Entry price
No licence- BeAdmin
- Free core
- cPanel
- $29.99/mo
cPanel is the industry standard — mature, deeply integrated, and priced per account. BeAdmin keeps a free core, charges only for the modules you switch on, runs on Debian and Ubuntu, and ships a VPN. Below — where the two really differ.
Free core · 512 MB RAM · No per‑account fee
Entry price
No licenceMinimum RAM
−87%Built‑in VPN
Only BeAdminDebian support
Native VPScPanel licences start at $29.99/mo for a single account and scale up per account. BeAdmin keeps a free core and charges only for the modules you switch on, from $1/mo — no per‑account fee.
BeAdmin starts at 512 MB. cPanel asks for 4 GB minimum and recommends 8 GB, so a small VPS that fits BeAdmin will not run cPanel at all.
cPanel does not support Debian — only AlmaLinux, Rocky, CloudLinux 8–9 and Ubuntu 22.04. BeAdmin runs on Debian and Ubuntu, the default image on most VPS providers.
Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline and Amnezia are modules in the same UI. cPanel ships no VPN at all.
Values pulled from each panel’s public docs. cPanel is the more mature platform; BeAdmin is lighter and free at the core — we mark each row plainly.
cPanel bills per account — $29.99/mo for one, then up through Admin, Pro and Premier, plus $0.49 for each account over 100. BeAdmin keeps the core free and charges only for the modules you switch on, from $1/mo. The bill does not grow with your account count.
BeAdmin runs on 512 MB. cPanel asks for 4 GB minimum and recommends 8 GB, so the cheap box that comfortably hosts BeAdmin cannot run cPanel at all. Smaller server, smaller monthly cost.
cPanel will not install on Debian — it needs AlmaLinux, Rocky, CloudLinux or Ubuntu 22.04. BeAdmin runs on Debian and Ubuntu, the default image on most providers, so there is no OS reinstall before you start.
Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, Amnezia — turn any of them on with a single click. cPanel has no VPN at all; you would build and maintain that part yourself outside the panel.
cPanel is the more established platform; BeAdmin is lighter and free at the core. Synthesised from public docs and our own usage — your mileage may vary.
cPanel charges per server, scaled by account count. BeAdmin keeps a free core and bills only for the modules you switch on.
From 1 €/mo. Enable only what you need, disable any time — no per‑account fee. The VPN family lives here.
per month
per month
per month
per month
Prices are per server and have risen year over year. Beyond 100 accounts, each extra account adds $0.49/mo — 500 accounts run past $270/mo in licence fees alone.
cPanel pricing from cpanel.net (2026). BeAdmin module pricing from beadmin.com.
The smallest VPS each panel will comfortably run on. Numbers are vendor‑stated minimums and recommendations.
Source: cPanel install docs (cpanel.net). BeAdmin requirements from internal documentation.
Moving off cPanel means a new server — the OS family changes from RHEL to Debian/Ubuntu. The old panel stays up until you decide to retire it.
cPanel runs on RHEL‑family systems, so the move starts on a new box. One apt command brings up the free BeAdmin core on Debian or Ubuntu — run it alongside cPanel and switch over only when ready.
Transfer vhost configs, databases (mysqldump) and mailboxes manually or with your own scripts. BeAdmin does not import cPanel backups (cpmove) directly — that is an honest gap, not a marketing trick. Migration notes live in our docs.
Flip DNS when you are comfortable. If anything looks off, revert DNS to the old server — the rollback is just one record change.
It depends on your account count, but the shape changes entirely. cPanel bills per account — from $29.99/mo for one, climbing through Admin, Pro and Premier, plus $0.49 for every account over 100. BeAdmin keeps the core free and charges only for the modules you switch on, from 1 €/mo, with no per‑account fee. The smaller RAM footprint also means a cheaper VPS.
No. BeAdmin runs on Debian and Ubuntu; cPanel runs on AlmaLinux, Rocky, CloudLinux and Ubuntu 22.04 but not Debian. If you are committed to a RHEL‑family server, that is worth knowing before you move.
Not directly. BeAdmin has no native importer for cPanel (cpmove) backups, so sites, databases, mail and DNS move over manually or with your own scripts. We would rather say that plainly than promise compatibility we do not have.
There is no built‑in WHMCS billing in BeAdmin. WHMCS is made by the same company as cPanel, so that integration is a genuine cPanel strength. If a turnkey reseller billing pipeline is central to your business, cPanel covers that case and we do not yet.
Yes. BeAdmin runs on 512 MB and is comfortable on 1 GB, because modules are opt‑in and a disabled module uses no RAM. cPanel needs 4 GB minimum and recommends 8 GB, so the same small VPS simply will not run it.
The panel core is free. Pay only for the modules you connect.