So you’ve picked a web hosting company with affordable hosting plans, 24/7 support, and an emphasis on customer care and security. What’s next? The next step is picking your control panel. Will it be cPanel or Plesk?
While finding the right web host is crucial in securing a good environment for your website or server, it’s just as important to choose between the two most popular web hosting control panels to date: cPanel and Plesk. Both are web-based control panels that allow you to manage your websites through different means, like managing your files, databases, and domains. But what’s the difference between cPanel and Plesk? Let’s find out.
cPanel
Origin
cPanel was released in 1996 and has shot up in popularity since its early days. Today, it is one of the largest and most trusted web hosting management tools on the market. This is due to its user-friendly and intuitive design. Relatively straightforward instructions and tooltips are given so that anyone can manage their website through cPanel with little to no problems.
Interface and Performance
When looking at cPanel, which only operates on Linux operating systems, it offers features such as an easy-to-use interface, a broad range of tools to manage things like backups and databases, as well as Softaculous Apps Installer to install scripts like WordPress and Joomla to work with your website. At times, users have voiced their frustrations that tools are difficult to find as they are not grouped together, especially since cPanel offers such a diverse set of items. However, there is an option to customize and rearrange your home page, making it easier to find what you’re looking for. With that being said, cPanel also values performance and loads at a faster rate than its counterpart, Plesk.
It’s interesting to note that cPanel is on the “client-facing” end of things and is usually paired up with WHM, which runs the administrative side of things. WHM, or Web Host Manage, is a powerful program that works as the back-end of cPanel and offers the ability to control multiple cPanels at once.
Security and Support
In terms of security, both cPanel and Plesk offer a plethora of security tools that make sure you’re protected. Although some of these features vary, cPanel has tools such as password-protected directories and IP address denials. For support, cPanel boasts one of the largest communities in the market. This means that if you ever need support, you can rest easy knowing the cPanel community has your back. cPanel also offers customer support hours from 6 AM to 6PM CT.
Plesk
Origin
Plesk was introduced in 2001 and has been a major player in the web hosting management market. Although it competes with cPanel, the different advantages it brings to the table make it a solid choice even against the likes of its competitors. This mainly comes in the form of operating systems.
Interface and Performance
Looking at Plesk, one of the main advantages it has on cPanel is that it runs on more operating systems including Windows and Linux. What’s more, Plesk in a sense offers a more straightforward approach to its tools. This means that similar tools are grouped together so you’ll never have to search through a sea of tools to find them. They’ve also included Docker integration, which includes Docker’s image catalog of over 200,000 images.
Security and Support
As stated above, both tools greatly value security. Plesk offers features such as fail2ban intrusion prevention, inbound/outbound email anti-spam, and active directory integration. In addition to bolstered security, Plesk also offers a 24/7 helpline for those struggling on their own. If you’re still unsure of what to do, there are several guides online to show you.
Comparing the Two
cPanel and Plesk both offer a significant amount of features and tools that help you manage your web hosting needs. While both are alike in many ways, the one distinguishing factor is the fact that Plesk is available on more operating systems. Some would advise cPanel due to it being the more popular option, hence having a larger community to receive help from if you’re in a bind. Plesk boasts a flexible and complete package of tools to help you succeed. Both choices are reasonable and are more than enough to get you started. The difference simply lies in which you personally prefer more.