cPanel is a popular control panel for website and server management. It enables you to manage your web server from a single dashboard. Over the years, almost every website owner and shared hosting user has relied on cPanel.

However, its price rise has shaken the web hosting community. cPanel's pricing policy is now account-based, which makes it very expensive. So here is a list of alternatives to cPanel, containing top tools that provide a similar level of service and features.

We have not included Plesk in our top picks of cPanel alternatives, because it belongs to the same company — Oakley Capital.

1. GoAdmio

GoAdmio is a free Linux web hosting control panel that covers both sides of hosting management: the server-administration tools you would expect from a WHM-style panel, and the everyday website, email and database tools found in a user-level panel. A single installation handles root access control, hosting account creation, resource limits and per-domain configuration.

On the server side, GoAdmio manages service configuration for Apache, PHP, DNS and FTP, real-time CPU, RAM and disk monitoring, a MultiPHP Manager for setting PHP versions per domain, full local and remote backups, CSF firewall and IP blocking, Let's Encrypt and custom SSL/TLS management, ModSecurity rule management, two-factor authentication, PHP-FPM with suExec, SSH access control and a Security Advisor that scans for vulnerabilities. DNS can be synchronised across servers with a DNS cluster, and a zone editor covers A, MX, CNAME and other record types.

On the user side, GoAdmio provides addon domains, subdomains and aliases, a browser-based file manager, FTP accounts, a backup wizard and point-in-time snapshots, a one-click apps installer for WordPress, Joomla and others, and Git version control. Email accounts include webmail, SpamAssassin filtering, auto-responders, forwarders and DKIM/SPF/DMARC authentication. MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite databases are all managed from the panel with phpMyAdmin and Adminer available, while cron jobs, the API and UAPI and a Node.js manager cover automation and application hosting. NGINX can optionally replace Apache, Cloudflare and AutoSSL integrations are built in, and the interface ships with light and dark themes.

Pros

• Free — no per-account fees or license renewals
• Server administration and user-level management in one panel
• MultiPHP Manager with per-domain PHP versions
• Free SSL via Let's Encrypt, plus AutoSSL provisioning
• Built-in CSF firewall, IP blocker and ModSecurity manager
• Two-factor authentication and Security Advisor
• File manager, backup wizard and server snapshots
• Email with webmail, spam filtering and DKIM/SPF/DMARC
• MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite management
• One-click installer for WordPress, Joomla and more
• REST API, UAPI and CLI access for automation
• Optional NGINX web server and Cloudflare integration

Cons

• NGINX support is optional; Apache is the default web server
• CloudLinux and Imunify360 are optional extras, not bundled
• No direct AWS or DigitalOcean console integration

2. Ajenti

Ajenti is a free control panel built and maintained by a team of web developers and server admins. It has a simple interface for managing your server remotely and is focused on being lightweight and supportive.

Ajenti provides a secure way to manage Linux through file managers, web terminals and text editors. It also provides a firewall that is configured from within the panel. It serves as an excellent cPanel alternative for sites that aren't looking for advanced functionality.

The developers claim that Ajenti leaves your system intact, so its changes won't harm or overwrite your files or comments.

Pros

• Free, except for the plugins
• Intuitive and responsive interface
• Python and JavaScript extensible
• Friendly for users with fewer needs
• Efficient for users without advanced Linux knowledge
• Consumes fewer hardware resources in the long term
• Access to a Linux terminal from the panel
• Embedded web-hosted server
• Notifications, modals and live updates

Cons

• Only works with Linux servers
• Must be reset after a fundamental change to the system
• Does not support advanced functions for sysadmins
• Technical support isn't free

3. ISPConfig

ISPConfig is currently experiencing user growth, mainly because it lets you manage multiple servers from a single control panel. It can configure Apache2, Nginx, a mail server, DNS, mirroring and much more.

ISPConfig supports a range of Linux distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu and CentOS, and offers several integrations such as a malware scanner.

It offers four user levels — administrator, user, reseller and client — making it ideal for domain sales. The user level can access only what the administrator specifies, the reseller level can resell a set amount of resources assigned by the administrator, and the client level can use and customize everything assigned by the administrator.

ISPConfig is recommended to VPS hosting users. It has all the features you will need from a web hosting control panel.

Pros

• Free and open source
• Control multiple servers from one panel
• Works with a wide range of Linux server configurations
• Low server resource needs
• Simplified management of admin accounts and resellers

Cons

• Complex to use
• Difficult to set up
• Installation blocked in automatic mode
• No tech support

4. Aapanel

Aapanel is a free hosting control panel that lets you manage web servers. It provides security features and has a GUI-driven interface. It is easy to use and similar to the Plesk environment, lightweight, and able to run on most servers.

