This post has recently been updated to include additional popular free control panels! Looking for a cPanel or DirectAdmin alternative? Check out these free control panels that you can install on your VPS or dedicated server today!

In today’s world of internet and technology, millions of people depend on websites and blogs to support themselves. Being a website or blog owner is not easy. Putting engaging content on it is one thing, but maintaining it can be challenging for many people. Even though web hosting services have streamlined the process of running a website, if you are hosting upon a VPS or a dedicated server, you have plenty of options as to what control panel you want to install and utilize.

That is why today, we have compiled a list consisting of the top free control panels for Linux. This will be your guide to finding the control panel that works for you.

At a glance:

• Ajenti
• ISPConfig
• Webmin
• CentOS Web Panel
• CyberPanel

Ajenti

Ajenti is a feature-rich free control panel that is based on Python. It is supported on most Linux distributions, including Debian and Ubuntu. The user interface on Ajenti is easy to navigate and non-intrusive. It focuses on the optimizations and administration of the servers.

The features provided by Ajenti include the ability to set up firewalls, web terminal, monitoring of usage, install plugins, and packages. Moreover, you can also develop the plugins on Python yourself.

ISPConfig

ISPConfig is one of the most reliable open source web control panel. It provides features that most other free control panels lack. It is also quite popular, with up to 40,000 downloads per month. With a user base that large, you are guaranteed to get an optimized and reliable experience.

It can be used to configure Apache or Nginx based web servers, DNS, mail servers, and more. However, the same can be done with Ajenti. So, what makes ISPConfig different? It is the ability to control multiple servers from a single control panel. This can be fantastic for people who wanted a consistent experience for all their servers without the hassle of installing control panels on each server separately.

ISPConfig is available on Debian, CentOS, and Ubuntu.

Webmin

Webmin has tons of features and competes closely with even paid control panels, such as cPanel. It provides a ton of control to the user. With the built-in modules, it is easy to configure Apache servers, monitor resource usage, and bandwidth, and to establish a firewall for the server.

The list of features goes on and on. However, the reason that Webmin is not first on our list is because of its user interface. It looks outdated and far from the modern looks of other control panels on this list. Though if you are looking for tons of features in a free control panel, then Webmin is the option for you.

Webmin is available on Ubuntu, Debian, and CentOS.

CentOS Web Panel

CentOS Web Panel is another brilliant free control panel. It makes it incredibly easy to deploy an Apache server, set up firewalls, connect to databases such as MySQL. Moreover, this feature-rich control panel lets the user manage the visitors, make backups of the configurations, and monitor the system.

However, one downside of the CentOS Web Panel is that it is not available on other Linux distributions such as Ubuntu and Debian.

CyberPanel

CyberPanel is a free control panel that is gaining in popularity for those who are looking to host websites on their VPS or dedicated server, and don’t wish to pay for a control panel such as cPanel/WHM. CyberPanel offers an intuitive and easy to use design, and comes with features such as a built in File Manager, ability to create/delete FTP accounts, email accounts, and more.

CyberPanel offers OpenLiteSpeed functionality built-in, so all of your websites will be powered by LiteSpeed Web Server, providing faster speeds and better security compared to Apache, while retaining all of the functionality you are accustomed to with Apache (it’s a drop-in replacement for Apache).

CyberPanel also comes with Lets Encrypt functionality, for free SSL certificates.

Conclusion

Now that we are done with our list, it is time for you to decide which control panel suits your needs the best. All of the control panels in the list above will provide you with a feature-rich and smooth experience.