Open-source hosting control panels compared (2026): what to run instead of cPanel

Anyone who searches for an open-source hosting control panel usually wants to know one thing: which panel can they install on their own server, legally, without a licence bill, and which Linux version it supports. This page answers that question for eight panels. Jabali Panel is one of them, and we say so at the top so you can read the rest with that in mind.

The panels are HestiaCP, CyberPanel, CloudPanel, aaPanel, Virtualmin, ISPConfig and FASTPANEL, next to Jabali Panel. Each one installs on a Linux server you control. Each one is either open-source software or a free edition of a product. Where a panel is free to use but not open source, the table says so.

Every fact in the tables was checked on 2026-10-29 against the vendor’s own repository, licence text, documentation or pricing page. Prices, supported Linux versions and licence terms change. Check the linked source before you buy, install or migrate.

How we compared

We looked at three things for each panel:

• Licence. We read the licence file in the vendor’s repository, or the licence agreement on the vendor’s site, and we report what it says. We did not use third-party summaries.
• Supported operating systems. We used the list the vendor publishes in its README, requirements page or homepage. Where a vendor lists a distribution only as “may work” or “third-party”, we report it that way.
• Cost. We used the vendor’s homepage or pricing page. A panel that is free to download but sells a paid edition is marked as having a paid edition.

We did not test performance, security or stability. We did not install every panel on a test server. A table like this tells you what a vendor promises and where it draws the line. It does not tell you how the panel behaves under your load. Test the panel you pick on a server that looks like your production server before you move any customer to it.

Commercial panels are outside the table. cPanel is sold as paid plans, and its pricing page lists monthly prices [18]. Plesk lists paid editions with euro prices on its pricing page [20]. If you already pay for one of them, the question is less about price and more about licence terms, supported systems and how easy the move is. Our Plesk migration guide covers the move off Plesk, and the cPanel alternative post covers the move off cPanel.

The comparison table

Table 1 covers the eight panels in this roundup. Each cell has one number that points to its source in the list at the end of this page. The “as of” date for every cell is 2026-10-29.

Read the table with three caveats in mind.

First, “documented” means the vendor lists it. A panel may run on a system that is not on its list, and it may stop running on a listed system after an update. Use the vendor’s list as the starting point for a test, not as a guarantee.

Second, the Cost column reports what the vendor says on its own pages. It does not include your hosting, your bandwidth, your staff time or the cost of an add-on that a vendor does not list on its homepage.

Third, the licence column is the licence, not a legal opinion. If you plan to redistribute a modified panel or resell access to one, read the full licence text yourself.

The panels, one by one

Jabali Panel

Jabali Panel is a free, AGPL-3.0 hosting control panel for Debian 13 and Ubuntu 24.04. The API is written in Go and the browser interface is a React application. A separate root-privileged process, jabali-agent, carries out host changes, so the web panel itself runs without root. The stack covers nginx, PHP-FPM with one pool per hosted user for PHP 8.1 to 8.5, MariaDB 11.x, PowerDNS for DNS, and Stalwart 0.16.24 for mail, with Bulwark as the webmail client.

Jabali’s own docs list 16 PHP apps in the one-click catalogue, plus 43 Docker apps. Migrations come in from cPanel, DirectAdmin, HestiaCP and WHM archives, and from live SSH sources for Plesk, CloudPanel, CyberPanel and another Jabali server.

Choose Jabali Panel if you run Debian 13 or Ubuntu 24.04, you want the panel under AGPL-3.0, and you want mail, DNS and web hosting on the same server with a migration path from the commercial panel you use today. Do not choose it if you need Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux or CentOS, which Jabali Panel does not support (Jabali docs).

HestiaCP

HestiaCP is licensed under GPL-3.0 [1]. Its README lists Debian 11, 12 and 13 and Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 as supported platforms [2]. The same README lists a DNS server (Bind), POP, IMAP and SMTP mail with ClamAV, SpamAssassin and Roundcube, MariaDB or MySQL, Let’s Encrypt, and a firewall with fail2ban and iptables [2].

HestiaCP is a good fit if you want a free, GPL-licensed panel on Debian and you prefer Bind for DNS. Its supported list includes Debian 13, which some panels in this table do not list.

