I have been researching both of these companies for a reseller account. I have already used search here and still not sure which to go with. I would appreciate any feedback from people who have DIRECT experience with both of these companies.

There are several things about both that are appealing, but I am not sure which will provide the best in terms on end user support in particular. Here are some key points of comparison on entry level plans:

Item DIY HostingZoom

Space 4GB 5GB

B/W 30GB 75GB

Control Panel H-Sphere Cpanel/WHM

Billing H-Sphere ClientExec

OS Support Window/Linux Linux only

Scripts osCommerce Fantastico

SiteStudio

End User Support Yes-$27.95- Yes-No Additional Charge
$57.95/month

Domain Reseller $6.95 - eNom $8.95 - eNom Reseller Acct.
(via DIY account)

SSL Reseller Comodo can be GeoTrust account free
integrated into
H-Sphere

Overselling Yes Yes

MySQL 300MB Unlimited - to plan limit

Moneyback No-SLA Yes-30 Day
Guarantee

Avg. Ping Time 34ms 51ms

Major + DIY Reseller Kit Free End User Support

Price $42.95/mo. $24.95/mo.
(July special gives
6 months free with
6 months paid =
~$21/mo.)

Most of the other normal points are about the same. Overall, the fact that both allow overselling kind of worries me, no matter how "well managed" it may be. Obviously, on normal price HostingZoom appears to be the better "value" not meaning the cheapest, but best for the money. However, given the special with DIY, that kind of goes back in their favor. I have experience with cpanel/whm and was able to learn both of those pretty easily, so that fits more with HZ, but I have no experience with ClientExec or H-Sphere so I am concerned about those unknowns. My intent would be to utilize the end user support with either company, and only act as end of the line support myself and mainly concentrate on sales/marketing. I would like to know the technical side of these environments however, so that I could provide a high level of support if needed. Any advice/feedback from those who have direct experience with both of these companies would be most appreciated. Thanks.

David

Overselling worries you, yet you're considering HostingZoom? HZ's prices are extremely cheap.

The H-Sphere control panel is nice--billing and hosting are integrated, and you should have no problem learning it if you're already familiar with cPanel.

Originally posted by DanX
Overselling worries you, yet you're considering HostingZoom? HZ's prices are extremely cheap.

The H-Sphere control panel is nice--billing and hosting are integrated, and you should have no problem learning it if you're already familiar with cPanel.

Very true, and it wouldnt hurt giving H-Sphere a try :)

Skyview, there are major differences between those hosts, so it's a bit like comparing apples and oranges. They can both be good, but they will taste differently nevertheless. :)

Arguably, the first thing you must decide on is the control panel, and you must do this quite independently of any other factors. Each of the options has its advantages.

Also, seing how you mentioned a special July offer: in fact you need to consider the real price you'll pay once the special is over, because your own pricing must in fact cover those costs. You do save some $120, but this will actually have virtually no say in your overall business planning. :)

Originally posted by ldcdc
Skyview, there are major differences between those hosts, so it's a bit like comparing apples and oranges. They can both be good, but they will taste differently nevertheless. :)

Could you elaborate on that at all in terms of the major differences, other than what I have already mentioned above? Do you mean their philosophy for doing business is apples to oranges, or their technical aspects?

I've been pretty pleased with my current host (whom you know very well ;) ) but they do not offer any end user support options. I'll probably still maintain my account there for my own sites, but for providing hosting I would like someone who offers end user support.

Originally posted by ldcdc
Arguably, the first thing you must decide on is the control panel, and you must do this quite independently of any other factors. Each of the options has its advantages.

Do you have experience with both? Can you give any real-world +'s and -'s for chosing one over the other? Obviously the learning curve for H-Sphere would be greater for me since my experience has been with cpanel/whm and proprietary cp's before that.

Originally posted by ldcdc
Also, seing how you mentioned a special July offer: in fact you need to consider the real price you'll pay once the special is over, because your own pricing must in fact cover those costs. You do save some $120, but this will actually have virtually no say in your overall business planning. :)

Very true, and already taken into consideration. It was more of a (1 year startup plan item) for consideration, not factored into the long term plan. Ultimately, I want to chose an upstream provider that I can feel comfortable will be there for many years to come and provide excellent service/support, reliability, and performance. If that means paying x $ more per month or year for it, then I am prepared to do that. I'm more interested in finding the right fit than being stuck on price. I am very conscientious about making sure any service or product that I provide to clients is of the highest caliber.

David

P.S. Sorry for how the original post turned out (vb killed the formatting) but I think it is still readable.

Could you elaborate on that at all in terms of the major differences, other than what I have already mentioned above? Do you mean their philosophy for doing business is apples to oranges, or their technical aspects?Well the technical differences are obvious, so even though they're both hosts (fruits) they're different (apple and orange). :)

When it comes to their philosophy of doing business, I don't think any of the companies would see it fair of me to judge them on mere appearances but you, as a potential customer, are free to do that in your own mind. :)

Do you have experience with both? Can you give any real-world +'s and -'s for chosing one over the other? Obviously the learning curve for H-Sphere would be greater for me since my experience has been with cpanel/whm and proprietary cp's before that.Sorry, my knowledge of H-Sphere is superficial. I also have a bad habbit of getting used to any interface as long as it does the job it's supposed to do. :)

If that means paying x $ more per month or year for it, then I am prepared to do that. I'm more interested in finding the right fit than being stuck on price. I am very conscientious about making sure any service or product that I provide to clients is of the highest caliber.Your aim is definitely commendable. What struck me as odd was how both these hosts fit your business model, considering that one of them would probably end up costing you several times more than the other.

All that said, it would be wonderful if we would get "any feedback from people who have DIRECT experience with both of these companies." :)

Idk i've never been tobig on H-Sphere always been a big fan of Modernbill but if your first starting out on reselling i would start with H-Sphere its more simple.

Originally posted by ldcdc
All that said, it would be wonderful if we would get "any feedback from people who have DIRECT experience with both of these companies." :)

Anyone?

I have, seperately, a hosting account and a reseller account with HostingZoom. I have had no issues. I contacted them once about an email problem that turned out to be an issue with the ISP. They responded quickly and had the knowledge needed.

Hosting account - Must have had for around 4 months.
Reseller account - Purchased this month.