CloudPanel vs Virtualmin (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CloudPanel grades higher than Virtualmin: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
CloudPanel grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Virtualmin
Open-source hosting control panel with a paid Pro edition
Which one is for you
Pick CloudPanel if
- Fits if you host PHP, Node.js or Python sites on a Debian or Ubuntu VPS
- Works for people who want a panel without licence fees
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need paid support, as the ticket system and managed offer are listed as coming soon
- Not for you if you want mail or DNS handled in the panel, since the listing doesn't show either
- Watch out: the Premium and Enterprise columns show no prices
- Watch out: only Debian 11 and 12 and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 are listed, and you maintain the server
Pick Virtualmin if
- Fits if you want a free panel for a few domains on a Debian or RHEL-family server
- Makes sense if you may add Pro later for tickets and resellers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want hosting included, because Virtualmin is the panel and not hosting
- Tight if you need resellers or WP Workbench, which are Pro only
- Too light for support on GPL, which has the forum only
- Watch out: Pro price depends on the domain tier, and the shop page shows only the entry price
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACloudPanelFair | 2.2GPAVirtualminFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe Community Edition is free for commercial and hobby use, but only if you host it yourself on a server you pay for, so it counts as C. | CGPL is free but self-hosted, so it counts as C. Pro starts at $7.50 a month for 10 domains, between the $5.00 and $10.99 lines for web hosting, and rises with the domain tier. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright for commercial and hobby sites, with no site or user cap listed. Support is the docs and Discord. | BThe GPL edition is free and open source with no listed cap. It has forum support only, 5 installable scripts and no resellers. |
| Features | CA site wizard, isolated sites, several PHP versions, firewall rules, a CLI and WordPress quick install. The listing shows no mail or DNS management. | CDomain accounts, a mail stack, DNS options, cloud backups, a CLI and a remote API. Resellers, Podman, WP Workbench and 60-plus scripts need Pro. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You provide a Debian or Ubuntu server and install it yourself. | DNo store rating on record. It needs a fresh supported Linux install and administering the server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it launches on AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Google Cloud, Azure and Vultr, and uses Let's Encrypt. | BWeb only, but it connects to Webmin, Cloudflare, Route 53, Amazon SES and S3, Dropbox, Google Drive and Let's Encrypt, with a remote API. |
| Best for | a free panel for PHP, Node.js, Python | a free-or-paid hosting panel for Linux servers |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CloudPanel and Virtualmin. How we grade
Price against what you get
CloudPanel has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Virtualmin starts at $7.50 a month and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and CloudPanel starts $7.50 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than CloudPanel for less, and 21 score higher than Virtualmin for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Virtualmin is open source, according to its own site.
- CloudPanel also covers managed WordPress.
- Virtualmin also covers file management.
At a glance
| CloudPanel | Virtualmin | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $7.50 per month for Pro, 10 domains |
| Free plan | The Community Edition is free for commercial and hobby sites, with documentation and Discord for support. | Virtualmin GPL is free and open source, with community forum support and 5 installable scripts. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | MGT-COMMERCE | Virtualmin |
| Price read from | cloudpanel.io | virtualmin.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CloudPanel
- The vendor lists Debian 12 or 11 and Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04 as the choices for the operating system.
- The Premium and Enterprise columns on the pricing page show no prices, and their ticket system is listed as coming soon.
- A managed offer for support is announced as coming soon, so there is no paid support plan today.
- You supply and maintain the server; CloudPanel is the panel, not the hosting.
Virtualmin
- Pro is priced by domain count (10, 50, 100, 250 or unlimited); only the entry price is shown on the shop page.
- GPL has 5 installable scripts, against 60+ in Pro, and gets forum support only.
- The installer needs a fresh supported OS: Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux or Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
- You run the server yourself; Virtualmin is the panel, not hosting.
Key features
CloudPanel
- Site wizard
- Create a WordPress site, PHP application, Node.js app, Python app or static site from templates, including a free Let's Encrypt certificate.
- Isolated sites
- Each site is isolated at the system level, so a vulnerability in one site does not reach the others on the server.
- Several PHP versions
- The panel ships with multiple PHP versions, and changing the version for an app is a single selection.
- Firewall and access rules
- A UFW-based firewall interface, IP restrictions for panel access, an IP blocker and a bot blocker.
- Cloud launch options
- Launch images on AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner Cloud, Google Compute Engine, Azure or Vultr, with automated backups on those providers.
- CLI
- Sites can also be set up from the command line with their application-specific configuration.
Virtualmin
- Domain accounts and delegation
- Domain owner and reseller accounts give users control over their own sites; Pro adds resource limits and advanced user management.
- Mail stack
- Mailboxes with spam and antivirus protection, forwarders and auto-responders; Pro adds Amazon SES delivery.
- DNS options
- Manage DNS locally, or link to Cloudflare, Google Cloud DNS and Amazon Route 53 (some providers are Pro).
- Backups to cloud storage
- Scheduled backups with Amazon S3 in GPL and Google Storage, Backblaze, Dropbox and GPG encryption in Pro.
- Podman and WP Workbench
- Pro includes a Podman plugin for per-domain containers and WP Workbench for WordPress updates, cloning and backups.
- CLI and remote API
- A command-line tool and an authenticated HTTP API automate server setup, routine tasks and bulk changes.
Plans
CloudPanel
Community Edition$0
Free for commercial and hobby sites; support through the documentation and Discord.
Virtualmin
Virtualmin GPL$0
Free and open source; you host it yourself. Apache or Nginx, MySQL and PostgreSQL, mail, CLI and HTTP API.
Virtualmin Professional, monthly$7.50
per month for up to 10 domains, billed monthly
Adds private ticket support, resellers, Podman and WP Workbench plugins. Tiers go to 50, 100, 250 and unlimited domains.
Virtualmin Professional, annual$75
per year for up to 10 domains
Same features as monthly, billed yearly. Prices rise with the domain tier you pick.
Ways to pay less
CloudPanel
No public discounts listed.
Virtualmin
- Annual discount
Annual billing at $75 versus $7.50 monthly
The entry Pro tier costs $75 a year or $7.50 a month; the shop lists both subscription types.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CloudPanel or Virtualmin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CloudPanel is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $7.50 a month for Virtualmin. CloudPanel is free, and Virtualmin starts at $7.50 per month for Pro, 10 domains.
Which has a free plan, CloudPanel or Virtualmin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CloudPanel and Virtualmin have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.