply says exactly what the software is.

Really appreciate the feedback and you’re always welcome to try it later if the direction or branding clicks more with you.

I'm in hosting business for more than 15 years. So I know very well that WHM stands for Web Host Manager.

I just don't like it as it's very similar sounds just like WHMCS.

As I said before neither I have any kind of hate towards WHMC nor with your software.

Even from the screenshot you posted I am really impressed as it looks very promising.

However as I said it's my parsonal thinking that I don't like the WHM in your branding..

Anyways Good luck..

WHMDC

@cservers said:
Hello,

What is the compatibility level of WHMDC with existing integrations/addons for WHMCS in the marketplace? Is there any?

If it existed you could leverage what is possibly the best current asset of WHMCS...

WHMDC isn’t built on WHMCS code, so existing WHMCS modules aren’t directly compatible. The architecture is completely new, modern, and far cleaner than legacy WHMCS, so forcing compatibility would actually limit what the platform can do.

With that said, WHMDC has a full modular system, server modules, registrar modules, payment gateways, automation hooks and they’re extremely straightforward to build. Most WHMCS module logic can be ported over with minimal effort because the concepts are familiar, just implemented in a more modern way.

We’re also planning a Module Developer Kit and clear documentation so providers can publish native WHMDC modules easily.

So while it won’t run WHMCS modules “as-is,” it will open the door for vendors to build cleaner, faster, more secure versions of their integrations without fighting 15-year-old legacy code.

If anything, that gives WHMDC the best of both worlds with modern architecture without being tied to the limitations of the past.

Hope that helps.

WHMDC

Tell us what you would like in YOUR system.

Let us know here: features.whmdc.com

MichaelCee

Demo looks really nice!

WHMDC

@MichaelCee said: Demo looks really nice!

Thankyou for your kind feedback. Let us know if there is something you would like to see that is missing from your core features features.whmdc.com

privateMode

Keep in mind that self-hosted != free. At least more competition on billing software now.

WHMDC

@privateMode said:
Keep in mind that self-hosted != free. At least more competition on billing software now.

If you’re interested, join the launch list to get early access - spaces will be limited.

SpeedBus

Looks pretty nice, looking forward to the pricing structure to get a better idea long term

WHMDC

@SpeedBus said:
Looks pretty nice, looking forward to the pricing structure to get a better idea long term

Our website will be properly launched soon. Keep an eye out www.WHMDC.com

TeYroX

I have weird feeling that it was vibe coded in few evenings.

WHMDC

@TeYroX said:
I have weird feeling that it was vibe coded in few evenings.

While everyone is entitled to their opinions. And we welcome them. Good and bad. That will help us build what users and businesses actually want, rather than taking the easy route of building something and fixing bugs over the years and relying on external development that costs the end user more.

Why not implement these into the core? If your business has no need for that, switch it off then switch on only what you need. And best of all not having multiple subscriptions all over the place.

I have no doubt people who vibe code have come up with some amazing things. (We use Ai it to assist with bug errors that would somewhat take hours rather than minutes).

If you love or hate Ai it’s here stay. When you have Google’s Ai building itself who knows where it will lead. Better or worse!?

Anyhow, I hope you do try the pre-phase 1 demo (it’s more of a sneak peak to give you the idea).

Try having an open mind that something new, may be for you?

WHMDC

Migration Assistance has been added into WHMDC!

• Blesta
• WHMCS
• HostBill
• Clientexec

Is there another provider that you would like to see on this list?

ialexpw

@TeYroX said:
I have weird feeling that it was vibe coded in few evenings.

The domain was only registered a day before this thread too.. would be interested to see some code/actual usage once it's released to see how it actually performs. Just seems a bit sudden - who/what company is behind this?

WHMDC

@ialexpw said:

@TeYroX said:
I have weird feeling that it was vibe coded in few evenings.

The domain was only registered a day before this thread too.. would be interested to see some code/actual usage once it's released to see how it actually performs. Just seems a bit sudden - who/what company is behind this?

Hello, yes the domain was registered recently that is simply due to our timeline. It was time to register the domain name, we had a couple in mind and at the time that was the best voted name so we ran with it. Trying to be as transparent as possible with everyone. In terms of testing, you are welcome to see our early release here https://whmdc.com/

If you have any other questions you can email us at [email protected]

ahnlak

I have to say the way you carefully avoid answering questions doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

WHMDC

@ahnlak said:
I have to say the way you carefully avoid answering questions doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

Thanks for your comment, while we know it wont be for everyone and that is fine but nevertheless, over 50 companies are interested and registered for launch may find our software more fitting to their liking and will without a doubt save money with us.

Out of interest, what didn't we answer or was there something you wanted clarification on - Please let us know.

ahnlak

@WHMDC said:

@ahnlak said:
I have to say the way you carefully avoid answering questions doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

Thanks for your comment, while we know it wont be for everyone and that is fine but nevertheless, over 50 companies are interested and registered for launch may find our software more fitting to their liking and will without a doubt save money with us.

Out of interest, what didn't we answer or was there something you wanted clarification on - Please let us know.

If you really want to know...

"Looks pretty good, how's the pricing?" was answered with a link to an empty news page
"Who are you exactly?" was answered with a vague "full WHMDC About / Team page is being prepared", followed up later by " full company overview will be published before public release"

You keep saying you want to be "as transparent as possible with everyone", but you're desperately farming interest in a product from a company that keeps it's identity secret (if you are a UK company, as you sort-of imply, you should have a company number) and an evasive pricing structure.

I mean it might all be perfectly fine, but it raises some very unnecessary red flags.

WHMDC

We are still working really hard behind the scenes