Your control panel determines everything from how smoothly you (or your clients) manage servers and websites to how profitable your hosting business is. Below, we'll evaluate how Plesk and ispmanager compare in 2025, focusing on:
Different panels suit different types of hosting businesses. Let’s see which panel — Plesk or ispmanager — meets your goals best.
Ispmanager vs Plesk: Feature Overview
Supported OS
- AlmaLinux
- Debian
- Ubuntu
- Rocky Linux
- CloudLinux
- Windows
- AlmaLinux
- Debian
- Ubuntu
- Rocky Linux
- CloudLinux
- Windows
Minimum hardware requirements
- 1 GB RAM
- 20 GB disk (for Linux)
- 32 GB disk (for Windows)
- 1 GB RAM (2 for AlmaLinux)
- 20 GB disk
Reliability
- Resilient against main web server failure
- Repair Kit
- Plesk Repair Utility
- Resilient against main web and database server failure
- Repair Kit
- Plesk Repair Utility
Security features
- Fail2Ban
- ModSecurity (WAF)
- Cloudflare
- Firewall
- KernelCare
- BitNinja
- WP Guardian
- Blackwall
- and more
- Fail2Ban
- ModSecurity (WAF)
- Cloudflare
- Firewall
- KernelCare
- BitNinja
- WP Guardian
- Blackwall
- DDoS-GUARD
Antivirus
- ClamAV
- ImunifyAV
- Imunify360
- WebTotem Security
- ClamAV
- ImunifyAV
- Imunify360
- WebTotem Security
Spam protection
- DKIM
- SPF
- DMARC
- DNS Blackhole Lists
- Black and White Lists
- SpamAssassin
- Greylisting
- SpamExperts
- and more
- DKIM
- SPF
- DMARC
- DNS Blackhole Lists
- Black and White Lists
- SpamAssassin
- Greylisting
- SpamExperts
Backups
- Built-in backup system
- Acronis Backup
- JetBackup
- and more backup extensions
- Built-in backup system with scheduling and remote storage support
- Acronis Backup
- JetBackup
Web server
- Nginx + Apache
- Nginx + PHP-FPM
- Apache
- OpenLiteSpeed
- LiteSpeed
- Nginx + Apache
- Nginx + PHP-FPM
- Apache
- OpenLiteSpeed
- LiteSpeed
Programming languages/frameworks
- PHP
- Python
- Node.js
- Perl
- Ruby
- Git
- Laravel Toolkit
- PHP (lets you set up a different PHP version for each site)
- Python
- Node.js
- Perl
- Ruby
- Git
- Laravel Toolkit
Email management
- Email account management
- Webmail interface
- Email forwarders
- Auto-reply
- Email filters
- Mailbox import
- Email account management
- Webmail interface
- Email forwarders
- Auto-reply
- Email filters
- Mailbox import
DBMS
- MySQL
- MariaDB
- Percona
- PostgeSQL
- Microsoft SQL (for Windows)
- MySQL
- MariaDB
- Percona
- PostgeSQL
- Microsoft SQL (for Windows)
CMS
- One-click installation for popular CMSs (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc.)
- WordPress Toolkit
- Joomla! Toolkit
- One-click installation for popular CMSs (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc.)
- WordPress Toolkit
- Joomla! Toolkit
Website builder
- Site.pro
- Sitejet
- Site.pro
- Sitejet
Automated certificate management for Let's Encrypt SSL certificates
Scalability
- By installing a new Plesk panel on a new server or deploying a Plesk server by cloning
- By installing a new ispmanager panel on a new server
Billing system integration
- WHMCS
- Blesta
- HostBill
- BILLmanager
- WHMCS
- Blesta
- HostBill
- BILLmanager
White label
Roles and access permissions
- Administrator
- Reseller
- User
- + Custom roles
- Administrator
- Reseller
- User
- Granular access control (fine-tuned per user or task)
Updates
- A stable release approximately every 6 weeks
- A stable release once a month
Interface
- Robust, feature-rich, resembles WordPress interface
- Simple, modern, and neat
Language support
-
32 languages
*the number of languages you can use depends on your license type
-
15 languages
*all included for free
Support
- Free 24/7 support
- Free 24/7 support
Plesk vs ispmanager for Shared Hosting and VPS/VDS Hosting
Let’s start with what matters most to hosting providers when choosing a control panel, either for shared hosting or bundling with VPS/VDS offerings.
Shared Hosting: Plesk Panel vs ispmanager
Shared hosting is all about efficiency at scale. Your control panel must help reduce your support load, enable easy onboarding, and keep your servers stable.
Ease of Use
The control panel should be intuitive for beginners, support multiple languages, and offer a clean layout.
Plesk resembles WordPress, which is familiar and attractive to some users. However, language availability depends on the license tier.
Ispmanager has a modern, minimal interface that simplifies onboarding. All 17 supported languages are available with all licenses at no extra cost.
Security & Automation
Key priorities include timely updates, integrated firewalls, antivirus support, backup automation, and resource limits.
Both panels offer comparable security features: firewall, Fail2Ban, ModSecurity, antivirus tools, and backup systems. Ispmanager also supports resource limits, including those for CPU load, memory usage, and number of DB queries. This helps to isolate heavy users and protect server stability.
Hosting Stack & CMS Support
The two panels cover PHP, Python, Node.js, email, Let’s Encrypt, and popular CMSs. Ispmanager supports OpenLiteSpeed (which isn't available in Plesk) and includes Site.Pro — a simple, drag-and-drop site builder.
