Posted on August 12th, 2009cPanel and Plesk are easily the two most dominant control panels on the web hosting market. Both have been dramatically improved over the years, which ultimately makes this battle even more tightly contested. This article will help you choose between cPanel and Plesk by outlining the pros and cons of each control panel.
cPanel Pros
Fast Loading Times - The intuitive design of cPanel allows it to perform fast and efficiently on most servers. This optimal performance is attributed to the fact that unlike some other control panels, it does not require the use of an external database for backend support.
Highly Functional – A web hosting package equipped with cPanel usually offers more features than one utilizing Plesk. cPanel can be integrated with a number of add-on applications such as Fantastico, RV Skins and CFS firewall, thus providing end-users with a wide variety of functionality that cannot be obtained in the Plesk environment.
Superior Reseller Support – Until more recently, Plesk did not have any support for reseller hosting, an area in which cPanel thrives in. Also offering WHM (Web Host Manager), cPanel provides a reseller with control over various aspects of their account, including the ability to create hosting packages, suspend or delete accounts, monitor resource usage and much more.
cPanel Cons
Platform-Specific – Though a Windows version is said to be in the works, cPanel is currently only available for Linux platforms. This essentially restricts usage from customers who prefer a Windows-based hosting solution.
Tedious Maintenance – Ensuring that a cPanel server is properly configured and protected against malicious attacks can be a full time job. In addition, this control panel requires frequent updates and patches to make sure the necessary fixes are applied.
Plesk Pros
Cluster Functionality – Plesk is a multi-server solution that allows you to maintain a multitude of servers from a single interface. This means that the administer only has to log in to a single console and still have the power to effectively manage web, database and FTP servers.
Cross-Platform - Unlike cPanel, Plesk supports both Windows and Linux platforms. This enables a web host to diversify their offerings and cater to a broader range of customers. The end-users also benefit as they often have access to both Windows and Linux features.
Tight Windows Service Integration – One of the most unique aspects of Plesk is that integrates seamlessly with various Windows services and technologies such as Microsoft SQL Server.
Plesk Cons
Lack of Integration – In contrast to cPanel, Plesk does not integrate with many third-party applications outside of Microsoft products for added functionality. For this reason, Plesk is not very popular as a Linux server even though it does support the platform.
Slower Load Times – The mere structure of Plesk makes it susceptible to slow and sluggish performance, particularly in the Linux environment. This is not always the case, but Plesk has been known to lag on even some of the most powerful servers.
Summary
In closing, cPanel and Plesk are excellent control panels but neither are perfect. cPanel is ideal for those who prefer Linux while Plesk tends to be the preferred option for Windows hosting. Depending on your preference, both should suit your needs just fine.
I think the second “Plesk Pros” should be “Plesk Cons” and perhaps some mention of how buggy plesk has been the past few years… It’s common knowledge not to upgrade to a new major release of plesk for at least a few minor revisions until they iron out the bugs. This normally results in about 6-12 months of waiting before it’s safe to upgrade… even then, things will break.
Slow release cycles too… ie. Fedora 8 is the latest Fedora supported by Plesk for Linux. Fedora is at version 11 which means at least 18+ months since Fedora 8 was released and won’t be supported for long.
If would be great software if their QA, support and pricing structure was better.
Ummm, shouldn’t this be Plesk “CONS”?
Plesk Pros
Lack of Integration – In contrast to cPanel, Plesk does not integrate with many third-party applications outside of Microsoft products for added functionality. For this reason, Plesk is not very popular as a Linux server even though it does support the platform.
Slower Load Times – The mere structure of Plesk makes it susceptible to slow and sluggish performance, particularly in the Linux environment. This is not always the case, but Plesk has been known to lag on even some of the most powerful servers