Installation is easy: a single script is run on a newly created server, and the script varies depending on the operating system. Once set up, it can be used as a single source of deployment, management and monitoring.

Aapanel was also designed as a LAMP stack, which means it's modular. Minimum requirements are a mere 512MB of RAM and 100MB of storage space.

Pros

• Free and open source
• Easy to customize and use
• Easy installation
• Create and manage websites, FTP, databases and Docker
• Manage Python projects with an online editor
• Works on CentOS, Debian and Ubuntu

Cons

• No reverse proxy
• No tech support

5. Vesta

Vesta is an open-source control panel for Linux servers. It has a well-designed interface that simplifies server monitoring with easy-to-read graphs.

Vesta upgraded its security features with a built-in firewall and managed backups. It also provides commands to manage the server from the command line.

The Vesta control panel is a good choice for maintaining a small server and is suitable for first-time users looking for a clean interface. The free version provides all the core functionality to manage a server; the premium version activates SFTP chroot and commercial plugin support.

Pros

• All core functionality is free
• User-friendly interface and analytics
• Easy installation
• Works with CentOS, Debian and Ubuntu

Cons

• Customer support is fee-based — 60 € / hour
• Low security
• SSL domains
• FTP: no quota or limit
• Complicated PHP
• Features suitable for agencies, not resellers

6. Froxlor

Froxlor was built by a team of server administrators with the aim of simplifying the management of hosting servers. It showcases itself as a lightweight alternative to cPanel and provides similar admin features for free, while matching cPanel's WHM counterpart by including customer management.

Froxlor can run on any version of Linux. It has an easy-to-customize interface and delivers fast performance. Features include SQL database management, PHP configuration and security through SSL.

Froxlor is recommended to domain resellers, and its ticketing system also makes it an optimal choice for web developers.

Pros

• Free for personal and commercial use (GPL licensed)
• User-friendly, themeable interface
• Specific PHP configuration for each domain
• Customer ticket system integrated into the interface

Cons

• Difficult to install and set up
• No file manager
• Only works on Debian servers
• Bugs take longer to resolve

7. Virtualmin

Virtualmin is an open-source control panel with a free version available under the GPL. Just like cPanel, it is written in Perl and runs on the latest version of the internet protocol (IPv6).

Virtualmin offers flexibly managed domain accounts, domain name servers, databases and web apps all in a single interface. It provides efficient mailboxes that include forwarders and autoresponders.

While cPanel cannot back up directly to an Amazon S3 bucket, Virtualmin can. It also has effective antivirus scanning, backup encryption keys and brute force protection. Virtualmin has a well-designed interface but is not recommended for beginners.

Pros

• Free in an open-source, community-supported version
• Easy setup
• Built-in website builder
• Linux knowledge not required
• Advanced functionality for both server-side and client-side
• Separation of server admin and domain management
• Advanced backup scripts
• Android and iOS support

Cons

• The UI isn't user friendly
• Bugs on a fresh install
• E-mail is configurable but not usable as webmail
• Paid Professional version
• Support is not free

8. Zpanel

ZPanel is a free open-source control panel that clones cPanel features. It has e-mail hosting along with file and database management.

ZPanel can be used on all operating systems, which allows great flexibility, and it lets you host multiple domains on one server.

ZPanel aims to provide secure web hosting systems to its end users. However, it does not encrypt information, so it is not recommended for e-commerce or projects that need high security.

Pros

• Free of cost
• Works on a more flexible range of servers
• Interface based directly on cPanel's
• Can be used for both Windows and Linux
• NGINX support
• Reliable support

Cons

• Low security
• Not user friendly
• Difficult to manage
• Paid support

Choosing The Right Control Panel

Before you pick a cPanel alternative, you need to consider your requirements.

• If you want a panel that covers both server administration and daily website management, we recommend GoAdmio.
• For non-technical users, managed hosting is an excellent cPanel alternative.
• Beginners looking for a user-friendly interface can opt for GoAdmio, Vesta, Ajenti or Froxlor.

Comparison At A Glance

Conclusion

Finding a suitable cPanel alternative is easy. There are numerous options available, each with excellent features.

In this article we covered the essential features of the best free control panels. All of the panels mentioned above have their own unique footprint. Ultimately, the best panel is the one that fulfills your requirements.

However, these free cPanel alternatives have one feature in common: they make managing servers faster and easier.