ShadowPanel vs HestiaCP vs CloudPanel vs CyberPanel — an honest comparison (2026)
Four self-hosted hosting control panels, none with per-server fees, very different trade-offs. A developer's-eye comparison — including where ShadowPanel is not the right pick.
The short version
If you run your own VPS and don't want cPanel's per-account pricing, you have real open-source options in 2026. The four worth knowing are HestiaCP, CloudPanel, CyberPanel and ShadowPanel. None of them charges per server the way cPanel does — but they differ a lot in philosophy, feature depth and maturity.
We build ShadowPanel, so treat this as informed but biased. We've tried to be fair, name where the others win, and be honest about where ShadowPanel is still young.
At a glance
| Feature | HestiaCP | CloudPanel | CyberPanel | ShadowPanel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| License | Free, open-source | Free, open-source | Free + paid add-ons | Free + Pro/Agency (flat fee) |
| Per-server fees | None | None | None | None |
| Web server | Nginx + Apache | Nginx | OpenLiteSpeed / LiteSpeed | Nginx |
| Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| DNS | Yes (BIND) | Basic | Yes (PowerDNS) | Yes (BIND) |
| Multi-PHP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (5.6–8.4) |
| Git deploy | No | No | Limited | Yes |
| Docker | No | No | Add-on | Yes |
| White-label / reseller | Limited | No | Reseller | Yes (Agency) |
| UI | Functional | Modern | Dated | Modern (React) |
| Track record | High (since 2019) | High | High | New (2026) |
Features move fast — always check each project's current documentation before deciding.
HestiaCP — the dependable veteran
HestiaCP is the safe, boring-in-a-good-way choice. It descends from the VestaCP lineage, runs on Debian and Ubuntu, and bundles web, mail and DNS with a clean enough interface. It's genuinely free, has a large community, and "just works" for shared-hosting-style setups.
Where it stops: there's no native Git-push deploy, no Docker management, and reseller/white-label is limited. If your workflow is modern app deployment rather than classic shared hosting, you'll feel the gaps.
CloudPanel — lean and Nginx-first
CloudPanel is fast, modern and deliberately minimal. It's Nginx-only, optimised for PHP and Node apps, and pairs nicely with cloud providers. If you want a clean panel to run a handful of high-performance sites, it's excellent.
The trade-off is scope: no built-in email server, only basic DNS, and no reseller model. It's a single-server app panel, not a multi-tenant hosting business in a box.
CyberPanel — LiteSpeed performance
CyberPanel's headline is LiteSpeed/OpenLiteSpeed integration, which can be a real performance win for WordPress with LiteSpeed Cache. It includes email, DNS (PowerDNS) and a reseller model, so it's a complete hosting stack.
The downsides: the UI feels dated, some features sit behind paid add-ons, and the project has had a few notable security advisories over the years — keep it patched. If raw LiteSpeed performance is your priority, it's hard to ignore.
ShadowPanel — flat-fee, agency-ready, modern
ShadowPanel is the one we make. It targets developers and agencies who want a modern panel with Git deploy, Docker, staging, multi-PHP (5.6–8.4), email, DNS, free auto-renewing SSL and true white-label/reseller — under a flat Pro/Agency licence with no per-server fees. The UI is a modern React dashboard, and the privileged operations run through a single audited root daemon rather than scattered shell calls.
Honest caveat: ShadowPanel is new in 2026. It is feature-rich and actively developed, but it has a smaller community and a shorter track record than HestiaCP or CyberPanel.
Which should you choose?
- Solo dev or hobby self-hoster on a budget → HestiaCP or CloudPanel.
- WordPress at scale, performance-obsessed → CyberPanel (LiteSpeed).
- Agency reselling under your own brand, wanting Git, Docker and staging in one modern panel → ShadowPanel.
- You need a panel with years of forum answers today → a veteran like HestiaCP; ShadowPanel is younger.
Being honest about ShadowPanel
If you need a huge plugin ecosystem and a decade of Stack Overflow answers right now, the veterans win — and we'd rather tell you that than oversell. But if you want a modern, agency-focused panel with a flat licence, Git/Docker/staging built in, and you're comfortable backing a younger project that's improving every week, that's exactly who we built ShadowPanel for.
Try it
The Free tier runs 3 sites with no credit card. You can install ShadowPanel on a fresh Ubuntu VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, anywhere) in about ten minutes:
curl -fsSL https://shadowpanel.de/install.sh | bash