cPanel raised their prices again and now users will have to pay more than the server itself. This change won’t impact users who don’t have more than five accounts, but it will hurt those who have many sites. The reason for this is simple: cPanel’s pricing model has changed. The old per-server model has been replaced with a per-account model. The new pricing model focuses on software optimization, which means multiple websites can run on one processor system.
With the global economic pandemic forcing millions of people to make sacrifices, business owners are making adjustments to stay afloat. This has affected cPanel, but the company has remained unfazed. Their new pricing structure will increase the cost of licenses by anywhere from 10 to 15%.
Many cPanel users are complaining on forums. One thread, titled “Why is cPanel raising their prices again?”, has more than two dozen pages and over 20 comments. The negative feedback is clear, and the company has responded by acquiring direct competitor Plesk.
In the past, cPanel licensing was per server, allowing users to create as many accounts as they wanted. In fact, one license key could license up to 100 accounts. However, with the new pricing model, you have to pay a monthly subscription to use cPanel. This is an extremely inconvenient change for many users. Many web hosting companies are already implementing some alternatives to cPanel, as explained on this website.
It is understandable for some customers to switch to another control panel, but there are alternatives. If you’re a small business, it may be better to look elsewhere. There are a number of free and paid alternatives, which offer a similar functionality at a fraction of the price.
Another alternative is DirectAdmin, which is a lightweight Linux based control panel. While it offers basic features and multi-customer setups, it uses less power for management. Unlike cPanel, DirectAdmin also includes an unlimited number of domains. While its pricing is higher than cPanel, it includes protection from price increases.
