Windows hosting control panels compared
StackRegent, Plesk for Windows, SolidCP and cPanel & WHM side by side, row by row, with every fact about the others taken from their own published pages.
- Included
- $ Sold separately, or costs more
- Partly, or with limits
- Not offered
- – Not published plainly: check with the vendor
| Feature | StackRegent | Plesk for Windowsvs page | SolidCPvs page | cPanel & WHMvs page | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it is sold | |||||
| Entry price, by the month | $9.99 (StackRegent License – Solo, 1 account) | $16.99 (Web Admin, 10 domains) | Free, open source | $29.99 (Solo, 1 account) | . |
| Price with no limit, by the month | $39.99 (StackRegent License – Unlimited, no account limit) | $62.99 on a VPS, $69.99 dedicated (Web Host) | Free | $69.99 for 100 accounts, then $0.49 each | . |
| What the license counts | Hosting accounts; domains, mail and databases unlimited | Domains: 10, 30 or unlimited | Nothing; no license fee | Accounts: 1, 5, 30 or 100 and up | . |
| Every feature in every plan | Included. Plans differ only in accounts | Partly. Full WP Toolkit from Web Pro; resellers in Web Host | Included. One edition | Included. Tiers differ by accounts | . |
| Free trial | Included. 10 days, 3 accounts, no card | Included. 14 days, no card | Free to use | Included. 15 days, new installs | . |
| Updates in the price | Included. Every release, signed and verified | Included. | Included. Community releases | Included. | . |
| Platform | |||||
| Operating system | Windows Server only | Windows Server or Linux | Windows Server | Linux: AlmaLinux, CloudLinux, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu | . |
| Windows Server versions | Included. 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025 | Included. 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025 | Included. 2012 to 2025 in its software list | No. Linux only | . |
| Server Core installations | Included. | Included. | Not published. | No. Linux only | . |
| IIS 10 web server | Included. | Included. | Included. | No. Linux only | . |
| Panel's own database | MariaDB, installed with the panel | MariaDB, bundled | SQL Server, installed by you | Not published. | . |
| Hosted Exchange, Hyper-V, SharePoint and RDS | No. Web hosting only | Not published. | Included. Exchange 2013–2019, Hyper-V, SharePoint, RDS | No. Linux only | . |
| Websites and apps | |||||
| ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core | Included. Several Hosting Bundle versions side by side | Included. Several versions bundled | Not published. | No. Linux only | . |
| Several PHP versions, chosen per site | Included. PHP 8.x via FastCGI, locked php.ini per site | Included. Several versions bundled | Not published. | Included. MultiPHP Manager | . |
| Node.js | Included. LTS versions through iisnode | Included. Bundled | Not published. | Included. | . |
| WordPress toolkit | Included. Updates with restore points, hardening, backups, staging | Partly. Full from Web Pro; Smart Updates sold separately | Not published. | Included. WP Toolkit; Deluxe free with direct licenses | . |
| Git deployment | Included. Pull or push; Git over SSH on 2019 and later | Not published. | Not published. | Included. Git Version Control | . |
| Web Deploy publishing from Visual Studio | Included. Web Deploy 4.0 | Not published. | Not published. | No. Linux only | . |
| Mail server | MailEnable Standard, installed and managed | MailEnable Standard bundled; SmarterMail or IceWarp supported | Manages MailEnable, hMailServer, SmarterMail, IceWarp and others you install | Linux mail stack | . |
| Webmail | Roundcube on webmail.<domain> | Horde or the mail server's own client | Not published. | Included. | . |
| Spam filter | Included. SPF, DNS block lists, greylisting, SpamAssassin | Partly. SpamAssassin bundled; Email Security extension is Linux only | Partly. MailCleaner or SpamExperts integration | Not published. | . |
| Virus scanning of mail | Included. Microsoft Defender scans queues and mailboxes | Plesk Premium Antivirus listed | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Databases | |||||
| Microsoft SQL Server | Included. Express installed by the panel; local or remote | Included. Express bundled; 2005–2022 supported | Included. 2016 to 2022 | No. Linux only | . |
| MariaDB or MySQL | Included. MariaDB, phpMyAdmin with single sign-on | Included. MariaDB and MySQL | Included. MySQL and MariaDB | Included. | . |
| ODBC data sources | Included. | Not published. | Included. 32 and 64 bit | Not published. | . |
| DNS and FTP | |||||
| DNS server | Microsoft DNS, recursion off, zone template | Microsoft DNS | Microsoft DNS, BIND, PowerDNS or SimpleDNS Plus | On Linux | . |
| FTP server | Microsoft FTP with user isolation and FTPS | Not published. | Microsoft FTP or FileZilla Server | On Linux | . |
