Comparison
See how FlatRun compares to cPanel and why hosting providers are choosing open-source alternatives.
| Feature | FlatRun | cPanel |
|---|---|---|
| License model | Free Forever | Paid commercial plans |
| Account pricing | No per-account fee | Depends on the license tier |
| Open Source | Yes (MIT License) | No (Proprietary) |
| Docker Support | Native | No |
| Deployment format | Standard Compose projects | Proprietary platform configuration |
| One-Click Apps | Yes (Templates) | Yes (Softaculous extra) |
| SSL/TLS Management | Yes | Yes |
| Database Management | Yes | Yes (phpMyAdmin) |
| File Manager | Yes | Yes |
| REST API | Yes (Full Access) | Yes (UAPI/WHM) |
| Modern Architecture | Docker/Containers | Legacy (Apache/shared) |
| Email Hosting | Roadmap | Yes |
| DNS Management | Yes (self-hosted or via your provider) | Yes |
cPanel's 2019 pricing changes shocked the industry. Costs can reach $600+/year for hosting providers. FlatRun is completely free, with no license fees ever.
cPanel's shared hosting model is legacy technology. FlatRun uses Docker containers for better isolation, security, and portability.
cPanel configurations are tied to their platform. FlatRun uses standard docker-compose files you can take anywhere.
cPanel charges per account. With FlatRun, add unlimited sites without touching your infrastructure costs.
Modern developers expect containerized workflows. FlatRun speaks Docker natively, with no antiquated shared hosting concepts.
Audit the code, contribute features, or fork it. You're not dependent on a single company's roadmap or pricing decisions.
Ask any change for a preview and read what it will do before it runs: every resource, before and after. Accounts that matter can be set to refuse changes that skip the review.
Metrics, alert rules that can restart a sick deployment, scheduled backups, and offsite copies to S3-compatible storage. All in the box, none of it a separate tier.
The infrastructure bill remains yours in both cases
Panel license
Commercial license
Join hosting providers building on modern infrastructure with FlatRun.