As 2 of the top control panels, Webmin and cPanel have a lot in common in system administration features, but they do differ from each other in many other aspects like the UI and user-side account and website admin. Since they are designed differently, the similarities and differences are sometimes confusing for those unfamiliar with any one of them. In this case, we work out this comparison to make clear of some details.
For an overall comparison, we have made the following table which indicates the scores the 2 control panels gain in view of their pricing, reselling control, ease of use, and functionality. Read the table below for details.
Rating
Operating System
Linux & Windows
Linux
Pricing
Ease of Use
Reselling Control
Functionality
About Webmin
Webmin offers a web-based interface that includes a large number of tools and features for system administrators to configure their servers running Unix-like systems. It enables people to configure Apache web server, set up DNS, configure firewalls, manage backups, monitor bandwidth and accomplish many more tasks simply through a modern web server, without editing configuration files manually. Webmin contains a large number of modules with features by default, and includes 2 main products for web hosting users, as is listed in below.
Virtualmin, an important module with an interface for managing account reselling, installing scripts, managing files and databases, and more. Virtualmin works in the similar way as cPanel.
Usermin, a web-based interface for managing webmail, creating databases, editing .htaccess files, running commands, changing passwords, etc.
About cPanel
cPanel is the most widely used web hosting control panel trusted by millions of website owners, resellers and web hosting providers. It comes with a graphic interface which is well-organized with everything selected in its category, which makes it easy to locate a feature. cPanel includes detailed reports and statistics, a large number of security features and Fantastico script installer. Besides, the cPanel package usually has 3 distributions.
cPanel for website owners enables end users to monitor resource usage, manage website files, add domains and configure simple server settings easily.
cPanel for resellers allows web hosting resellers to make use of WHM to create customer accounts, allot server resources, change billing information and offer their customers with cPanel end user interface.
cPanel for web hosting company is currently used by more than 60% world's leading web hosts including HostGator, InMotion Hosting and GoDaddy.
Functionality & Ease of Use
Webmin is mainly designed for developers and system administrators with rich knowledge and experience in coding. The user interface of this control panel is partly icon based, and it comes with several categories including Webmin, System, Servers, Networking, Hardware, Cluster and Others each of which includes all the used modules in its kind. People can only browse the long list to find the part that they want to make changes. It is not really easy to locate a certain feature since the categories are all with a wide range of different topics.
cPanel, on the other hand, has achieved great popularity due to its completely icon-based interface which is easy-to-use for both developers and beginners. People are allowed to set their own preferences and reorganize the categories. For example, website owners have access to the categories of mail, files, logs, security, domains, databases, software and advanced features. In the left sidebar, there is a search box, links for frequently accessed features, and detailed account and system statistics.
Pricing
Webmin is completely free to use except for the Pro version of Virtualmin. In fact, Virtualmin has 2 versions – a free one licensed under GPL and a commercial one with more features. With features like script installer, GUI, HTML editor and spam filter included, Virtualmin Pro is charged differently depending on the number of hosted domains. The annual license fee ranges from $139 to $300 for 10-50 domains, and the charge for unlimited annual license is $499/mo.
cPanel supports multiple billing cycles including monthly, 1-year, 2-year and 3-year. Depending on the types of server it will be installed on, the fees are varied. For instance, in terms of annual billing, cPanel is charged at $200 per year for VPS, $425 per year for dedicated server and $150/$250 per year for CloudLinux use. However, many web hosts nowadays offer cPanel web hosting with license fee covered.
Which Wins?
Both of the control panels are good options for developers as they come with a large number of system administration features that are needed to control a server, and they allow people to use command line instead when it is necessary or preferred. However, for normal website owners who don't have the ability or need to manage complicated server settings, cPanel is a better choice for the more simple and user-friendly graphic interface.
For people who would like to use cPanel free of charge to manage some simple tasks on their websites or servers, the following web hosting companies are recommended.
#
Company
Highlights
Price
1
JustHost Review
A free domain for 1 year & $200 advertising voucher
Unlimited disk space, bandwidth & email accounts
30 days full refund & anytime prorated refund
24x7 technical support through phone, email & live chat
$2.5/mo
Visit
2
WebHostingHub Review
cPanel with auto script installer Softaculous
Free site transfer & automated daily data backups
No hidden fee & 90 days full money back guarantee
Up to $200 credits for marketing on Google, Yahoo & Bing
$1.95/mo
Visit
3
Arvixe Review
1 free domain name & 6 hosted domains
Daily R1Soft backups & CloudFlare CDN
No hidden fees & 60 days money back guarantee
Use Coupon Code BWH360 for a 30% discount
$2.8/mo
Visit