cPanel can help you accomplish several key maintenance tasks, including:
- File management. Your website is made up of many files stored on your server. In some cases, you may need to access them directly to troubleshoot an error, install a plugin or theme, or carry out various other tasks. cPanel enables you to do this without the need for additional software.
- Database management. In addition to your files, your site uses a database to store key information. cPanel provides easy access to phpMyAdmin, a popular database management platform. You can use it to create new users, optimize site performance, and more.
- Software installation. Many hosts using cPanel include an app for streamlined installation of a Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress and other software. This can help you bypass technical aspects of this process such as creating your database and uploading files to your server.
- Domain management. If you registered a domain through your host, you can manage it through cPanel. It enables you to create subdomains, initiate redirects, and more.
- Email setup and management. With cPanel, you can create and manage email addresses at your domain(s). If your hosting plan supports this feature, you’ll be able to access your inbox, set up auto-responders, add new accounts, and more.
- Security hardening. cPanel includes several high-level security options. You can manage your passwords, limit FTP permissions, blacklist IP addresses, and install your SSL certificates among other best practices.
Choosing a plan from one of the hosts employing cPanel guarantees you’ll have access to these features. While other hosts may provide alternative UIs, cPanel is recognized as one of the best.
Best cPanel hosting providers: five of the top options
Although cPanel is a highly popular hosting account management interface, not all providers use it. Choosing one that does can help set you and your site up for success by ensuring you have access to all the tools you need to maintain your online presence with ease. Let’s take a look at five great options.
1. A2 Hosting
This host is best known for its Turbo Web Hosting Servers and good performance. However, A2 Hosting also provides a user-friendly service management experience via cPanel.
The platform comes pre-installed on all of A2 Hosting’s shared, managed Virtual Private Server (VPS), and managed dedicated hosting plans. Additionally, you can install cPanel yourself on an unmanaged VPS or dedicated plan, and provide it to customers as a hosting reseller.
As far as other features are concerned, A2 Hosting provides:
- Support for unlimited websites (with all tiers except the Startup plan)
- Storage starting at 100 GB with unlimited options for most plans
- Free website migration services
Since A2 Hosting offers so many plans that use cPanel in one way or another, we can’t cover its prices in detail in this post. However, here’s a quick breakdown:
- Shared hosting: Starts at $3.92 per month.
- Managed VPS hosting: Starts at $25 per month.
- Managed dedicated hosting: Starts at $141.09 per month.
- Reseller hosting: Starts at $$9.80 per month.
- Email hosting: Starts at $2.99 per month.
Overall, the plans are fairly affordable if you choose a long-term contract.
2. Bluehost
Bluehost is well known as one of the most popular web hosting providers around. It has also consistently performed well in our hosting comparisons and WordPress user surveys.
This host offers shared, managed WordPress, VPS, and dedicated plans. All of them include a customized cPanel interface that provides access to a variety of one-click-install tools and services. You can also provide cPanel access to your own customers as a reseller.
Since Bluehost has adapted the standard cPanel interface, you can expect it to be somewhat easier to navigate than some other hosts. Popular features should be more accessible, and the look overall is both less cluttered and not as overwhelming for new users.
In addition to cPanel access, with most Bluehost plans you’ll receive:
- Unlimited websites (for all tiers except the Basic shared hosting plan)
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate
Pricing-wise, Bluehost is known as being particularly affordable. Starting prices are as follows:
- Shared hosting: Starts at $2.95 per month.
- WordPress hosting: Starts at $2.95 per month.
- VPS hosting: Starts at $18.99 per month.
- Dedicated hosting: Starts at $79.99 per month.
- Reseller hosting: Starts at $10.49 per month via ResellerClub.
While you can find similar pricing for entry-level plans, Bluehost’s higher-level services are significantly more affordable.
3. InMotion Hosting
In the past, InMotion Hosting has pleasantly surprised us with the quality of its hosting services (particularly for WordPress users). cPanel is included with this provider’s shared, managed, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting. You can also become a reseller via InMotion and provide cPanel access to your own customers.
Like Bluehost, InMotion Hosting has customized cPanel for its clients. In addition to adapting the interface so the features you need are easier to find, this host claims to have decreased loading times for the platform through the use of solid state drives (SSDs).
Most plans include:
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Free email hosting
- Access to built-in marketing and security tools
- Free SSL certificate
Plus, if you’re migrating from another provider that uses cPanel, InMotion will transfer your settings to your new account themselves.
You can expect prices to fall around:
- Shared hosting: Starts at $3.99 per month.
- WordPress hosting: Starts at $4.99 per month.
- VPS hosting: Starts at $22.99 per month.
- Dedicated hosting: Starts at $115.69 per month.
- Reseller hosting: Starts at $15.39 per month.
Plans are still affordable, although they’re a bit higher than the other options we’ve explored so far.
4. SiteGround
SiteGround consistently ranks as one of the top hosting services across the board, which is no small feat considering how competitive the industry is. Its services are consistently regarded as high-quality in terms of support and performance.
However, the plans SiteGround offers are a bit different than those you’ll see with the other companies on this list. It has shared and scalable cloud hosting, as well as WordPress and WooCommerce-specific services. You can also offer hosting services as a reseller.
SiteGround uses the standard cPanel interface, but it includes a few unique features. For WordPress users, it provides staging functionality and Git integration so you can create repositories from cPanel. These options might make this host particularly appealing for developers.
Beyond cPanel, key SiteGround features include:
- Unlimited websites (with every tier except StartUp plans)
- Free SSL certificates
- Daily automated backups
- Free Content Delivery Network (CDN) integration
- Free email hosting
- Access to managed WordPress hosting features (if you use the platform)
As far as cost goes, here’s what you can expect:
- Shared hosting: Starts at $6.99 per month.
- WordPress hosting: Starts at $6.99 per month.
- WooCommerce hosting: Starts at $6.99 per month.
- Cloud hosting: Starts at $80 per month.
- Reseller hosting: Starts at $11.95 per month.
Overall, its prices are fairly typical as far as entry-level plans go. However, mid-sized customers may want to look into VPS hosting options with other providers before investing in SiteGround’s scalable cloud hosting.
5. HostGator
This host routinely appears as a popular choice in our hosting comparisons and surveys. HostGator also has an okay performance record when it comes to our internal tests, as well as a responsive support team.
HostGator’s plans are fairly typical, with shared, managed WordPress, VPS, and dedicated options available. It also has a reseller program. cPanel is pre-installed on all Linux servers and includes HostGator branding but not much else in the way of bonus features.
From HostGator’s plans, you can expect features such as:
- Free migration services from other cPanel hosting providers
- Content Delivery Network (CDN) integration for improved performance
- Free SSL certificate
- Unmetered bandwidth
When it comes to cost, HostGator offers reasonable rates:
- Shared hosting: Starts at $2.75 per month.
- WordPress hosting: Starts at $5.95 per month.
- VPS hosting: Starts at $19.97 per month.
- Dedicated hosting: Starts at $89.98 per month.
- Reseller hosting: Starts at $19.95 per month.
HostGator offers quality services in all areas. However, we can’t really say it outshines any of the other hosts we’ve mentioned, especially when it comes to cPanel features.
Which cPanel hosting solution is best for you?
Any of the hosts we’ve covered in this post will provide you with a top-notch account management experience via cPanel. However, there are other factors to consider when choosing between WordPress hosts using cPanel. Here’s a breakdown of our comparison including ratings for each host (from ⭐ to ⭐⭐⭐):
