Side-by-side comparison
The trade-off is control versus effort: your own panel lets you change everything, a child panel lets you start selling without technical work.
| Your own panel | Child panel | |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Buy a panel script licence or pay a developer | Included |
| Hosting and server | You rent, configure and secure it | Included |
| Updates and security fixes | Your job, or a paid developer's | Included |
| Services to sell | You connect and maintain supplier APIs | The full catalogue is ready from day one |
| Payments from customers | You integrate gateways | You enable payment methods in your panel's admin |
| Domain | Yours | Yours, pointed to our nameservers |
| Branding and prices | Unlimited | Your name, logo and theme; prices are our rates plus one markup set for your panel |
| Custom features | Anything you can build | What the platform provides |
| Time to launch | Days to weeks, depending on setup | After order review and DNS change |
| Fixed cost | Script, server, maintenance | Plan fee |
What building your own panel really costs
Beyond the script price, budget for a server, ongoing updates, payment integration, service sourcing and your own hours; the hours are the cost most people underestimate.
- Script. A one-off licence, a subscription, or custom development. Check whether updates are included and for how long.
- Server. A VPS or dedicated server, plus backups and monitoring. Panels process orders around the clock, so downtime means lost orders.
- Security. Panels hold customer balances and API keys; unpatched scripts are a common target.
- Payments. Each gateway needs an account, integration and webhook testing, and its own fees.
- Services. You need supplier APIs to fulfil orders, mapping of service IDs, price updates and handling when services change or stop.
- Your time. Customer tickets, failed orders, refunds and refills are work whichever route you choose, but server and script problems are added only on your own panel.
Prices for scripts, servers and developers vary too much between markets to quote honestly, so the calculator below uses your own quotes.
What a child panel costs on 9SMM.COM
You pay a fixed plan fee for the panel, and your customers' orders are paid from your balance at our rates, so your margin is your selling price minus that rate.
On 9SMM.COM, the plan fee is shown on the child panel page, with longer terms available on the child panel page.
- Order costs. When a customer orders on your panel, the base cost is deducted from your balance here; the difference to your selling price is your profit.
- Balance. Keep it topped up so orders can go through.
- Included. Hosting, updates, automatic order processing, admin dashboard, site builder and themes, eight interface languages, local currency display and a reseller API v2 for your own customers.
- Setup. Choose a plan, enter your domain and settings, our team reviews and activates the panel, then you point the domain's nameservers to ours.
To estimate what you would earn per order at different markups, use the reseller profit calculator.
Cost calculator
Enter your real quotes for a self-built panel and compare the total over the months you plan to run it; the child panel fee is prefilled from the current plan price.
Build your own panel · Total
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Rent a child panel · Total
$0
Enter your own quotes on the left to see the comparison.
Domain and payment gateway fees apply to both options, so they are left out.
Which should you choose?
Choose a child panel to start selling quickly with little technical risk; build your own when you need custom features or multiple suppliers and have the skills or budget to maintain it.
A child panel fits if you
- want to test whether you can sell SMM services before investing in software,
- do not want to manage servers, updates or security,
- are happy selling one ready catalogue under your brand, priced as our rates plus a markup.
Your own panel fits if you
- need features or integrations a hosted panel does not offer,
- want to combine services from several suppliers,
- have development skills or a reliable developer, and time for maintenance.
There is a middle path too: run your own panel and connect it to 9SMM.COM as one supplier through the API. The SMM provider page explains that setup.
Frequently asked questions
What is a white-label SMM panel?
A panel you sell under your own brand and domain while the software, hosting and order processing are run by someone else. A child panel is one form of white-label panel.
Do I need coding skills for a child panel?
No. You configure the domain, branding and payment methods in the admin dashboard; the markup for your panel is set by our team on request. Hosting and updates are handled for you.
Can I move from a child panel to my own panel later?
Yes. The domain stays yours, so you can point it elsewhere. Customer accounts and balances would need to be handled carefully in any move, so plan it with your customers in mind.
Why do I need a balance on a child panel?
Your customers' orders are paid from your balance at the base rate. Without enough balance, orders cannot be processed.