cPanel vs vDeck PROS & CONS | Which Control Panel Should You Choose?

If you are new to managing websites, you probably will not bother with cPanel vs vDeck and which one your hosting uses. While it seems like you can find a new control panel option every day, cPanel and vDeck are among the most popular in terms of availability across hosting providers and overall user-friendliness.

This is vital to ensuring smooth management of core website features such as data backup, file hosting, and site emails. When you’re looking for the best web host for your site, the control panel is a vital part of the equation.

And it’s important to know what interface you’ll be using to manage your domains, install software, manage email accounts, back up data, and more. While there are plenty of options for control panels today, many providers stick to cPanel or vDeck.

 

vdeck or cpanel

 

What do they have to offer, and which one is better for your hosting needs? Let’s see what they both have to offer.

 

cPanel Control Panel Overview

This Linux-based control panel for web hosting is one of the most popular of its kind, and for a good reason. cPanel lets you manage all of your services, emails, setup subdomains, and all data in a single place.

Currently, cPanel is the industry standard, and most web developers are well acquainted with it.

cPanel’s intuitive, easy-to-use interface is tailored to maximize management options as well as efficiency, whether you need to monitor resources, create subdomains, emails, or new FTP users, or install software, cPanel covers all.

With that in mind, it’s no small wonder that cPanel is the most trusted and accessible control panel option among webmasters and leading web hosting providers. This Unix-based control panel is so easy to learn, understand and comes with plenty of animation tools.

J. Nicholas Koston first designed cPanel with a three-tier structure in mind for administrators, end-user webmasters, and resellers to control server administration and various features of their sites.

 

Key Features Of cPanel

Usability – The design of cPanel is straightforward and practical with an icon-based interface, so even the newbies can learn their way around cPanel very quickly.

Popularity – cPanel is easily the most dominant control panel on the market and has been since after its release in 1996. Most webmasters are quite familiar with cPanel, and some may not even realize there are other control panel options like vDeck.

Add-ons – cPanel also features a plethora of add-ons to make functionality even better. For example, Fantastico is a handy add-on that acts as a 1-click auto-installer.

With this add-on, you can install almost all the popular scripts online instantly with a few simple clicks, such as WordPress, b2evolution, Drupal, Joomla, phpBB, and more.

 

cPanel Control Panel

cpanel hosting
cPanel control panel features and options

 

cPanel Pros & Cons

cPanel, of course, isn’t perfect. Like any option, there are both pros and cons to consider before choosing your preferred control panel. The simple interface may not be ideal for professionals with more technical or complex needs.

cPanel is also only available on Linux platforms, so Windows or Mac platforms cannot make use of it. Website management used to be a huge time sink and often involved extensive technical knowledge and using command lines to accomplish tasks.

Even small or incremental changes had to be done strictly in code. However, cPanel’s intuitive interface and automated features made these processes more straightforward and faster, with no coding necessary to implement site features.

For example, backing up an entire site is easy with cPanel as users are guided through a step by step process. But with cPanel, changes can be made in an instant as its features are fully automated.

However, sometimes sites get bigger, not just in products or services, but in several hits and bandwidth usage, meaning webmasters have to upgrade to avoid downtime on his or her site.

Fortunately, cPanel has options that ensure account resources are appropriately allocated to keep sites up and running, even when traffic is high. Better still, cPanel is compatible with tons of apps.

Whether you need blogs, guest books, bulletin boards, or e-commerce interfaces to set up your dream shop, a wide range of add-ons help build a sturdy, robust site that can handle anything.

cPanel is a perfect option for individuals and small firms who don’t have or need the resources for a full support team.

And because it’s easy to use, this puts administration powers directly in webmasters’ hands without having a learn a programming language or code to implement the features you need for your website.

They can accomplish tasks with the use of cPanel, from backing up the entire website to increase security to prevent hackers from compromising data.

PROS:

  • Easy to learn
  • Easy to use
  • Saves time and money
  • Tried and tested
  • Includes software auto installers
  • Plenty of tutorials/support available online

CONS:

  • Number of features can be overwhelming for new users
  • Can be easy to change essential settings accidentally
  • Host providers might run outdated software
  • Can cost more and is rarely offered with free hosting

 

vDeck Control Panel Overview

With cPanel’s popularity, it can be hard to find alternatives that fit your exact needs. vDeck advertises itself as an easy option for site creation, management, and even promotion, and is already on its 4th version.

vDeck’s interface is more complicated than cPanel’s, and as of vDeck 2.0, was a lot more complicated and hard to follow with the way functions were categorized.

By the time vDeck 3.0 came around, however, it became much more user-friendly and similar to cPanel.

