StackRegent vs SolidCP for Windows hosting

Two different answers to Windows hosting#

SolidCP and StackRegent both manage IIS hosting on Windows Server, but they start from different places. SolidCP describes itself as a fork of WebsitePanel (formerly DotNetPanel), launched in 2016 to build a stable panel that combines Windows and Linux servers. It is free, its site states that it "will always be Open Source", and its code is distributed under a Creative Commons Share-Alike license. It is a multi-server system: the standalone installer puts its Enterprise Server, Portal and Server components on one machine, and larger setups spread them out.

StackRegent is a licensed, single-server panel. One license key covers one Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022 or 2025 machine, and the panel on that server installs, configures and manages everything the hosted sites need: IIS, PHP, .NET, databases, mail, DNS, FTP and the web application firewall. There is nothing else to set up first.

Neither approach is wrong. This page explains StackRegent vs SolidCP in practical terms, so you can decide which one suits the servers you run. The table above lists the details with sources.

Cost: free software versus a license per server#

SolidCP costs nothing to download or run. Your costs are the Windows and SQL Server licenses you already pay for, the third-party servers it manages, and the time your team spends installing, upgrading and fixing it. SolidCP's site mentions that support services are available, but the software itself carries no license fee.

StackRegent charges per server by the number of hosting accounts (subscriptions). Every plan includes every feature, domains and mailboxes inside an account are unlimited, and updates are included while the license is active. You can see current prices on the pricing page and try it for 10 days with 3 accounts and no card through the free trial.

The honest comparison is not $0 against a price. It is a free toolkit you assemble and maintain, against a paid product that ships as one tested piece and comes with a vendor responsible for it.

Installation and what each panel manages#

SolidCP's standalone install guide lists the prerequisites: Windows Server, SQL Server (any edition, 2005 or later) for the panel's own database, Web Deploy and the IIS roles. SolidCP then manages server software that you install and license: its supported-software list includes MailEnable, hMailServer, SmarterMail, IceWarp and others for mail, Microsoft DNS, BIND, PowerDNS and SimpleDNS Plus for DNS, Microsoft FTP or FileZilla Server for FTP, and SQL Server, MySQL and MariaDB for databases.

StackRegent installs with one line in an elevated PowerShell window. The installer activates the license, downloads the release, checks its size, SHA-256 hash and signature, and sets up IIS and the panel with a default set of components: URL Rewrite, Microsoft DNS, FTP, Web Deploy, PHP, MailEnable, Roundcube, MariaDB and phpMyAdmin. Everything else, from SQL Server Express to Node.js, the ASP.NET Core Hosting Bundle and ModSecurity, is one click away under Server Components, with each download checked against a published checksum or a Microsoft signature. The components page lists them.

The difference shows up on day one and again at every upgrade. With SolidCP you choose and maintain each piece. With StackRegent the panel owns the stack and keeps it consistent.

Where SolidCP reaches further#

SolidCP covers far more than web hosting. Its supported-software list includes Microsoft Exchange 2013, 2016 and 2019, SharePoint, Hyper-V and Proxmox virtualization, Remote Desktop Services with Guacamole, Skype for Business, Microsoft CRM and IIS WebDAV cloud storage. Its knowledge base has guides for Active Directory organizational unit separation and an Enterprise import tool. If you sell hosted Exchange mailboxes or Hyper-V virtual machines from the same portal as websites, StackRegent does not do that, and SolidCP is the closer fit.

SolidCP also integrates with billing systems: its software list names WHMCS and HostBill, and its knowledge base explains the WHMCS setup. StackRegent has no ready-made billing plugin; billing systems provision accounts through its REST API, which covers every panel action.

Where StackRegent goes deeper on web hosting#

StackRegent concentrates on shared and reseller web hosting on IIS, and goes further there:

• Isolation by default. Every subscription runs as its own Windows user in its own IIS application pool, with PHP through FastCGI as that user and a locked php.ini per site. The Account Isolation page tests each account and repairs it in one click.
• Resource limits. Each subscription's websites, PHP and scheduled tasks run in a Windows job object with caps for CPU, memory, disk I/O and process count, in the style of CloudLinux LVE.
• Security on the server. Windows Defender Firewall management with automatic rollback, IP Address Banning for Remote Desktop, the panel, FTP and mail, ModSecurity with the OWASP Core Rule Set, and Microsoft Defender scanning of website folders and mail.
• Website tools. A WordPress Toolkit with updates, hardening, backups and staging; Git deployment; Composer and a Laravel toolkit; Node.js through iisnode; Web Deploy publishing; Website Preview before DNS points to the server.
• Backups and migration. Scheduled backups at server, client and subscription level to S3-compatible storage, SFTP or FTP/FTPS; restore of Plesk backups; live migration from Plesk for Windows.

Releases and upgrades#

According to SolidCP's changelog, the most recent stable release is 1.5.1 from December 17, 2024; version 1.5.0 added Windows Server 2025 support and SQL Server 2022 in the installer. Upgrades follow its knowledge-base guides.

StackRegent publishes signed releases through its license server. The panel's Updates page shows what is available, installs it, and verifies size, SHA-256 and signature first. See the release notes for what changed recently.

Moving between SolidCP and StackRegent#

StackRegent has no importer for SolidCP. Its migration tools read StackRegent servers, Plesk for Windows servers and Plesk backup files. Moving from SolidCP therefore means recreating customers and plans in StackRegent and copying site files, databases and mailboxes with the usual tools: Web Deploy or FTP for files, SQL Server and MariaDB backups for databases, and MailEnable's own data if both sides use it. If you plan such a move, contact us with what your SolidCP server hosts.

Which one to choose#

Choose SolidCP if you need hosted Exchange, SharePoint or Hyper-V in the same portal, run a multi-server Microsoft platform with your own engineers, and want software without a license fee.

Choose StackRegent if you sell shared or reseller web hosting on Windows, want a panel that installs and maintains the whole IIS stack on each server, and want per-account isolation, resource caps and security tools without assembling them yourself.

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