Five hosting panels, one sourced table
How does Vanta Panel compare with other hosting panels?
Vanta Panel is the only panel in this table that combines a flat per-server price, a mail server, authoritative DNS with private nameservers, a customer panel, a free first-party WHMCS module and a cPanel importer. cPanel has the stack but prices by account count; HestiaCP is free and has the stack but no WHMCS module of its own; CloudPanel and RunCloud deploy sites and apps but run no mail server or authoritative DNS, and their team and site-user roles are not a panel where hosting customers manage their own email, DNS and backups.
The table
How do the five panels compare, row by row?
Vanta Panel, cPanel & WHM and HestiaCP have every hosting-stack row: a mail server, authoritative DNS, private nameservers and free SSL. CloudPanel and RunCloud have free SSL only. On price, HestiaCP and CloudPanel cost nothing, RunCloud charges per server managed, cPanel charges by account count, and Vanta Panel is $10 a server for unlimited accounts.
| Capability | Vanta Panel | cPanel & WHM | HestiaCP | CloudPanel | RunCloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per server, per month | |||||
| Pricing model | Flat per server: Free, $5 or $10 a month; never per accountDetails: Vanta Panel, Pricing model | Per-server licence priced by account count; $0.49 per account above 100Source: cPanel & WHM, Pricing model | Free; the project relies on donationsSource: HestiaCP, Pricing model | FreeSource: CloudPanel, Pricing model | SaaS subscription by number of servers managed; unlimited web applications, no per-account feeSource: RunCloud, Pricing model |
| Licence at 1 account | $0/mo (Free)Details: Vanta Panel, Licence at 1 account | $29.99/mo (Solo)Source: cPanel & WHM, Licence at 1 account | $0Source: HestiaCP, Licence at 1 account | $0Source: CloudPanel, Licence at 1 account | $9/mo (Essentials, 1 server)Source: RunCloud, Licence at 1 account |
| Licence at 30 accounts | $10/mo (Unlimited)Details: Vanta Panel, Licence at 30 accounts | $53.99/mo (Pro)Source: cPanel & WHM, Licence at 30 accounts | $0Source: HestiaCP, Licence at 30 accounts | $0Source: CloudPanel, Licence at 30 accounts | $9/mo (Essentials, 1 server)Note 1Source: RunCloud, Licence at 30 accounts |
| Licence at 200 accounts | $10/mo (Unlimited)Details: Vanta Panel, Licence at 200 accounts | $118.99/mo (Premier $69.99 + 100 x $0.49)Source: cPanel & WHM, Licence at 200 accounts | $0Source: HestiaCP, Licence at 200 accounts | $0Source: CloudPanel, Licence at 200 accounts | $9/mo (Essentials, 1 server)Note 1Source: RunCloud, Licence at 200 accounts |
| Hosting stack | |||||
| Mail server and webmail | Yes: Postfix and Dovecot, with Roundcube webmailDocs: Vanta Panel, Mail server and webmail | Yes: Exim and DovecotSource: cPanel & WHM, Mail server and webmail | Yes: Exim 4 and Dovecot, with Roundcube webmailSource: HestiaCP, Mail server and webmail | No: CloudPanel doesn’t provide e-mailSource: CloudPanel, Mail server and webmail | No: RunCloud does not provide email hostingSource: RunCloud, Mail server and webmail |
| Authoritative DNS server | Yes: PowerDNS on your server, with a zone editorDocs: Vanta Panel, Authoritative DNS server | Yes: PowerDNS (the default) or BIND (BIND is not available on Ubuntu)Source: cPanel & WHM, Authoritative DNS server | Yes: its own DNS server (BIND), with DNS clusters and DNSSECSource: HestiaCP, Authoritative DNS server | No: there is no DNS server in CloudPanel’s technology stackSource: CloudPanel, Authoritative DNS server | No DNS server: its DNS Manager edits zones on Cloudflare (Cloudflare DNS integration from the Business plan)Source: RunCloud, Authoritative DNS server |
| Private nameservers on your brand | Yes: ns1 and ns2 on your own brand, answering from your VPSDocs: Vanta Panel, Private nameservers on your brand | Yes: the server’s own nameservers are set in WHM Basic WebHost Manager SetupSource: cPanel & WHM, Private nameservers on your brand | Yes: “Create your own nameservers” (child-ns zone template)Source: HestiaCP, Private nameservers on your brand | No: with no DNS server there is nothing to answer for ns1/ns2Source: CloudPanel, Private nameservers on your brand | No: zones use the nameservers Cloudflare assignsSource: RunCloud, Private nameservers on your brand |
