Alternatives / cPanel
Looking for an open source cPanel alternative? We compared 3 server and hosting control panels by license, features, and self-hosting. Only one of them, 1Panel, is under a standard open-source license, and the other two use custom licenses that restrict use.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| 1Panel | Open-source Linux server panel with containers and an app store | GPL-3.0 |
| aaPanel | Free hosting panel with one-click stacks (custom license, paid Pro) | aaPanel Open Source License Agreement (custom) |
| OpenPanel | Container-based hosting panel for multiple users (UI under EULA) | EULA (UI) + CC BY-NC (CLI), source available |
We looked for control panels that overlap with cPanel's core: managing websites, databases, files, and services through a web interface on your own Linux server. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and editions in its repository. cPanel is proprietary and licensed per account, and two of the three alternatives are not under standard open-source licenses, which we flag clearly. See our methodology for the full criteria.
1Panel is licensed under GPL-3.0. aaPanel uses its own aaPanel Open Source License Agreement and offers free and paid Pro versions. OpenPanel is a community edition with a fully supported commercial version, where the OpenAdmin and OpenPanel UI are distributed under an EULA and OpenCLI plus configuration files use the CC BY-NC license. These are source available at most, so read the terms before using them for a hosting business.
The OpenPanel here is the hosting control panel from stefanpejcic, not the open-source product analytics project with a similar name. Make sure you install the right one.
OpenPanel is the closest to a multi-user hosting panel, with isolated accounts built around containers, aimed at hosting providers and users alike. aaPanel offers one-click LNMP, LAMP, and OpenLiteSpeed stacks with file, database, and WordPress tools. 1Panel focuses on server administration for a single operator, with websites, databases, containers, a curated app store, and AI model management.
1Panel is GPL-3.0. aaPanel is under the aaPanel Open Source License Agreement. OpenPanel's UI is under an EULA and its CLI is CC BY-NC.
1Panel and OpenPanel had commits within days of this update. aaPanel's latest release was 7.65.0 in January 2026 and its last commit in August 2026.
cPanel is a proprietary hosting control panel whose license prices have risen sharply and are billed per account, which hurts hosts and agencies with many sites. Alternatives let you manage servers without a per-account fee, run containers and modern stacks, and in one case inspect the full code, at the cost of less hosting-industry integration, such as billing automation and a large reseller ecosystem.
1Panel is a GPL-3.0 Linux server management panel and lightweight AI management platform with a web interface for websites, databases, files, and containers, a curated one-click app store, a WAF, and log auditing. It deploys applications in containers and also manages local and remote LLMs.
Pricing: Free and open source; check the website for any paid editions.
aaPanel is a web-based Linux hosting control panel with one-click LNMP, LAMP, and OpenLiteSpeed installation, file management, database tools, and a WordPress toolkit. It is released under its own aaPanel Open Source License Agreement, not a standard open-source license, and a paid Pro version is sold alongside the free version.
Pricing: Free version and paid Pro version.
OpenPanel is a hosting control panel built around containers, with isolated user accounts, a user-friendly interface, modules, security features, and backups. It is available as a free community edition and a fully supported commercial version. The OpenAdmin and OpenPanel UI are distributed under an EULA, while OpenCLI and configuration files use the CC BY-NC license, so it is source available rather than open source. It is not the product analytics project of a similar name.
Pricing: Free community edition; the fully supported commercial version is paid.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Panel | Server management panel | GPL-3.0 | Yes | Admins and self-hosters |
| aaPanel | Hosting control panel | aaPanel license (free and Pro) | Yes | Web stacks and WordPress |
| OpenPanel | Hosting control panel | EULA (UI) + CC BY-NC (CLI) | Yes | Multi-user hosting |
Want a standard open-source server panel
1Panel is GPL-3.0 and manages websites, databases, containers, and an app store through a web interface.
Want a free panel with one-click web stacks
aaPanel installs LNMP, LAMP, and OpenLiteSpeed in one click, with a paid Pro version and a custom license.
Want isolated accounts for multiple hosting users
OpenPanel runs each user in containers with a user-friendly panel, but its UI is under an EULA and a commercial version exists.