Email reseller programmes compared: what you earn, what you keep, who owns the customer
Every provider says "partner with us". The numbers that decide your income are the rate, whether it repeats on renewal, who invoices the customer, what it costs to join, and how you get paid. Here they are, side by side, with the two different models made explicit.
Business email reseller programmes come in two models. Commission programmes (XgenPlus, Zoho's partnership, and the partner discounts behind Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 reselling) pay you a percentage of what the customer pays. Wholesale programmes (GoDaddy Reseller, ResellerClub) sell you the service at a wholesale rate and let you set the retail price and keep the difference, usually for a plan fee or deposit. XgenPlus pays 15% of list price on 1 to 3 active domains, 17% on 4 to 6 and 20% on 7 or more, recurring on every renewal including renewals the customer makes directly, with the customer paying full list price and you invoicing under your own name. Google and Microsoft do not publish partner margins; industry reporting puts Microsoft CSP margins at roughly 12 to 18% of revenue, with indirect resellers giving 3 to 5 points of that to a distributor.
Programme terms checked September 2026 against each provider's published pages; sources at the end. Terms change, check before you sign.
Commission on list price, or wholesale markup
Neither is wrong. They suit different businesses, and mixing them up is how resellers end up disappointed.
Commission on list price
The customer pays the provider's list price. You earn a percentage on top, invisible to the customer. Your income is predictable and repeats if the programme pays on renewals. You cannot undercut, and you cannot add your own markup, so the rate and its treatment of renewals are everything.
- XgenPlus: 15 / 17 / 20% by active-domain count, recurring, on list price before GST.
- Zoho: partner commissions "lucrative" but not published for Mail; the public affiliate programme pays 15% of first-year revenue.
- Google Workspace, Microsoft 365: a partner discount off list that varies by tier and distributor; neither publishes the rate.
Wholesale markup
You buy at a wholesale rate, set your own retail price and keep the difference on every sale and renewal. Margin is yours to decide, so is the risk: you carry billing, support and collections, and the plan fee or deposit is paid whether you sell or not. Email is usually a line inside a hosting catalogue rather than the product.
- GoDaddy Basic and Pro Reseller: paid reseller plan sets your wholesale rates; you choose retail; you sell under your own brand.
- ResellerClub: deposit-based slabs (from $25, best slab at $2,999); lower wholesale prices as volume grows; you set retail and keep the margin on renewals.
The reseller-side comparison
What each programme publishes about the things that decide your income. "Not published" means exactly that.
| Programme | Model | Headline rate | On renewals | Who invoices the customer | Cost to join | Product you can offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XgenPlus Partner Program | Commission on list price | 15% (1 to 3 active domains), 17% (4 to 6), 20% (7+), before GST | Yes, every renewal, including when the customer renews directly | You, under your own name; customer pays list price | ₹0 | Hosted in India or on-premise Enterprise; IDN mailboxes; GeM co-bidding with manufacturer authorisation |
| Google Workspace reseller | Partner discount off list | Not published; varies by partner tier | Discount applies to the subscription you bill | Reseller bills; Google owns the platform relationship | Partner Advantage enrolment | Cloud only; no on-premise; no Indian-script mailboxes |
| Microsoft 365 via CSP (indirect) | Partner discount off list, via a distributor | Not published; industry-reported 12 to 18% of revenue, 3 to 5 points to the distributor | Discount applies to the subscription you bill | Reseller bills; distributor and Microsoft above you | Partner Center enrolment; distributor agreement | Cloud; on-premise Exchange only as Subscription Edition |
| Zoho Workplace / Mail partnership | Commission | Not published for resellers; affiliate programme pays 15% of first 12 months | Affiliate: first 12 months only; reseller terms not published | Zoho bills in most cases; partner manages the account | ₹0 | Cloud, hosted in India; no on-premise |
| GoDaddy Basic / Pro Reseller | Wholesale markup | Your retail minus wholesale; wholesale set by the plan you buy | Yes, on your own retail renewals | You, under your own brand | Paid reseller plan (annual fee) | GoDaddy Professional Email and Microsoft 365 resale; hosting and domains |
| ResellerClub | Wholesale markup | Your retail minus wholesale; slab pricing improves with volume | Yes, on your own retail renewals | You | Deposit from $25; best slab at $2,999 | Email inside a hosting, domain and SSL catalogue |
Competitor rows summarise each provider's own published programme pages as read in September 2026 (links at the end) plus, for Microsoft, industry benchmarking; where a provider does not publish a figure the cell says so rather than guessing.