| Free SSL | Yes: Let’s Encrypt on every domain, renewed automaticallyDocs: Vanta Panel, Free SSL | Yes: SSL certificates are included in every planSource: cPanel & WHM, Free SSL | Yes: Let’s Encrypt for web and mail domainsSource: HestiaCP, Free SSL | Yes: Let’s Encrypt in one click, renewed automaticallySource: CloudPanel, Free SSL | Yes: 1-click Let’s Encrypt certificates on every planSource: RunCloud, Free SSL |
| Customers and business | |||||
| A panel your hosting customers log into | Yes: vPanel, a login for every hosting accountDocs: Vanta Panel, A panel your hosting customers log into | Yes: each account has its own cPanel loginSource: cPanel & WHM, A panel your hosting customers log into | Yes: each user has their own control panel loginSource: HestiaCP, A panel your hosting customers log into | Partial: Admin, Site Manager and User roles; a User sees only the sites assigned to itSource: CloudPanel, A panel your hosting customers log into | Partial: team members, clients included, get permissioned access to servers in RunCloud’s dashboard; team seats from the Business planNote 2Source: RunCloud, A panel your hosting customers log into |
| WHMCS provisioning module | Yes: first-party and free, on every tierDetails: Vanta Panel, WHMCS provisioning module | Yes: WHMCS ships a cPanel server module (create, suspend, unsuspend, terminate, change package)Source: cPanel & WHM, WHMCS provisioning module | No HestiaCP module of its own: a forum admin points to the legacy VestaCP module, and users share community modulesNote 3Source: HestiaCP, WHMCS provisioning module | No official module: a WHMCS module or API is an open request on its feature boardNote 4Source: CloudPanel, WHMCS provisioning module | No module in the current plans; WHMCS integration is announced for RunCloud Arch (waitlist)Source: RunCloud, WHMCS provisioning module |
| Import cPanel accounts | Yes: Import from cPanel, a screen in vWHMDocs: Vanta Panel, Import cPanel accounts | Not applicable: this is cPanel | Yes, from the command line: v-import-cpanel restores a cPanel backup as a new userSource: HestiaCP, Import cPanel accounts | Not verified | No importerSource: RunCloud, Import cPanel accounts |
| Runtimes | |||||
| Node.js apps | Yes: managed Node.js appsDocs: Vanta Panel, Node.js apps | Yes: Node.js apps (“AI App Hosting” on the pricing page)Source: cPanel & WHM, Node.js apps | Not in HestiaCP’s feature listSource: HestiaCP, Node.js apps | Yes: Node.js sitesSource: CloudPanel, Node.js apps | Not verified |
| Python apps | Yes: managed Python appsDocs: Vanta Panel, Python apps | Not verified | Not in HestiaCP’s feature listSource: HestiaCP, Python apps | Yes: Python sitesSource: CloudPanel, Python apps | Not verified |
| Java apps | Yes: an executable JAR as a managed service (OpenJDK 17)Docs: Vanta Panel, Java apps | Not verified | Not in HestiaCP’s feature listSource: HestiaCP, Java apps | Not in CloudPanel’s technology stackSource: CloudPanel, Java apps | Not verified |
| Apache Kafka | Yes: one shared broker, with per-account SCRAM logins and ACLsDocs: Vanta Panel, Apache Kafka | Not verified | Not in HestiaCP’s feature listSource: HestiaCP, Apache Kafka | Not in CloudPanel’s technology stackSource: CloudPanel, Apache Kafka | Not verified |
| Openness | |||||
| Where it runs | Self-hosted on your own VPS; sites, mail and DNS keep serving if a licence lapsesDetails: Vanta Panel, Where it runs | Self-hosted on your server, against a licence cPanel verifies; if the licence expires, mail clients can no longer authenticateSource: cPanel & WHM, Where it runs | Self-hosted: an install script on a fresh serverSource: HestiaCP, Where it runs | Self-hosted: an installer runs on your server; activation needs a CloudPanel user account tied to the server IDSource: CloudPanel, Where it runs | SaaS: the dashboard is run by RunCloud; an agent is installed on your serverSource: RunCloud, Where it runs |
