When it comes to web hosting control panels, Plesk vs cPanel comparison is something you may think about. Both cPanel and Plesk has long history on the market of server management tools.
About Plesk and cPanel
Plesk
Plesk has helped system administrators for over 10 years. Because of its user-friendly interface and wide set of features, admins can manage their servers more efficiently. The latest Plesk is available in Windows and Linux and is designed to work unobtrusively, manage performance and gatekeep in the shadows.
cPanel
cPanel first appeared in 1996. As its a pioneer in this market, cPanel still has a dedicated fanbase for its obsolete products. Even though its current offering is called cPanel 68. Newer iterations of this popular solution are a kind of welding together of cPanel. This facilitates customer account management and Web Host Manager (WHM) which tackles server administration.
Plesk Vs Cpanel
| SOLUTIONS | PLESK ONYX | CPANEL/WHM |
|---|---|---|
| OS compatibility | Linux and Windows
Supported 14 Linux distributives: CentOS, Cloud Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Debian, Ubuntu, Virtuozzo and more |
Linux
Supported 3 Linux distributives: CentOS, Cloud Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux. |
| Web servers | Apache, NGINX with caching | Apache |
| Administration | Unified authorization procedure for users and administrators. | cPanel basically consists of cPanel and WHM – WHM is accessible only for server-related administrational tasks. cPanel access gives control only over website. |
| Interface | Modern UX/UI based on React.Js. Built-in ready to code environment with support of Javascript, PHP, Perl, Ruby On Rails, Python, Java and .NET. | User-friendly interface with full control over majority of cPanel/WHM features. Availability of command line and API-based access as the way to automate administrational tasks. |
| Security | A lot of security features are provided from the box e.g. Plesk Firewall, Revisium Antivirus, Fail2ban | AutoSSL, cPHulk, built-in support of CSF/LFD and some other useful features |
| WordPress support | WordPress Toolkit provides full list of automation & management features vital for the scalable WordPress infrastructure support. | cPanel’s WordPress Manager is far away from perfection. |
| Extensions/Add-ons | Plesk comes with ecosystem of various extensions, covering all possible needs of any server administrator. Among these extensions are Security Advisor, WordPress Toolkit, Joomla! Toolkit, Let’s Encrypt SSL support, SEO Toolkit etc. | Extra apps are available via auto-installers. |
| DBMS | MySQL / MariaDB / MSSQL Server databases can be managed via web browser. | MySQL/MariaDB databases management via web interface |
| SSL | Let’s Encrypt + Symantec | AutoSSL with Let’s Encrypt |
| Mobile accessibility |  |
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| Backups | Ready to use solutions based on Dropbox, Acronis, Google Drive | Compatibility issues can be spotted between various cPanel backup versions. |
| Technologies | Support of Docker, Git, Node.js, WordPress Toolkit | Docker, Node.Js & Git can be still supported by cPanel, however workaround here is sophisticated |
Plesk or cPanel: Which is better?
The web hosting control panel you choose plays a crucial role in how you interact with your server. It is because your control panel is what gives you the features you’re going to require for your project.
- If you are a beginner and just starting with a website, we recommend Plesk over cPanel.
- cPanel has the most installation base. It works with Linux-based servers only.
- You prefer to use Windows then Plesk is your only choice.
- Plesk is a better option if you’re looking to stay with a same look and feel when using multiple servers.
- If you have less than 30 sites, then Plesk is cheaper
- If you have more than 30 sites, then cPanel can be a more affordable option.
We provide Azure Website Hosting with Plesk