Choosing the right domain registrar as a reseller can be daunting. Two of the big contenders in the domain world are Openprovider and OpenSRS – but which one should you choose for your business? Let’s dive in and see how they compare in five different categories: domains, bundle products, services, company features, and pricing.
Domains
Openprovider offers an extensive selection of over 2,000 TLDs, significantly surpassing OpenSRS, which (at the time of writing) provides around 650. For a .com domain, Openprovider charges $9.77 per year, while OpenSRS customers pay between $10.75 and $13.75 annually, depending on their subscription tier. We will examine the difference in domain pricing in greater detail later on.
In addition to competitive pricing, Openprovider offers a variety of domain-related services that are currently unavailable through OpenSRS. These include aftermarket domains, local presence services, domain blocks, TMCH registrations, and (Member-only) free Whois Privacy Protection.
Bundle products
Bundle products are crucial for web hosters, and email is one of the most important ones. Openprovider offers business email at just $0.70/month for 15GB, along with a comprehensive suite of email security products, including SpamExperts, EasyDMARC, and S/MIME certificates. In contrast, OpenSRS currently charges $0.50/month for 5GB and $1/month per 10GB, without offering any additional email security products.
When it comes to other bundled products, Openprovider boasts a broad portfolio, including Plesk licenses, Premium DNS, SSL certificates, and Code Signing certificates. OpenSRS, on the other hand, presently offers a more limited selection, featuring only SSL certificates and SiteLock security.
Services for domain resellers
Openprovider boasts an intuitive control panel that allows users to manage domains and products from a centralized platform. The control panel includes unlimited sub-accounts for team members, and it is possible to set your account in five different currencies.
Meanwhile, besides a control panel, OpenSRS offers a “domain reseller storefront,” enabling you to sell domains through a custom-branded storefront without the need for manual coding or API integration. The storefront also supports fully white-labeled email communications for all operations, a capability that is also available within Openprovider’s control panel.
Another notable feature of OpenSRS is its “OpenHRS” hosted registrar services, which allow users with registrar accreditation to manage their accreditations via an existing platform.
Both the Openprovider and OpenSRS interfaces allow for full automation through an API and custom-developed WHMCS modules.
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, Openprovider offers significant savings compared to OpenSRS. Openprovider Members enjoy access to over 1,900 TLDs at cost price, while OpenSRS employs a tier-based reseller program with additional fees on top of domain costs. Although larger OpenSRS customers can receive a 5%-25% discount on most TLDs, they still cannot purchase at cost price. This pricing structure makes OpenSRS less appealing to smaller businesses, as their tier is determined by annual spending and the number of domain operations.
Openprovider also offers some of the lowest market prices for Plesk licenses, a product not available through OpenSRS. Additionally, Openprovider’s business email and SSL certificates are also the more affordable options. OpenSRS does include a free “SSL Lite” certificate (comparable to a DV single domain certificate) with each domain registered on their nameservers, but for an SSL certificate that provides greater protection, you will need to pay.
OpenSRS’ reseller program requires a $95 signup fee, which is added as credit to the reseller account. Meanwhile, signing up with Openprovider is free. Membership fees start at just $49 per year – but with domains at cost price and high discounts on bundle products, the ROI on Memberships is remarkably high. Click here to see immediately how much you can save, based on the size of your domain portfolio.
Companies in comparison
Founded in 2004, Openprovider is a medium-sized, independent company with around 100 employees located globally. With a fully remote, culturally diverse team, Openprovider offers support in multiple languages, including Dutch, Spanish, Catalan, and Hindi.
OpenSRS forms part of Tucows, a large conglomerate that includes a registry (Tucows Registry), other B2B domain registrar services (Enom, Ascio), and a B2C domain registrar service (Hover). OpenSRS’s support team operates from Canada and offers services only in English.
Regarding payment options, Openprovider provides greater flexibility, accepting credit cards, wire transfers, PayPal, iDeal, Bancontact, JCB, Diners Club, and Razorpay. Additionally, Openprovider allows accounts to be managed in five different currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, RUB, and INR), whereas OpenSRS only supports payments in USD.
Conclusion
Both Openprovider and OpenSRS are established players in the domain industry. As a domain reseller, both of these registrars would be a reliable choice with which to partner.
However, Openprovider Memberships give you access to significantly lower prices and added services. Becoming a Member will help stretch your budget further than ever before. Even the smallest Membership tier guarantees up to 6X ROI.
Ready to see how much you can save for yourself?
