Vanta Panel vs OpenPanel
OpenPanel is a hosting panel in which every user runs in isolated rootless Podman containers, with a choice of Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, Apache, OpenResty or Varnish per user. Its Community edition is free for 3 accounts and 50 websites; email, Node.js, Python and Java apps, backups, resellers, the WHMCS module and the cPanel importer are in Enterprise at €14.95 a server a month. Vanta Panel is $10 a month with unlimited accounts and every feature in every tier, on classic shared hosting with per-account PHP-FPM. Pick OpenPanel if container isolation and per-user web servers are what you want.
At a glance
How do Vanta Panel and OpenPanel compare?
At the Enterprise tier the two are close: mail, DNS with private nameservers, free SSL, customer and reseller logins, a first-party WHMCS module and a cPanel importer on both. The differences are the architecture (containers against Linux users with PHP-FPM pools), what the free edition includes, Java and Kafka, and the licence.
| Capability | Vanta Panel | OpenPanel |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat per server: Free, $5 or $10 a month; never per accountDetails: Vanta Panel, Pricing model | Free Community edition (3 accounts, 50 websites); Enterprise €14.95 per server per month with unlimited accountsSource: OpenPanel, Pricing model |
| Licence at 200 accounts | $10/mo (Unlimited)Details: Vanta Panel, Licence at 200 accounts | €14.95/mo (Enterprise)Source: OpenPanel, Licence at 200 accounts |
| Mail server and webmail | Yes: Postfix and Dovecot, with Roundcube webmailDocs: Vanta Panel, Mail server and webmail | Enterprise only: email through the docker-mailserver stack with Roundcube webmailSource: OpenPanel, Mail server and webmail |
| Authoritative DNS server | Yes: PowerDNS on your server, with a zone editorDocs: Vanta Panel, Authoritative DNS server | Yes: BIND9 on the server (DNS clustering in Enterprise)Source: OpenPanel, Authoritative DNS server |
| Customer logins | Yes: vPanel, a login for every hosting accountDocs: Vanta Panel, Customer logins | Yes: OpenPanel (port 2083) for users, OpenAdmin (2087) for the administrator; reseller users in EnterpriseSource: OpenPanel, Customer logins |
| WHMCS module | Yes: first-party and free, on every tierDetails: Vanta Panel, WHMCS module | Yes: a first-party WHMCS module (Enterprise edition)Source: OpenPanel, WHMCS module |
| Import cPanel accounts | Yes: Import from cPanel, a screen in vWHMDocs: Vanta Panel, Import cPanel accounts | Enterprise only: OpenAdmin → Backups → Import account reads cPanel (and CyberPanel) backupsSource: OpenPanel, Import cPanel accounts |
| Licence and source | Commercial licence; the panel is PHP source on your own server, not OSI open sourceDetails: Vanta Panel, Licence and source | Source on GitHub under an EULA (OpenAdmin and the OpenPanel UI) and CC BY-NC 4.0 (OpenCLI and configuration); free for non-commercial use, Enterprise licence for commercial hosting. Not an OSI open-source licence.Source: OpenPanel, Licence and source |
When to pick which
Should you choose OpenPanel or Vanta Panel?
Choose OpenPanel when you want each customer in their own containers with their own web server, when you run AlmaLinux or Rocky, or when a free edition for three accounts is all you need. Choose Vanta Panel when you want the full hosting panel on the free tier, Kafka and Java, Ubuntu or Debian only, and a licence that does not restrict commercial use.
Choose OpenPanel if…
- You want rootless Podman containers per user, with Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, Apache, OpenResty or Varnish per site
- You run AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux or CentOS as well as Debian or Ubuntu
- Three accounts and fifty websites without email is enough for the free edition
- You are happy with €14.95 a server a month for Enterprise
Choose Vanta Panel if…
- You want mail, backups, resellers, WHMCS and the cPanel importer on every tier, the free one included
- Customers need Kafka or Java as managed services, not only Node.js and Python
- You prefer classic shared hosting: a Linux user and a PHP-FPM pool per account, no container layer
- You want to start free on one account with every feature switched on
Price
How do the prices compare?
OpenPanel Community is free for up to 3 user accounts, 50 websites and 50 domains, without email. Enterprise is €14.95 a server a month or €149.50 a year, with unlimited accounts. Vanta Panel is free for one account, $5 a month for five accounts and $10 for unlimited accounts, so a server with 200 accounts costs $120 a year on Vanta Panel and €179.40 (€149.50 yearly) on OpenPanel Enterprise.
| Accounts | OpenPanel per month | Vanta Panel per month | Vanta Panel per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €0 | $0Free | $0 |
| 30 | €14.95 | $10Unlimited | $120 |
| 200 | €14.95 | $10Unlimited | $120 |
What moves to Enterprise
Enterprise-type features that need a licence: email accounts, FTP accounts, Node.js, Python, Java and Ruby applications, backups, dynamic DNS, resellers.
