aaPanel vs CyberPanel vs HestiaCP vs ZoPanel in 2026

In short: aaPanel suits beginners who want a large one-click app store on a small VPS, CyberPanel suits WordPress sites built around OpenLiteSpeed and the LiteSpeed Cache plugin, HestiaCP suits admins who want a free, conventional panel with mail and DNS, and ZoPanel suits people hosting other people's sites who need per-account isolation. aaPanel and CyberPanel are the two most often compared, and the biggest difference between them is not speed but web server and security record.

This comparison uses each vendor's own documentation and public vulnerability databases, at the time of writing (October 2026). We have not measured these panels ourselves. There are no benchmark numbers here, because we would rather publish none than borrow untested ones; we plan to publish a measured benchmark on identical servers later. We make ZoPanel, so we have an interest, and we point out where it is weaker.

The four panels in one table

Sources: aaPanel download page and pricing; CyberPanel install guide, GitHub README and isolation article; HestiaCP getting started; ZoPanel requirements and pricing; CISA KEV catalog. OS lists change often, so check before you install. CyberPanel's install guide and README list slightly different Ubuntu versions; we used the README, which is newer.

Requirements and OS support

On paper, aaPanel has the lowest floor at 512 MB of RAM, and recommends Ubuntu 22.04. Its documented OS list is older than the others' and does not include Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 13 at the time of writing.

CyberPanel asks for 1 GB of RAM and 10 GB of disk. With aaPanel, it is one of two panels here that support the RHEL family (AlmaLinux, Rocky, RHEL, CloudLinux), and its README says it runs on x86_64. Debian is listed as third-party support without guaranteed compatibility.

HestiaCP starts at 1 GB if you skip SpamAssassin and ClamAV, and recommends 4 GB with 4 cores. It supports the newest Debian and Ubuntu LTS releases on both x86-64 and ARM64.

ZoPanel needs 1 GB to try and 2 GB or more for production, on Ubuntu or Debian only. If your provider gives you AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux, CyberPanel or aaPanel are the ones here that fit.

Minimum RAM is not the same as capacity. How many sites a server holds depends on the sites and on page caching far more than on the panel's own footprint. Our own measured figures for ZoPanel are in how many WordPress sites fit on a 4 GB VPS; we do not have comparable measurements for the other three yet.

Web server: the real dividing line

• CyberPanel is built on OpenLiteSpeed. If your sites use the LiteSpeed Cache plugin, its server-level page cache works only on LiteSpeed servers, so CyberPanel (or aaPanel's OpenLiteSpeed option) is the natural fit.
• aaPanel is the most flexible, with nginx, Apache or OpenLiteSpeed chosen per site.
• HestiaCP uses Apache behind an nginx proxy by default, so .htaccess works everywhere, or nginx alone with PHP-FPM.
• ZoPanel uses nginx with its own page cache, and switches a single site to Apache mode when it needs .htaccess (website docs).

Mail and DNS

If you host email on the same server, HestiaCP, CyberPanel and ZoPanel include it in the base install. aaPanel adds it through the Mail Server app in its store. For DNS, CyberPanel and ZoPanel use PowerDNS (ZoPanel adds DNSSEC), HestiaCP uses BIND with clustering, and aaPanel relies on App Store plugins. Whichever you choose, deliverability depends more on PTR, SPF, DKIM and DMARC than on the panel; see setting up an email server on a VPS.

Security record

This is where the four differ most, and it is all public.

• CyberPanel: in October 2024, unauthenticated flaws in 2.3.6 and 2.3.7 (CVE-2024-51567, CVE-2024-51378) gave attackers root; LeakIX counted about 22,000 exposed instances as attacks began, and many were encrypted by PSAUX ransomware (SecurityWeek). Both CVEs are in CISA's KEV catalog. In 2026, CVE-2026-67614, a hard-coded Web Terminal secret before 3.0.0, gave an unauthenticated root shell. Details: is CyberPanel safe?
• aaPanel: a steady CVE record, including CVE-2026-29859 (file upload to code execution, CVSS 9.8, 7.57.0) and command injection reports in September and October 2026, none in KEV. Details: is aaPanel safe?
• HestiaCP: fixed several root-level bugs, including CVE-2026-43633, a deserialization flaw in the web terminal that needed no login when the terminal was enabled (1.9.0 to 1.9.4, fixed in 1.9.5), and CVE-2026-108390, where any panel user with a web domain could run code as root (fixed in 1.10.5). None is in KEV.
• ZoPanel: no published CVEs, but it is much newer, so its public audit history is short. Treat that as "less tested", not "proven safe".

