Do you know that cPanel is the most popular control panel for web hosting? Despite its popularity, its license prices have increased in recent years. So the question arises, why is cPanel so expensive? Let’s find out.
Though cPanel prices are rising, many website owners continue using it regardless of the discontent. This is because cPanel is extremely easy to use and well-known.
Most website owners are already familiar and comfortable with its user interface.
Additionally, hosting providers also offer cPanel as part of their hosting plans. They want to attract more customers by providing the most popular and user-friendly control panel.
Let’s get into the details.
Why is cPanel so expensive? (6 Reasons)
cPanel is expensive because of numerous reasons:
Market Demand and Features
The market demand for cPanel is enormous. It is among the most popular web hosting control panels. The reason for its popularity lies in its wide range of features that cater to both beginners and advanced users.
It comprises multiple resources, including automation tools for website and server management. This makes it a go-to choice for many hosting providers and professionals.
Talking about its cost, the panel provider needs to develop and maintain the above features. The development, maintenance, security patches, and regular updates contribute to the cPanel’s cost.
The demand for cPanel remains high even after repeated increments in its price. It is partly because of its reputation and partly due to its compatibility with third-party apps and plugins.
Many users are willing to pay the higher cost for its reliability and comprehensive features. This high demand allows cPanel to maintain its pricing model.
Licensing Model Change
Another major reason for cPanel being expensive relates to the change in its licensing model. In recent years, cPanel’s pricing structure has changed significantly.
It was earlier a per-server licensing model but is now converted into a per-account model.
This change meant higher panel costs for hosting providers. This is especially true for those hosting many websites on a single server.
This shift in the licensing model aimed to offer better value to the cPanel users. It was undertaken to invest in new features and support. But all this led to an increase in costs for many users.
Updates and Improvements
The developers continuously perform updates to cPanel’s software. It helps them keep up with evolving technology, security threats, and customer needs. Though these updates are necessary, they require resources and may lead to price adjustments.
Hosting Provider Costs
Hosting providers have to bear the increasing license costs of the cPanel. They tend to pass this rise in price onto their customers.
These rising costs of the control panel are included as part of their hosting packages.
Many web hosts charge more for cPanel hosting as compared to other hosting services they offer. Though the hosts need to cover their costs, paying higher for cPanel hosting makes it seem expensive to end-users.
Competition and Alternatives
cPanel has many cheaper and even free alternatives like DirectAdmin, Plesk, and Webmin. However, cPanel has been successful in retaining a strong market position due to its user-friendly interface, a dedicated community of users, and extensive documentation.
No other control panel has as large a user community as cPanel. This gives it a competitive edge over other web hosting panels.
Additionally, the legacy and perception of cPanel as a premium product allows it to command higher prices.
Inflation
The overall costs of web hosting software and hardware are rising due to inflation. cPanel developers also bear the costs of developing and maintaining its powerful features.
They also need to invest regularly in securing and updating it.
The continuous enhancement and maintenance of cPanel demands ample time and resources which come at a cost. Also, the cost of these attributes is rising continuously due to inflation. That is why, cPanel is getting expensive with time.
cPanel Old Prices vs New Prices
Let’s look at the difference in cPanel license prices to understand the price increment:
| Plan | Old monthly prices | Increased monthly prices |
| Solo (1 account) | $15.99 | $17.49 |
| Admin (Up to 5 accounts) | $24.99 | $29.99 |
| Pro (Up to 30 accounts) | $35.99 | $42.99 |
| Premier (Up to 100 accounts) | $53.99 | $60.99 |
| Bulk (Cost of each account over 100 accounts) | $0.34 | $0.40 |
Best cPanel Alternatives?
You’ll find a lot of cPanel alternatives today in the market that are easy to use even for beginners.
Many companies have also created their in-house hosting control panels and billing software. This helps them avoid license costs and sudden price changes, thereby retaining their customer base.
Try DirectAdmin Panel
DirectAdmin is a great alternative to cPanel. It is cost-effective, lightweight, faster, and highly efficient. You can also consider using Plesk since it offers comprehensive features to manage your website.
It is not worth trying other control panels than DirectAdmin and Plesk. All of them lack advanced features and support. They also have security issues.
Reseller Hosting
Since cPanel licenses are expensive, consider investing in reseller cPanel hosting plans. This technique works quite well for website owners looking to build a large portfolio of websites.
Reseller hosting involves purchasing web hosting plans in bulk from your hosting provider. You will be paying wholesale price for the packages you buy.
The host allows you to sell them further at whatever price you desire to earn a profit margin.
You do not necessarily need to find buyers for the hosting plans you purchase. Since you get a block of hosting accounts, you can create a portfolio of websites at much cheaper rates.
Change Your Hosting Provider
Changing your hosting provider can be a good option to avoid cPanel costs. Consider getting a regular unmanaged VPS under $10 a month and purchase DirectAdmin separately.
Install it on your VPS to make savings on your monthly website management costs.
Moving your website to Hetzner is also a great idea. The company sells cPanel licenses at a price cheaper than the cPanel itself.
Some website owners manage a lot of sites and their problem doesn’t relate to finding an alternative. They are more concerned about migrating all those sites without any breakage and downtime.
We recommend starting with a single site and maintaining backups on the way.
Conclusion
The answer to why is cPanel so expensive is that it demands high cost due to its powerful features, updates, and changes in the licensing model.
An increment in cPanel’s license cost directly impacts the prices of hosting packages that include it. This is because web hosts are forced to raise the plan prices due to increased costs.
cPanel is widely adopted, saves time with automation, and offers comprehensive features. It is known for its stability, user-friendly interface, and compatibility with third-party apps.
Legacy and familiarity of cPanel makes it a popular choice for website owners despite repeated rises in prices. However, you can consider using Plesk or DirectAdmin to save costs.
Choosing a host using an in-built control panel is also an excellent option.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Is Plesk owned by the same company as cPanel’s?
Yes, Plesk is owned by the same company as cPanel. Oakley Capital owns a majority stake in both.
Is Plesk cheaper than cPanel?
Yes, Plesk is cheaper than cPanel even though their prices are determined by the same parent company. Unlike cPanel, Plesk offers a plan to manage unlimited domains.
Can I get cPanel for free?
Technically, you cannot get cPanel for free since either you or your hosting provider will pay for its license cost. However, you can go with a shared hosting plan where the license cost is distributed among hundreds of website owners.
So, you won’t have to bear a lot of it.
What is better than cPanel?
WebAdmin and Plesk are better than cPanel if you’re looking for cheaper alternatives.