Both are flat per server
Neither charges per account above its tier. OpenPanel ties an Enterprise licence to the server’s public IPv4; Vanta Panel’s Unlimited tier covers the server.
- Vanta Panel pricing What cPanel would cost instead
Architecture
Containers or Linux users: how do OpenPanel and Vanta Panel isolate accounts?
Every user gets a fully isolated environment of rootless Podman containers, each service a separate container limited in CPU, memory and port speed; Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, Apache, OpenResty or Varnish per user. Vanta Panel isolates each hosting account as its own Linux user with its own PHP-FPM pool, open_basedir and private session and upload directories, and runs Node.js, Python and Java apps as systemd services under that user, on a stock Apache, Postfix, Dovecot and PowerDNS stack.
OpenPanel
- Rootless Podman containers per user, limited in CPU, memory and port speed
- A web server per user: Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, Apache, OpenResty or Varnish
- Email, app runtimes, backups and resellers only with an Enterprise licence
Vanta Panel
- A Linux user and a PHP-FPM pool per account, with open_basedir and disabled shell functions
- Apps as systemd services under the account’s user; Java units with NoNewPrivileges and ProtectSystem
- Mail, backups, resellers and WHMCS on every tier
Feature by feature
What does each panel include, area by area?
With an Enterprise licence OpenPanel matches Vanta Panel on mail, DNS, SSL, customer logins, WHMCS and cPanel import, and runs Node.js, Python and Java in containers. Vanta Panel adds Kafka, keeps everything on the free tier, and runs on Ubuntu and Debian only where OpenPanel also supports AlmaLinux, Rocky and CentOS.
| Capability | Vanta Panel | OpenPanel |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting stack | ||
| Mail server and webmail | Yes: Postfix and Dovecot, with Roundcube webmailDocs: Vanta Panel, Mail server and webmail | Enterprise only: email through the docker-mailserver stack with Roundcube webmail; “email support is only available in this version”Source: OpenPanel, Mail server and webmail |
| Authoritative DNS server | Yes: PowerDNS on your server, with a zone editorDocs: Vanta Panel, Authoritative DNS server | Yes: BIND9 on the server (DNS clustering in Enterprise)Source: OpenPanel, Authoritative DNS server |
| Private nameservers | Yes: ns1 and ns2 on your own brand, answering from your VPSDocs: Vanta Panel, Private nameservers | Yes: ns1 to ns4 in OpenAdmin settings, with glue records at the registrarSource: OpenPanel, Private nameservers |
| Free SSL | Yes: Let’s Encrypt on every domain, renewed automaticallyDocs: Vanta Panel, Free SSL | Yes: AutoSSL with Let’s Encrypt for all domains, renewed automaticallySource: OpenPanel, Free SSL |
| Customers and business | ||
| Customer logins | Yes: vPanel, a login for every hosting accountDocs: Vanta Panel, Customer logins | Yes: OpenPanel (port 2083) for users, OpenAdmin (2087) for the administrator; reseller users in EnterpriseSource: OpenPanel, Customer logins |
| WHMCS module | Yes: first-party and free, on every tierDetails: Vanta Panel, WHMCS module | Yes: a first-party WHMCS module (Enterprise edition)Source: OpenPanel, WHMCS module |
| Import cPanel accounts | Yes: Import from cPanel, a screen in vWHMDocs: Vanta Panel, Import cPanel accounts | Enterprise only: OpenAdmin → Backups → Import account reads cPanel (and CyberPanel) backupsSource: OpenPanel, Import cPanel accounts |
| Runtimes | ||
| Node.js apps | Yes: managed Node.js appsDocs: Vanta Panel, Node.js apps | Enterprise only: containerised Node.js applicationsSource: OpenPanel, Node.js apps |
| Python apps | Yes: managed Python appsDocs: Vanta Panel, Python apps | Enterprise only: containerised Python applicationsSource: OpenPanel, Python apps |
| Java apps | Yes: an executable JAR as a managed service (OpenJDK 17)Docs: Vanta Panel, Java apps | Enterprise only: containerised Java applicationsSource: OpenPanel, Java apps |
| Apache Kafka | Yes: one shared broker, with per-account SCRAM logins and ACLsDocs: Vanta Panel, Apache Kafka | Not in OpenPanel’s feature list; Redis, Valkey and Memcached instances areSource: OpenPanel, Apache Kafka |
| Platform | ||
| Operating systems | Fresh Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+. x86_64 or arm64.Docs: Vanta Panel, Operating systems | Ubuntu 22, 24 and 26 (24.04 recommended); Debian 10 to 13; AlmaLinux 9.5 and 10; Rocky Linux 9.6 and 10; CentOS 9.5. x86_64 or ARM64. No Windows.Source: OpenPanel, 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 on a blank server; an Enterprise licence is tied to the server’s public IPv4Source: OpenPanel, 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 | Source on GitHub under an EULA (OpenAdmin and the OpenPanel UI) and CC BY-NC 4.0 (OpenCLI and configuration); free for non-commercial use, Enterprise licence for commercial hosting. Not an OSI open-source licence.Source: OpenPanel, Licence and source |
Every Vanta Panel feature Every panel in one table The best cPanel alternatives
Migration
Can you move from OpenPanel to Vanta Panel?
