CYBERPANEL
CyberPanel
- Engine: OpenLiteSpeed, built-in page caching
- Standout: Docker manager built into the UI
- Mail: optional module
- Best for: LiteSpeed speed and Docker in one panel
U2 · Rack unit 02
Your server. Your cockpit.
Your server. Your cockpit.
Your choice.
CyberPanel, HestiaCP, CloudPanel or ISPConfig — pre-installed, hardened and kept updated on your VPS. Open-source panels, no per-account licence, and nobody deciding what your control panel costs next year.
PANEL SELECT · 4-POS
RAM AT IDLE
PHP VERSIONS
DATABASE
MAIL STACK
LICENCE COST
BEST FOR
READY
U3 · Rack unit 03
Four panels, one price
Every plan on this site can carry any of these four. None of them add a per-account licence line.
HESTIACP
HestiaCP
- Engine: Nginx and Apache, either or both
- Standout: the lightest footprint of the four
- Mail: built in (Exim + Dovecot + webmail)
- Best for: the leanest all-in-one, mail included
CLOUDPANEL
CloudPanel
- Engine: Nginx only, tuned for PHP/Node/Python
- Standout: native multi-runtime site types
- Mail: none — bring your own
- Best for: multi-runtime apps, no mail clutter
ISPCONFIG
ISPConfig
- Engine: Apache or Nginx, your choice at setup
- Standout: one login manages many servers
- Mail: built in, full stack (Postfix + Dovecot)
- Best for: agencies running many servers or mailboxes
U4 · PANEL PICKER
Six questions. An honest recommendation.
Every score below is computed on this page, from the constants documented in “How we calculate this” — nothing is sent anywhere.
1· What are you hosting?
152050+
5 · RAM budget
NeverSometimesDaily
CyberPanel
—/100
HestiaCP
—/100
CloudPanel
—/100
ISPConfig
—/100
How we calculate this
Every score is Σ (question weight × panel fit for your answer), scaled to
100. Weights (how decisive each answer is, they sum to 100%):
- 26% workload type — the strongest single signal
- 20% mail on the same box — architecturally binary, so it counts heavily
- 18% RAM budget — the main hard limit on a small VPS
- 16% Docker/Node.js need — a hard filter for the more traditional panels
- 12% site count — affects management overhead more than raw fit
- 8% shell comfort — onboarding friction, the smallest factor
Panel fit scores per answer are qualitative judgement calls based on each project's publicly documented architecture (web server, bundled mail stack, container support, multi-server design) — not lab-measured benchmarks, and not vendor marketing. A card is only marked RECOMMENDED when it leads the runner-up by 8 points or more; closer results are shown as a close call on purpose, not rounded up into a false winner.
U5 · FULL SPEC SHEET
The full comparison
No invented version numbers — where a fact changes release to release, it's described qualitatively instead.
| Spec | CyberPanel | HestiaCP | CloudPanel | ISPConfig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web server | OpenLiteSpeed, built-in caching | Nginx + Apache, either or both | Nginx only | Apache or Nginx, chosen at setup |
| Typical footprint | Moderate — caching + optional mail add overhead | Lightest of the four | Moderate — most RAM goes to your app, not the panel | Lean, though mail+DNS want a bit more |
| PHP versions | Multiple, switchable per site | Multiple, switchable per site | Multiple, switchable per site | Multiple, switchable per site |
| Database | MySQL/MariaDB + phpMyAdmin | MySQL/MariaDB (+ optional PostgreSQL) | MySQL/MariaDB, lightweight admin UI | MySQL/MariaDB |
| Mail stack | Optional module | Built in (Exim + Dovecot) | None — bring your own | Built in, full stack (Postfix + Dovecot) |
| DNS management | Built in | Built in (BIND) | Not built in | Built in (BIND/PowerDNS) |
| Docker / containers | Built-in Docker manager | Not built in | Native Node.js and Python site types | Not built in |
| Multi-server management | Built for a single server | Built for a single server | Built for a single server | Yes — one panel, many servers |
| Licence cost | Free core (paid Enterprise add-ons optional) | Free, always | Free, always | Free, always |
| Best for | LiteSpeed speed and Docker in one panel | Leanest all-in-one, mail included | Multi-runtime apps, no mail clutter | Agencies running many servers/mailboxes |
U6 · WHAT CPANEL COSTS NOW
The panel you're probably fleeing
cPanel bills per account, per server, on a schedule cPanel L.L.C. sets — not you.
Licence pricing is per-account and changes on cPanel's own schedule, not yours. Whatever it is this year, it is not zero, and it is not yours. CyberPanel, HestiaCP, CloudPanel and ISPConfig simply don't have that line item.
U7 · MIGRATION
Moving off cPanel, or switching panels
01
We clone
Your sites, databases and mailboxes are copied onto the new panel without touching your live server.
02
We test on a staging hostname
A temporary hostname so you can click through every page, form and cron job before anything customer-facing changes.
03
We cut DNS
Once you've signed off, we lower the TTL, flip the records, and keep the old server warm for a rollback window.
U8 · QUESTIONS
Frequently asked
What's the best cPanel alternative in 2026?
There isn't one best answer — it depends on whether you need mail on the same box, how much RAM you're budgeting, and whether you're running Docker or Node.js. HestiaCP is the lightest all-in-one with mail included. ISPConfig is the most mature for agencies running many servers and mailboxes. CyberPanel pairs OpenLiteSpeed's caching with a built-in Docker manager. CloudPanel is the cleanest choice for multi-runtime apps without a mail stack you don't need. Run the Panel Picker above for a recommendation matched to your own answers, not a generic ranking.
Are these control panels really free?
Yes — CyberPanel, HestiaCP, CloudPanel and ISPConfig are all open-source with free cores. CyberPanel sells an optional paid Enterprise add-on for extra features, but the panel itself carries no per-account licence. That's the whole point of this site: cPanel bills per account, on a schedule it sets; these four don't bill you at all.
Can I switch to a different panel later?
Yes, but treat it as a migration, not a setting. The four panels don't share a configuration format, so switching means we clone your sites, databases and mailboxes onto the new panel, test on a staging hostname, and cut DNS over once you've signed off — the same process we use for migrating off cPanel. Picking well upfront with the Panel Picker saves you that trip.
Do you manage panel and server updates?
Yes. We keep the underlying OS and the panel itself patched and updated on a regular schedule, so you get the panel's features without taking on the job of babysitting its security updates yourself.
Which panel has built-in mail hosting?
HestiaCP and ISPConfig both ship a full built-in mail stack (Exim or Postfix with Dovecot). CyberPanel supports mail as an optional module you switch on. CloudPanel deliberately ships without one — it's built for multi-runtime apps and expects you to use an external or transactional mail service instead.
Do you support Docker or Node.js apps?
CyberPanel includes a built-in Docker manager in its UI, and CloudPanel has native Node.js and Python site types alongside PHP. HestiaCP and ISPConfig are more traditional LAMP-style panels — you can still run containers on the underlying VPS, just outside the panel's own interface.