DirectAdmin alternative: manage servers without a panel license
Sites, WordPress, SSL, email and backups without a DirectAdmin license on each server. Captanel runs on your Windows PC and connects over SSH.
DirectAdmin is a commercial hosting panel known for being light. It is installed on the server, opened in the browser and needs a license for the server it runs on.
Captanel is an app on your Windows computer. It connects to your servers over SSH, so no panel runs on them and no panel license is tied to any server. Every plan includes unlimited servers.
What you can do
- Set up WordPress and online stores, or pick one of 400+ ready-made site designs
- Free SSL with automatic renewal and expiry alerts
- Email on your domain with your own mail server, plus Cloudflare DNS and domain expiry dates
- Databases, scheduled tasks, firewall, file manager and terminal
- Automatic backups to your computer, Google Drive, USB, SFTP or S3, with one-click restore
DirectAdmin compared with Captanel
| DirectAdmin | Captanel | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Installed on the server | Windows app on your PC |
| Admin page on the server | Yes, opened in the browser | None |
| License | Paid, tied to the server | Per user, unlimited servers |
| Team | User and reseller accounts | Team plans with an activity log |
| Price | Paid license | From $3.99/month |
Who it suits
If you sell hosting accounts and each customer needs their own panel login, a hosting panel such as DirectAdmin is built for that. Captanel suits people who run their own servers, or their clients' servers, and want one window for all of them.
Try it free for 14 days. Read more: pricing, features, docs, cPanel alternative, Plesk alternative.