Ispmanager lets you install as many CMS-based sites as you need, deploy forums, CRM, and e-commerce platforms via built-in templates. You can also connect custom repositories to offer additional scripts in APS format.
Plesk, in turn, undoubtedly shines with its powerful toolkits for WordPress and Joomla.
Plesk includes Sitejet Builder, a visual editor with templates for creating websites from scratch. It’s free and enabled by default.
Scalability & Performance
For shared hosting, a panel must remain responsive even with hundreds or thousands of accounts and scale across multiple servers.
Both Plesk and ispmanager scale horizontally by adding new servers. Real-world benchmarks show ispmanager running reliably with over 2,000 hosting accounts on a single instance.
Billing Integration & Customization
Seamless integration with billing platforms and deep API support are key to automating account management and upselling services.
Both panels integrate with WHMCS, BILLmanager, Blesta, and HostBill. Ispmanager also exposes all functionality via an API, which enables full automation and custom workflows.
Flexible Plan Configuration
Fine-grained control over resource allocation and user roles helps tailor offers and minimize abuse. Ispmanager and Plesk both allow the setup of custom hosting plans, limits on traffic, mailboxes, and the like.
Ispmanager also includes controls like DB query limits, shell access, and granular permissions per task, which should be useful for advanced users and resellers.
VPS/VDS Hosting: Plesk vs ispmanager
When bundling a control panel with VPS plans, priorities shift slightly. Besides ease of use, functionality, and CMS support, resource efficiency and broad compatibility come to the forefront.
OS Compatibility & Stability
A good panel for VDS/VPS must work reliably across different Linux distributions and be fully localized. Both panels support AlmaLinux, Ubuntu, Debian, and Rocky Linux. Ispmanager is designed to remain resilient during web and database server failures, which gives it an edge in high-uptime environments.
Plesk Pricing vs ispmanager Pricing
How much does Plesk cost as opposed to ispmanager?
Plesk
Ispmanager
As you can see above, ispmanager licenses are generally around 50% cheaper than Plesk's. This makes ispmanager a good fit for budget-friendly shared hosting plans as well as low-cost VPS/VDS offers.
Ispmanager vs Plesk: Partner Terms
When selecting a control panel as a hosting provider, it's not just the technical features that you are considering. Most likely, you’re also looking for a licensing model that scales with your business, supports reselling, and protects your margins. So, how do Plesk and ispmanager stack up in this regard?
Partner Pricing and Discounts
Ispmanager has a transparent partner-focused partner program:
- You need a turnover of just €100 to start enjoying your discount;
- The maximum discount is 60%;
- You can get extra discounts by reselling modules and more.
With Plesk, you need to contact their sales team to get their partner terms. From what they publicly share, the maximum discount you can get is 45%.
Marketing Support
Plesk lets you access its marketing resources through the partner portal. These resources include brochures, graphics, branding guidelines, logos, and the like.
With ispmanager, each partner gets: partnership announcement posts, product articles (how-to's, guides, etc.), newsletters, social media content, and more. The marketing team analyzes each partner’s marketing infrastructure to provide custom solutions for earning more with ispmanager. This can be anything from special deals to creative promotions.
Ispmanager also offers a ready-made landing page designed specifically for selling the panel. You receive the full codebase, which you can use as-is or request customizations from the ispmanager team based on your brand and target audience. That means you are fully equipped to start promoting immediately.
Helpful Resources
Plesk offers a broad, well-structured ecosystem of learning resources and support:
- Detailed documentation;
- Video tutorials;
- Knowledge Base;
- Plesk University;
- Forums and social media.
Ispmanager, on the other hand, offers standard documentation, a knowledge base, and a user wiki. Plus, it provides direct assistance from technical specialists: you get human interaction rather than automated responses or redirection to articles.
Migration to ispmanager vs Migration to Plesk
With Plesk, you get free migration assistance for commercial license holders, covering migrations from older Plesk versions as well as other supported panels.
Ispmanager, in turn, offers a compelling incentive: if you're migrating from any other panel, you can get ispmanager for free:
- for three months (if coming from a free panel);
- for a whole year (if switching from a paid one).
There’s also a particularly fast migration method from cPanel using rsync. It is direct migration with minimal storage requirements. The rsync-based migration is currently being developed for migrating from Plesk.
Final Verdict: How Does Plesk Compare to ispmanager in 2025?
Both Plesk and ispmanager offer the core capabilities needed for modern hosting, from CMS deployment to built-in security. Plesk stands out with its rich extension library, toolkits (like the WordPress Toolkit), and broad billing system compatibility. Ispmanager, in turn, offers advantages such as
- Easier deployment and low system requirements — should be a plus for both shared hosting and managing VPS/VDS
- A clean interface with full multilingual support at no extra cost— makes onboarding easier for end users
- Ideal for budget-friendly shared hosting as well as affordable VPS offers
- A perfect fit for providers focused on the high-volume small-VPS segment.
From a business standpoint, ispmanager also offers:
- Transparent, partner-friendly licensing with discounts of up to 60%
- Ready-made marketing materials and custom promo support
- A free, customizable landing page for panel promotion
In 2025, ispmanager presents a strong, practical alternative to Plesk. It’s a solid choice for providers targeting budget-friendly shared hosting plans, small and medium businesses, and individual users who value simplicity and affordability. In the VPS/VDS segment, it’s especially well-suited for providers working with small and medium-sized businesses that deal with large volumes of lightweight VPS.