| Security | |||||
| Web application firewall | Included. ModSecurity with OWASP CRS 4; checks addresses, query strings and headers | Included. ModSecurity on IIS | Not published. | Included. ModSecurity | . |
| Brute-force banning | Included. RDP and Windows logon, panel, FTP, mail, protected folders | Partly. Panel login protection; Fail2Ban is Linux only | Not published. | Included. cPHulk | . |
| Firewall managed from the panel | Included. Windows Defender Firewall with automatic rollback | Not published. | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Let's Encrypt certificates | Partly. Sites and panel; no wildcards yet | Included. Free SSL It! extension | Included. Since 1.4.4 | Included. AutoSSL | . |
| Malware scanning of websites | Included. Microsoft Defender on website folders | No. Imunify360 is Linux only | Not published. | Paid extra. Imunify360, from $12 a month | . |
| Two-factor sign-in | Included. TOTP for administrators | Included. Google Authenticator extension | Included. MFA | Included. | . |
| Isolation and limits | |||||
| Own IIS application pool and Windows user per account | Included. Always | Partly. Dedicated pool can be switched on | Not published. | No. Linux only | . |
| CPU, memory, disk I/O and process caps per account | Included. Windows job objects with limit counters | Partly. Pool CPU cap and memory recycling; Cgroups Manager is Linux only | Not published. | Paid extra. With CloudLinux, from $63 a year per server | . |
| Isolation checks with one-click repair | Included. | Not published. | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Resellers | |||||
| Reseller panel | Included. Every plan | Partly. Web Host edition | Included. | Included. WHM resellers | . |
| Reseller overselling controls | Included. Off by default; monthly notice when allowed and exceeded | Not published. | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Backups and migration | |||||
| Scheduled account backups to S3 or SFTP | Included. Also FTP/FTPS; with a connection test | Paid extra. Backup to Cloud Pro, on Windows too | Not published. | Included. SFTP, Amazon S3, WebDAV | . |
| Restore Plesk backups (.xml.zip or .tar) | Included. | Not published. | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Live migration from Plesk for Windows | Included. Keeps passwords; changes nothing in Plesk | Included. Plesk Migrator | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Migration from cPanel | No. | Included. Plesk Migrator | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Export back to Plesk for Windows format | Included. | Not published. | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Automation and API | |||||
| API | Included. REST, every panel action, OpenAPI 3 | Included. XML API and REST API | Not published. | Included. WHM API | . |
| API keys for admins, resellers and customers | Included. Each key acts as the user who made it | Not published. | Not published. | Not published. | . |
| Ready-made billing system modules | No. Billing systems provision through the REST API | Not published. | Included. WHMCS and HostBill | Not published. | . |
| Command line on the server | Included. stackregent.exe | Not published. | Not published. | Not published. | . |
Prices of the other products are as their own sites published them in November 2026: Plesk pricing, Plesk customer licensing guide 2026, Plesk system requirements, Plesk for Windows software requirements, Plesk WP Toolkit, Plesk backup solutions and Backup to Cloud Pro, Plesk for Windows CPU and RAM limits, Plesk Cgroups Manager, Plesk brute-force protection and Fail2Ban, ModSecurity in Plesk for Windows, Plesk Email Security, Imunify360 for Plesk, Imunify360 pricing, Plesk SSL It!, Plesk Google Authenticator, Plesk Migrator, Plesk XML API, SolidCP about, SolidCP supported software, SolidCP changelog, SolidCP legal, SolidCP configuration manuals, SolidCP standalone install, SolidCP 1.4.4 release, cPanel pricing, cPanel Store license pricing 2026, cPanel & WHM system requirements, cPanel trial license, cPanel system backups, cPanel WP Toolkit Deluxe, cPHulk, cPanel reseller accounts, CloudLinux pricing. StackRegent's own prices are read from the store. Product names belong to their owners; this page is ours, not theirs. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
How to read this Windows hosting control panel comparison#
The table compares four panels a Windows hosting provider is likely to consider. Plesk for Windows is the established commercial choice. SolidCP is the free, open-source panel descended from WebsitePanel. cPanel & WHM is included because many teams know it best, even though it runs only on Linux: its column shows what changes when you move that way of working to Windows.
