Key takeaways
- HestiaCP is GPLv3 and runs web, mail and DNS on one server. CloudPanel is free of charge but ships under its own licence terms and has no mail server.
- CloudPanel runs PHP, Node.js and Python sites with per site isolation and needs at least 2 GB of RAM. HestiaCP starts at 1 GB when you skip the spam and virus scanners.
- Pick HestiaCP when the server must also send and receive mail. Pick CloudPanel when you host application sites and use an outside mail provider.
- Both have had security fixes, so the real habit that matters is updating the panel and keeping its login port off the open internet.
HestiaCP and CloudPanel are the two free panels people most often compare for a single VPS. They look similar from outside, a web panel that creates sites and certificates in a few clicks, but they were built for different jobs. This comparison uses each project's own pages, read on 30 October 2026, and says where they differ so you can choose without installing both.
HestiaCP vs CloudPanel at a glance
| HestiaCP | CloudPanel | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | GPLv3 | Free of charge, vendor's own License Terms |
| Web stack | nginx with optional Apache, PHP FPM | nginx, PHP, Node.js, Python, static sites, reverse proxy |
| Mail server | Yes, Exim, Dovecot, Roundcube | No, by design |
| DNS server | Yes, with nameservers and DNSSEC | Not in its documentation |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB without SpamAssassin and ClamAV | 2 GB |
| Systems | Debian 12 and 13, Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, 26.04 | Debian 12 and 13, Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, 26.04 |
| Latest release seen | 1.10.5, 14 September 2026 | CE 2.5.4, 1 July 2026 |
Sources: HestiaCP getting started, HestiaCP releases, CloudPanel requirements and CloudPanel releases, as of 30 October 2026.
Licence and openness
HestiaCP says on its home page that it is released under the GPLv3 and built by volunteers, funded by donations. You can read it, change it and redistribute it under the usual GPL rules.
CloudPanel is also free to use, but it is not the same kind of free. Its License Terms are an agreement with the company behind it, MGT-COMMERCE GmbH, and they say that for a free copy the company may change or replace the terms at any time. GitHub does not detect a standard licence on the repository. If you want to fork, resell or bundle a panel, read those terms first. If you only want to run your own sites, the practical risk is small, but it is a difference.
Web stack: PHP, Node.js and Python
CloudPanel's strength is application hosting. Its technology stack page lists nginx, several PHP versions, Node.js LTS versions, Python, Redis, Varnish and either MySQL or MariaDB. A site wizard creates WordPress, PHP, Node.js, Python, static or reverse proxy sites, and each site runs as its own system user, so a compromised site is harder to use against its neighbours.
HestiaCP is more traditional. It serves PHP sites through nginx and optionally Apache, with PHP FPM, several PHP versions, MariaDB, MySQL or PostgreSQL, and one click installers for common apps. Other kinds of app, such as Node.js, are not its focus, so expect to configure them more by hand than in CloudPanel.
Mail and DNS
This is the biggest practical difference. HestiaCP runs the mail stack itself: Exim, Dovecot, Roundcube webmail, per domain certificates, rate limits and optional spam and virus scanning. It can also be your DNS server, with your own nameservers, clusters and DNSSEC support.
CloudPanel says plainly in its email documentation that it does not provide email, so the server stays light, and it suggests a hosted provider or a separate self hosted server such as Mailcow. Its documentation lists no DNS server either, so DNS stays with your registrar or a DNS provider. Many people prefer that split, especially because mail takes ongoing care, as explained in setting up a mail server the right way.
Resource use, users and updates
On memory, HestiaCP lists 1 GB as the minimum if you skip SpamAssassin and ClamAV, and 4 GB as recommended. CloudPanel lists 2 GB. A mail server with scanners will use far more than either minimum.
For people, HestiaCP has users with packages and resource limits and SFTP jails, which suits a small host or an agency with a few clients. CloudPanel has an admin area with users and a clear one site, one user model, which suits a team running its own projects.
On updates, both are active. HestiaCP released 1.10.5 on 14 September 2026 with security fixes in its notes. CloudPanel CE released 2.5.4 on 1 July 2026, adding Node.js 24 and Ubuntu 26.04 support.
Security record
Neither panel has a clean slate, and no panel does. A search of the NVD database on 30 October 2026 returned 21 entries for HestiaCP and 9 for CloudPanel. Keyword searches count loosely, and fewer entries can also mean less scrutiny, so do not read the numbers as a score. Read the advice instead: update the panel promptly, restrict its login port by IP or VPN, turn on two factor login, and follow our hosting panel security checklist.
Which one should you pick
- You need mail and DNS on the same server: HestiaCP.
- You host Node.js or Python apps beside PHP sites: CloudPanel.
- You want strict per site isolation by default: CloudPanel.
- You want the GPL and a volunteer project you could fork: HestiaCP.
- You have a 1 GB VPS: HestiaCP, without the scanners.
- You host for paying customers: neither is a full hosting platform; HestiaCP is closer.
Limits both share
Both manage one server. Neither has built in clustering, a billing system, load balancing or paid support from the project. If you outgrow one box, a move to a multi server panel is a migration, not an upgrade. RespireCloud, our panel, is one option there, with a free plan for one account and flat per server prices on the pricing page. The dated side by sides are HestiaCP compared and CloudPanel compared, and more free options are in free control panels for a VPS.
Questions
Is CloudPanel open source?
Its code is public on GitHub and it costs nothing, but it is released under the vendor's own License Terms, not under a standard open source licence such as the GPL. Read those terms if you plan to modify or redistribute it.
Can CloudPanel host email?
No. Its documentation says it does not provide email, and it points you to outside providers or to a separate self hosted mail server such as Mailcow.
Which panel needs less RAM?
HestiaCP lists 1 GB as its minimum without the spam and virus scanners. CloudPanel lists 2 GB. Both recommend more for production use, so size by your sites, not by the minimum.
Does HestiaCP support Node.js?
It is built around PHP sites with Apache and nginx, and is less focused on other kinds of app. If Node.js and Python sites are your main workload, CloudPanel has site types for them built in.
Can I move from one to the other later?
Yes, but plan it as a migration: copy the files and databases, recreate the sites and mail accounts, and lower DNS TTLs first. Test one small site before the rest.
