I was aware of hosting providers' partner programs, but I didn't think they would be very lucrative since these programs rely on users referring their friends, limiting the number of potential referrals each user can bring.



To simplify, affiliate or referral programs are a commission-based system. If I bring a client to a hosting provider, they pay me a fee for the referral, which is usually a percentage of what the user pays. While some hosting providers offer fixed commission rates for referrals, DigitalOcean, for instance, pays $25 for any customer who spends $25. However, the hosting provider needs to be cautious with this system as the first payment from the client goes to the partner, and it's assumed that the client will stay with the provider for a long time; otherwise, it becomes a loss for the provider. The percentage of user payments varies significantly between hosting providers, with the minimum being 5%, and the maximum being 50%, which is rare.

Interestingly, most hosting providers offer the same percentage for partners, whether they refer one or a thousand clients. Discounts under reselling programs, however, vary depending on the volume of resources purchased. It would be more logical to increase the percentage for the partner with an increase in the number of invites, which would make it more profitable for them to find referrals.

Technically, the affiliate program works as follows: when the client clicks on the link with the affiliate ID, a cookie is saved on their device, indicating the partner who referred them. Depending on the hosting provider's wish, the cookie could be placed for several days to a couple of years. After registering the client, the hosting provider knows which partner balance to replenish.

Some hosting providers offer unique promo codes to track invitees, but this feature is less common now. The third option is automatic tracking of referrers and linking all that came from a specific site to the correct partner. However, this option may not be ideal because the referrer could be lost due to ad-blockers or other reasons.

Among other hosting providers, BILLmanager and WHMCS are two popular commercial billing services, although their affiliate program's principles are quite different. BILLmanager offers detailed statistics such as when the transition was made, from which site, whether the client registered, and whether they made payment. One drawback, however, is that the partner has access to the email addresses of all clients who register through their mediation by default. On the first day of each month, BILLmanager calculates the funds spent by customers and credits the partner with their remuneration.

WHMCS only provides compressed statistics (total clicks, number of registered users, and remuneration) but shows the ordered services and remuneration amounts for each. Earnings are accrued after the client pays for the service, not once a month. Withdrawal of money earned through an affiliate program is allowed by almost all hosting providers, with rare exceptions. The minimum amount for withdrawal varies, and most often, electronic money is used.

To withdraw money using BILLmanager, a ticket must be created every time, in which the withdrawal is requested. For hosting providers working with WHMCS, a button appears when the accumulated withdrawal amount reaches the minimum, and a ticket about the withdrawal is automatically created upon clicking. More advanced hosting providers have slightly upgraded billing, enabling clients to enter their payment details next to the withdrawal button, saving time for support.

When it comes to VDS/VPS running on Windows Server, you don't monitor the expense of the Windows license. This is usually a separate item for many hosting providers, adding a few hundred rubles per month that significantly alters the cost for entry-level servers. In comparison, hosters.com (not promoting, but using as an example from top search engines) presents the Windows license cost in a user-friendly manner.

Tracking the cost of Windows licensing for VDS/VPS can be challenging, especially since it is considered a separate item for most hosting providers, leading to a few hundred rubles of additional costs every month. This notably changes the expenses for entry-level servers. On the other hand, some hosting providers like hosters.com show the cost of the Windows license more conveniently.

Why is the disk size limited to 200 GB in your search function? I am aware of two companies that can attach a 5 TB disk to the UPU, which is what I'm looking for primarily. Unfortunately, your service is of no use to me due to this limitation.

The limit on disk size when searching for a disk poses a problem for users who require more space than the current maximum of 200 GB. In fact, there are several companies that can provide disks of much larger sizes, such as 5 TB, which is essential for some users. Without this option, the service becomes unhelpful for those who need larger disk sizes.