The control panel is one of the most critical features of any web hosting service.

The right control panel can make website management easy, simple and straightforward and give you access to various features and functionality to manage your website like a pro.

What is a Control Panel?

A control panel, in essence, is an in-built tool that you can use for managing and maintaining your website and administering all the basic jobs, such as adding domain names, viewing visitor statistics and disk space, and uploading and editing any files or content on your website.

The control panel can also be used for several important tasks, such as handling databases, making backups, creating email accounts, installing scripts, filtering and securing your website against spam and much more.

Different web hosting providers offer different types of control panels – here are some of the most popular ones that you should consider:

1. cPanel
Thanks to its numerous features and unmatched functionality, cPanel is considered the most popular and user-friendly control panel in the industry. Many video tutorials and guides are also available online to facilitate users with cPanel. Because of its widespread use and comprehensive features, it is the default control panel for most hosting plans in the market.

2. Plesk
Available for both Windows and Linux, Plesk is another popular control panel because of its Windows-like layout, dedicated features of website clustering support and different login levels, each with a specific set of roles and responsibilities. Even though it isn’t as user-friendly as cPanel, it is still considered a strong competitor because of its multi-OS support.

3. Direct Admin
Don’t let looks deceive you! Direct Admin may not look as pretty as cPanel or Plesk with their neat layout and large icons, but it still offers an easy-to-use, lightweight and comprehensive platform ideal for beginners. It’s also a more cost-effective option and is considered a great choice at good value because of its speed and stability.

4. InterWorx
Exclusively available for Linux, InterWorx is a popular choice for dedicated hosting services; However, the features may seem to be advanced initially, but its functionality and control make it a viable option for business environments.

5. vDeck
With easy-to-navigate tabs and drop-down menus plus a large number of tutorials and guidelines online, vDeck is another popular web hosting panel that is renowned for its ease of use, especially for beginners; with one-click support, optimum functionality and simplistic features; vDeck is also a popular choice for a variety of web hosting providers because of its sleek and sophisticated design with a multipurpose appeal.

6. H-Sphere
Another panel that offers multi-platform support, H-Sphere, also comes packed with various features. It makes it to the top ten of the best control panels because of its intuitive design, easy-to-use interface and navigation-friendly layout.