Each cell is one of five values:
- Included: part of the product at no extra charge.
- Paid extra: a separately sold extension, add-on or higher edition.
- Partly: available with limits, on some editions, or only for part of the job.
- No: not available, including features that cannot exist because the product runs on Linux.
- Not published: the vendor's public pages do not say plainly. We leave those cells empty rather than guess.
Prices and facts about the other products come from their own websites and documentation in the month shown under the table, and every source is linked there. StackRegent's prices are read from our store each time the page is built, so they always match what you would pay.
What the comparison shows#
Licensing models differ more than features. Plesk counts domains (10, 30 or unlimited by edition), cPanel counts accounts with a per-account charge above 100, SolidCP has no license fee, and StackRegent counts hosting accounts with domains, mailboxes and databases unlimited inside each one. On a Windows server where customers add domains freely, that difference often decides the bill.
Windows-only versus multi-platform. Plesk serves Linux and Windows from one product, and several of its tools are Linux-only: Fail2Ban, Cgroups Manager, Plesk Email Security and Imunify360. StackRegent serves Windows only, so its security, limits and mail tools are built on Windows Defender Firewall, Microsoft Defender, Windows job objects and MailEnable.
Breadth versus depth. SolidCP reaches into hosted Exchange, SharePoint, Hyper-V and Remote Desktop Services, which StackRegent does not. StackRegent goes deeper into shared and reseller web hosting on IIS: isolation by default, per-account CPU, memory, disk I/O and process caps, and a full set of server components the panel installs itself.
Migration paths. StackRegent moves accounts from Plesk for Windows and Plesk backups, and can write backups back into Plesk for Windows format. It does not import from cPanel or SolidCP.
Head-to-head pages#
Each comparison has its own page with the details, the limits of each product, and when the other one is the better choice:
- StackRegent vs Plesk: editions, domain limits, paid and Linux-only extensions, isolation on IIS, and migration from Plesk for Windows.
- StackRegent vs SolidCP: a free multi-server toolkit against a licensed single-server panel that installs the whole stack.
- StackRegent vs cPanel: how WHM packages, accounts, resellers and LVE-style limits translate to Windows Server.
The included free page lists what every StackRegent license includes that Plesk sells separately or offers on Linux only.
Limits we state plainly#
A comparison written by one of the vendors should say where its own product falls short. StackRegent runs on Windows Server only, does not issue wildcard Let's Encrypt certificates yet, has no ready-made billing-system module (billing systems use the REST API), and has no hosted Exchange, SharePoint or virtualization features. Its web application firewall checks addresses, query strings and headers on IIS, not posted form bodies. If one of those matters for your servers, the table shows which product covers it.
Keeping the table correct#
Products change their prices and editions every year. Plesk has announced new prices from January 1, 2027, and cPanel from December 16, 2026. If you spot something out of date or a source that says otherwise, tell us and we will check and correct it. The fastest way to compare for yourself is to run the 10-day free trial next to your current panel.
Plesk and cPanel are trademarks of WebPros International GmbH; other names belong to their owners.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Windows hosting control panel?
It depends on what you host. Plesk covers Linux and Windows from one product, SolidCP is free and reaches into Exchange and Hyper-V, and StackRegent focuses on IIS web hosting with isolation, limits and resellers in every plan. Test with your own sites before deciding.
Is there a free Windows hosting control panel?
SolidCP is free and open source according to its own site. StackRegent offers a free 10-day trial with 3 hosting accounts and no card, after which a paid plan is needed.
Does cPanel run on Windows Server?
No. cPanel's system requirements list AlmaLinux OS, CloudLinux, Rocky Linux and Ubuntu only.
Where do the competitor prices come from?
From each vendor's own pricing page, store article or documentation in the month shown under the table. Every source is linked there.
Why are some cells marked Not published?
Because the vendor's public pages do not state that fact clearly. We prefer an empty cell to a guess.
Run your hosting business on StackRegent
Start the free trial on your own Windows Server: every feature, three accounts, no card. Migrate a few sites from Plesk, check them, then switch when you are ready.