DirectAdmin vs Hestia Control Panel

DirectAdmin9.0Visit Hestia Control Panel6.9Visit

Higher score DirectAdmin #3 in Web Hosting Control Panels 9.0/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 5 features Visit DirectAdmin

vs

Hestia Control Panel #20 in Web Hosting Control Panels 6.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Hestia

• DirectAdmin fits best

  Low-cost traditional hosting management

• Hestia Control Panel fits best

  No-cost open-source hosting panels

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Side by side

Feature	DirectAdmin 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Hestia Control Panel 6.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	6.9
Ranking	#3 in Web Hosting Control Panels	#20 in Web Hosting Control Panels
Best for	Low-cost traditional hosting management	No-cost open-source hosting panels
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	$5/mo	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Cloud	Self-hosted, Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web, Linux
Support	Email, Tickets, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features DirectAdmin 4/5 · Hestia Control Panel 5/5
Email management	✓	✓
DNS management	✓	✓
Database management	✓	✓
Backup tools	✓	✓
App installer	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
OS support	Linux	Linux
Account limit	2 accounts	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Starts at $5 per month with core hosting administration features Separate Administrator, Reseller, and User access levels Email, DNS, databases, backups, PHP, SSL, and monitoring included	Covers websites, email, DNS, databases, applications, backups, and SSL Offers both web and command-line administration Includes DNSSEC, firewall, and brute-force attack protection
Cons	Personal PLUS supports only 2 accounts Runs on supported Linux distributions Application installation depends on third-party plugins	Requires a self-hosted Linux server Administration spans multiple hosting components Less suited to teams seeking managed hosting software
Our verdict	DirectAdmin is a browser-based web hosting control panel for hosting providers, resellers, server administrators, and website users. It provides separate Administrator, Reseller, and User access levels for managing hosting accounts,… Read the review →	Hestia Control Panel is GPLv3 open-source software for administrators managing self-hosted Linux servers. It provides web and command-line interfaces for websites, domains, mail accounts, DNS zones, databases, SSL certificates, users, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• DirectAdmin — where it wins

  • Starts at $5 per month with core hosting administration features
  • Separate Administrator, Reseller, and User access levels
  • Email, DNS, databases, backups, PHP, SSL, and monitoring included

  Where it doesn't

  • Personal PLUS supports only 2 accounts
  • Runs on supported Linux distributions
  • Application installation depends on third-party plugins

• Hestia Control Panel — where it wins

  • Covers websites, email, DNS, databases, applications, backups, and SSL
  • Offers both web and command-line administration
  • Includes DNSSEC, firewall, and brute-force attack protection

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a self-hosted Linux server
  • Administration spans multiple hosting components
  • Less suited to teams seeking managed hosting software

• DirectAdmin9.0/10 · Paid

  A low-cost Linux control panel with broad hosting administration features.

  Visit DirectAdminFull verdict →
• Hestia Control Panel6.9/10 · Free plan

  A free, self-hosted panel covering websites, email, DNS, databases, apps, backups, and SSL.

  Visit HestiaFull verdict →