If you’re managing websites for clients or running a hosting business, you’ve probably felt the sting of Plesk’s pricing. What started as a reasonable hosting panel has become increasingly expensive, with prices climbing year after year. Many agencies and hosting providers are now spending $500 or more annually just on panel licensing—money that could be going toward better infrastructure or your bottom line.
FlatRun offers a different approach: a free, open-source, Docker-native hosting control panel that delivers the features you need without the licensing costs.
Why People Are Leaving Plesk
Plesk has been around since 2001, and for years it was the go-to choice for web hosting management. But several factors are driving users to look for alternatives:
The Price Keeps Climbing
Plesk has increased prices by over 200% since 2017. The Web Pro plan (unlimited domains) now costs $44.95/month—that’s $539 per year. And if history is any indication, next year’s renewal will be even higher.
For agencies managing client sites, these costs add up quickly. You’re essentially paying a tax on every server you deploy, regardless of how many sites you host.
Legacy Architecture in a Container World
Plesk was built in an era of shared hosting and traditional server setups. While they’ve added Docker support through extensions, it feels bolted on rather than native. Modern deployment workflows expect containerized applications, but Plesk’s core architecture still reflects its PHP-era origins.
Vendor Lock-in
Plesk uses proprietary configuration formats. If you ever want to move to a different solution, you’re looking at a manual migration of every site. Your configurations, automation scripts, and workflows are all tied to their platform.
How FlatRun Compares
FlatRun takes a fundamentally different approach to hosting management:
Zero Licensing Cost
FlatRun is released under the MIT license. Use it for one server or a hundred. Host ten sites or ten thousand. Your cost is always zero.
This isn’t a “free tier” with limitations or a trial that expires. The full-featured panel is completely free, forever.
Docker-Native from Day One
FlatRun wasn’t retrofitted with container support—it was built on Docker from the ground up. Every deployment is a standard docker-compose configuration. This means:
- Better isolation between sites
- Portable configurations you can move anywhere
- Integration with modern CI/CD workflows
- Resource limits per container, not per-server hacks
No Lock-in
Your FlatRun configurations are standard docker-compose.yml files on your filesystem. Want to move to a different server? Copy your compose files. Want to stop using FlatRun entirely? Your containers keep running with standard Docker commands.
You’re never trapped.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | FlatRun | Plesk Web Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $44.95/month |
| Unlimited Domains | Yes | Yes |
| Docker Support | Native | Extension |
| Open Source | MIT License | No |
| One-Click WordPress | Yes | Yes (WP Toolkit extra) |
| SSL Management | Yes | Yes |
| Database Admin | Yes | Yes |
| File Manager | Yes | Yes |
| REST API | Full Access | Limited |
| Vendor Lock-in | None | High |
Both panels handle the core hosting tasks—deploying sites, managing SSL certificates, administering databases. The difference is in the cost, the architecture, and who controls your infrastructure.
What FlatRun Does Well
Quick Deployments
Deploy a new WordPress site in under 30 seconds. FlatRun’s template system lets you spin up pre-configured stacks for WordPress, Node.js, Python, and more. Each deployment gets its own isolated container environment.
Unified Management
See all your deployments in one dashboard. Monitor resources, check SSL certificate expiration dates, and manage databases across your entire portfolio. No jumping between different interfaces for different tasks.
Full Control
SSH into containers from your browser. Edit files directly. Run database queries. Stream logs in real-time. FlatRun gives you all the tools you need without requiring external applications.
Automation-Ready
The full REST API lets you automate provisioning, deployments, and maintenance tasks. Integrate FlatRun with your existing tools, billing systems, or CI/CD pipelines.
What Plesk Does Better (For Now)
To be fair, Plesk has capabilities FlatRun doesn’t yet match:
Email Hosting
Plesk includes full email server management with spam filtering, webmail, and multiple protocols. FlatRun focuses on web application hosting—if you need email, you’ll want to use a dedicated email service.
DNS Management
Plesk can act as an authoritative DNS server. FlatRun expects you to manage DNS elsewhere (Cloudflare, Route53, your registrar, etc.).
Mature Ecosystem
Two decades of development means Plesk has extensions for nearly everything. FlatRun’s marketplace is coming, but the ecosystem is still growing.
The Cost Over Three Years
Let’s do the math for a web agency running 50 client sites:
Plesk Web Pro:
- Year 1: $539
- Year 2: ~$575 (assuming modest increase)
- Year 3: ~$615 (continuing trend)
- Total: ~$1,729
FlatRun:
- Year 1: $0
- Year 2: $0
- Year 3: $0
- Total: $0
That’s $1,729 back in your pocket—or invested in better servers, marketing, or anything else that grows your business.
Making the Switch
Migration from Plesk to FlatRun is straightforward:
- Install FlatRun on your new server (one command)
- Export sites from Plesk (files + databases)
- Deploy on FlatRun using templates
- Import your data (files and database dumps)
- Update DNS when ready
The process typically takes 30-60 minutes per site, depending on size. We have a complete migration guide that walks through each step.
Who Should Consider FlatRun?
FlatRun is a strong choice if you:
- Manage multiple client websites
- Want to eliminate licensing costs
- Prefer modern Docker-based deployments
- Need full control over your infrastructure
- Value open-source and avoiding vendor lock-in
It’s particularly well-suited for web agencies and small hosting providers who are tired of paying premiums for basic hosting management.
Getting Started
Ready to try FlatRun? Check out the download page and documentation to get started.
No license keys. No credit card. No catch.
FlatRun is open-source software released under the MIT license. Learn more at flatrun.dev.