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Free Hestia Control Panel alternatives: 4 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

4 of the 6 Hestia Control Panel alternatives we track can be used for free (free, open source, or with a free plan). Webmin, Cockpit and Coolify rank highest, with facts last verified Nov 8, 2026.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Webmin logoWebminOpen source—YesLinux, Self-hosted, Web5 of 568.8
2Cockpit logoCockpitOpen source—YesLinux, Self-hosted, Web5 of 561.8
3Coolify logoCoolifyOpen sourceFrom $5/monthYesSelf-hosted, Web3 of 352.6
4froxlor logofroxlorOpen source—YesSelf-hosted, Linux5 of 542.3
  1. Webmin logo

    1. WebminTop pick

    Best for: Admins of self-managed Linux servers who want a free GUI for nearly every system setting.

    Open sourceSelf-hostableLinux, Self-hosted, Web

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Hestia Control Panel

    Covers the whole Linux system through modules, for admins who need more than site, mail and DNS hosting.

    Pros

    • Free and BSD-licensed, with no paid tier needed for the core panel
    • Modules cover a huge range of services, from DNS to mail to databases
    • Edits the normal config files, so it coexists with manual changes
    • Actively maintained with frequent releases

    Cons

    • Interface is dense and option-heavy, with a learning curve
    • Not a hosting panel on its own; multi-site hosting needs Virtualmin
    • Exposing a root-level web panel needs careful security setup
    Visit Webmin Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Webmin a good Hestia Control Panel alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    BSD-3-Clause
    Checked Oct 29, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Yearly installations
    About 1,000,000
    Checked Nov 8, 2026webmin.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Default port
    10000
    Checked Nov 8, 2026webmin.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Supported systems
    RHEL, Alma, Rocky, Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu and more
    Checked Nov 8, 2026webmin.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free SSL certificates
    Let's Encrypt built in
    Checked Nov 8, 2026webmin.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Cockpit logo

    2. Cockpit

    Best for: Linux admins who want a clean browser view of a server's logs, storage, network and containers.

    Open sourceSelf-hostableLinux, Self-hosted, Web

    61.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Hestia Control Panel

    Red Hat-backed web console for managing services, storage and containers rather than hosting sites.

    Pros

    • Uses the normal system login and tooling, so it never fights the CLI
    • Uses no resources when idle thanks to socket activation
    • Handles VMs, containers and storage in one modern UI
    • Preinstalled on Fedora Server and packaged for major distros

    Cons

    • No web hosting features such as sites, mail accounts or DNS zones
    • Fewer service-specific modules than Webmin
    • Some browsers and Apple devices need workarounds
    Visit Cockpit Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Cockpit a good Hestia Control Panel alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Preinstalled on
    Fedora Server
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cockpit-project.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Default port
    9090
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cockpit-project.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Login
    Normal system user accounts
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cockpit-project.org(opens source in a new tab)
    VMs and containers
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cockpit-project.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Resource use when idle
    None (runs on demand)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cockpit-project.org(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Coolify logo

    3. Coolify

    Best for: Indie developers who want a Vercel or Heroku workflow on cheap servers they control

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    52.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Hestia Control Panel

    Modern self-hosted PaaS for deploying apps and databases from Git, rather than classic PHP hosting.

    Pros

    • Free and open source with no feature limits
    • Preview deployments and automatic HTTPS
    • Hundreds of one-click self-hosted services

    Cons

    • You manage server security, updates and uptime
    • Small core team
    • Multi-server setups take more care than a managed PaaS
    Visit Coolify Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.346
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Coolify a good Hestia Control Panel alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosted price
    Free forever
    Checked Nov 8, 2026coolify.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud price
    From $5/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026coolify.io(opens source in a new tab)
  4. froxlor logo

    4. froxlor

    Best for: Admins and small hosts who want a free, lightweight panel for Debian or Ubuntu servers

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux

    42.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Hestia Control Panel

    Another free open-source hosting panel, with reseller support and its own package repos.

    Pros

    • Free and open source with no paid tiers for the panel
    • Covers domains, email, databases, FTP, SSL and resellers in one place
    • API and CLI installer make automated deployments practical
    • Official Debian and Ubuntu package repositories

    Cons

    • Officially targets Debian and Ubuntu; other distributions need manual work
    • Much smaller plugin and app-installer ecosystem than cPanel or Plesk
    • Expects solid Linux administration knowledge to install and maintain
    Visit froxlor Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.312
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is froxlor a good Hestia Control Panel alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    LGPL-3.0
    Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes (GPL panel)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.froxlor.org(opens source in a new tab)
    API
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026froxlor.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Package repositories
    Debian and Ubuntu
    Checked Nov 8, 2026froxlor.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Spam filtering
    rspamd, per mailbox
    Checked Nov 8, 2026froxlor.org(opens source in a new tab)