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If you are looking for software to manage your VPS server, you must know about the control panel. The control panel is essentially a tool for managing your server. Through the control panel, you will be able to manage your site’s users, its information, hosting, emails, web server, space usage, etc. These are the common features of the best VPS control panels. Different control panels also have different features. But what are the features of a good server management control panel? Why should we use it? What is the most suitable control panel for our site? In this blog post, we’ll answer all these questions and identify the best VPS control panels in 2025.
What is a VPS Control Panel?
VPS hosting is a popular hosting solution that offers the benefits of a dedicated server but at a more affordable cost. A VPS (Virtual Private Server) Control Panel is a web-based interface that allows users to manage and control their virtual private servers. A control panel allows you to upload your files, create new emails, set up a database, create FTP accounts, and manage your website’s security without the need for programming knowledge or complex technical expertise. In essence, a control panel is an intuitive user interface that allows you to fully manage and control various systems without the need for in-depth technical knowledge.
Best VPS Control Panel Options
Now we identify the best VPS control panels in 2025. For more information, you can read Web Hosting Control Panels. Below is a summary comparison table of the reviewed VPS control panels:
|
Brand |
Features |
Pros |
Cons |
|
cPanel |
Manage websites, emails, databases, backups, and security |
User-friendly, Comprehensive management, Strong security |
Licensing costs, High resource usage, Limited customization |
|
Plesk |
Manage FTP, email, DNS, backups, and WordPress tools |
Works with Linux & Windows, Intuitive, Built-in SSL, WP Toolkit |
Advanced features need paid licenses, Resource demanding, Limited community resources |
|
Webmin |
Server management, DNS, IP, firewall, and MySQL support |
No licensing costs, Easy server management, Virtual server support |
Linux-only, Limited advanced features, Learning curve |
|
ISPConfig |
Multi-server management, web, email, and FTP services |
Open-source, Minimal setup, Multi-level access, Email services |
Linux-only, Less user-friendly, Fewer integrations |
|
Webuzo |
Supports multiple platforms, auto-installs apps like WordPress |
User-friendly, Cross-platform support, Data import tool |
Paid license for some features, Limited user base, Resource-heavy |
|
Virtualmin |
Manage websites, email, backups, Dropbox integration |
Open-source, Flexible management, Automatic backups |
Linux-only, Complex for beginners, Resource-intensive |
|
Ajenti |
File management, server config, monitoring, web apps |
Free, Customizable, Sleek design, Server insights |
Linux-focused, Smaller community, Basic design |
|
BlueOnyx |
SFTP, SSH management, MySQL, email, and app auto-installers |
User-friendly, Comprehensive management, System Monitoring |
Limited flexibility, Fewer community resources, Linux-only |
|
DirectAdmin |
Server tasks, DNS, web hosting, FTP, and email accounts |
Lightweight, Multilingual, Customizable skins, API support |
Basic features, Learning curve, Limited integrations |
|
Cloudron |
Manage apps like GitLab, Nextcloud, WordPress, and backups |
Easy to use, High portability, Secure backups, DNS management |
Limited customization, Smaller app selection, Cloud-based, Learning curve |
Now, let’s explore the best VPS control panels in 2025 in more detail:
1- CPanel
cPanel (Unix-based web hosting control panel) is a popular and powerful website management tool that can be used as a free web hosting control panel in Linux and for managing Linux virtual servers. cPanel has a beautiful and user-friendly graphical user interface that makes website and hosting management easy.
Creating a database, setting up email accounts, auto-responding, and managing files are among the features that are given to you as a host or website administrator using cPanel. No specialized knowledge is required to use cPanel, and users can use this tool with simple training. To learn how to manage cPanel, read the article How to Use and Manage the cPanel Hosting Control Panel.
Key Features of cPanel:
- Manage databases, emails, domains, and websites all in one location with ease.
- Take advantage of incremental backup functionality for improved data security and quick recovery.
- Protect your system against brute force attacks.
