ResellPortal / Guides
How much does it cost to start an SMM panel?
Short answer: the minimum is $20. On ResellPortal a $20 wallet deposit, plus a $10 first-deposit bonus, is all you must spend, because the store, hosting and checkout are free and you pay wholesale only when an order comes in. Add about $11 a year for your own .com. Running your own panel software adds $10 to $50 a month for the panel before your first order, plus funds at each provider and payment fees.
An SMM panel sells social media services such as followers, likes and views. With no stock to hold, it is cheap to open. The money goes to five places: the panel, the services you resell, the domain and brand, payment processing and marketing. Here is what each costs when you build it yourself and when you sell from ResellPortal, using prices the companies publish.
Startup cost at a glance
| Cost item | Doing it yourself | With ResellPortal |
|---|---|---|
| Panel software | $10 to $50 a month on entry plans, or 5% of completed orders on Socpanel after a $10 deposit | $0. Store, live catalog and checkout included |
| Services you resell | Funds deposited at each provider | $20 wallet minimum, plus a $10 bonus on a first deposit of $20 or more, spent per order |
| Domain | About $11 a year or more for a .com | About $11 a year or more for a .com; hosting and SSL free |
| Payments | Processor fees, such as 2.9% + 30¢ per US card payment on Stripe | Your own processor's fees; ResellPortal takes nothing from retail |
| Marketing | Your choice | Your choice |
| Minimum to open | First month's panel fee plus provider funds | $20 |
Panel software
If you build your own panel, the software is the first bill. Perfect Panel's base plan is $50 a month for up to 1,000 orders, and the price rises with volume. Rental Panel starts at $10 a month for up to 100 orders and reaches $150 for 100,000 to 200,000, and that fee covers the panel only, not services. Socpanel has no subscription: a $10 first deposit activates the panel, then it takes 5% of completed orders. On ResellPortal there is no panel fee. Your store gets an SMM page, a live catalog of 2,000+ services across 15+ platforms and a checkout, on your own domain.
Services and wholesale cost
Panel software sells nothing on its own. You connect providers by API and keep money deposited with each one, with services listed from $0.01 per 1,000 at providers such as JustAnotherPanel and Followiz. On ResellPortal the wallet is the only deposit. The minimum is $20, and each order is charged at wholesale when it is placed. Live starting prices include TikTok views at $0.016, Instagram likes at $0.08 and Instagram followers at $0.90 per 1,000, refreshed every 6 hours. Wholesale drops 10%, 15% or 20% once the wallet reaches $100, $250 or $500. Orders that cannot be delivered are marked failed and refunded, and deposits never expire.
Domain and branding
Since November 1, 2026, a registrar pays $11.17 a year for each .com, the $10.97 registry fee plus a $0.20 ICANN fee, so expect to pay about that or more. On ResellPortal you connect your domain and add your logo and colors, and the store, its hosting and SSL cost nothing.
Payments
Card fees are a cost per sale, not a startup cost. Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per successful US card payment, plus 1.5% on international cards, with no monthly fee. ResellPortal never handles your retail revenue. Clients pay through your own Stripe or PayPal or by manual payment instructions you write, so the processor and its rules are your choice.
Marketing
Marketing is the one cost you fully control. Many panels start with free channels: the creator and small business communities they already belong to, short videos showing an order being placed, and referrals from first customers. Paid ads can wait until you know what a customer is worth. Promise speed and refills where a service offers them, and never promise real or organic followers.
Example first-month budget
Say you open an SMM store on ResellPortal with your own .com and no ads in month one.
- Wallet deposit: $20, plus the $10 bonus, so $30 of wholesale credit
- Domain: about $11
- Panel fee: $0
- Total out of pocket: about $31
You price Instagram followers at $3 per 1,000 and sell ten orders of 1,000. Revenue is $30. Wholesale at the $0.90 starting price is $9, leaving $21 in the wallet, and card fees at 2.9% + 30¢ on ten $3 payments are about $3.87, so you keep about $17. The same start on panel software adds $10 to $50 for the first month's panel, and you fund each provider instead of one wallet. Keep in mind that a ResellPortal store needs at least $20 in its wallet to accept orders, so top up from your sales as you grow.
Common questions
Can I start an SMM panel for free?
Almost. The ResellPortal account, store and panel are free, and you can explore the catalog and prices with a $0 wallet. Taking orders needs at least $20 in the wallet, which pays wholesale on your first orders rather than a fee.
What does an SMM panel cost each month?
On panel software the subscription repeats every month, from $10 on Rental Panel's smallest plan or $50 on Perfect Panel's base plan, rising with order volume. On ResellPortal there is no monthly fee, only wholesale on the orders you take.
How much profit does an SMM panel make per order?
It depends on your markup. On ResellPortal you set one markup and every service reprices, so a service at $0.90 per 1,000 wholesale sold at $3 earns $2.10 before payment fees. Many services include a refill guarantee for a set number of days at no extra cost.
Do I need coding skills or a server?
No. Panel software is hosted for you, and on ResellPortal the store, checkout and delivery run with no setup. Developers can also sell through the API, which lists every service with live prices and places orders.
Create a free ResellPortal account to see the full SMM catalog with live wholesale prices.