| Licence and source | Commercial licence; the panel is PHP source on your own server, not OSI open sourceDetails: Vanta Panel, Licence and source | Proprietary, commercial (cPanel & WHM End User License Agreement)Source: cPanel & WHM, Licence and source | Open source (GPLv3)Source: HestiaCP, Licence and source | Proprietary freeware: MGT-COMMERCE licence terms; the source code is a trade secret, not open sourceSource: CloudPanel, Licence and source | Proprietary SaaS subscriptionSource: RunCloud, Licence and source |
Notes
Note 1, RunCloud: RunCloud does not count hosting accounts: Essentials covers one server with unlimited web applications. Team seats, which is how clients get a login, start on the Business plan ($49/mo). Back to: RunCloud, Licence at 30 accounts, RunCloud, Licence at 200 accounts
Note 2, RunCloud: A white-label customer dashboard is announced for RunCloud Arch (waitlist). Back to the table: RunCloud, A panel your hosting customers log into
Note 3, HestiaCP: Hestia’s REST API docs say the API is used “to integrate the WHMCS billing system”. WHMCS’s own server-module list has no HestiaCP entry. Third-party modules exist, for example PUQ’s HestiaCP provisioning module on the WHMCS Marketplace, sold under a commercial licence. Back to the table: HestiaCP, WHMCS provisioning module
Note 4, CloudPanel: WHMCS’s own server-module list has no CloudPanel entry. Back to the table: CloudPanel, WHMCS provisioning module
cPanel cost at your account count Vanta Panel pricing Moving off cPanel
Two kinds of panel
What is the difference between a hosting panel and a deploy tool?
A hosting panel runs everything a hosting customer pays for on the server itself: websites, a mail server, authoritative DNS and a panel each customer logs into. A deploy tool puts sites and apps on a server for their owner and leaves mail and DNS to other services. Vanta Panel, cPanel and HestiaCP are hosting panels; CloudPanel and RunCloud are deploy tools.
Hosting panels
- Vanta Panel
- cPanel & WHM
- HestiaCP
- A mail server and webmail on your own server
- Authoritative DNS, with ns1 and ns2 on your brand
- A login for every hosting customer, to manage their own email, DNS and files
What you need to sell shared hosting.
Deploy tools
- CloudPanel
- RunCloud
- Websites and apps, deployed for their owner
- No mail server: mail stays with an external provider
- No authoritative DNS: records live at the registrar or Cloudflare
What you need to run your own sites and apps.
When to pick which
Which hosting panel should you choose?
Choose by what the server is for. To sell hosting you need a hosting panel, and then the question is price: cPanel by account count, HestiaCP free, Vanta Panel $10 a server with a first-party WHMCS module. To run your own apps, a deploy tool is lighter. Each card links to a full head-to-head page.
Choose cPanel & WHM if…
- Your customers or support staff ask for cPanel by name
- You run AlmaLinux, CloudLinux or Rocky Linux
- A licence that grows by $0.49 an account above 100 is acceptable
Choose HestiaCP if…
- A $0 licence matters more than anything else
- You want GPLv3 open source
- You can live without a first-party WHMCS module
Choose CloudPanel if…
- You host your own PHP, Node.js or Python sites
- Your mail and DNS already live elsewhere
- You want NGINX with Varnish Cache
Choose RunCloud if…
- You deploy apps as a developer or agency, not sell hosting accounts
- You prefer a hosted dashboard to one on your own server
- Your DNS is on Cloudflare
Choose Vanta Panel if…
- You sell hosting and want one price per server: $10 a month for unlimited accounts
- Your customers need mailboxes, DNS and a panel of their own
- You bill with WHMCS and want a first-party module, free
- You are moving accounts off cPanel
- You run Java, Kafka, Node.js or Python apps next to PHP sites
- You want to start free on one account, with every feature
Is a cell wrong?
Tell us if a cell is wrong
Competitors change their products and prices. If a cell here is out of date, email support@vantapanel.com with a link to the vendor’s page and we will correct it, dated. Or use the contact page.
cPanel®, WHM®, WHMCS®, HestiaCP, CloudPanel and RunCloud are trademarks of their respective owners. Vanta Panel is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.
One price per server. Mail and DNS included.
Start free on one account, then $10 a server for unlimited accounts, whether you host ten customers or a thousand.
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