CyberPanel

CyberPanel is licensed under GPL-3.0 [3]. The project’s homepage says CyberPanel “with OpenLiteSpeed is free and open source” and that premium add-ons and hosted services are optional purchases [5].

The README lists Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, AlmaLinux 8 to 10, Rocky Linux 8 and 9, RHEL 8 and 9, and CentOS 9 [4]. It lists Debian only as third-party, with the words “May work with Ubuntu-compatible packages” [4]. If your server runs Debian, CyberPanel is not on the vendor’s supported list.

CyberPanel is a fit if you want OpenLiteSpeed as the web server and you run one of the RHEL family or Ubuntu. Check the README’s supported-OS list before you plan a Debian server.

CloudPanel

CloudPanel describes itself in its README as “a free and modern server control panel” and lists Debian 11, 12 and 13 and Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 [6]. Read the licence before you plan to change the code. CloudPanel’s licence terms come from MGT-COMMERCE GmbH, and they restrict modification of the software beyond configuration [7]. The same terms say that for a licence provided free of charge, the licensor may amend, revoke or replace the terms at any time [7].

CloudPanel is free to use. It is not an open-source panel in the sense the AGPL, GPL or BSD licences use that term, and you should not describe it as one.

aaPanel

aaPanel is distributed under a custom “AAPANEL Open Source License Agreement” [8]. Clause 2.2 allows personal use with source changes, but says modified source “is not allowed to be publicly released” [8]. Clause 2.3 forbids undermining aaPanel’s commercial authorization mechanism, and gives as an example operating a service of the same type after collecting the aaPanel source code [8]. The README lists Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, Debian 11 and 12, CentOS 9, and Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux 8 and 9 [9].

The vendor describes a “Free Edition” that is “Free for Life” and a separate aaPanel Pro, which the homepage offers with a 14-day free trial [10]. If you need the source to be open for others to publish, aaPanel’s licence does not give you that.

Virtualmin

Virtualmin’s homepage describes a “free, open-source GPL edition” and a “feature-rich Virtualmin Pro” [11]. The GPL edition is the core virtual-server module, licensed under GPL version 3 [12]. The README calls it “a full-featured open source web hosting control panel for Linux and *BSD systems” and lists the import of cPanel, Plesk and DirectAdmin backups as a feature [19].

The installer supports Debian and Ubuntu, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux [11]. Virtualmin runs on Webmin, so if you already use Webmin, it will feel familiar. If you do not, plan time for that learning curve.

ISPConfig

ISPConfig’s project page describes “Open Source software (BSD license)” [13]. Its listed system requirements for ISPConfig 3.2 are Debian 11 to 13, Ubuntu 22.04 to 26.04, AlmaLinux 8 to 10, Rocky Linux 8 to 10, and CentOS 8 [13]. The same page lists “configuration mirroring and clusters” as a feature [13].

ISPConfig is a fit if you want a BSD-licensed panel on Debian, and you may need configuration mirroring across servers. Its list covers Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and CentOS.

FASTPANEL

FASTPANEL is not an open-source panel. Its licence agreement grants “a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the Products” [15]. The Standard License is free and “excludes advanced features and technical support” [15]. The vendor’s licence page lists a Standard licence as “Free forever”, an Extended licence at EUR 4.20 a month, and a Lifetime Membership at EUR 399.00 as a one-time payment [16].

The FAQ on the homepage lists Debian 9 to 12, Ubuntu 18.04 to 24.04, CentOS 7, AlmaLinux 8 and Rocky Linux 8 as supported systems [14]. Debian 13 is not on that list.

What the table does not tell you

The table covers licence, operating systems and cost. It does not compare features, and that is where most of the real differences are. Two panels can both list Debian 13 and both be free, and still differ on mail, DNS, backups, Docker support or the way they handle customers.

It also does not say how quickly a vendor ships security fixes, how long each release is supported, or how responsive its support is. Read the release notes and the project’s issue tracker before you trust a panel with customer sites. For a panel that you run yourself, the release channel matters as much as the feature list.

Finally, the table reflects the date in the header. Vendors change supported systems and prices, sometimes within a month. If you read this page after the date shown, check each source link again.

Which one fits which job

Pick by the constraint that matters most to you, not by the number of features on a homepage.

