HestiaCP vs Virtualmin (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HestiaCP grades higher than Virtualmin: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HestiaCP grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, 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 HestiaCP if
- Fits if you run a Debian or Ubuntu VPS and want a panel with no licence cost
- Works for people who are happy to rely on a community forum
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want paid support, because there is none and help comes from the forum
- Not for you if you run another OS, as only Debian 12 or 13 and Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04 are supported
- Tight if you use a 32-bit CPU, since only AMD64 and ARM64 are supported
- Watch out: you patch and secure the server yourself, and it is software, not hosting
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
| 2.6GPAHestiaCPGood | 2.2GPAVirtualminFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree under GPLv3 with no paid editions, but it only runs on a server you rent and manage, so it counts as C rather than A. | 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 | AEntirely free and open source, with no paid tier and no cap listed. The project asks for donations. | BThe GPL edition is free and open source with no listed cap. It has forum support only, 5 installable scripts and no resellers. |
| Features | BWeb domains and PHP, mail, DNS, MySQL, MariaDB and PostgreSQL, users, backups and a REST API. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the panel's core job. | 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. It needs a fresh Debian or Ubuntu install and command-line setup. | DNo store rating on record. It needs a fresh supported Linux install and administering the server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with a REST API, Roundcube, phpMyAdmin, Rclone, WordPress and Nextcloud support, and 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 open-source panel on a fresh Debian or Ubuntu server | 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: HestiaCP and Virtualmin. How we grade
Price against what you get
HestiaCP has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Virtualmin starts at $7.50 a month and scores 2.0.
HestiaCP scores higher and starts $7.50 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than HestiaCP 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 also covers file management.
At a glance
| HestiaCP | Virtualmin | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $7.50 per month for Pro, 10 domains |
| Free plan | Entirely free and open source under the GPLv3 license, with no paid editions. | Virtualmin GPL is free and open source, with community forum support and 5 installable scripts. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hestia Control Panel | Virtualmin |
| Price read from | hestiacp.com | virtualmin.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HestiaCP
- It must go on a fresh Debian 12 or 13, or Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04, install; other systems get no support.
- Only 64-bit AMD64 and ARM64 processors are supported.
- Support comes from the community forum, not a paid support plan.
- You run and patch the server yourself; Hestia is software, not 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
HestiaCP
- Web domains and PHP
- Multiple domains per server with per-domain TLS certificates, Nginx caching, and PHP versions from 5.6 to 8.3.
- Self-hosted mail
- Runs Exim and Dovecot with Roundcube webmail, Let's Encrypt for mail domains and rate limits per user or mailbox.
- DNS server
- Host your own nameservers, set up DNS clusters and enable DNSSEC on domains.
- MySQL, MariaDB and PostgreSQL
- Database support with phpMyAdmin and phpPgAdmin included.
- Users and security
- Share access with other users under resource limits, with SFTP and SSH chroot jails, SSH keys and two-factor login for the admin panel.
- Backups and REST API
- Automated backups to SFTP, FTP or any of 50+ cloud providers via Rclone, and a REST API for third-party software.
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
HestiaCP
Hestia Control Panel$0
Free and open source; you install it on your own server. The project asks for donations by PayPal or cryptocurrency.
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
HestiaCP
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, HestiaCP or Virtualmin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HestiaCP is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $7.50 a month for Virtualmin. HestiaCP is free, and Virtualmin starts at $7.50 per month for Pro, 10 domains.
Which has a free plan, HestiaCP or Virtualmin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both HestiaCP 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.