Comparison
Reqad vs cPanel
cPanel is a mature, multi-tenant hosting platform built for hosting companies and resellers. Reqad takes a deliberately different, lighter approach. Here's how they compare - and how to move across.
Two different philosophies
cPanel is a commercial, multi-tenant platform: a hosting provider runs WHM as root, creates reseller and end-user accounts, and each customer logs into their own cPanel. It's deep, feature-rich, and priced as a paid license that scales with the number of accounts.
Reqad is an open-source, single-admin panel. One person manages one VPS that hosts many domains, from a single dashboard - no reseller hierarchy, no per-account licensing, no closed-source lock-in. It runs the same proven open-source stack (nginx/Apache, PHP-FPM, MariaDB, exim, dovecot), so the things you rely on are still there; the difference is scope, openness and cost.
If you run hosting for hundreds of unrelated customers who each need their own login, cPanel's model fits. If you manage your own servers and sites (or your clients' sites) and want something lean, open and free to run, that's exactly what Reqad is for.
At a glance
| Reqad | cPanel | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open source (GPL-3.0) | Commercial, closed source |
| Cost | Free to self-host | Paid license / subscription (tiered by accounts) |
| Designed for | One admin managing a single VPS, many domains | Multi-tenant: hosts, resellers and end-user clients |
| Control model | Single admin dashboard | WHM (root/reseller) + per-user cPanel logins |
| Web server | nginx + PHP-FPM (optional Apache) | Apache (EasyApache), optional nginx or LiteSpeed |
| exim + dovecot + Roundcube + SpamAssassin | exim + dovecot + Roundcube + SpamAssassin | |
| DNS | Cloudflare, cPanel or PowerDNS | BIND / PowerDNS, cluster DNS |
| PHP | Per-account 7.x/8.x via Remi (optional 5.6) | Per-account via EasyApache / MultiPHP (optional 5.x via CloudLinux) |
| Databases | MariaDB + phpMyAdmin | MySQL/MariaDB + phpMyAdmin |
| Security | Per-account user + isolated PHP-FPM pool, open_basedir, hardened disable_functions, CSF | Account isolation (often via CloudLinux CageFS), CSF, cPHulk |
| OS | Rocky Linux 8/9 · AlmaLinux 8/9 · RHEL 8/9 | RHEL-family (AlmaLinux, CloudLinux, etc.) |
| Lock-in | None - read and modify the source | Vendor licensing & ecosystem |
Comparison is for general guidance and reflects typical configurations; cPanel is highly configurable and feature details change between releases.
CageFS (a CloudLinux add-on) gives each user a virtualized, isolated filesystem so that on a busy shared server one customer can't see another's files or the rest of the system. Reqad reaches the same goal a simpler way: every account is its own Linux user running in a dedicated, isolated PHP-FPM pool, locked to its own home with open_basedir and a hardened disable_functions set. Because Reqad is built for a single-admin VPS - your own sites, or your clients' - rather than a hostile, multi-tenant reseller box, that per-account isolation is enough without the extra CageFS layer.
Migrating from cPanel to Reqad
You don't have to rebuild anything by hand. Reqad includes a guided transfer wizard (under Backup → Transfer) that connects to your existing cPanel/WHM server over SSH and brings your sites across:
- Connects over SSH and queries WHM (whmapi1) for domains, PHP version and databases
- Pick exactly which domains and databases to move
- Transfers home directories and dumps/restores each database
- Mail and DNS land on the same exim/dovecot stack you already know
Because both panels share the same underlying technologies, sites typically work after the move with little or no change. See the backups & transfer guide for details.
cPanel® and WHM® are trademarks of WebPros International LLC. CloudLinux® and CageFS are trademarks of CloudLinux, Inc. Reqad is an independent, open-source project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by WebPros International LLC, cPanel, L.L.C. or CloudLinux, Inc. All product names, logos and brands are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification and comparison purposes only.