- Easily integrates with well-known extensions like Imunify360, LiteSpeed, and Softaculous.
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cPanel Pros
- User-friendly interface.
- Comprehensive website, domain, email, and database management.
- Compatible with CMSs, frameworks, and programming languages.
- Strong security and incremental backups.
- Integrates with tools like Softaculous and LiteSpeed.
- Easy SSL management.
cPanel Cons
- Licensing costs.
- Higher resource usage.
- Advanced features can be challenging for beginners.
- Limited interface customization.
2- Plesk
Plesk provides an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI). It is a free hosting management control panel that allows you to manage VPS hosting easily. Plesk has an easy-to-use interface for everyone and can be used on VPS (virtual server) servers, and shared and dedicated servers. Plesk allows you to control a large number of virtual hosts under one server. This control panel automates various tasks, including system settings, user account management, and execution of various tasks. It also helps you manage server costs and resources more efficiently and helps increase profitability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Plesk features:
- Create an FTP account for users.
- It is possible to manage and create email accounts and databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL with Plesk.
- In this control panel, you can add domains and subdomains.
- Restore and backup files
- Manage DNS and other resources
Plesk Pros
- Works with both Linux and Windows servers.
- Intuitive interface suitable for IT admins, developers, and beginners.
- Includes Sitejet Builder with drag-and-drop editing and AI content generation.
- Built-in SSL management, firewalls, and server monitoring.
- WP Toolkit simplifies WordPress installation, updates, and cloning.
- Allows running containerized applications directly.
- Manage multiple servers from one dashboard.
Plesk Cons
- Advanced features often require a paid license.
- Can be demanding on server resources.
- Some features may take time for beginners to master.
- Fewer community resources compared to competitors like cPanel.
3- Webmin
Webmin provides a graphical alternative to the command-line interface. Webmin is a very useful and powerful system administration tool and web hosting control panel designed for managing Unix and Linux systems. Webmin allows you to manage various types of web environment components, from setting up and managing a web server to managing FTP and email servers. This tool is presented simply and understandably for users to manage systems easily.
Webmin features:
- Configure and create a virtual server on Apache.
- Manage, install, or remove an RPM format software package.
- For security, you can set up a firewall.
- Change DNS settings, IP addresses, and routing configurations.
- Manage databases, tables, and fields in MySQL.
Webmin Pros
- No licensing costs.
- User-friendly for easy server management.
- Virtual server support for creating and managing virtual servers.
- DNS Management
- Community Support
Webmin Cons
- Limited Advanced Features
- Linux-Focused
- Learning Curve
- Less Polished
4- ISPConfig
ISPConfig is a web hosting control panel that was first released in 2005. This control panel is written in PHP and is released as an open source under the BSD License. The German company projektfarm GmbH develops and supports this control panel. One of the important features of ISPConfig is that by installing it, all the services required for web hosting are automatically installed and you don’t need to do any initial configuration. ISPConfig allows you to manage your websites and web services with different access levels such as administrator, sales representative, customer, and email user. Another outstanding feature of ISPConfig is the provision of separate email services to the user, and this control panel can also be installed on most Linux distributions. Using ISPConfig, you can easily manage your websites and hosts and perform many tasks.
key features of ISPConfig
- Manage more than one server from one control panel.
- Easy-to-use web interface for administrator, reseller, and customer login.
- Ability to manage web servers such as Apache and Nginx
- Manage email and FTP servers
ISPConfig Pros
- Open-Source
- Installs all necessary web hosting services with minimal configuration
- Multi-Level Access
- Email Services:
- Flexible for various hosting environments.
ISPConfig Cons
- Linux-Only
- Less User-Friendly
- Community Reliance
- Fewer Integrations
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5- Webuzo VPS Hosting Control Panel
With Webuzo, you can easily manage different websites and domains as it is powerful and flexible. A wide range of operating systems including AlmaLinux, Ubuntu, and CentOS are supported by this VPS control panel. That’s why it is suitable for website owners, hosting providers, and resellers. It’s a wonderful feature as a data import tool that makes server migrations easy. As a result, you can transfer websites, databases, and configuration files seamlessly.
