Panelica vs DirectAdmin
A side-by-side comparison using each vendor's official 2026 pricing and documentation. No vague claims, every cell is verifiable on the source publisher's own pages.
What you actually pay each month
Vendor pricing as published on each company's official 2026 price page.
Where Panelica wins, where DirectAdmin wins
Feature presence on each platform without third-party add-ons. Partial means the feature exists but is limited or requires a paid extension.
| Feature | Panelica | DirectAdmin |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in AI co-pilot | OpsAI · 15 experts | , |
| Native iOS & Android apps | ✓ in App Store / Google Play | , |
| One-click migration in | ✓ All major panels | Partial |
| Free personal tier | Forever, 1 domain | Personal+ starts at $2/mo |
| Modern web UI (2026) | ✓ React 19, live SSE/WebSocket | Partial (Evolution skin) |
| WordPress Toolkit | ✓ Built-in 8-page toolkit | Partial (plugin) |
| Docker manager with templates | ✓ 160+ templates | , |
| 5-layer kernel isolation | ✓ cgroups + ns + chroot + FPM + perms | Partial (CGroups via Pro Pack) |
| Git CI/CD module | ✓ Full pipeline + OAuth + rollback | , |
| Cloudflare 8-tab integration | ✓ | Partial |
| Pro Pack equivalent | All features in base license | Pro Pack (extra) |
| 2026 pricing trend | Stable | Stable |
When each one is the right choice
We are not pretending DirectAdmin is bad, it isn't. It is a different product, optimized for different teams.
Choose Panelica when…
- You want a free personal tier, DirectAdmin's cheapest plan still costs $2/month.
- You need a built-in AI co-pilot that already knows the panel.
- You want native iOS and Android apps for on-call.
- You need a modern live UI without page reloads.
- You want Docker, Git deploy and WordPress Toolkit included, not as add-ons.
Stay with DirectAdmin when…
- You are happy with DirectAdmin's minimal, lightweight footprint.
- You have long-running DirectAdmin-specific automation.
- Your customers specifically request the DirectAdmin interface.
- You need FreeBSD support (DirectAdmin supports it; Panelica is Linux-only).
Move from DirectAdmin in one click
The Panelica importer connects to your existing DirectAdmin server, discovers every site, then copies files, databases, mailboxes and SSL certificates, preserving every password hash byte-for-byte. End users never reset a password.
Free forever. Really.
Use the full feature set for 14 days. After that, you keep one domain forever, free, with no credit card, no expiry, no degraded functionality. Move up to Professional ($4.99/mo) only when you outgrow it.
Real prices, verifiable on our pricing page. No hidden upgrades, no add-on fees, no account-based tiering.
About switching from DirectAdmin
Is Panelica a true DirectAdmin alternative?
Yes. Panelica covers every DirectAdmin core feature (domains, mail, DNS, SSL, FTP) and adds capabilities DirectAdmin lacks: built-in AI co-pilot, native iOS and Android apps, 160+ Docker templates, Git CI/CD, eBPF bandwidth limiter, modern React-based live UI.
How does 2026 DirectAdmin pricing compare to Panelica?
DirectAdmin 2026: Personal PLUS $2/mo (2 accounts, 20 domains), Lite $15/mo (10 accounts, 50 domains), Standard $29/mo (unlimited). Panelica Starter is $0/mo forever; Enterprise (unlimited) is $24.99/mo.
Can I migrate from DirectAdmin to Panelica?
Yes. The Panelica importer reads DirectAdmin backup archives, discovers every site and reseller, then copies files, databases, mailboxes and SSL certificates while preserving password hashes byte-for-byte.
What does DirectAdmin do better than Panelica?
DirectAdmin is famously lightweight and runs comfortably on small VPS instances. If minimal RAM and a stable, conservative feature set are more important than a modern feature stack, DirectAdmin is a defensible choice. DirectAdmin also supports FreeBSD; Panelica is Linux-only.
Is Panelica really free?
Yes. The Starter plan is $0 forever (DirectAdmin has no free tier). You get full feature access for 14 days, then one domain stays free with no credit card, no expiry.