While vDeck is relatively new in terms of available control panels for web hosting, especially compared to decades-old cPanel, many hosts haven’t heard about it–at least, not until vDeck 4.0, which has been a massive hit in terms of popularity, especially among control panel alternatives to cPanel.

Rather than using add-ons like cPanel, vDeck uses Install-Central, which is very similar and of comparable quality to cPanel’s 1-click installer.

It also features multiple categories like Blogs, Galleries, Forums, CMS, Shopping Cart, and Miscellaneous. vDeck 4.0 has almost as many scripts available for install as cPanel does now.

Vdeck is used by all hosting brands under EIG group such as iPower, iPage, Fatcow. Fatcow and iPage are the most well-known names for vDeck control panel support. Instead, they offer their customized version of cPanel which they refer to as vDeck.

 

vdeck hosting control panel options
the vDeck control panel features example

 

vDeck Features

vDeck gives you tools directly in your hands for launching and maintaining your site, and with version 4.0, is easier to use than ever before. Whether you want to manage your site, emails, e-commerce tools, or marketing, vDeck has a lot to offer to any webmaster.

Here are the control panel features on vDeck:

1. Domain management lets you use the Domain tab for adding or transferring domains, as well as managing subdomains and domain pointers.

2. Web-based file manager for all of your necessary file packing/unpacking, and editing needs.

3. Site backup and restore allow users to create local backups or restore data from system-generated backups if needed.

4. FTP management tools for easy file exchange and transfer.

5. Email management for accessing webmail, preventing viruses and spam, forwarding emails, managing autoresponders, etc.

6. Drag and drop site builder lets users choose from hundreds of clean, professionally-designed templates to create a website in a user-friendly format without a single line of code to write.

7. E-commerce features, which can be found the “E-commerce” tab, allow you to access a myriad of tools for setting up your site for selling online.

8. Security tools come packed with features, including password-protected directories, IP blocking, protecting your hotlinks, etc.

9. App installer lets you add popular control panel applications with the innovative vDeck scripts installer.

10. Databases include MySQL and MS SQL for database-driven sites.

 

vdeck control panel features

 

11. Account management lets you change billing information, change passwords, and make payments.

12. Site analytics tools allow users to check on the stats related to their site visitors.

13. Marketing tools cover all of your site promo and submission tools, including search engine optimization, free search engine ad credit, and free pay-per-click ad credit so you can start promoting your site on popular search engines like Google, Facebook, and Bing for free.

 

vDeck Pros & Cons

While it’s customary for web hosting providers to include a control panel for free in their hosting packages, especially on shared hosting plans, some providers will add extra fees for the control panel, mostly in cases where multiple options are given for your control panel.

Some providers will add their touch to control panels, so it’s not unusual to find different versions of what is otherwise the same control panel offered by various hosting providers.

You may find some variation in features offered, but features mentioned above are generally what you can expect from any vDeck control panel. vDeck has tons to offer in terms of simplifying your everyday site management. But can it compete with industry giant cPanel?

PROS:

  • Drop-down navigation, well-organized, efficient;
  • Customizable (e.g., you can choose the widgets to display in the sidebar);
  • Feature-rich website management tools and eCommerce features;
  • Drag and drop site builder;
  • FAQs, tutorials, help easily accessible via pop up box on any page.

While vDeck 4.0 has been a big hit among alternatives to cPanel, vDeck still often gets points docked for its lacking usability compared to cPanel.

The shortcomings of vDeck are always analyzed in comparison with cPanel, which is, after all, the most widely used control panel.

 

CONS:

  • Number of built-in add-ons is limited, manual adding of add-ons may be necessary;
  • vDeck is not as popular and as widely used as cPanel;
  • Administrative access and FPT access cannot be restricted to a specific IP range;
  • Security features are not as complicated as the ones offered by cPanel.

Although boasting all the necessary features to control and manage your hosted websites and emails, vDeck is still a newcomer compared to cPanel, and it doesn’t seem to be shaking up cPanel’s status anytime soon.

 

Best Cheap Hosting Providers

Choosing the right web hosting can be a daunting process, especially when you’re just starting to grasp the basics of running your website.

There are so many services offering cheap WordPress hosting that picking a winner can often seem like a difficult task. I have compared mentioned hosting providers cheapest shared hosting plans according to its features. If you would rather not pay for hosting until your business starts growing, then be sure to check best free WordPress hosting options.

