5 Free Hosting Control Panels

If you’re looking for a cheap VPS with cpanel, then look no further. But if, for whatever reason, you don’t have access to cPanel, here are five free cpanel alternatives.

Webmin / Virtualmin

“Webmin is a web-based interface for system administration for Unix. Using any modern web browser, you can setup user accounts, Apache, DNS, file sharing and much more” (quoted from Webmin). Webmin isn’t necessarily a hosting control panel, however there is a module called Virtualmin, that gives it this ability. Webmin and the Virtualmin are definitely geared towards those who are familiar with Linux. Lie the quote, Webmin basically gives you a web based interface to do what a sysadmin would normally do on the command line. Webmin runs on most Unix-based operating system, and has a low overhead.

Froxlor

Another simple control panel that simplifies system administration to just a few clicks. Features include a three-tiered access level (admins -> resellers -> clients), Apache, PHP and Perl, Mail, Awstats Statistics, and a lot more. It runs on most Linux based operating systems and FreeBSD.

Kloxo

Similar to cPanel, Kloxo, is a full featured control panel that runs on CentOS. It has been scrutinized for it’s security, however, it’s up to par, if not better, than most of the control panels on this list. This is probably the closest free cpanel alternative that there is currently.

ISPConfig

“ISPConfig is an open source hosting control panel for Linux. ISPConfig is licensed under BSD license. ISPConfig simplifies the complicated details of setting up DNS, multiple unique domain name websites on one physical server box, and e-mail accounts for multiple users on those websites” (quoted from Wikipedia)

EHCP

Last but not least, we have EHCP. EHCP stands for ‘Easy Hosting Control Panel’, and once you try it out, you will agree. Once you quickly learn how to use EHCP, it’s quite easy. It has a lot of features, is user friendly, and has a good looking theme design. The developer is also very active, you can get in touch with him through Email or even chat with him on his website. EHCP runs on Debian based operating systems (such as Ubuntu).

Which one is the best?

It’s hard to say. It depends on personal preference. If you’re looking for really technical and configurable, then Webmin will probably be the best for you. If you’re looking for an easy 1-click install, then EHCP is probably your best bet. Either way, all of these cps are free. I recommend trying them all out!