Do We Finally Have a Free WHMCS Alternative With Paymenter?

For hosting providers, finding the right billing solution has always been a challenge. You need something that automates payments, integrates with your control panels, handles subscriptions, and connects all the tools you use daily.

The problem? Most options are expensive, outdated, or both.

WHMCS has dominated the market for years, but with rising prices and questionable business decisions, many hosting providers are looking for alternatives. Enter Paymenter — an open-source billing solution that's been quietly growing into a real competitor.

The State of Hosting Billing in 2025

The hosting billing market has been stagnant for over a decade. WHMCS, Blesta, ClientExec, and HostBill have remained the primary options, with little innovation between them.

WHMCS, the market leader, has recently:

• Raised prices significantly
• Removed lifetime licenses
• Added minimal new features despite price increases

This has left many hosting providers frustrated and looking for alternatives. But until recently, there wasn't a viable free option that could actually compete.

What Is Paymenter?

Paymenter is an open-source hosting billing solution built with Laravel. Launched in 2022, it's grown from a small project to a legitimate alternative that thousands of hosting providers are now using.

Key facts about Paymenter:

• Completely free and open-source
• Built on modern Laravel framework
• Active development and community
• Growing marketplace of extensions
• Native Pterodactyl integration

The project is maintained by a dedicated team and has gained significant traction in the hosting community, especially among game server hosts and smaller hosting providers.

Paymenter Integrations

One of the most important aspects of any billing solution is what it can integrate with. Here's what Paymenter supports:

Payment Gateways

• Stripe — Full support for cards, subscriptions, and more
• PayPal — Standard and subscription payments
• Mollie — Popular in Europe with multiple payment methods
• Xendit — Southeast Asia payment processing
• And much more thanks to third party creators

Control Panels

• Pterodactyl — Native integration (perfect for game server hosts)
• Proxmox — Virtualization platform support
• DirectAdmin — Web hosting control panel
• VirtFusion — Cloud hosting platform
• Virtualizor — VPS management
• CyberPanel — Web hosting panel
• cPanel — The most requested integration
• And much more thanks to third party creators

Other Integrations

• Email services (AWS SES, SMTP)
• Domain registrars
• Server provisioning automation
• API access for custom integrations

The integration list has grown significantly since Paymenter's early days, and the extension marketplace makes it easy to add more.

Want to extend Paymenter's functionality? Check out our collection of Paymenter extensions including File Browser, Security Addon, Blog Addon, Helpcenter, and many more to enhance your billing system.

How Easy Is Paymenter to Use?

Installation

Paymenter is straightforward to install. The documentation is clear, and the setup process is well-documented. If you're comfortable with Laravel or have basic server management skills, you'll have no issues.

Admin Interface

The admin interface is modern and clean — a refreshing change from the dated interfaces of WHMCS and Blesta. It's intuitive, responsive, and doesn't feel like it's stuck in 2010.

Key admin features:

• Dashboard with overview statistics
• Client management
• Product and service management
• Invoice system
• Ticket system
• Help center/knowledge base (enhanced with our Helpcenter extension)
• Announcements
• Extension marketplace

Pro tip: Enhance your Paymenter admin panel with extensions like File Browser for direct file management, Security Addon for advanced protection, and Translation Manager for full localization control.

Client Interface

The client portal is clean and user-friendly. Clients can easily:

• View their services
• Make payments
• Open support tickets
• Access the knowledge base
• Manage their account

The interface is responsive and works well on mobile devices, which is increasingly important.

Is Paymenter Secure and Reliable?

Security

Being open-source is a double-edged sword for security:

• Pros: Code is auditable, vulnerabilities are found faster, community can review and fix issues
• Cons: Potential attackers can also review the code

However, Paymenter has had a solid security track record. The Laravel framework provides a strong security foundation, and the development team is responsive to security issues.

Best practices:

• Keep Paymenter updated
• Use strong passwords
• Enable two-factor authentication
• Regularly review your server security
• Monitor for updates and security patches

Stability and Reliability

Paymenter has matured significantly since its early days. While it's still younger than WHMCS, it's stable enough for production use. Many hosting providers are successfully running their businesses on it.

