cPanel has (yet again) published higher direct license prices for 2027 (download official PDF here), with the new rates taking effect on 16 December 2026. The change increases the monthly cost of Solo, Admin, Pro, and Premier licenses, together with the charge for accounts above Premier’s included allowance.
The Premier licence rises from $69.99 to $76.99 a month. Its additional-account fee increases from $0.49 to $0.55, a larger percentage change than any of the four base licence tiers.
The announcement gives VPS owners, agencies, and hosting providers another expense to include in their budgets. Customers whose hosting plans include cPanel may also have questions about renewals, although the licence change alone does not establish whether their provider will increase hosting prices.
What Changes in cPanel’s 2027 Licence Pricing?
cPanel’s new Store Licensing Guide lists the following monthly prices. The comparison uses current direct Store rates, with percentage changes calculated from the published figures.
| Licence | Account allowance | Current monthly price | From 16 December 2026 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 1 account | $29.99 | $32.99 | 10.0% |
| Admin | Up to 5 accounts | $35.99 | $38.99 | 8.3% |
| Pro | Up to 30 accounts | $53.99 | $58.99 | 9.3% |
| Premier | Up to 100 accounts | $69.99 | $76.99 | 10.0% |
| Premier additional accounts | Each account above 100 | $0.49 | $0.55 | 12.2% |
These are direct retail license prices in USD, before applicable taxes. Hosting partners and resellers may operate under different pricing arrangements, so you should compare the figures with your own provider’s license charges.
A cPanel account is a management account for websites, files, databases, and email. It is not the same as a domain or an individual email inbox. Multiple websites can sit within one cPanel account, while an agency may create separate accounts for different clients.
That distinction matters when calculating the license bill. A server hosting 100 websites does not necessarily require 100 cPanel accounts. However, combining clients under one account changes how access and administration are organized, so reducing the account count requires an operational decision.
How Does the Increase Affect VPS Owners and Resellers?
Direct license buyers can calculate the additional expense from their tier and account count. A Premier server with 300 accounts, for example, includes 100 accounts and charges separately for the remaining 200.
At current Store rates, that configuration costs $167.99 a month. Under the new rates, it costs $186.99. The difference is $19 a month, or $228 across 12 months, assuming the account count stays unchanged.
A hosting company running several licensed servers faces the combined increase across those servers. An agency managing its own VPS may see the change as a separate software expense alongside compute, storage, backups, and other services.
Customers using bundled hosting face a different situation. Their host might absorb the increase, revise renewal prices, or adjust its packages. Those are possible responses, rather than confirmed consequences of cPanel’s announcement.
For these customers, the useful next step is to review the provider’s renewal notice and included services. A licence increase and a hosting price increase should be assessed separately, even when one influences the other.
HostScore’s Take
Control panel costs belong in the total hosting budget. Comparing CPU, RAM, and storage alone can miss a recurring software charge, especially when a VPS price excludes its management panel.
SPanel and DirectAdmin are both worth evaluating as alternatives to cPanel.
SPanel is particularly relevant for agencies and small businesses that want familiar hosting controls alongside help managing their server. It supports hosting accounts, domains, email, databases, and backups, with tools such as SShield security monitoring, a WordPress manager, and a ModSecurity-based firewall. These features cover many of the everyday tasks that buyers associate with cPanel and WHM.
Its managed licence adds another reason to consider switching (see screenshot). SPanel lists 24/7 server management covering updates and patches, migrations, troubleshooting, and mail delivery issues. For businesses without an in-house server administrator, that combination deserves attention because the purchase covers both the control panel and ongoing server assistance.
The pricing distinction matters. Standalone SPanel licences currently start at $9.95 a month for five accounts, while the managed option starts at $39.95 a month for the same allowance. Server rental is additional, and larger account counts require a higher tier or custom quote. Buyers should therefore compare the appropriate SPanel package with their combined cPanel and server-management costs.
For buyers considering a hosting move, ScalaHosting includes SPanel with its managed cloud VPS. This provides another route to using the panel, with its cost included in the hosting package rather than purchased as a separate licence.
DirectAdmin is another practical option, particularly for resellers managing many accounts. Its Standard licence currently costs $29 a month with unlimited accounts and domains, avoiding cPanel Premier’s additional-account charges. However, the software licence should be budgeted separately from any server-management service the business needs.
A switch still needs to fit existing operations. Check client access, email migration, backup restoration, billing integrations, and automation before committing. Our VPS hosting comparison considers these broader requirements. SPanel’s management option makes it an especially relevant candidate, but the final decision should reflect the complete bill and the work required to migrate.
