HestiaCP and VestaCP alternative: no panel on your server
Instead of HestiaCP or VestaCP: manage sites, SSL, email and backups from your Windows PC over SSH, with no web panel installed on the server.
HestiaCP is a free, open-source hosting panel that grew out of VestaCP. Both are installed on the server and run an admin page that you open in the browser. That page has to stay reachable, uses part of the server's memory and needs its own updates.
Captanel takes another route. It is a Windows app on your computer that connects to your server over SSH, does the job and disconnects. No web panel is installed; small helpers such as the 24/7 monitor are added only when you ask for them.
What you get with Captanel
- WordPress, WooCommerce, OpenCart and PrestaShop in one click, plus 400+ ready-made site designs
- Free Let's Encrypt SSL with automatic renewal
- Your own mail server (Mailcow), mailboxes and DNS checks
- Backups of folders and databases, restored to the same or a new server
- Firewall, fail2ban unbans and two-step login for SSH
HestiaCP compared with Captanel
| HestiaCP / VestaCP | Captanel | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Installed on the server | Windows app on your PC |
| Admin page on the server | Yes, opened in the browser | None |
| Several servers | One install per server | All servers in one window |
| Game servers | Not the focus | Minecraft, CS2, FiveM and more |
| Price | Free, open source | From $3.99/month |
Switching
Add your server to Captanel and it detects the sites already on it. Your passwords and keys stay in an encrypted vault on your computer. Every feature is free for 14 days, no card needed.
Read more: pricing, all features, docs, aaPanel alternative, cPanel alternative.