Built‑in VPN
Only BeAdmin- BeAdmin
- 5 protocols
- HestiaCP
- None
Two free, lightweight panels built on Debian and Ubuntu — the closest match BeAdmin has. Both cost nothing, but the model differs: HestiaCP gives you one fixed stack with nowhere to extend, while BeAdmin keeps a free core and a catalog of modules — including Docker and a 5‑protocol VPN — you switch on as you grow.
Free core · Module catalog · Docker + 5 VPN
Built‑in VPN
Only BeAdminMinimum RAM
−50%Extensions
Only BeAdminMulti‑server
One panelXray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, and Amnezia are modules in the same UI. HestiaCP ships no VPN at all.
BeAdmin starts at 512 MB; HestiaCP asks for 1 GB minimum and, with mail and ClamAV, comfortably wants 4 GB.
HestiaCP is free, but you get exactly the stack baked in — there is no module catalog to extend it. BeAdmin keeps a free core and a catalog you switch on as you grow, including Docker and a 5‑protocol VPN that HestiaCP simply has no path to.
BeAdmin manages several servers from a single UI. HestiaCP is single‑server; multi‑server means a DNS cluster set up by hand.
Values pulled from each panel’s public docs. Both are free and open — most rows are a tie, and we say so plainly.
Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, Amnezia — turn any of them on with a single click. HestiaCP has no VPN at all; you would build and maintain that part yourself outside the panel.
BeAdmin runs on 512 MB. HestiaCP wants 1 GB minimum, and once mail, ClamAV and SpamAssassin are running, 4 GB feels right. On a cheap box, leaving the heavy services off keeps RAM for your sites.
HestiaCP gives you a fixed stack — when you need Docker or a VPN, there is no catalog to reach for. BeAdmin keeps a free core and a growing module catalog, so the panel expands with you instead of capping out at the stack it shipped with.
BeAdmin manages multiple servers from a single UI. HestiaCP is built around one server; spreading across machines means wiring up a DNS cluster by hand.
Both are genuinely free and open source. Synthesised from public docs and our own usage — your mileage may vary.
Both cost nothing to run. HestiaCP is fully free and open source; BeAdmin keeps a free core and charges only for the extra modules you switch on.
From 1 €/mo. Enable only what you need, disable any time — the process stops and RAM goes free. The VPN family lives here.
GPLv3, no paid tiers
Fully free — the whole stack ships at install, no modules to buy.
HestiaCP is free under GPLv3 (hestiacp.com). BeAdmin module pricing from beadmin.com.
The smallest VPS each panel will comfortably run on. Numbers are vendor‑stated minimums and recommendations.
Source: hestiacp.com install docs. BeAdmin requirements from internal documentation.
Same Debian/Ubuntu base, familiar file layout. The old panel stays up until you decide to retire it.
One apt command brings up the free core on the same Debian or Ubuntu you already know. Run it next to HestiaCP and switch over only when ready.
Transfer vhost configs, databases (mysqldump) and Maildir mailboxes manually or with your own scripts. BeAdmin does not yet ship an automatic importer from HestiaCP — 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.
Extensibility. HestiaCP is free, but it is a fixed stack — you get exactly what is baked in, with no module catalog to extend it. BeAdmin is also free at the core, but it is a platform: a catalog of modules you switch on as you grow, including Docker container management and a five‑protocol VPN (Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, Amnezia) — both of which HestiaCP has no path to. It also manages multiple servers from one UI.
Not from the panel. HestiaCP has no VPN feature, so you would install and maintain WireGuard or OpenVPN by hand on the server, outside its UI. In BeAdmin the VPN family (Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, Amnezia) is a one‑click module inside the same panel.
Not today. HestiaCP runs on both x86_64 and ARM64; BeAdmin currently targets x86_64. If you are committed to an ARM server, that is a fair reason to stay on HestiaCP — better said now than after the move.
PostgreSQL is on the roadmap as a managed module; today MariaDB and MySQL are supported. HestiaCP already manages PostgreSQL, so if your app needs it now, HestiaCP covers that case and we do not yet.
Yes — both fit on 1 GB. BeAdmin even runs on 512 MB, and because modules are opt‑in you keep the rest of the RAM for your sites. HestiaCP fits too, but once you enable mail with ClamAV and SpamAssassin, 1 GB gets tight and 4 GB is more comfortable.
The panel core is free. Pay only for the modules you connect.