• You need an open-source licence that lets you publish changes. Choose a GPL, AGPL or BSD panel. In this table that is Jabali Panel, HestiaCP, CyberPanel, Virtualmin and ISPConfig. Read each licence before you ship a change.
• You run Debian 13 today. Jabali Panel (Jabali docs), HestiaCP, ISPConfig and CloudPanel list Debian 13 [2][6][13]. CyberPanel does not list Debian, and aaPanel and FASTPANEL list older Debian releases.
• You run Ubuntu 24.04. Jabali Panel, HestiaCP, CyberPanel, CloudPanel, aaPanel, ISPConfig and FASTPANEL list it by version. Virtualmin lists Ubuntu without a version, so check its installer notes. Check each panel’s supported list before you install, because the lists differ.
• You run AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux. CyberPanel, aaPanel, ISPConfig, Virtualmin and FASTPANEL list them. Jabali Panel does not.
• You want Webmin. Virtualmin is built on Webmin [19].
• You want a free panel and you are willing to accept a custom or proprietary licence. CloudPanel, aaPanel and FASTPANEL’s free editions are free to use. Read their licence terms first.
• You are leaving cPanel. Check the migration path before the licence. Jabali Panel imports cPanel cpmove archives and restores the mailboxes, databases and DNS zones that the archive holds (cPanel migration docs). For the other panels, check their own import tools and read their docs.

Checks before you install

Work through this list before you commit a server to any panel in the table.

1. Confirm the operating system. Use the vendor’s supported-OS list. If your OS is not on it, do not install the panel on that server. A test VM is cheaper than a broken production box.
2. Read the licence. Check whether the licence is open source, whether it allows changes to be published, and whether any paid edition gates a feature you need.
3. Check the price of the edition you need. Free and free-to-use are different. Some free editions do not include support or advanced features.
4. Check the mail and DNS you need. Some panels ship their own mail server and DNS server. Others expect you to install and configure them. Confirm what you get on the first install.
5. Plan the migration. Know how you will move accounts, databases, mailboxes and DNS. For Jabali Panel, the migration docs describe each source. For the other panels, use their own import tools.
6. Test restore. Take a backup, restore it on a second server, and check the site and mail. A backup you have not restored is not a backup.

Where Jabali Panel fits in this list

Jabali Panel is one option in this table. It is free and AGPL-3.0. It runs on Debian 13 and Ubuntu 24.04. Its installer is one shell command, and the install page at /install/ builds the command for the modules you choose.

The panel covers domains and nginx virtual hosts with Let’s Encrypt, PHP-FPM pools per hosted user, mailboxes on Stalwart 0.16.24 with Bulwark webmail, DNS on PowerDNS with optional DNSSEC, MariaDB 11.x for tenant databases, backups with restic, and one-click WordPress with WP-CLI. The interface is available in several languages with right-to-left support. For how Stalwart compares with mailcow, see Stalwart vs mailcow.

If Jabali Panel does not fit your server, the other panels in the table are the places to look. We would rather you pick the right tool than the wrong one.

If you are moving from a commercial panel

Moving from cPanel or Plesk needs the most planning, and the migration path matters more than the licence. Start with the source panel’s backup or export format, then check which destination panel can read it.

Jabali Panel reads cPanel cpmove archives and WHM dumps, and it reads DirectAdmin and HestiaCP backups as archives. For Plesk, CloudPanel, CyberPanel and another Jabali server, it connects over SSH and reads the source panel with that panel’s own command-line tools, without changing anything on the source. The migration hub lists each source and the steps for it.

Plan the cutover before you start. Lower your DNS time-to-live a day or two ahead, freeze writes on the source at cutover, restore, repoint DNS, then check mail and SSL. The cPanel migration guide covers the cutover in detail, and the Plesk migration guide covers the SSH path.

Read next

These posts go deeper on one panel or one job. Each one links back to this page.

• Open-source cPanel alternative for Debian 13 and Ubuntu 24.04: how Jabali Panel compares with cPanel, and what you get on a fresh install.
• A free Plesk alternative: migrate off Plesk to Jabali Panel: the licence case and the migration options.
• CyberPanel and CloudPanel alternative: how the two free panels compare with Jabali Panel.
• cPanel migration guide: the step-by-step move from cPanel to Jabali Panel.
• How to migrate off Plesk to Jabali Panel: the SSH-based Plesk pipeline, step by step.
• Self-hosted mail server with Stalwart and Jabali Panel: how mail, DKIM, SPF, DMARC and MTA-STS work on a Jabali server.
• Stalwart Mail on Debian 13: the mail stack in more detail.
• Debian hosting control panel: why Jabali Panel targets Debian first.
• WordPress hosting control panel: how the panel handles WordPress sites.

