Is DirectAdmin as good as cPanel?
For shared hosting, reseller and simple VPS, yes — DirectAdmin delivers account creation, mail, FTP, databases, DNS, free SSL, backup and WordPress via Softaculous, same as cPanel. The gap shows up in premium features like WP Toolkit, which is more mature on cPanel.
Why are so many hosts switching to DirectAdmin?
cPanel has raised prices multiple times since 2019, switching from flat to per-account billing. For a host with thousands of customers, that means tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars more per month — and DirectAdmin ships 95% of the features at a fraction of the cost.
How much does a DirectAdmin license cost?
Personal is around US$ 2/mo (1 admin account), Lite US$ 5/mo (10 accounts), Standard US$ 15/mo and Pro US$ 29/mo (unlimited). For comparison, cPanel starts at US$ 15/mo on VPS and can exceed US$ 60/mo on dedicated, plus per-account fees above tier.
Does DirectAdmin run WordPress well?
Yes. DirectAdmin supports PHP 8.3, MariaDB/MySQL, LiteSpeed Web Server and Softaculous for one-click WordPress. Performance is on par with cPanel — the panel is not the bottleneck, the web server and disk are (NVMe and LiteSpeed are the real difference).
Can I migrate from cPanel to DirectAdmin without losing anything?
Yes. DirectAdmin has a native cPanel migration tool that imports accounts, mail, files, databases and DNS. Rollin Host does the migration for free for customers coming from any panel — files, databases, mail and configs, with zero downtime when possible.
Is cPanel going away?
No. cPanel is still the most used panel in the world and WebPros (the owner) keeps investing in features like WP Toolkit and cloud integration. It is just that for new hosts and resellers who need margin, the price became a blocker — and DirectAdmin grabbed that segment.
Does DirectAdmin work with WHMCS?
Yes. DirectAdmin has an official WHMCS module that creates, suspends and terminates accounts automatically — exactly like cPanel/WHM. The WHMCS integration is mature and stable.
Which panel is easier for beginners?
Both have similar learning curves for end users. The difference is the amount of Portuguese/Spanish tutorials: cPanel has far more content on YouTube and blogs. DirectAdmin has excellent official docs but in English.
Can I run cPanel and DirectAdmin on the same server?
Not on the same server — both panels take full control of the machine. But it is common for hosts to keep separate servers, with legacy customers on cPanel and new contracts on DirectAdmin.
Which panel does Rollin Host use?
Rollin Host uses DirectAdmin across its entire shared hosting line (Pouso, Decola and Orbita). The decision was made to pass the license savings on to customers — entry at R$ 9.90/mo on the annual plan — and keep equivalent performance with NVMe RAID 1 and LiteSpeed.
Does cPanel charge per account?
Yes — since 2019 cPanel charges per account on top of the base tier. For example, the Plus tier allows 50 accounts, Premier up to 100, and above that it bills per account. That hits hard for high-volume hosts.
Will I lose functionality switching from cPanel to DirectAdmin?
Almost nothing day-to-day. You keep account creation, mail, FTP, databases, DNS, free SSL, backup, app installer, and DirectAdmin has a modern Evolution Skin. What you lose are very specific cPanel-ecosystem plugins — check your case before migrating.
