Pterodactyl alternative: a Minecraft server panel with no setup
Run Minecraft, CS2, FiveM and more without installing Pterodactyl and Wings. Captanel sets up game servers from your Windows PC over SSH, from $3.99/month.
Pterodactyl is a free, open-source game server panel. To use it you install the panel itself, which needs a web server and a database, and then the Wings service on every machine that runs games. Games run inside Docker containers.
Captanel skips that setup. It is a Windows app that connects to your server over SSH and installs the game you choose in one click. There is no panel website to install, update or protect.
Game servers in Captanel
- Minecraft, CS2, FiveM, Rust, Palworld, Valheim, Project Zomboid and 5 more
- Plugins, and live backups without stopping the game
- Kick and ban players, schedule restarts
- A crashed game recovers by itself
- Start a game, restart a service or clear RAM from your phone, even with your computer off
- Per-game memory and CPU limits: one game cannot eat the whole server, and the limit applies without restarting the game
Pterodactyl compared with Captanel
| Pterodactyl | Captanel | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Panel, web server, database and Wings | Nothing to install on the server first |
| Where you manage it | Panel website in the browser | Windows app and your phone |
| Backups | Panel feature | Live, without stopping the game |
| Price | Free, open source | Gamer plan $3.99/month |
Who it suits
If you sell game servers to many customers who each need their own login, a hosting panel like Pterodactyl is built for that. Captanel suits people running servers for themselves, their friends or their community. The Gamer plan covers servers and games; other plans add sites, email and more.
Try it free for 14 days. See game server hosting, pricing, features, docs and phone control.