Vanta Panel vs CloudPanel
CloudPanel is a free server panel for deploying PHP, Node.js, Python and static sites. Vanta Panel is a hosting panel: it also runs the mail server, authoritative DNS with private nameservers and a customer panel (vPanel) that shared hosting needs, for $0 to $10 per server. Pick CloudPanel if you host your own apps and keep mail and DNS elsewhere.
At a glance
How do Vanta Panel and CloudPanel compare?
Both install on your own server and issue free SSL. The difference is what they are for: CloudPanel puts sites and apps on a server for their owner, while Vanta Panel adds a mail server, authoritative DNS with private nameservers and a login for every hosting customer, so you can sell hosting.
| Capability | Vanta Panel | CloudPanel |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Hosting panel: vWHM for you, vPanel for each hosting customerDetails: Vanta Panel, What it is | Server panel for running PHP, Node.js, Python, static sites and reverse proxiesSource: CloudPanel, What it is |
| Pricing model | Flat per server: Free, $5 or $10 a month; never per accountDetails: Vanta Panel, Pricing model | FreeSource: CloudPanel, Pricing model |
| Mail server and webmail | Yes: Postfix and Dovecot, with Roundcube webmailDocs: Vanta Panel, Mail server and webmail | No: CloudPanel doesn’t provide e-mailSource: CloudPanel, Mail server and webmail |
| Authoritative DNS server | Yes: PowerDNS on your server, with a zone editorDocs: Vanta Panel, Authoritative DNS server | No: there is no DNS server in CloudPanel’s technology stackSource: CloudPanel, Authoritative DNS server |
| Private nameservers | Yes: ns1 and ns2 on your own brand, answering from your VPSDocs: Vanta Panel, Private nameservers | No: with no DNS server there is nothing to answer for ns1/ns2Source: CloudPanel, Private nameservers |
| Customer logins | Yes: vPanel, a login for every hosting accountDocs: Vanta Panel, Customer logins | Partial: Admin, Site Manager and User roles; a User sees only the sites assigned to itSource: CloudPanel, Customer logins |
| WHMCS module | Yes: first-party and free, on every tierDetails: Vanta Panel, WHMCS module | No official module: a WHMCS module or API is an open request on its feature boardNote 1Source: CloudPanel, WHMCS module |
| Licence and source | Commercial licence; the panel is PHP source on your own server, not OSI open sourceDetails: Vanta Panel, Licence and source | Proprietary freeware: MGT-COMMERCE licence terms; the source code is a trade secret, not open sourceSource: CloudPanel, Licence and source |
Notes
Note 1, CloudPanel: WHMCS’s own server-module list has no CloudPanel entry. Back to the table: CloudPanel, WHMCS module
When to pick which
Should you choose CloudPanel or Vanta Panel?
Choose CloudPanel for your own sites and apps when mail and DNS already live elsewhere: it is free, lightweight and built on NGINX. Choose Vanta Panel when you sell hosting, because your customers need mailboxes, DNS and a panel of their own, and CloudPanel runs none of those.
Choose CloudPanel if…
- You host your own PHP, Node.js or Python sites, not customers
- Your mail is with an email provider and your DNS is at the registrar or Cloudflare
- You want NGINX with Varnish Cache and Redis in the stack
- The licence must cost $0
Choose Vanta Panel if…
- You sell hosting, so customers need mailboxes and DNS on your server
- Each customer needs their own login to manage email, DNS, files and backups
- You bill with WHMCS and want a first-party module, free
- You run Java apps or Kafka as well as Node.js and Python
- You are moving accounts off cPanel
Price
How do the prices compare?
CloudPanel costs nothing. Vanta Panel is free for one account, $5 a month per server for five accounts and $10 for unlimited accounts, so a server with 200 accounts costs $120 a year on Vanta Panel. The like-for-like comparison adds what CloudPanel leaves out: a mail provider and a DNS host for every customer domain.
| Accounts | CloudPanel per month | Vanta Panel per month | Vanta Panel per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 | $0Free | $0 |
| 30 | $0 | $10Unlimited | $120 |
| 200 | $0 | $10Unlimited | $120 |
-
What the $10 covers
The mail server, authoritative DNS, private nameservers and customer panel that selling hosting needs, plus a first-party WHMCS module, all on the server you already pay for.