Yes, but by hand. Vanta Panel has no OpenPanel importer: its Import from cPanel tool reads cPanel account backups only. Moving a OpenPanel account means creating it in vWHM, copying files and databases with rsync and mysqldump, recreating the mailboxes, testing, then pointing DNS.
There is no OpenPanel importer
Only cPanel account backups import automatically. For OpenPanel, follow the manual route in the migration guide: inventory, lower DNS TTLs, install on a fresh VPS, create the accounts, move files, databases and mail, 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 OpenPanel
Something else? Ask support or read the docs.
Is Vanta Panel better than OpenPanel?
They take different approaches. OpenPanel runs each user in isolated containers with their own web server, free for three accounts and €14.95 a server a month for Enterprise, which adds email, app runtimes, backups, resellers, WHMCS and cPanel import. Vanta Panel is classic shared hosting with a Linux user and PHP-FPM pool per account, $10 a server with every feature in every tier, including Kafka and Java. If container isolation decides it, choose OpenPanel.
Is OpenPanel free?
The Community edition is free for up to 3 user accounts, 50 websites and 50 domains, for personal, educational and internal use; email, app runtimes and backups need Enterprise, and commercial hosting needs an Enterprise licence under its EULA. Enterprise is €14.95 a server a month or €149.50 a year. Vanta Panel is free for 1 account, 1 mailbox and 1 database with every feature, and $10 a month for unlimited accounts.
Is OpenPanel open source?
Its source is on GitHub, but under an End User License Agreement for OpenAdmin and the OpenPanel UI and CC BY-NC 4.0 for OpenCLI and configuration, which is not an OSI open-source licence. Vanta Panel is commercially licensed PHP source on your own server; neither is OSI open source.
Do OpenPanel and Vanta Panel both work with WHMCS?
Yes. OpenPanel has a first-party WHMCS module for its Enterprise edition. Vanta Panel has a first-party module, free, on every tier.
Can both import cPanel accounts?
Yes. OpenPanel imports cPanel (and CyberPanel) backups from OpenAdmin → Backups → Import account, in Enterprise only. Vanta Panel’s Import from cPanel is a screen in vWHM on every tier. Neither imports the other’s backups.
How mature is each panel?
OpenPanel 2.0.21, 3 November 2026; first released in 2023. Vanta Panel’s release history, with every version dated, is at vantapanel.com/releases.
Sources
Where do these OpenPanel facts come from?
From openpanel.com, its documentation, pricing and feature pages and its GitHub repository, each read on 7 Nov 2026. Vanta Panel facts link to its own documentation. Every table cell above links to the page behind it.
OpenPanel
- openpanel.com/docs/articles/user-experience/how-to-setup-email-in-openpanel
- openpanel.com/docs/panel/emails/webmail
- github.com/stefanpejcic/OpenPanel
- openpanel.com/features
- openpanel.com/docs/articles/domains/how-to-configure-nameservers-in-openpanel
- openpanel.com/docs/panel/domains/ssl
- openpanel.com/install
- openpanel.com/whmcs-module
- openpanel.com/docs/articles/extensions/openpanel-and-whmcs
- openpanel.com/docs/articles/transfers/import-cpanel-backup-to-openpanel
- openpanel.com/docs/panel/applications/nodejs
- openpanel.com/docs/admin/intro
- openpanel.com/enterprise
- raw.githubusercontent.com/stefanpejcic/OpenPanel/main/LICENSE
- openpanel.com/LICENSE
- openpanel.com/docs/changelog/2.0.21
- astralinternet.com/en/tutorial/server/discover-openpanel-a-real-alternative-to-cpanel
- openpanel.com
- openpanel.com/docs/admin/plans/feature-manager
- openpanel.com/docs/admin/security/firewall
- openpanel.com/docs/admin/security/2fa
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®, Plesk®, DirectAdmin, HestiaCP, CyberPanel, CloudPanel, RunCloud, Virtualmin, Webmin, ISPConfig, aaPanel, Froxlor and OpenPanel 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.
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