VPS Control Panels

Got a VPS and looking for one of the best VPS control panels? This list has you covered.

Chances are you already tried some traditional control panels like cPanel when you were using shared hosting. Now, it’s time to level up and go with something easy, affordable (or maybe free), and better, right?

Go ahead, the list is for you.

7 VPS control panels

With rising cPanel prices, everyone is looking for an alternative. I made this list to find the best cPanel alternatives for VPS.

The list comes with a few premium options where you will get more control over your server while most of the control panels for VPS are free. You can choose any of them as they serve your basic needs.

1. DirectAdmin

One of the most popular control panels for VPS in the industry is DirectAdmin. Their user-friendly interface and many features allow you to gain full control over the server.

However, the panel is not totally free. It is super-affordable making it the best alternative to cPanel.

Ever since cPanel raised its prices, DirectAdmin is not just the choice of the VPS users but many hosting companies also adopted DirectAdmin for their customers. The ease of use and fast performance make it a great competitor.

In some areas, such as support, it’s even better than cPanel. It has amazing options for easy management of CMS such as WordPress. Except for a small monthly fee starting at just $5, there are no other disadvantages.

Features of DirectAdmin

• Supported OS: Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Red Hat (RHEL), and CloudLinux.
• Free: No, a nominal fee is charged.
• DNS management: Yes, DNS Clustering is also available.
• Email Management: Yes, with spam-fighting email features.
• FTP Management: Yes, anonymous FTP is also supported.
• Database Management: MySQL + PHPMyAdmin.
• IPv6 support: Yes

2. Webmin

Webmin is a free, open-source web interface for managing a Linux or Unix server. Virtualmin (#3 on this list) is built on top of it as a Webmin module. Webmin is known for its flexibility and security, so if you don't want to spend money on a control panel, it's a good place to start.

Their official website looks basic and poorly maintained. However, the Webmin panel is fully flexible and comes with all the modules you need for controlling your server. On the home page, you can see a quick graphical view of your server usage.

The server overview can be seen from the dashboard of the admin panel. A menu on the left side of the dashboard lets you move around the control panel. The panel is written in Perl and runs on its own small built-in web server, so it doesn't need Apache or Nginx to work.

Features of Webmin

• Supported OS: Most Linux and Unix systems, including Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, openSUSE, and FreeBSD
• Free: Yes
• DNS management: Yes, BIND DNS options for advanced settings.
• Email Management: Yes, with the SpamAssassin package for spam filtering.
• FTP Management: Yes
• Database Management: MySQL and Postgres modules are available.
• IPv6 support: Yes

3. Virtualmin

Some people who have just deployed their app on a VPS might want one of the control panels which they can install for free and upgrade later. Well, if that’s the case with you, Virtualmin is your choice.

Virtualmin has a free GPL license and a professional license. For cloud infrastructure, you can go with their Cloudmin panel (license).

One of the unique features of the Virtualmin control panel is the user and reseller account control. You can create sub-accounts inside the panel and assign them specific permissions to control the server.

So, if you have a small team, you can give access to your junior system administrator without any issues. From resource alerts to advanced security, they have got it all covered.

Virtualmin runs as a module inside Webmin, so the interface is similar to Webmin. The free license is good for most people.

Features of Virtualmin

• Supported OS: Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and RHEL
• Free: Yes, 2 other commercial licenses are also available
• DNS management: Yes, BIND DNS options are just like the Webmin panel.
• Email Management: Yes, advanced spam filtering.
• FTP Management: Yes
• Database Management: MySQL and Postgres modules are available.
• IPv6 support: Yes

4. HestiaCP

Hestia is an open-source control panel available for free. It started as a fork of VestaCP and, unlike VestaCP, it is still actively maintained. Although it has a user-friendly interface, the navigation is quite difficult.

The control panel has a more unusual interface than most panels. You will see a few options on the top bar.

It’s flexible and can communicate with other apps using third-party APIs. It’s completely free to use. If you are used to the cPanel interface, this might not impress you.

The panel doesn’t have IPv6 support. However, in some cases, configuring the server in an advanced way will allow you to add IPv6 support with this panel.