Key Features of Webuzo
- Contains server software such as MariaDB, PHP, MySQL, NGINX, and Apache.
- Makes it possible for well-known apps like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal to install automatically.
- Makes managing DNS records and MX entries simple.
- Enables installation on a range of platforms, such as cloud services, virtual machines, and dedicated servers.
Webuzo Pros
- User-Friendly
- Cross-Platform Support
- Data Import Tool:
- Includes Apache, NGINX, PHP, MySQL, and MariaDB.
- Softaculous Integration
- Flexible Deployment
Webuzo Cons
- Some features may require a paid license.
- user base compared to alternatives like cPanel.
- Not available for Windows servers.
- May demand significant system resources.
6- Virtualmin
Virtualmin is considered an open-source control panel based on Webmin. It is compatible with Linux distributions like Debian, Ubuntu, Rocky Linux, and AlmaLinux. If you’re a system administrator and need a flexible VPS control panel for managing virtual servers and web applications, you should know that it is specifically designed for you. Using this control panel, installing applications like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla will be so easy.
Key Features of Virtualmin
- Manage websites and configure domain addresses seamlessly.
- Create custom modules, and themes, and deploy scripts.
- Includes spam protection, autoresponders, and email aliases.
- Integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, and Amazon S3 for backup and restore.
Virtualmin Pros
- Open-Source:
- Flexible Management
- Easy Application Installation
- Advanced Email Management including spam protection, autoresponders, and aliases.
- Automatic Backup
- Modular Architecture
Virtualmin Cons
- Limited to Linux distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.).
- Complex for Beginners
- Limited Support
- Resource-Intensive
7- Ajenti
Ajenti is an open-source control panel with diverse, powerful, and lightweight features that provide a very easy-to-use interface for managing small servers. It is also a good option for dedicated and VPS hosting. Ajenti is a very professional control panel whose developers believe that this free web hosting control panel on Linux can compete with economical control panels such as Cpanel and Plesk. This control panel was developed by the Research and Development Group of the University of Arnes in Slovenia and offers a free version for single-user environments and an economical version for large companies.
key features of Ajenti
- This control panel has many built-in pre-invocation plugins for configuring and managing server software and services such as Apache, Nginx, MySQL, FTP, Firewall, File System, Cron, Munin, Samba, and Squid.
- Supports PHP, Python, Ruby, and the Node.js framework.
- Can be installed on various Linux distributions such as Debian, CentOS, Ubuntu, and Red Hat.
Ajenti Pros
- No cost for use and highly customizable.
- Sleek, modern design for easy navigation.
- Includes file management, web server configuration, and monitoring tools.
- Provides insights into server load, memory usage, and network activity.
Ajenti Cons
- Linux-Focused
- Smaller Community
- Basic Design
8- BlueOnyx
BlueOnyx is an open-source server distribution based on the AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and CentOS operating systems. BlueOnyx is a fully integrated web hosting control panel that supports web services, email, DNS, and file transfers.
Key features of BlueOnyx
- SFTP (Secure FTP) management
- SSH key management
- MySQL database management with a graphical interface
- Provides statistics for monitoring and reporting on incoming and outgoing emails
BlueOnyx Pros
- User-Friendly Dashboard
- Comprehensive DNS and Domain Management
- Email Management
- Database Support
- Security Features
- Backup and Restore
- App Auto-Installers
- System Monitoring
- PHP Management
BlueOnyx Cons
- Less flexibility compared to more advanced control panels.
- Fewer community resources than competitors.
- May require time to familiarize yourself with some features.
- Primarily supports Linux servers, limiting Windows compatibility.
9- DirectAdmin
DirectAdmin helps website administrators to easily perform all tasks related to web server and web hosting management and improve the server management system. DirectAdmin is a premium web hosting control panel that has the simplest user interface for Linux hosting management and allows server administrators to manage servers and websites more efficiently through a graphical interface from a web browser.
