Honest comparison · 2026

BeAdmin vs ZesleCP

ZesleCP is an actively maintained, lightweight freemium panel (3.1.x LTS) for the CentOS family and Ubuntu, with a free licence capped at two sites. BeAdmin shares the freemium idea but keeps its free core uncapped, ships a built‑in VPN and a module catalogue, and runs on Debian and Ubuntu. Below — what we can state plainly, and where public data on ZesleCP is still thin.

See docs

Free core · No site cap · Debian & Ubuntu

Free tier

Uncapped
BeAdmin
No site cap
ZesleCP
2 sites

Built‑in VPN

Only BeAdmin
BeAdmin
5 protocols
ZesleCP
None

Add‑on model

À la carte
BeAdmin
Modules
ZesleCP
Paid tiers

OS family

Different
BeAdmin
Debian/Ubuntu
ZesleCP
CentOS family
01 — differences

Key differences

Free core with no site cap

Both panels are freemium. ZesleCP’s free licence is limited to two sites; lifting that means a paid tier. BeAdmin keeps its free core with no limit on the number of sites you host.

Five VPN protocols built in

Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline and Amnezia are modules in the same UI. ZesleCP ships no VPN — that part you would build and run yourself.

A module catalogue, not just tiers

BeAdmin keeps the core free and lets you switch on extras à la carte, from $1/mo — Docker and the VPN family live here. ZesleCP scales through paid licence tiers instead.

Native on Debian and Ubuntu

ZesleCP comes from the CentOS lineage and also supports Ubuntu. BeAdmin targets Debian and Ubuntu — pick the base that matches your fleet.

02 — features

Feature comparison

Values pulled from each panel’s public materials. Both are lightweight freemium panels with a broadly similar core; where ZesleCP’s public docs are thin we mark a row as a draw rather than claim a win for either side.

Foundations
6
  • Supported OS
    BeAdmin Debian, Ubuntu
    ZesleCP CentOS family, Ubuntu
  • Min RAM
    BeAdmin 512 MB
    ZesleCP Not published
  • Model
    BeAdmin Free core + modules
    ZesleCP Freemium + tiers
  • Pick‑and‑mix modules
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP No
  • Multi‑server from one UI
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Unclear
  • Sites on free tier
    BeAdmin Unlimited
    ZesleCP 2 sites
Web & runtimes
6
  • Nginx
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • Apache + Nginx hybrid
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • Multiple PHP versions per site
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • OpenLiteSpeed
    BeAdmin No
    ZesleCP Unclear
  • WordPress one‑click
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • Docker (managed module)
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Unclear
Data & mail
6
  • MariaDB / MySQL
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • PostgreSQL
    BeAdmin Soon
    ZesleCP Unclear
  • phpMyAdmin built‑in
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • Self‑managed mail server
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • Webmail (Roundcube)
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • DKIM / SPF / DMARC autoconfig
    BeAdmin Unclear
    ZesleCP Unclear
Security
5
  • Let’s Encrypt automation
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • Fail2Ban brute‑force shield
    BeAdmin No
    ZesleCP Unclear
  • Malware scan / WAF
    BeAdmin No
    ZesleCP Unclear
  • Built‑in VPN modules (5 protocols)
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP No
  • Users & roles
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
Operations
6
  • Open API
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Unclear
  • Built‑in scheduled backups
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • WHMCS billing out of the box
    BeAdmin No
    ZesleCP Unclear
  • Dark mode UI
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Unclear
  • Forever‑free tier
    BeAdmin Yes
    ZesleCP Yes
  • Free trial
    BeAdmin Not needed
    ZesleCP 15 days
03 — why beadmin

Why pick BeAdmin over ZesleCP

NO SITE CAP

A free core with no site limit

Both panels are free to start. ZesleCP’s free licence stops at two sites, after which you move to a paid tier. BeAdmin keeps its free core with no limit on the sites you host, so a busy box never bumps into a wall.

VPN INCLUDED

Privacy stack out of the box

Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, Amnezia — turn any of them on with a single click. ZesleCP has no VPN; that part you would build and maintain yourself outside the panel.

À LA CARTE

Pay only for what you switch on

BeAdmin keeps the core free and bills only the modules you enable, from $1/mo — Docker and the VPN family among them. ZesleCP grows through paid licence tiers rather than per‑module add‑ons.

DEBIAN & UBUNTU

Runs where most VPS images do

ZesleCP comes from the CentOS lineage and adds Ubuntu support. BeAdmin runs natively on the Debian and Ubuntu images most providers default to, with no CentOS heritage to plan around.

04 — pros & cons

What each panel does well — and where each gives ground

Both are lightweight freemium panels; the honest gap is that ZesleCP’s public docs are thin on several points, so we mark those as unclear rather than guess. Synthesised from public materials — your mileage may vary.

