cPanel has once again raised its licensing prices for 2026, continuing a pattern of annual increases that started after the 2018 acquisition by Oakley Capital. As a hosting provider, we absorb these costs as long as we can, but this latest round requires us to update our cPanel pricing for new clients.
What’s changing
Effective immediately, all new ColossusCloud clients who add cPanel licensing to their VPS will see updated rates that reflect the higher costs cPanel now charges providers. Existing clients with active cPanel licenses are not affected at this time.
We’ve always aimed to offer cPanel at competitive rates compared to purchasing directly from cPanel’s store, and that remains the case. Our cPanel VPS plans are still priced below cPanel’s retail rates.
Why prices keep going up
Since Oakley Capital acquired cPanel through its WebPros holding company, licensing costs have increased every single year. The Premier plan (up to 100 accounts) has gone from $45 per month in 2019 to nearly $70 in 2026, a 55% increase.
We wrote a detailed article covering cPanel’s pricing history, the Oakley Capital acquisition, and what it means for the hosting industry. If you’re curious about the full timeline and the forces driving these increases, it’s worth a read.
What are your options
If you’re concerned about rising cPanel costs, there are some alternatives worth considering:
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Evaluate whether you need a control panel at all. Many VPS users running a single website or application can manage their server directly without one.
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Try an open-source alternative. CyberPanel (built on OpenLiteSpeed) and CloudPanel are both free. We have a CyberPanel installation guide to help you get started.
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Stick with cPanel through ColossusCloud. If cPanel is essential to your workflow, our cPanel VPS licensing still offers better rates than buying directly from cPanel.
Our commitment to transparency
We never enjoy raising prices on anything. But when our upstream costs increase, we have two choices: absorb the cost indefinitely or adjust pricing so we can continue providing reliable service and infrastructure. We’re choosing to be upfront about what’s happening and why.
Existing clients with active cPanel licenses will continue at their current rates. Only new cPanel orders are affected by this adjustment.
If you have questions about your current plan or want to explore alternatives, reach out to us.
For the full story on cPanel’s pricing history and the private equity acquisition behind it, read our article: cPanel’s relentless price increases: what happened after the acquisition.