A KEV entry measures real-world exploitation, which also depends on how many servers are exposed. The common pattern in all of these bugs is code running as root with the admin port open to the internet; see our timeline of hosting panel security incidents. Whatever you run, restrict the panel port to your own IPs and turn on 2FA.

Isolation between sites

If all sites are yours, isolation matters less. If you host customers, it matters most.

• aaPanel runs every site as the same www user, with open_basedir per site. PHP's own manual says open_basedir "can therefore not be relied upon when security is needed".
• CyberPanel documents separate users, ownership and ACLs, plus OpenLiteSpeed cgroups for CPU, memory and process limits, and notes that the result "depends on correct configuration". Several 2026 CVEs, such as CVE-2026-65917, were tenant-isolation bugs between panel users.
• HestiaCP gives each panel user a Linux account and, since 1.9.0, cgroups CPU and RAM limits; check whether those limits cover PHP-FPM in your version.
• ZoPanel gives each account its own Linux user, PHP-FPM pool and systemd slice with CPU, memory and process limits covering PHP, cron and apps (security docs).

Which should you choose?

Switching between them

None of these panels imports the others' backups. ZoPanel imports cPanel and DirectAdmin backups only. Moving from aaPanel, CyberPanel or HestiaCP means copying files, dumping databases, syncing mail over IMAP and switching DNS; our CyberPanel alternative guide walks through each step.

Conclusion

In the aaPanel vs CyberPanel decision, the deciding questions are your web server (OpenLiteSpeed or not) and how much weight you give the security record; HestiaCP is the steady open-source middle ground, and ZoPanel is the option built around isolating accounts from each other and from the panel. All four are usable if you keep them updated and the admin port closed. We will add measured numbers when our benchmark on identical servers is done.

To see ZoPanel next to the panel you use now, install it on a spare VPS. The Free plan covers 3 hosting accounts, 10 websites and 10 databases with no time limit.

Frequently asked questions

Is aaPanel better than CyberPanel?

It depends on the job. aaPanel has a larger app store and lets you choose nginx, Apache or OpenLiteSpeed per site. CyberPanel is built around OpenLiteSpeed and suits LiteSpeed Cache users, but it has the worse exploitation record. For hosting customers, the shared www user in aaPanel is the bigger concern.

Which is lighter, aaPanel, CyberPanel or HestiaCP?

By documented minimums, aaPanel (512 MB) is lowest, CyberPanel and HestiaCP need 1 GB, and HestiaCP recommends 4 GB with spam and virus filtering. These are vendor figures, not measurements. We have not benchmarked the panels ourselves yet and plan to publish measured results later.

Is HestiaCP safer than CyberPanel?

HestiaCP has had serious bugs too, but none is in CISA's KEV catalog, while two CyberPanel CVEs are, after mass exploitation in 2024. HestiaCP also moved its web interface off the admin user in 1.9.0. Either way, update quickly and keep the panel port closed to the public.

Can I move from aaPanel or CyberPanel to HestiaCP or ZoPanel automatically?

No. There is no direct importer between these panels. You move files, databases and mail by hand and switch DNS once the new server is tested. ZoPanel automates imports only from cPanel and DirectAdmin backups.

Which panel is free for unlimited websites?

HestiaCP and CyberPanel (with OpenLiteSpeed) are free with no site limit, and aaPanel's Free edition allows unlimited sites. ZoPanel's Free plan stops at 10 websites; Pro removes the limit for $49 a year per server.