Try it

If Jabali Panel is on your list, install it on a clean Debian 13 or Ubuntu 24.04 server. Run the installer as root:

curl -fsSL https://get.jabali-panel.com | sudo bash

The installer is idempotent, so you can run it again if it stops. A fresh install takes about 8 to 15 minutes. For a guided walk-through, read the installation guide and the quickstart. To click around without installing anything, use the demo panel.

Questions people ask

Which of these panels are free software?

Jabali Panel, HestiaCP, CyberPanel, Virtualmin and ISPConfig are open-source software under GPL-3.0, AGPL-3.0 or BSD licences [1][3][12][13][17]. CloudPanel, aaPanel and FASTPANEL are free to use, but their licences are not open source [7][8][15].

Which panels list Debian 13?

Jabali Panel (Jabali docs), HestiaCP, CloudPanel and ISPConfig list Debian 13 [2][6][13]. CyberPanel lists Debian only as third-party. aaPanel and FASTPANEL list older Debian releases.

Which panels list AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux?

CyberPanel, aaPanel, Virtualmin and ISPConfig list AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux [4][9][11][13]. FASTPANEL lists AlmaLinux 8 and Rocky 8 [14]. Jabali Panel does not support them (Jabali docs).

Can I migrate from cPanel to Jabali Panel?

Yes. Jabali Panel imports cPanel cpmove-<user>.tar.gz archives. The migration docs list the mailboxes, databases, DNS zones and cron jobs the archive carries, and they list what does not come across, such as SSL certificates, which the panel reissues from Let’s Encrypt. Read the cPanel migration guide before you start.

Does a free panel cost nothing to run?

The software may cost nothing. Your server, your bandwidth, your backups and your time do cost money. A free panel can also offer a separate edition with features you need, as Virtualmin, aaPanel and FASTPANEL do. Read the edition table before you rely on a feature.

Sources and check dates

All sources were re-fetched on 2026-10-29, and each one returned HTTP 200. Each number in the text and in Table 1 points to one entry here.

1. HestiaCP licence, GPL-3.0: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hestiacp/hestiacp/main/LICENSE
2. HestiaCP README, supported platforms and features: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hestiacp/hestiacp/main/README.md
3. CyberPanel licence, GPL-3.0 (stable branch): https://raw.githubusercontent.com/usmannasir/cyberpanel/stable/LICENSE
4. CyberPanel README, supported operating systems: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/usmannasir/cyberpanel/stable/README.md
5. CyberPanel homepage, free and open source: https://cyberpanel.net/
6. CloudPanel CE README, free and supported systems: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cloudpanel-io/cloudpanel-ce/master/README.md
7. CloudPanel licence terms (MGT-COMMERCE GmbH): https://www.cloudpanel.io/license-terms/
8. aaPanel Open Source License Agreement: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aaPanel/aaPanel/master/license.txt
9. aaPanel README, system requirements: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aaPanel/aaPanel/master/README.md
10. aaPanel homepage, Free Edition and Pro: https://www.aapanel.com/
11. Virtualmin homepage, GPL edition, Pro and installer support: https://www.virtualmin.com/
12. Virtualmin GPL licence, GPL-3.0: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/virtualmin/virtualmin-gpl/master/LICENSE
13. ISPConfig, open source (BSD), system requirements and features: https://www.ispconfig.org/ispconfig/
14. FASTPANEL homepage, system requirements FAQ: https://fastpanel.direct/
15. FASTPANEL licence agreement: https://fastpanel.direct/license_agreement
16. FASTPANEL licence prices: https://fastpanel.direct/get-license
17. Jabali Panel licence, AGPL-3.0: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shukiv/jabali-panel/main/LICENSE
18. cPanel pricing page, paid plans: https://www.cpanel.net/pricing/
19. Virtualmin GPL README: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/virtualmin/virtualmin-gpl/master/README.md
20. Plesk pricing page, paid editions with euro prices: https://www.plesk.com/pricing/