 

low cost wordpress hosting comparison features
  • NAME
  • SSD INCLUDED
    Solid state drives provides increased performance and reliability over mechanical hard drives.
  • FREE DOMAIN
  • DISK SPACE
  • BANDWIDTH
  • EMAIL SPAM FILTERING
  • SUPPORT
  • FREE WEBSITE TRANSFER
    Does hosting company provide free site migration from another hosting provider
  • FREE BACKUPS
  • MONEY BACK GURANTEE
  • ADVERTISING CREDITS
  • FREE WEBSITE BUILDER
  • WEBSITES SUPPORTED
    How many websites can you have
  • PHP 7 SUPPORTED
  • SSH ACCESS
  • PARKED DOMAINS
  • SUB DOMAINS
  • FTP ACCOUNTS
  • MALWARE PROTECTION
  • FREE SSL
  • LETS ENCRYPT INTEGRATION
  • CLOUDFLARE INTEGRATION
  • CPANEL
  • HTTP/2 ENABLED SERVERS
  • PRICE
inmotion vs siteground vs ipage vs a2 vs bluehost vs namecheap
  • INMOTION SHARED WORDPRESS HOSTING LAUNCH PLAN
    Launch plan
  • If you already have a domain, you will geta credit that can be used to transfer your existing domain from another registrar.
  • UNLIMITED
    Certain restrictions apply
  • UNLIMITED
    Certain restrictions apply
  • PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • Applies to accounts consisting of 3 or fewer databases and/or websites. Accounts wishing to transfer more than 3 items will be charged $10 per additional item to be transferred.
  • 90 DAYS
  • $100 of Google Adwords credits, $75 of Bing advertising credits and $75 of Yahoo advertising credits and a free Yellow Pages business listing
  • 2
  • 6
  • 25
  • You will need to install it manually
  • $4.89/MONTH
bluehost vs inmotion vs siteground vs ipage
  • BLUEHOST SHARED HOSTING BASIC PLAN
    Basic plan
  • 50
  • UNLIMITED
  • PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • They charge $149.99
  • 30 DAYS
  • 1
  • 5
  • 25
  • You will need to install it manually from 3rd party
  • You will need to install it manually
  • $3.95/MONTH
siteground vs ipage vs a2hosting vs greengeeks vs bluehost
  • SITEGROUND WORDPRESS SHARED HOSTING STARTUP PLAN
    Startup plan
  • 10
  • UNLIMITED
  • PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • For 1 website
  • 1 copy
  • 30 DAYS
  • 1
  • UNLIMITED
  • UNLIMITED
  • $4.65/MONTH
namecheap vs siteground vs bluehost
  • NAMECHEAP SHARED HOSTING VALUE PLAN
    Value plan
  • Free .website domain and free WhoisGuard
  • 20
  • UNLIMITED
  • TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • Twice a week
  • 14 DAYS
  • 3
  • UNLIMITED
  • 50
  • 50 users
  • You can manually add Lets Encrypt free certificate
  • You need to manually add
  • Not out of the box
  • $0.82/MONTH
low cost wordpress hosting comparison features
  • NAME
  • SSD INCLUDED
    Solid state drives provides increased performance and reliability over mechanical hard drives.
  • FREE DOMAIN
  • DISK SPACE
  • BANDWIDTH
  • EMAIL SPAM FILTERING
  • SUPPORT
  • FREE WEBSITE TRANSFER
    Does hosting company provide free site migration from another hosting provider
  • FREE BACKUPS
  • MONEY BACK GURANTEE
  • ADVERTISING CREDITS
  • FREE WEBSITE BUILDER
  • WEBSITES SUPPORTED
    How many websites can you have
  • PHP 7 SUPPORTED
  • SSH ACCESS
  • PARKED DOMAINS
  • SUB DOMAINS
  • FTP ACCOUNTS
  • MALWARE PROTECTION
  • FREE SSL
  • LETS ENCRYPT INTEGRATION
  • CLOUDFLARE INTEGRATION
  • CPANEL
  • HTTP/2 ENABLED SERVERS
  • PRICE
greengeeks vs ipage vs siteground vs inmotion vs namecheap
  • GREENGEEKS MANAGED WORDPRESS HOSTING
  • If you already have a domain, you will geta credit that can be used to transfer your existing domain from another registrar.
  • UNLIMITED
    Certain restrictions apply
  • UNLIMITED
    Certain restrictions apply
  • PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • That includes 1 free site or cPanel transfer, so if you have a few sites in a single cPanel account they could move them all over for free
  • 30 DAYS
  • Free SEO and Marketing tools and $20 BidVertiser ad credit as well as coupon for Google AdWords for $75 in credit when you spend $25
  • UNLIMITED
  • UNLIMITED
  • UNLIMITED
  • You can manually add Lets Encrypt free certificate
  • You can manually add Lets Encrypt free certificate
  • $3.95/MONTH
ipage vs inmotion vs siteground vs bluehost vs namecheap vs greengeeks
  • IPAGE SHARED WORDPRESS HOSTING WP STARTER PLAN
    WP Starter
  • UNLIMITED
  • UNLIMITED
  • PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • 30 DAYS
  • Google AdWords offer ($100 value) when you spend $25, Bing search credit ($100 value, Yellowpages.com listing, One toll-free phone number (US only)
  • UNLIMITED
  • UNLIMITED
  • UNLIMITED
  • THEY USE VDECK PANEL
  • $3.75/MONTH
a2hosting vs greengeeks vs ipage vs siteground
  • A2HOSTING SHARED LITE PLAN
    Lite plan
  • UNLIMITED
  • UNLIMITED
  • PHONE,TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • 30 DAYS
  • Free Bing/Yahoo Ad Credits, iContact Email Marketing Trial
  • 1
  • 25
  • 5
  • $4/MONTH
blank-page
  • NAMECHEAP SHARED HOSTING VALUE PLAN
    Value plan
  • Free .website domain and free WhoisGuard
  • 20
  • UNLIMITED
  • TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • Twice a week
  • 14 DAYS
  • 3
  • UNLIMITED
  • 50
  • 50 users
  • You can manually add Lets Encrypt free certificate
  • You need to manually add
  • Not out of the box
  • $0.82/MONTH
namecheap vs siteground vs bluehost
  • NAME
  • SSD INCLUDED
    Solid state drives provides increased performance and reliability over mechanical hard drives.
  • FREE DOMAIN
  • DISK SPACE
  • BANDWIDTH
  • EMAIL SPAM FILTERING
  • SUPPORT
  • FREE WEBSITE TRANSFER
    Does hosting company provide free site migration from another hosting provider
  • FREE BACKUPS
  • MONEY BACK GURANTEE
  • ADVERTISING CREDITS
  • FREE WEBSITE BUILDER
  • WEBSITES SUPPORTED
    How many websites can you have
  • PHP 7 SUPPORTED
  • SSH ACCESS
  • PARKED DOMAINS
  • SUB DOMAINS
  • FTP ACCOUNTS
  • MALWARE PROTECTION
  • FREE SSL
  • LETS ENCRYPT INTEGRATION
  • CLOUDFLARE INTEGRATION
  • CPANEL
  • HTTP/2 ENABLED SERVERS
  • PRICE
blank-page
  • NAMECHEAP MANAGED WORDPRESS HOSTING EASYWP PLAN
    EasyWP plan
  • 5
  • UNLIMITED
  • TICKET,LIVE CHAT
  • 14 DAYS
  • 1
  • $0.74/MONTH

