Last Updated on 1 month by Sachin G
For system administrators, developers, and small business owners looking to manage servers without the high cost of cPanel or WHM, free and open-source hosting control panels are a practical solution. These web hosting control panels offer powerful web-based server GUIs, one-click installers, DNS and mail server integration, and even support for Apache/Nginx, all at no cost.
This blog post presents a curated list of ten popular free web hosting control panels. Each panel, including HestiaCP, aaPanel, CyberPanel, and others, is briefly described with its features, supported technologies, and suitability for different hosting needs. The guide serves as a valuable resource for individuals seeking cost-effective solutions for web hosting management.
An open source web hosting panel is a free source software application that allow you to manage web hosting from a graphical web-based interface for tasks such as hosting domains and websites, managing files, setting email accounts, and DNS configuration.
What is Web Hosting Control Panel (WHC)?
The hosting control panel is an online utility that’s utilized to manage servers and hosted services. This type of panel is an efficient way to carefully monitor all hosting services.The hosting control panel provides the ability to keep an eye on services such as managing domain names, installing applications, and effectively managing email accounts within the network.
WHCs typically include features such as:
- Domain management: To manage your domain names
- Applications management: To install and manage web applications, such as WordPress
- File management: To edit, delete, upload,d and download files on your web server.
- Database management: To create and manage databases
- Email management: To create and manage email accounts and use as SMTP services.
- Security: To configure server security settings for your web server .
- Backups: Allow backups of your website and data .
List of Free Web Hosting Control Panels
1. Hestia Control Panel
Demo URL: https://demo.hestiacp.com:8083/login/
A modern and beginner-friendly interface, it is a fork of VestaCP. HetiaCP is a free and open-source panel. This is a fast and reliable control panel and easy to use, and provides user user-friendly interface. Hestia is a lightweight hosting control panel ideal for Ubuntu/Debian servers. It features a built-in file manager, FTP and database control, email hosting integration, and SSL certificate deployment through Let’s Encrypt.
Web server management tools for Nginx and Apache
Built-in backup automation and cron job schedulers
Good option for those seeking a free WHM alternative
2. aaPanel
Demo URL : http://demo.aapanel.com/fdgi87jbn/
This open-source web hosting panel is PHP PHP-based hosting panel and it supports CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu. It installs in a few minutes and is very easy to manage through one click. This utility improves the efficiency of managing the server, and it also supports Nginx web server and LEMP and LAMP Server.It comes with a web-based server management GUI, a one-click app installer panel, and strong resource monitoring dashboards.
3. CyberPanel
CyberPanel is a simple, fast, and open-source web hosting panel based on OpenLiteSpeed server technology , where run the websites super fast .The WordPress framework sites easily deploy and manage. It has an active community of users and programmers who are always working to improve their software services.The panel comes with two variant , one is CyberPanel and the other is CyberPanel Ent. The CyberPanel is completely free and you can host an unlimited number of domains with OpenLiteSpeed and Enterprise version comes with LiteSpeed Web Server Enterprise and it is free for 1 domain only.
Comes with a built-in one-click app installer panel (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
Full support for SSL certificate deployment, DNS management tools, and email hosting integration
Integrated file manager accessibility, FTP and database control, and automatic backups
Strong fit for users seeking cost-effective hosting management with modern speed and performance
4. Control Web Panel (CWP)
Control Web Panel is a modern and intuitive web interface control panel for Linux-based servers, and now it is AI AI-powered, Free, open-source web hosting panel for quick and easy management. The interface is very similar to the cPanel control panel. Mostly used as a cPanel alternative.
5. Webmin / Virtualmin
A powerful duo, Webmin is known for its server administration dashboard, while Virtualmin adds advanced hosting automation tools. Webmin is also an open-source and free software utility, and it is available for Unix-like operating systems, including Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, and Fedora. Webmin also provide the virtualmin module to manage virtual hosts through a Graphical single-user interface like cPanel, Plesk, or cWP panel. It also supports LEMP or LAMP-based hosts, and It also support all other features like other control panels supports.
Great for database administration (MySQL/PostgreSQL)
Offers multi-server support and VPS control panels
Flexible user role permissions
6. Ajenti
This control panel for Linux and BSD servers and it is a free and open-source . Ajenti source is written in Python and uses the Gevent event loop for high performance. It is also highly modular, with a plug-in architecture that allows users to extend its functionality.
7. ISPConfig
Ideal for professional setups, ISPConfig supports multi-server hosting, email and DNS integration, and complete server GUI solutions. ISPConfig is another free and open source hosting control panel that also allow to manage multiple servers from its own interface . It is available for Linux different flavors and it can be installed on single server and cluster of servers.
Offers reduced technical dependency through intuitive dashboards
Strong community support for quality
Compatible with cloud server environments
8. Froxlor
Froxlor is a lightweight, free, open-source server control panel. It was developed by experienced server administrators. it is fast reliable . It is having functionality of traffic monitoring, API based , Let’s Encrypt , theme able interface . It’s suitable for small to medium-sized websites that need secure and user-friendly panels.
Focuses on resource efficiency
Offers domain parking tools
Excellent SSL and FTP control
9. KeyHelp
With a generous free tier, KeyHelp includes SSL, DNS, FTP, database, and email management—all via a clean and efficient interface.
Good for those seeking Free cPanel alternatives
Strong focus on security vulnerability history
Simple server monitoring and backup automation
10. Sentora
It provides both community-based, which is free, and subscription-based premium support services. it is a fork of the original ZPanel. Sentora offers 24/7 support via email and chat. It is best for small to medium ISPs , who are looking for a cost-effective, extendable platform. Sentora has functionality which automatically creates backups of websites . It can be restored in case of a data loss event. It offers a range of features like other web hosting control panels, including File Management, database, Email, Webmail, SSH, security, and support services.
Great for DNS and mail server integration
Suitable for one-click installers like WordPress
Easy to use for beginners
When selecting a free and open source web hosting control panel, it is crucial to take into account your specific needs and demands. A few aspects to take under consideration are the amount of websites you need to hosts , the features you require, and your level of technical expertise.
I’m Sachin Gupta — a freelance IT support specialist and founder of techtransit.org. I’m certified in Linux, Ansible, OpenShift (Red Hat), cPanel, and ITIL, with over 15 years of hands-on experience. I create beginner-friendly Linux tutorials, help with Ansible automation, and offer IT support on platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and PeoplePerHour. Follow Tech Transit for practical tips, hosting guides, and real-world Linux expertise!