Choose FlatRun when
- You want to stop paying per account.
- Each site should be isolated in its own containers.
- Sites should move between servers as directories.
FlatRun vs cPanel
Compare FlatRun with cPanel: an open source, container-native way to host sites and apps without per-account licensing.
Open source, MIT licensed · Runs on any Linux server with Docker
Hosting panel
cPanel hosts sites as accounts on a shared web server. FlatRun runs each site in its own containers from a standard Compose file.
There is no per-account license, and each site is a directory you can copy to another server.
Side by side
| FlatRun | cPanel | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Free, MIT | Paid commercial plans |
| Account pricing | No per-account fee | Depends on the license tier |
| Containers | Every site is a container project | No |
| Deployment format | Standard Compose projects | Panel configuration |
| One-click apps | Templates | Through Softaculous |
| SSL certificates | Yes | Yes |
| Databases | Yes | Yes, with phpMyAdmin |
| File manager | Yes | Yes |
| API | REST API, CLI and MCP | UAPI and WHM API |
| DNS | Self-hosted zones or your provider | Yes |
| Email hosting | Not yet | Yes |
Switching
Back up each account's files and databases.
One command installs FlatRun on a supported server.
Start from a template, then upload the files and import the database.
Update the DNS records. FlatRun issues the certificates.
Not yet. Keep email with a mail provider or a separate server for now.
cPanel details come from cPanel pricing . FlatRun details are in the documentation.
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