Ten customers, 25 mailboxes each, what a year pays
Same book of business under a commission programme at two rates. Wholesale programmes are left out because the answer there is whatever markup you choose to charge.
The book
10 customers on XGEN Premium at ₹50 per user a month, 25 users each: 250 mailboxes, ₹12,500 a month in list price, ₹1,50,000 a year before GST, paid by the customers at list price.
XgenPlus at 20%
Ten active domains sit in the 7-or-more slab. ₹30,000 a year in commission, repeating every year the customers renew, whether you or they press the button. Claimable from ₹5,000 accrued.
A programme paying 12%
The same book on a 12% commission earns ₹18,000 a year, and under most partner-discount models the renewal margin depends on you re-billing the subscription yourself each year.
Try your own numbers on the earnings calculator →
The fine print that changes the answer
On the XgenPlus side
- A domain counts toward your slab once its first paid non-trial order is at least ₹500 before GST or 2 mailboxes; trial domains never count.
- You claim commission when you choose, from ₹5,000 accrued; it is paid by bank transfer against a proforma invoice, with TDS deducted at source as the law requires and GST added if you hold a GSTIN.
- White-labelling the product itself (your logo inside the mail client) is on the roadmap, not shipped. Invoicing under your own name is shipped.
- Full rules in the partner guide.
On the others
- A partner discount is only income if you re-bill the customer; if they buy direct from the provider later, the margin usually goes with them.
- Wholesale plans cost money before you sell anything, and you carry support and collections.
- Affiliate programmes typically pay on the first year only.
- None of the cloud incumbents give you an on-premise product to sell to a bank or a PSU, or a GeM co-bid.
Choosing a reseller programme, answered
What is the difference between a commission programme and a wholesale programme?
In a commission programme the customer pays the provider's list price and you earn a percentage of it; in a wholesale programme you buy at a wholesale rate, set your own retail price and keep the difference. Commission is simpler and repeats automatically if the programme pays on renewals; wholesale gives you pricing control and the billing, support and plan-fee risk that come with it.
How much does the XgenPlus Partner Program pay?
15% of list price before GST on 1 to 3 active commissioned domains, 17% on 4 to 6, and 20% on 7 or more, recomputed on every paid order and only ever moving up. It repeats on every renewal, including renewals the customer makes directly. There is no joining fee.
How much do Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 resellers earn?
Neither company publishes its partner margin; it is a discount off list that depends on partner tier and, for Microsoft's indirect CSP model, on the distributor. Industry benchmarking puts Microsoft CSP margins at roughly 12 to 18% of revenue, with 3 to 5 points going to the distributor. Ask the distributor for your actual figure before you plan on it.
Do I keep the customer?
With XgenPlus, yes: you invoice under your own name, the customer pays list price, and the commission follows the domain even if they renew directly. With partner-discount models you keep the customer only as long as you keep re-billing the subscription; wholesale programmes leave the customer entirely with you, along with support and collections.
Which programme suits an IT services firm or a chartered accountant?
If your clients ask you what to use and you would rather not run billing, a commission programme that pays on renewals fits: you recommend, register, and earn every year. If you already run a hosting business with its own billing and support desk, a wholesale programme lets you price email as part of your catalogue. Many resellers do both.
Apply in two minutes, or read the full programme first
Approval assigns your referral code and opens the partner panel. The guide covers eligibility, the panel, settlement, billing and tenders.
Apply to the Partner Program → Programme overview Partner guide
Sources, read September 2026: XgenPlus partner guide (this site); Google Cloud Marketplace partner documentation on reseller discounts and third-party reseller pricing guides (Google publishes no fixed margin); Microsoft Learn Partner Center marketplace margin pages and Cloudmore's CSP margin benchmarks (Microsoft publishes no fixed margin); zoho.com affiliate and Workplace/Mail partnership pages; godaddy.com reseller program and "Wholesale rates for Basic and Pro Resellers" help page; resellerclub.com pricing and hosting reseller pages. All third-party terms are theirs to change; verify before signing.