BeAdmin

Strengths

  • Free core with no limit on sites — modules from $1/mo on top
  • Five built‑in VPN protocols (Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline, Amnezia)
  • À‑la‑carte module catalogue, including a managed Docker module
  • Native on Debian and Ubuntu
  • Modern UI with first‑class dark mode
  • Documented open API

Trade‑offs

  • No OpenLiteSpeed stack (ZesleCP has it in beta)
  • No bundled Fail2Ban or WAF
  • PostgreSQL not yet a managed module
  • Younger product with a smaller community
  • No native WHMCS integration

ZesleCP

Strengths

  • Genuine forever‑free tier (capped at two sites)
  • Lightweight, actively maintained 3.1.x LTS line
  • Apache + Nginx hybrid as the default web stack
  • OpenLiteSpeed and standalone Nginx stacks in beta
  • CentOS family plus Ubuntu support
  • Freemium lowers the barrier to a first install

Trade‑offs

  • Free licence is hard‑capped at two sites
  • No built‑in VPN
  • CentOS heritage means tracking the AlmaLinux/Rocky transition
  • Public docs are thin on API, PostgreSQL and exact requirements
  • Smaller install base and community
05 — pricing

Free core vs a capped free tier

Both panels start free. ZesleCP caps its free licence at two sites and lifts the limit through paid tiers; BeAdmin keeps the core free and bills only the modules you switch on.

BeAdmin — free core + modules

Free core

0 € forever, no account required
  • Nginx, MariaDB, PHP, CRON
  • Mail server
  • File manager, users, roles
  • Backups, scheduler, monitoring

Add modules à la carte

From 1 €/mo. Enable only what you need, disable any time — no site cap. The VPN family lives here.

ZesleCP — freemium
  • Free

    0 $

    forever

    • 2 sites
    • ·
    • Solo features
  • Paid tiers

    See site

    pricing not fixed here

    • Site cap lifted
    • ·
    • Solo and up

ZesleCP offers a 15‑day trial of a paid tier on top of the free licence. Exact paid‑tier prices are not published consistently, so check zeslecp.com for current figures before deciding.

ZesleCP pricing from zeslecp.com (2026; figures may change). BeAdmin module pricing from beadmin.com.

06 — requirements

System requirements

The smallest VPS each panel will comfortably run on. Where ZesleCP does not publish a figure we say so rather than estimate.

  • Minimum RAM
    BeAdmin 512 MB
    ZesleCP Not published
  • Recommended RAM
    BeAdmin 1 GB
    ZesleCP Not published
  • Minimum disk
    BeAdmin 10 GB
    ZesleCP Not published
  • CPU
    BeAdmin 1 core
    ZesleCP 1 core
  • Architecture
    BeAdmin x86_64
    ZesleCP x86_64
  • Supported OS
    BeAdmin Debian, Ubuntu
    ZesleCP CentOS family, Ubuntu

Source: zeslecp.com (some figures not published). BeAdmin requirements from internal documentation.

07 — migration

Migrating from ZesleCP

If your ZesleCP server runs Ubuntu the move can stay on the same OS; on the CentOS family it means a fresh Debian or Ubuntu box. The old panel stays up until you retire it.

01

Install BeAdmin on a Debian or Ubuntu server

On Ubuntu you can move without switching OS; on the CentOS family plan a fresh Debian or Ubuntu box. One apt command brings up the free BeAdmin core — run it alongside ZesleCP and switch over only when ready.

02

Move sites, databases, and mail

Transfer vhost configs, databases (mysqldump) and mailboxes manually or with your own scripts. BeAdmin does not import ZesleCP backups directly — that is an honest gap, not a marketing trick.

03

Switch DNS, watch the traffic

Flip DNS when you are comfortable. If anything looks off, revert DNS to the old server — the rollback is just one record change.

08 — questions

Frequently asked questions

Both panels are freemium, so this is not a price fight. ZesleCP’s free licence is capped at two sites; BeAdmin’s free core has no site limit. On top of that BeAdmin adds a built‑in VPN, an à‑la‑carte module catalogue and a Debian/Ubuntu base, where ZesleCP comes from the CentOS lineage. The comparison above marks the rest plainly, including where the two are simply on par.

No. ZesleCP ships no VPN, so you would set one up and maintain it yourself outside the panel. BeAdmin includes five protocols — Xray, WireGuard, OpenVPN, Outline and Amnezia — as modules in the same UI, each enabled with a single click.

No. The BeAdmin free core does not cap the number of sites you host. ZesleCP’s free licence is the opposite — it stops at two sites, and lifting that means moving to a paid tier.

BeAdmin is Debian and Ubuntu only. ZesleCP comes from the CentOS lineage and also supports Ubuntu, so if you are standardised on the CentOS family that is a point in its favour. With CentOS itself end‑of‑life, check ZesleCP’s current AlmaLinux/Rocky support before committing.

Because the public information on ZesleCP is genuinely thin on some points — API depth, PostgreSQL, Fail2Ban, exact RAM requirements and paid‑tier prices are not clearly documented. Rather than claim a win BeAdmin has not earned, we mark those rows as a draw and point you to zeslecp.com to confirm before deciding.

Start managing infrastructure the way you actually want to

The panel core is free. Pay only for the modules you connect.

How to install