The project has:

• Regular updates and bug fixes
• Active community support
• Growing marketplace
• Sustainable development model

Paymenter vs WHMCS: The Real Comparison

Where Paymenter Wins

• Free and open-source — No licensing fees
• Modern interface — Clean, responsive design
• Native Pterodactyl support — Perfect for game server hosts
• Full customization — Edit everything since it's open-source
• Active development — Regular updates and new features
• Community-driven — Responsive to user feedback
• Growing extension ecosystem — Access to powerful extensions like Statuspage, Custom Pages, Blog Addon, and more

Where WHMCS Still Leads

• Maturity — More years of development and refinement
• Feature completeness — More built-in features
• Larger marketplace — More third-party addons
• Professional support — Official support channels
• Brand recognition — More widely known and trusted

The Verdict

Paymenter is now a viable alternative to WHMCS, especially for:

• New hosting businesses
• Game server hosting providers
• Smaller to medium hosting companies
• Those who want full control over their billing system
• Budget-conscious providers

However, if you're running a large operation with complex requirements, WHMCS might still be the safer choice — at least for now.

Should You Switch to Paymenter?

Switch if:

• You're starting a new hosting business
• You want to eliminate licensing costs
• You need native Pterodactyl integration
• You want modern, customizable software
• You're comfortable with open-source solutions
• You want access to affordable, high-quality extensions (like our Paymenter extensions)

Stay with WHMCS if:

• You have a large, established operation
• You need extensive third-party integrations
• You require professional support contracts
• You have complex, custom requirements
• You're not comfortable managing open-source software

The Future of Paymenter

Paymenter has come a long way in a few short years. With:

• Growing user base
• Active development
• Expanding marketplace
• Community support
• Sustainable monetization (hosted plans, marketplace revenue)

The project shows no signs of slowing down. As it continues to mature, it's likely to become an even stronger competitor to WHMCS.

Getting Started with Paymenter

If you're interested in trying Paymenter:

1. Self-hosted: Download and install on your own server (free)
2. Hosted option: Use Paymenter's hosted service ($5/month)
3. Extensions: Browse our Paymenter extensions marketplace for essential addons
4. Community: Join the Discord for support

Essential Paymenter Extensions to Get Started

Once you have Paymenter installed, here are some must-have extensions to enhance your hosting business:

• File Browser — Browse, view, and edit files directly from your admin panel
• Security Addon — Block users, IPs, VPNs, and protect against abuse
• Helpcenter — Create a comprehensive knowledge base and FAQ system
• Statuspage — Add a professional status page to monitor your services
• Blog Addon — Add a blog to your Paymenter site with posts and categories
• Custom Pages — Create custom pages like Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and more
• Privacy Tools — Ensure full GDPR compliance
• Downloadable Products — Sell digital products with anti-piracy protection

View all our Paymenter extensions to find exactly what you need for your hosting business.

Conclusion

Paymenter has evolved from a small open-source project to a legitimate free alternative to WHMCS. While it's not perfect and still has room to grow, it's now viable for many hosting providers.

The question isn't whether Paymenter can compete with WHMCS — it's whether it's the right choice for your specific needs.

For new hosting businesses, game server hosts, and those looking to reduce costs while maintaining control, Paymenter is an excellent option. For large, established operations with complex requirements, WHMCS might still be the safer bet.

But one thing is clear: Paymenter has finally given hosting providers a real free alternative to WHMCS, and that's something the industry has needed for a long time.

Ready to Enhance Your Paymenter Setup?

Now that you know Paymenter is a viable WHMCS alternative, it's time to supercharge it with powerful extensions. At BuiltByOtte, we offer a wide range of high-quality Paymenter extensions designed to help you run your hosting business more efficiently.

Popular Paymenter Extensions

• File Browser — $4.99 — Browse and edit files directly from your admin panel
• Security Addon — $4.99 — Advanced security features including IP blocking and VPN detection
• Helpcenter — $4.99 — Complete knowledge base and FAQ system
• Statuspage — $4.99 — Professional status monitoring page
• Blog Addon — $4.99 — Add a full-featured blog to your site
• Custom Pages — $4.99 — Create unlimited custom pages
• Privacy Tools — $4.99 — GDPR compliance tools
• Downloadable Products — $4.99 — Sell digital products securely

Why Choose BuiltByOtte Extensions?

• Affordable pricing — All extensions priced at $4.99 or less
• Regular updates — Extensions are maintained and updated regularly
• Great support — Get help via Discord or BuiltByBit conversations
• High quality — Built by experienced developers who use Paymenter daily
• Well documented — Comprehensive documentation for each extension

Browse all our Paymenter extensions and find the perfect addons to enhance your hosting business today!

Need help choosing? Join our Discord community to get recommendations from other Paymenter users.

Disclaimer

Some links in this post may be referral or affiliate links. Using them helps support my work at no additional cost to you - thank you!