 

Here are my final recommendations:

  • NameCheap – If you are a beginner and tight on budget.
  • Bluehost – If you are going to buy hosting for three years, go with Bluehost. It offers huge discounts on 36 months plan.
  • A2 Hosting – If you are looking for a fast host with a low budget.
  • iPage, GreenGeeks, Bluehost – If you have a small budget, but still want best of best (check GreenGeeks pros & cons).
  • SiteGround, InMotion  – These are little costlier than other hosts. But an excellent choice for medium-size blog/site.
  • Cloudways, 10Web – Great managed cloud hosting. See Cloudways review and 10Web review for more information about them.

 

cPanel vs vDeck Summary – Is cPanel Better Web Hosting Control Panel?

In most cases, hosting packages will come with a web-based control panel included for free, and vDeck 4.0 is packed with features that set it apart from many alternatives.

vDeck is one such control panel that allows webmasters to manage all their hosted services in a web-based interface easily. Some hosting companies will have their proprietary control panel.

However, most hosting providers will usually offer third-party control panels customized to reflect their brand. So which to choose -cPanel vs vDeck?

cPanel and vDeck are both powerful and popular options for web hosting control panels, but it’s safe to say that cPanel is the winner in terms of popularity, usability, and add-on functionality.

While vDeck may be better suited to web devs looking for more scalability and technical options, cPanel is the best option out there for bloggers, small businesses, and personal webmasters.

For people looking for the most reliable, robust and efficient web hosting control panel; it is best to choose a web host that uses cPanel. Other alternatives are Plesk, Webmin, DirectAdmin, etc.


DISCLOSURE: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links, I might get a small commission, without any extra cost to you. Read more about it here.

1 thought on “cPanel vs vDeck PROS & CONS | Which Control Panel Should You Choose?”

  1. cPanel is a web-based hosting control panel that allows users to easily manage their web hosting from a single web page.
    If you would want to set up your blog, eCommerce, or another website, cPanel is there to assist you in doing so with ease and grace.

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