Comparison

Laranode vs HestiaCP

Both are free, open-source hosting panels you install on your own server, so this comes down to scope, not price. HestiaCP is a mature all-in-one panel with web, mail, DNS and FTP. Laranode does less, on purpose: websites, PHP, SSL, databases, firewall and backups, in a modern Laravel + React interface.

Updated September 2026. Written by the Laranode maintainer, so we're biased; we've tried to be fair about where the other panel is the better choice.

Choose Laranode if…

  • ✓Your email and DNS already live elsewhere and you only want to host websites
  • ✓You want backups sent off the server to S3 or SFTP on a schedule
  • ✓You want a modern interface with live stats, built on Laravel and React
  • ✓You'd like to extend the panel in a stack you already know

Choose HestiaCP if…

  • ✓You want mail, webmail, spam filtering and DNS on the same server
  • ✓You want NGINX, or NGINX in front of Apache
  • ✓You run Debian, or need a panel with a longer track record
  • ✓You need FTP accounts for clients

Feature comparison

LaranodeHestiaCP
Price & licenceFree, MITFree, GPL-3.0
Operating systemsUbuntu 24.04+Debian 12/13, Ubuntu 22.04/24.04/26.04
Web serverApache + PHP-FPM (a pool per site)NGINX, Apache, or NGINX + Apache
PHP versions7.4 to 8.5, chosen per siteMultiple PHP-FPM versions
DatabasesMySQLMariaDB / MySQL, PostgreSQL
Free SSLLet's Encrypt, one clickLet's Encrypt
Email & webmailNoExim, Dovecot, Roundcube, SpamAssassin, ClamAV
DNS serverNoBIND
File accessWeb file manager + SFTP over SSH (per-account toggle)File manager, FTP (vsftpd), SFTP
FirewallUFW rules in the UIiptables + Fail2Ban
BackupsAccounts, sites and databases; local, S3 or SFTP; scheduled with retentionLocal and remote backups
Live server statsLive CPU, memory, disk and load over websocketsServer status and usage graphs
Built withLaravel, React, Inertia.jsPHP and shell scripts

HestiaCP details from the HestiaCP docs as of September 2026.

The honest take

If you want one server that does web, mail and DNS for a handful of domains, HestiaCP is the more complete tool today, and it's the one we'd point you to.

Laranode is for people who've already moved email and DNS to specialist providers, which is increasingly the norm, and want a clean panel for the rest. Every site gets its own Linux user and PHP-FPM pool, backups can leave the server automatically, and the whole panel is a standard Laravel app you can read, fork and extend.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Laranode or HestiaCP?
It depends on whether you need email and DNS. HestiaCP is the more complete and more mature all-in-one panel: web, mail, DNS, FTP and databases. Laranode is narrower. It focuses on websites, PHP, SSL, databases, firewall and backups, with a modern Laravel + React interface, per-site PHP versions and off-server backups to S3 or SFTP.
Are both free and open source?
Yes. HestiaCP is GPL-3.0 and Laranode is MIT. Neither charges a licence fee.
Does Laranode support NGINX like HestiaCP?
No. Laranode uses Apache with a separate PHP-FPM pool for each site. HestiaCP can run NGINX, or NGINX in front of Apache.
Which operating systems do they support?
Laranode: Ubuntu 24.04 and newer. HestiaCP: Debian 12/13 and Ubuntu 22.04/24.04/26.04.

Try Laranode

Click around the limited live demo (safe, simulated actions), or install it on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04+ server as root:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/crivion/laranode/refs/heads/main/laranode-scripts/bin/laranode-installer.sh | bash

Or deploy it in one click on DigitalOcean.

More comparisons

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