Summary: This article discloses everything about Blesta and How can Blesta make your billing easier? without having any technical expertise.
Any established web host needs a sound billing system for smooth operations. Commercial billing software is particularly helpful for developers of open source. Billing software usually allows a web host to integrate control panels, registrations, and other licenses. It also helps a web host to create a repository of data for solving queries later.
Each software has its pros and cons and differs in terms of its features. Some might be more user-friendly, and some might be better suited for more established companies. Choosing the right billing software completely depends on the requirements and budget of the web hosting company. This article talks about one such software, Blesta, which is a renowned and reliable billing system for several web hosts.
What is Blesta?
Headquartered in Los Angeles and founded in 2007, Blesta is a popular billing platform for web hosting companies. It is a well-written, open, and developer-friendly website. It is often the first choice for web hosting companies. It has been around for quite a while and has got a lot of good features and advantages. It is a great software for reseller web hosts. The cheapest license at $5.15 a month and goes up to $10.35 a month. It handles a client’s billing, integrations and manages users for the web hosts. It is an easy way to automate and scale a web hosting business.
How can you install Blesta?
A big advantage of Blesta is that it is easily accessible and manageable. Here are the steps one needs to follow to install Blesta:
Download Blesta:
The first step to use Blesta is obviously to download it. It is best if the latest version of Blesta is downloaded. This has the most upgraded features available for the user. It can be downloaded from the Blest website easily.
Upload and extract Blesta file using the control panel:
Using the control panel file manager, the file can be uploaded from the computer. Once this is uploaded, the uploaded file has to be extracted
Licenses at Blesta
There are different options available for Blesta users, in terms of owning licenses. One can either own a license or can renew licenses monthly.
1. Owned unbranded and branded:
To own a license, a user can either pay for an owned branded or an owned unbranded. The owned branded license does not allow a user to remove the “Powered by Blesta” branding, while an owned unbranded license allows a user to do so. The unbranded license costs $250 one time, and the branded license costs $300 one time. Both of these have to be renewed at $39 annually.
2. Owned lifetime:
An owned lifetime license costs $750 one time and needs no annual renewal. It offers a lifetime of support and updates. A user can also remove the “powers by Blesta” branding if needed.
3. Monthly branded and unbranded
A user can also opt for a monthly renewal package of unbranded and branded licenses. While the branded license costs $12.95 a month, the unbranded one costs $14.95 a month.
These are the different license options available at Blesta. There is regular support, upgrades, and add-ons available for all clients with licenses
Payment at Blesta
Blesta offers its clients both merchant as well as non-merchant payment gateways. While non-merchant gateways take the user to an external website, merchant gateways allow the user to stay on the same website.
1. Prorata Billing
Users get a chance to configure services and renew their licenses every month on a specific day.
2. Multi-currency
There are multiple currency options that users can pay at Blesta. This increases client base and makes it easy for its clients too.
3. A wide array of payment gateways
There are over 35 non-merchant and merchant payment gateways available for the convenience of customers. This means there is no necessity for a merchant bank account.
4. Taxes
There are two levels of tax inclusion and exclusion, and tax exemption available for customers of Blesta.
Blesta is very professional and efficient with the payments it receives from clients. Since the software is automated, there is an immediate suspension in case of non-payment too.
Benefits of Blesta
Billing software is a bridge between a web hosting company and its users. Hence, it is very critical that the software runs and works well for maximum satisfaction and efficiency. It has sensitive information and data that has to be kept confidential. Here are some advantages of using Blesta
1. Multiple payment options for users
It is crucial that an online business has multiple methods of payments available for the convenience of its clients. Blesta offers a wide array of more than 35 payment gateways, both merchant as well as non-merchant. Merchant gateways like StripeWay, Sage, and eWay require a merchant bank account. On the other hand, non-merchant gateways like PayUmoney, CCAvenue, and BitPay do not require a merchant bank account. Payments are also possible in different currencies at Blesta.
2. Strong support system
There is a good deal of support for users of Blesta. A client support system that allows easy access to customer service is of utmost importance. An in-built chat system that is available round-the-clock is a plus. It increases the overall satisfaction of customers. The support system helps clients with everything starting from onboarding to termination.
3. Highly customizable
For any web host, it is very important to have customizable software. This not only enhances the user experience, but also helps build efficient systems since the user is only using the features they need. There are several features like reports and project support which a web host can customize on their dashboard on Blesta.
4. High Security
Blesta takes clients’ security seriously and makes it a point to not leak usernames. With a two-factor authentication for staff and clients, and blocking brute force logins, its security is highly maintained and updated from time to time.
5. Strong community
Blesta allows clients to access a blog, which has articles written by industry experts and experienced users. This is a great way to connect the community of web hosts as well as update everyone on the latest news and happenings. They also allow web hosts to post and answer queries on a community forum and regularly post on social media platforms as well.
With these advantages, Blesta has been able to successfully attract a large number of web hosting companies as its clients. Apart from these pros, Blest also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on its licenses. To make it easier, you can hire companies that offer custom development Blesta solutions after understanding your project needs.
FAQs
Q. Is Blesta free?
A. Blesta licenses are free for all reseller hosting packages. After you order your license and obtain the key, you can install Blesta on your account.
Q. How to link Blesta to Paypal?
A. After creating a package in Blesta, a user can set up a PayPal standard module with a username and password, and create a recurring invoice. The blog has detailed information with specific queries answered on this topic too.
Q. What is reseller hosting?
A. Reseller hosting is a kind of web hosting where you get a bulk amount of hosting space and then sell it to clients or website owners. It is a great recommendation for those who want a passive recurring side income. Each website gets its own panel and shares the disk space. It is a low-cost option for the web hosting company.
Conclusion
Businesses are now seeing high possibilities of expanding online, which has led to a boom in the web hosting industry. As the industry is growing, web hosts have more clients to serve. As they deal with more clients, they need more sophisticated mechanisms to generate bills and invoices. Billing systems like Blesta and WHMCS take care of this and ensure smooth working for web hosts, and ultimately for the websites as well. Blesta is a highly secure and trustworthy software, known for its great pricing and strong support system. Moreover, it also allows web hosts to build a strong community and discuss the different loopholes in the process. The different payment options and licenses offered by Blesta are particularly appreciated by all users.
