cPanel changed its licensing model, and it affects every hosting provider and every customer using cPanel on a VPS or dedicated server. Here’s what happened and what it means.
What changed
cPanel was acquired by Oakley Capital (which also owns Plesk and SolusVM). They moved from the old unlimited flat-rate pricing to tiered pricing based on how many cPanel accounts you host. They also reduced the discounts that hosting providers like us receive.
The new pricing tiers
For VPS hosting:
- Up to 5 accounts: ~$20/month
- 6-30 accounts: ~$30/month
- 50-100 accounts: ~$45/month
- Over 100 accounts: $45/month + $0.20 per additional account
For dedicated servers, cPanel licensing starts at the 100-account tier.
These prices may change as cPanel continues adjusting based on market feedback.
What this means for you
If you’re hosting a small number of sites on a Linux VPS with cPanel, the entry tier is manageable. If you’re a reseller hosting many client accounts, the per-account cost on larger tiers adds up. Some customers have responded by looking at alternatives like DirectAdmin or CyberPanel.
Our recommendations
cPanel remains the industry standard for web hosting management. If your business depends on it, the pricing increase is a cost of doing business. If you’re starting fresh and want to minimize costs, alternatives exist and we can help you evaluate them.
We continue to offer automated cPanel installation on our VPS hosting and dedicated server platforms. Contact us if you have questions about cPanel licensing or want to explore options.