If you are a business owner, you must have already come across the idea of a VPS for your website. After deciding on your VPS hosting provider, next significant step is to choose a control panel that would make your virtual business life easier. Primary candidates dominating the market are cPanel used in Linux VPS hosting and Windows Plesk. These panels feature tools, user interface, security and other server management options that greatly contribute to successful website performance in terms of functionality and great user experience. The decision can be hard to make, so we present insights and comparisons between both, cPanel and Plesk control panels.
General facts and information
Released in 1996, cPanel has a vast number of loyal users around the globe and the modern versions of the panel are combined with WHM (Web Host Manager). On the other side there is Plesk which has been fulfilling VPS users demands and expectations since 2001. Today, both web hosting control panels, used in Linux VPS hosting and Windows VPS hosting, demonstrates effective and powerful results.
More than 50% of the top 100 service hosting providers use Plesk and it powers more than 100 million websites and applications. In the meantime, cPanel creates a hosting account every 14,5 seconds and a domain every 6 seconds. Considering these facts, the choice between the OSes can be hard, so deeper analysis is necessary to make the right decision. The factors to consider are user interface, support, features, OS, security, price and backup. Let’s explore them individually.
Different user interfaces
Interface of the Plesk offers UX/UI based on modern JavaScript technology, consequently, it is like WordPress. Plesk features are grouped in a list down the left side and it expands to more options when clicked. So, Linux VPS hosting or Windows VPS experience depends on a major difference: cPanel doesn’t divide features and tools in such detail, however it provides possibility to customize home screen, thus making it easier to find necessary options.
These main differences make Plesk more preferable than the other, because users seem to find cleaner GUI a bit easier to use and it appear to be more suitable for beginners. Nevertheless, CLI access is available in both panels, so the choice should be based on individual understanding of a convenient user interface control and personal browsing experience.
Support is a crucial point
No matter which hosting option is chosen – Linux VPS hosting or Windows – control panel support is a major factor to consider. Plesk support is available 24/7 without paying any fee and they also consult other users in their official forum and social media channels. In the meantime, cPanel have central standard time for support calls and emergency supports cost 65$ per one incident. Also, cPanel accepts support tickets.
Security options
As a matter of fact, both control panels strive to reach highest level of security so it’s only an individual preference. Plesk supports security extensions, such as Fail2ban and Immunity 360. Domains are secured by configuring DNS and DNSSEC while Plesk Security Advisor turns on SSL and HTTP/2, therefore automated recovery and healing don’t require skilled support.
cPanel, available in Linux VPS hosting, iOS and Android, offers password protected directories, automatic SSL certificate installation and IP address denials. Consequently, the control panel can blacklist or whitelist IPs, encrypt outbound messages, provide multi-factor authentication and more.
Final thoughts
Overall, Plesk and cPanel both are high-end panels that offer a vast number of factors which help to handle and manage website in the easiest and most convenient way. When choosing between the two, compare them in more detail and determine which panel would best suit your needs and expectations.