-
Never per account
Vanta Panel’s price is per server and never grows with your customer list, unlike cPanel’s per-account tiers.
- Vanta Panel pricing What cPanel would cost instead
Mail and DNS
Does CloudPanel include email and DNS?
No. CloudPanel’s docs say it does not provide e-mail, for performance reasons, and point to a third-party provider or a self-hosted Mailcow; its technology stack has no DNS server, and a DNS server and a nameserver creator are open requests on its feature board. Vanta Panel runs both on your own server.
CloudPanel
- No mail server: its docs point to an email provider or a self-hosted Mailcow
- No DNS server, so no ns1 and ns2 of your own
- NGINX (with HTTP/3 and the PageSpeed module), Varnish Cache, MySQL or MariaDB, PHP, Node.js, Python, Redis and ProFTPD
Vanta Panel
- Postfix and Dovecot with Roundcube webmail, forwarders, autoresponders, filters and spam filtering
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC for every domain you add
- PowerDNS on your VPS with a zone editor, and ns1 and ns2 on your own brand
Feature by feature
What does each panel include, area by area?
Both panels issue free SSL and run Node.js and Python. CloudPanel stops there; Vanta Panel adds the hosting stack, customer logins, a first-party WHMCS module, a cPanel importer, and Java and Kafka. Both run on current Ubuntu and Debian, on x86 or ARM.
| Capability | Vanta Panel | CloudPanel |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting stack | ||
| Mail server and webmail | Yes: Postfix and Dovecot, with Roundcube webmailDocs: Vanta Panel, Mail server and webmail | No: CloudPanel doesn’t provide e-mail; its docs point to external providers or a self-installed MailcowSource: CloudPanel, Mail server and webmail |
| Authoritative DNS server | Yes: PowerDNS on your server, with a zone editorDocs: Vanta Panel, Authoritative DNS server | No: there is no DNS server in CloudPanel’s technology stack; a DNS server is an open request on its feature boardSource: CloudPanel, Authoritative DNS server |
| Private nameservers | Yes: ns1 and ns2 on your own brand, answering from your VPSDocs: Vanta Panel, Private nameservers | No: with no DNS server there is nothing to answer for ns1/ns2; requested on its feature boardSource: CloudPanel, Private nameservers |
| Free SSL | Yes: Let’s Encrypt on every domain, renewed automaticallyDocs: Vanta Panel, Free SSL | Yes: Let’s Encrypt in one click, renewed automaticallySource: CloudPanel, Free SSL |
| Customers and business | ||
| Customer logins | Yes: vPanel, a login for every hosting accountDocs: Vanta Panel, Customer logins | Partial: Admin, Site Manager and User roles; a User sees only the sites assigned to itSource: CloudPanel, Customer logins |
| WHMCS module | Yes: first-party and free, on every tierDetails: Vanta Panel, WHMCS module | No official module: a WHMCS module or API is an open request on its feature boardNote 1Source: CloudPanel, WHMCS module |
| Import cPanel accounts | Yes: Import from cPanel, a screen in vWHMDocs: Vanta Panel, Import cPanel accounts | Not verified |
| Runtimes | ||
| Node.js | Yes: managed Node.js appsDocs: Vanta Panel, Node.js | Yes: Node.js sitesSource: CloudPanel, Node.js |
| Python | Yes: managed Python appsDocs: Vanta Panel, Python | Yes: Python sitesSource: CloudPanel, Python |
| Java apps | Yes: an executable JAR as a managed service (OpenJDK 17)Docs: Vanta Panel, Java apps | Not in CloudPanel’s technology stackSource: CloudPanel, Java apps |
| Apache Kafka | Yes: one shared broker, with per-account SCRAM logins and ACLsDocs: Vanta Panel, Apache Kafka | Not in CloudPanel’s technology stackSource: CloudPanel, Apache Kafka |
| Platform | ||
| Operating systems | Fresh Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+. x86_64 or arm64.Docs: Vanta Panel, Operating systems | Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04; Debian 12 or 13. x86 or ARM64. Virtual machines only, no Linux containers.Note 2Source: CloudPanel, Operating systems |
| 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: an installer runs on your server; activation needs a CloudPanel user account tied to the server IDSource: CloudPanel, 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 freeware: MGT-COMMERCE licence terms; the source code is a trade secret, not open sourceSource: CloudPanel, Licence and source |
Notes
Note 1, CloudPanel: WHMCS’s own server-module list has no CloudPanel entry. Back to the table: CloudPanel, WHMCS module
Note 2, CloudPanel: The cloudpanel.io home page still lists Debian 12/11 and Ubuntu 24.04/22.04; the docs requirements page is newer. Back to the table: CloudPanel, Operating systems
Migration
Can you move from CloudPanel to Vanta Panel?
