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DirectAdmin Price Increase
MechanicWeb
Member, Patron Provider
in General
Kind of strange that nobody is talking about it. Am I the only one got the notification?
It seems DA is discontinuing the internal licenses from August 1, 2023. After that time, no new internal licenses can be ordered, only retail licenses. Existing internal licenses will continue to work.
They are generous to issue a notice more than a year ahead.
But ultimately, this will result in a price hike as retail licenses cost multiple times more than internal licenses.
Ref:
https://docs.directadmin.com/getting-started/pro-pack/license-changes.html
Comments
I guess my lifetime licenses continue to be a good investment, then, even though we don't get any of the nice new features.
Yeah, saw it as well. I knew it was coming, and it sucks as DA is my favorite, but I am now either going without a cp or using Vesta/Hestia
They are a business after all. Maximizing profit is the primary goal of any business. If they could get away with it, why wouldn't they do it?
I kind of see the need to unify the documentation so that it can apply to all license tiers in terms of features. Doing so will result in less confusion for new users. In addition, retail licenses include support. Internal licenses do not.
But I am not sure if it would help DA. If it doesn't, it wouldn't help the hosting providers/end users, too. They would be constantly in need for another cheaper alternative.
Many switched to DA because of the cPanel price hike. So, price was an advantage even though DA team might not see it as an advantage.
By the end of 2023, there will be a couple of new control panels in the market. So that's something to consider, too.
DA is still much cheaper than CPanel and the old licenses will still work.
Yes that was one of their main advantage which looks like they are removing, this would however affect providers mostly since even with the discounts they provide the $5/month licenses would now be $21.75/month which is a hefty price increase.
Didn't @Francisco offer free licenses, I wonder if Buyvm will discontinue the free licenses?
I’m sure you can recycle the internal licenses - re use them if a customer cancels?
Or maybe buy a few and harvest them?
Personally I think people will want the pro features, so internal ones won’t be in demand.
It depends on how you see it.
If you do not have more than 100 accounts on a dedi, or more than 30 accounts on a VPS, and clients prefer cPanel, and with the size and response time of cPanel support team, very few control panels hold any chance.
I just don't have a good feeling about it. The timing does not seem right to me - considering the control panel industry could ramp up by a couple of notches by the end of 2023.
Old license will still work. So, the licenses they have will continue to work, as long as they do not let them expire. Once expired, old pricing is gone.
I should know more once I get a reply to my ticket
Francisco
Pro features aren't ready to replace CloudLinux.
I know it might be entirely up to DA. Just letting you know that I didn't forget that you were one of the firsts to offer free DA when cPanel took a jab at the industry.
@DA_Mark has been good to us so I try to return the favor I also do my best looking out for license abuse and things like that.
Francisco
Slight derail here.
@MechanicWeb I like that you are more humble around these parts than on WHT where you step on everyone, like if you were always right.
Is good that you know your audience.
I pay the retail price anyway. Couldn't care less really, as it's still a very good deal for the full featured software you're receiving. I'd only care if they change to the per-account pricing model, but I think that's very unlikely except in 5-7 years.
>
Yeah but at some point they will discontinue those licenses & what if they need more licenses due to an increase of demand aswell. On a business point of view I think it changes how DirectAdmin licenses can be used and the target market - for me it seems that DirectAdmin just targetted providers that are reselling the internal licenses to their clients and including them in their offerings.
I dont think DA internal licenses were intended to be mainstream.
One important detail is that DA internal licenses customers don't have ticket support with DA directly.
In my experience paying directly is well worth, even If I don't use the pro features, because of the ticket support. They are quite technical, something that I like in responses.
Is not a price increase on the retail licenses, which have a "promise" of not receiving an arbitrary price increase. The $29/mo unlimited accounts is well worth IMHO.
No need to kink shame them boss.
Francisco
Wait hmmm sighs.
Got to say CPanel support isn’t all that. The last ticket I raised took a day + to get a response.
CPanel pro license is $35.99 per month which supports 30 accounts and VPS only.
DA Standard unlimited license $29 per month and runs on everything.
DA is still miles cheaper and you get discount the more retail licenses you have and I have to say the new CPanel changes aren’t all that….
Prices change, people will need to adjust pricing as required…
Let’s remember how WebPros screwed over WHMCS owned licenses with no more updates / support.
DA support has always been quick and knowledgeable in my experience.
Also your title is misleading - DA aren’t increasing prices - Just no longer selling more internal licenses in a year.
Directadmin is worth every cent. It would be a bargain at double the price.
@DA_Mark has been generous to us, too. Kind of surprised to see the policy shift, that's all.
If you did not like my replies on another community, you could voice it there. Let's not derail this thread any more.
This kind of considerations usually come on the table when the earnings from monthly licenses significantly surpass lifetime licenses. If they do it at some point, and the market accepts it, all good.
Expectations will rise with the cost increase. I'd be surprised if it turns out as smooth as cPanel's hike.
Yes. We do also receive this notice today only. But it mainly will affect the datacenter internal license cost.
We can't really expect perpetual prices from businesses. If DA changes their prices again, and can get away with it, all the best to them. I do not see anything wrong in it, but it does ultimately impact us negatively.
DA is discontinuing internal licenses, this will ultimately increase the cost for new licenses. Yes, it is retail license, but it costs more, too.
It was always going to happen. A case of when, not if.
Giving over a year's notice and only applying the change to new users is very reasonable. That way, hosts don't need to scramble with the difficult task of figuring out updated billing for existing users. Just a case of really updating the order form with the new pricing.
Including the Pro Pack provides additional marketing opportunities for hosts too; it has some value with some decent features.
I actually don't agree with this one, for the day to use day end user who wants to host a few sites there aren't many features in the Pro pack - most features are for the most advanced users. On a shared environment the Pro pack is very useful agreed but on a VPS level most users won't ever need the features in the Pro Pack IMO.
DA eventually will go full cPanel. This is guaranteed. We are not in utopia. In the end of the day money talks and a number of reasons can be presented: X outbreak, war, starvation, inflation, owners death, boredom etc.
If you are big enough - start coding/making your own control panel and sleep well.
The fact that they are giving so much notice ahead is actually quite good. But for a non hosting provider, like someone running a VPS, the price increase makes it a no go, otherwise you might as well go for a small dedi.
We recently noticed this as well but only when we were going to place new orders and found our internal license option was already removed which was very confusing when it says "New orders for datacenter products will no longer be accepted as of August 1, 2023." We opened a ticket and seems like we don't have an option but to switch to full price straight away
We will always recommend DirectAdmin but certainly the pricing we once was able to offer a VPS + CP isn't going to be the same of course.
End of the day DA has to do what they think best for their business and to ensure they can keep going with a great product.
Yes they already disabled allowing new orders for DC licenses its been a few weeks actually
Looks like they may also be ending the paid addon support for the owned licenses???