Mail in free
Free in BeAdmin- BeAdmin
- In core
- OpenPanel
- Enterprise only
OpenPanel is a modern container‑based panel (on Podman instead of Docker since 2.0) that gives every user an isolated container. It is genuinely strong there — but its free Community build ships without mail, FTP or MariaDB, and caps users. BeAdmin keeps a full free core, including mail and databases, and adds a VPN. Below — where the two really differ.
Full free core · Mail included · 512 MB RAM
Mail in free
Free in BeAdminMinimum RAM
−50%Built‑in VPN
Only BeAdminUser accounts
No hard capOpenPanel’s free Community build leaves out email, FTP and MariaDB and caps users — those live in the €14.95/mo Enterprise tier. BeAdmin keeps mail, databases and unlimited accounts in its free core.
Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, Amnezia and Mimicry are modules in the same UI. OpenPanel ships no VPN at all.
BeAdmin starts at 512 MB. OpenPanel asks for 1 GB minimum and recommends 4 GB to cover the per‑user container overhead.
OpenPanel is a young project (first releases in 2024), moving fast but still maturing, and the EULA of its free Community build forbids commercial hosting for third parties — that needs Enterprise. BeAdmin’s core has had longer to settle, on plain Debian and Ubuntu with no mixed licence terms.
Values pulled from each panel’s public docs. OpenPanel is strong on container isolation and runtimes (the latter in Enterprise); BeAdmin keeps a fuller free core — we mark each row plainly.
OpenPanel’s Community build has no email, no FTP and no MariaDB, and caps you at three users — those land in the €14.95/mo Enterprise tier. BeAdmin ships mail, databases and unlimited accounts in its free core; you pay only for the optional modules you switch on, from 1 €/mo.
Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, Amnezia, Mimicry — turn any of them on with a single click. OpenPanel has no VPN at all; you would build and maintain that part yourself outside the panel.
BeAdmin runs on 512 MB. OpenPanel asks for 1 GB minimum and recommends 4 GB, because every user gets a container of their own and that overhead adds up. On a nano‑VPS, BeAdmin leaves more RAM for your sites.
OpenPanel is young (first releases in 2024) and uses a mixed licence — the UI under its own EULA, parts under CC BY‑NC. The EULA forbids commercial hosting for third parties on Community, resellers included — that needs an Enterprise licence. BeAdmin’s core runs on plain Debian and Ubuntu with no non‑commercial clauses to read around.
OpenPanel is a capable, modern, container‑first panel; BeAdmin keeps a fuller free core and adds a VPN. Synthesised from public docs and our own usage — your mileage may vary.
OpenPanel’s Community build is free but trimmed; the full set lands in Enterprise. BeAdmin keeps a full free core and bills only for the optional modules you switch on.
From 1 €/mo. Enable only what you need, disable any time — no per‑account fee. The VPN family lives here.
with limits
per month, or €149.50/yr
The Community build is genuinely free, but email, FTP, MariaDB, migration and white‑label sit behind Enterprise. Community limits are 3 users, 50 sites and 50 domains. Enterprise has a 30‑day trial, no card needed.
OpenPanel pricing from openpanel.com (2026). BeAdmin module pricing from beadmin.com.
The smallest VPS each panel will comfortably run on. Numbers are vendor‑stated minimums and recommendations; the vendor publishes no CPU requirements, so that figure is our estimate.
Source: OpenPanel install docs (openpanel.com). The vendor publishes no CPU requirements — that figure is our estimate. BeAdmin requirements from internal documentation.
If OpenPanel runs on Debian or Ubuntu, no OS change is needed. Its container architecture means a direct copy is not automatic — plan a manual move.
One apt command brings up the free BeAdmin core — with mail and databases already included. Run it alongside OpenPanel and switch over only when ready. If OpenPanel sits on a RHEL‑family OS, start on a fresh Debian or Ubuntu box.
Transfer vhost configs, databases (mysqldump) and mailboxes manually or with your own scripts. BeAdmin does not import OpenPanel containers directly, and PostgreSQL has no target yet — that is an honest gap, not a marketing trick.
Flip DNS when you are comfortable. If anything looks off, revert DNS to the old server — the rollback is just one record change.
Because of what “free” includes. OpenPanel’s Community build leaves out email, FTP and MariaDB and caps you at three users — those are Enterprise (€14.95/mo) features. BeAdmin keeps mail, databases and unlimited accounts in its free core, adds a six‑protocol VPN, and only charges for the optional modules you switch on, from 1 €/mo.
Email, FTP, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Node.js, Python, Ruby and Java runtimes, container management, REST API and MCP, billing integrations, cPanel backup import, WAF, ARM64, OSes other than Ubuntu 24.04, white‑label and on‑site support sit in the Enterprise tier (€14.95/mo or €149.50/yr). The Community build is free but limited: 3 users, 50 sites and 50 domains. Enterprise has a free 30‑day trial, no card needed.
Yes. The BeAdmin panel installs on both x86_64 and ARM64, while OpenPanel offers ARM64 only in Enterprise. The Mimicry (VPN) module is x86_64 only.
No. OpenPanel ships Node.js, Python, Ruby and Java app installers (in Enterprise) and OpenLiteSpeed, and its per‑user container isolation is a real strength. BeAdmin focuses on a PHP stack with managed Docker as a module. If those runtimes are central to your work, OpenPanel covers that case (in Enterprise) and we do not yet.
Not directly. BeAdmin has no native importer for OpenPanel’s containers, so sites, databases, mail and DNS move over manually or with your own scripts. PostgreSQL has no managed target yet either. We would rather say that plainly than promise compatibility we do not have.
The panel core is free. Pay only for the modules you connect.