Updated April 5, 2023
Difference between Plesk vs cPanel
Plesk and cPanel are defined as a web hosting control panel which is a web-based interface where users can manage the servers where the website is launched along with the hosted services that are a part of the website. There are various components that are a part of the interface by web hosting control panel like web server, the domain name server, mail server, database, file manager, system monitor, and so on. To achieve the complete utility of the web hosting control panel, there is much software in the market, and out of them, Plesk and Cpanel are the most sought after in terms of usability. Since both the software attains the same result, hence there is always a question of which works the best. In this article, we will try to explain the differences which will clear out the air to pick the right web hosting control panel.
Head to Head Comparison between Plesk vs cPanel (Infographics)
Below are the top 10 differences between Plesk vs cPanel:
Key Differences between Plesk vs cPanel
Following are the Key differences between Plesk vs cPanel are given below:
- Before we learn about the differences of the Plesk and cPanel, we need to understand why this article of difference is even needed in the first place. There has to be some similarity between the 2 types of software for web hosting control panel making selection between the choice tougher for the users or developers. Both provide a similar database for the web interface and have the same webserver.
- As a result of such similarities, it becomes a harder choice for developers to choose which one is the best. The differences discussed here and in the table in the other section within the article will spark the right nerve to choose the right one for the use case. Plesk and cPanel have a different user interface where Plesk promotes a grouped UI where elements are grouped as per the utility, whereas cPanel makes the elements available at one place, and some it might feel a bit cluttered. In terms of security, both are at the same level, except the elements to enable security are different. Since the features of security are different, it is not left behind that some other features like node.js, git, docker are available only with Plesk and not with cPanel. In terms of authentication, Plesk provides a unified authorization process, whereas cPanel uses 2 elements where one provides the control of the website, and the other takes care of the administrative charges.
- In terms of pricing, Plesk is suitable for individuals looking for web hosting control panel support whereas, for developers or resellers, cPanel has the best pricing structure. In another section of the article, we will look at the face-off between Plesk and cPanel in a table format!
Plesk vs cPanel Comparison Table
Let’s see some more differences between Plesk vs cPanel through a comparison table for clear understanding:
|
Gerne of Comparison |
Plesk |
cPanel |
| User Interface of the software | The UI promotes the grouping of features in accordance to their usability and hence provides a cleaner graphical user interface. This grouping is present on the left-hand side as a drop-down capability which expands when clicked for further options. | The UI in cPanel doesn’t group features, and this leads to more cluttering of the graphical user interface. But the visibility of the features is at one place, making it a no drop-down but all visible capability. |
| The security offered by the software | The features provided by Plesk include fail2ban intrusion prevention, antispam capability for any inbound or outbound mail, and the feature to integrate an active directory. | The features provided by cPanel, though the security is of the same caliber as Plesk, are Automated installation of SSL certificates, having password-protected directories, denials for selected IP addresses. |
| Differentiation in the feature | Plesk has straight out-of-the-box features of helpful applications and extensions, making the life of the user easy. Some supplications are easy to use in Plesk, which might be a complicated workaround in cPanel. | cPanel provides extra support through extra applications designed to perform the required task. Some of the applications not being present leads to a complicated workaround forget to the same result. |
| Distribution of the software | Plesk can run on both Linux and Windows servers. All in all, there are 14 distros on which Plesk is capable of running. | cPanel is restricted to only Linux-based distros with CentOS, RedHat, CloudLinux are the only supported OS distributive. |
| Administration | The authorization process is through a unified process for the users and administrators. | In the administration, cPanel provides control only on the website, whereas the other component, “WHM,” takes care of the administrative tasks. |
| Performance | Page load time for Plesk seems to be slower than Plesk, but work in Plesk happens in a way that is not very easy to notice. | Page load time in cases of cPanel is faster than Plesk. cPanel focuses more on optimizing performance and hence is able to achieve faster page loads. |
| Does it support WordPress? | The toolkit from WordPress provides automation features useful for scaling along with having great WordPress infrastructure support. | There is no support of WordPress in cPanel. |
| Type of Secure sockets layer embedded. | To achieve the utility of the Secure sockets layer, Plesk engages Let’s Encrypt over and top of Symantec. | To achieve the utility of the Secure sockets layer, Plesk engages AutoSSL in addition to the involvement of Let’s Encrypt. |
| Back up methodology | As a method of backup, Plesk has ready-to-use solutions from Dropbox, Google Drive, Acronis, etc. | There are various backup versions within cPanel, but some compatibility issues can be spotted between the versions. |
| Pricing | For individuals, the pricing structure for Plesk is best out of the 2 here in comparison, but for developers, the structure is okay out of the two. | For individuals, the pricing structure is okay, but for developers, the structure is the best out of the two here in comparison. |
Conclusion
We understand the similarities between Plesk and cPanel that lead to confusion among users but going through this article makes the picture clearer and enables one to choose the right option for the use case being solved. In short, Plesk is all about modernization and better support for individuals, whereas cPanel provides a stronger infrastructure for enterprises, resellers, medium-sized agencies rather than individuals.
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