Features of HestiaCP

• Supported OS: Debian 12 and 13, Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04 LTS
• Free: Yes
• DNS management: Yes, with cluster and DNSSEC options.
• Email Management: Yes.
• FTP Management: Yes, SFTP is also supported.
• Database Management: MySQL, PHPMyAdmin, Postgres, PHPPgAdmin, and MariaDB.
• IPv6 support: No (possible through advanced configuration)

5. CloudPanel

CloudPanel is a free control panel made for running websites and apps on a VPS or cloud server. It takes the place VestaCP used to have on this list.

VestaCP hasn't been maintained for years, and in 2018 its official installer was compromised and used to plant DDoS malware on new servers, so I no longer recommend it. CloudPanel gets regular updates and supports current operating systems.

It runs on Debian 12 and 13 or Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04, on both x86 and ARM servers, and needs at least 1 CPU core and 2 GB of RAM. The stack is Nginx, PHP-FPM, MySQL or MariaDB, and Redis. A site wizard sets up a WordPress site, a PHP app, a Node.js or Python app, a static site, or a reverse proxy, and you can change a site's PHP version with one click.

Security is where it stands out. You get free Let's Encrypt certificates that renew on their own, two-factor authentication for the panel, firewall rules that limit who can reach SSH, FTP, or MySQL, IP and bot blocking per site, and each site runs under its own user. Backups can go automatically to remote cloud storage.

The trade-off is that CloudPanel has no DNS server and no mail server. You manage DNS at your registrar or on Cloudflare, and you use a separate email service. If you want email and DNS on the same server, HestiaCP (#4) is the better fit.

Features of CloudPanel

• Supported OS: Debian 12 and 13, Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04 LTS (x86 and ARM)
• Free: Yes
• DNS management: No built-in DNS server (Cloudflare integration available)
• Email Management: No, use a separate email service
• FTP Management: Yes, SSH and FTP users per site
• Database Management: MySQL or MariaDB + phpMyAdmin

6. ISPConfig

Sometimes you are looking for a specific feature in a VPS control panel but you aren’t sure whether the feature is available or not. ISPConfig solves that issue. Here, you will find most of the features you need.

The best thing about this control panel is that all the features are listed directly on their website. With this, you can look for the feature before you install the panel.

The panel is free. But, if you are looking for an advanced documentation manual, you will have to pay for it. You don’t need to worry here as they have a helpful, active community along with an active development team.

It also supports multi-server setups. Make sure your server has at least 4 GB of RAM for a smooth experience. Their support is amazing.

Most importantly, the panel is multilingual and you have over 22 languages to choose from. So, teams that speak different languages can work easily.

Features of ISPConfig

• Supported OS: Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Fedora, and OpenSUSE
• Free: Yes
• DNS management: Yes, they use Bind and PowerDNS.
• Email Management: Yes
• FTP Management: Yes, PureFTPd
• Database Management: MySQL + PHPMyAdmin and Postgres + PHPPgAdmin.
• IPv6 support: Yes

7. CyberPanel

Are you still afraid that you will miss out on some CMS cPanel features if you go with one of the alternative virtual private server control panels? CyberPanel solves these issues.

They have a WordPress manager and similar features which are much like cPanel. You will also get a resource manager and file manager. If you are planning to host CMS, this is the best panel.

Apart from CMS, they have all the features you will need to control and manage the server. It works perfectly well with Litespeed to increase the performance of your server. The most important functions are beautifully presented on the admin dashboard.

Their admin dashboard lets you easily reach the rest of the features from the left menu.

Features of CyberPanel

• Supported OS: Ubuntu 20.04 to 24.04, AlmaLinux 8 to 10, Rocky Linux, RHEL, and CloudLinux 8.
• Free: Yes, on unlimited websites and it’s free forever.
• DNS management: Yes, with power DNS.
• Email Management: Yes, advanced email management
• FTP Management: Yes, with Pure-FTPd.
• Database Management: MariaDB and MySQL.
• IPv6 support: Yes

Conclusion

Depending on your requirements, you can choose one of the best panels to control your VPS.

I would highly recommend going with DirectAdmin if you want an advanced way of controlling your server. They have better control options for custom scripts as well as CMS like WordPress.

As you are already paying for the VPS, it’s better to pay a bit more and get complete control over your VPS.

Which panel did you like the best? Let me know in the comment section. You can also share the list on your social media and ask for the opinions of your partners.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Do I need a control panel for VPS?

No, you don’t specifically need a control panel to manage a VPS. However, having a control panel makes it easier for you to control and manage the server.