Key features of DirectAdmin
- Manage server tasks including installing and updating various software packages such as Apache HTTP Server, PHP, and MySQL.
- Easily create and modify DNS records.
- Start and stop services and applications with a few clicks.
- Ability to customize web hosting settings for websites.
- Supports managing multiple domains and websites from one place.
- Ability to manage FTP and email accounts for users.
DirectAdmin Pros
- Lightweight
- Multilingual Support
- Flexible Access Levels
- Customizable Skins
- API Support
- Wide OS Compatibility
DirectAdmin Cons
- Basic Features
- Learning Curve
- Limited Third-Party Integrations
- Smaller User Base
10- Cloudron
Cloudron is a flexible VPS control panel that was created to manage containerized apps with the least amount of setup. For developers, IT specialists, and small and medium-sized enterprises, it streamlines the deployment, management, and security of self-hosted applications. You can quickly transfer your server and apps to a new cloud provider thanks to its great portability.
Key Features of Cloudron
- Get access to production-ready programs like GitLab, Nextcloud, and WordPress.
- A centralized system that allows users to customize their access to various programs.
- Services like Google Cloud Storage and Amazon S3 offer safe storage for backups.
- Updates DNS records for integrated domains automatically.
Cloudron Pros
- Ease of Use
- High Portability
- Offers production-ready applications like WordPress, Nextcloud, and GitLab.
- Customize access for different applications.
- Secure Backups
- DNS Management
Cloudron Cons
- Limited Customization
- Smaller App Selection
- Cloud-Based Focus
- Learning Curve
If you’re looking to boost your website's performance and reliability, read our in-depth guide on the best VPS providers and choose the perfect solution tailored to your needs.
Why Do You Need a VPS Control Panel?
Of course, most users decide to use a control panel because of its many advantages. But some advantages of control panels are common, the most important of which are mentioned below:
- Using sufficient software: If you do not want to use a control panel, you should equip your system with a set of FTP software. The control panel will relieve you of this multitude of software. Using one software is much more convenient than a set of software.
- Appropriate statistical data: The control panel also gives you appropriate statistical information for managing your site. These statistics include the remaining and used amount of hard disk space and bandwidth, statistics of site users or visitors, and other system statistics.
- Better Marketing: Using the server management control panel, you can even see how many of your visitors were from a specific geographical area. This feature is very useful for your marketing, especially if you have a store site.
- Data storage: The control panel keeps your work data and is available to you when you need it.
- Ease of use: The control panel is very easy to work with. It is easy to install and allows you to remove and install programs most easily.
What To Consider When Looking for a VPS Control Panel?
The best server management control panel you choose depends on the features you expect from your panel. All the mentioned VPS control panels are good options, but before choosing one of them, you should consider your needs. There are many different control panels on the market, some of which are free. But for some types of control panels, you have to pay a fee. The amount of this fee varies. Some sites also offer personalized plans that suit your needs. Also, if you don’t have expert knowledge, your control panel should be easy to use. You should pay attention to not buying a cracked version of these panels. Because these versions cannot be updated. You should also consider factors like the power and speed of the control panel. Before choosing an option, ask these questions from yourself:
- Ask yourself how much you are willing to pay.
- How much space do you need?
- How important is security to you?
- Is your server Linux or Windows?
Answering these questions, you can find out what is the best option for you.
Conclusion
Finally, we must say that choosing a free Linux web hosting control panel should be done according to your needs and the features you expect from a web host. These web hosts are a good option for managing small to medium websites. We hope this blog post was helpful for you. If you have any experiences with the VPS control panel brands, we’ll be glad you share them with us in the comments.
I'm fascinated by the IT world and how the 1's and 0's work. While I venture into the world of Technology, I try to share what I know in the simplest way with you. Not a fan of coffee, a travel addict, and a self-accredited 'master chef'.