Yes, but by hand. Vanta Panel has no CloudPanel importer: its Import from cPanel tool reads cPanel archives only. Moving a CloudPanel site means creating an account in vWHM, copying files and databases with rsync and mysqldump, creating the mailboxes it never had, testing, then pointing DNS.
There is no CloudPanel importer
Only cPanel account backups import automatically. For CloudPanel, follow the manual route in the migration guide: inventory, lower DNS TTLs, install on a fresh VPS, create the accounts, move files and databases, test with your hosts file, then switch DNS and issue SSL.
How to migrate to Vanta Panel, step by step Coming from cPanel instead?
Questions
Questions about Vanta Panel and CloudPanel
Something else? Ask support or read the docs.
Does CloudPanel include email like Vanta Panel?
No. CloudPanel's documentation says it does not provide e-mail, for performance reasons, and recommends a third-party provider or a self-hosted Mailcow instead. Vanta Panel installs and manages its own mail server: Postfix and Dovecot with Roundcube webmail, forwarders, autoresponders, filters and spam filtering, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC for every domain.
Is CloudPanel a hosting panel like Vanta Panel?
Not for selling shared hosting. CloudPanel deploys PHP, Node.js, Python and static sites and reverse proxies, but runs no mail server and no authoritative DNS, and its Admin, Site Manager and User roles are logins to CloudPanel itself rather than a panel where each hosting customer manages their own email, DNS and backups. Vanta Panel is a hosting panel: vWHM for you and vPanel for every customer, with mail and DNS on the same server.
Do CloudPanel and Vanta Panel work with WHMCS?
Vanta Panel does: the WHMCS module is a free download with no separate licence. It works with every tier, and the tier's account limit applies, so hosting companies run it on Unlimited. CloudPanel has no official WHMCS module; a WHMCS module or API is an open request on CloudPanel's public feature board, and WHMCS's own server-module list has no CloudPanel entry.
Is CloudPanel free, and what does Vanta Panel cost?
CloudPanel is free, under proprietary MGT-COMMERCE licence terms, and activating it needs a CloudPanel user account tied to the server. Vanta Panel is free for 1 account, 1 mailbox and 1 database; Basic is $5 per server per month and Unlimited is $10 per server per month for unlimited accounts, mailboxes and databases. Both need a VPS you pay for separately.
Can I run Node.js and Python apps on both CloudPanel and Vanta Panel?
Yes. CloudPanel deploys Node.js and Python sites, and Vanta Panel runs Node.js and Python apps as managed processes behind the web server. Vanta Panel also runs Java apps as managed services on OpenJDK 17 and a shared Apache Kafka broker with per-account logins, which are not in CloudPanel's technology stack.
Sources
Where do these CloudPanel facts come from?
From CloudPanel’s own website, documentation, licence terms and public feature board, each read on 26 Sep 2026. Vanta Panel facts link to its own documentation. Every table cell above links to the page behind it.
CloudPanel
- cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/frontend-area/e-mail
- cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/technology-stack
- feature-requests.cloudpanel.io/posts/185/dns-server-on-base-bind9
- feature-requests.cloudpanel.io/posts/150/add-a-dns-manager-and-nameservers-creator
- cloudpanel.io
- cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/admin-area/users
- feature-requests.cloudpanel.io/posts/46/create-a-whmcs-module-and-or-api
- docs.whmcs.com/9-0/servers/server-modules/cpanel
- cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/introduction
- cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/requirements
- cloudpanel.io/license-terms
- cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/getting-started/other
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.
Sell hosting, not just sites. Mail and DNS included.
Vanta Panel is free on one account with every feature switched on, and $10 a server for unlimited accounts, mailboxes and databases.
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