![Hero Images for cPanel and InMotion Central WordPress Hosting](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cPanel-vs.-InMotion-Central-WordPress-Hosting-Hero-Image-1024x538.png)
In the world of web hosting, control panels come in all shapes and sizes, and although their tools are often similar, each has its own following for various reasons.
In this article, we will compare two control panels offered by InMotion Hosting, cPanel, and their newest product, InMotion Central, for managing WordPress installations.
A quick comparison guide between cPanel and InMotion Central
Both products are discussed in more detail below, but for users primarily interested in the differences between the tools, this table provides an overview of cPanel and InMotion Central.
feature | c panel | inmotion central |
---|---|---|
domain registration | no | yes |
DNS management | yes | yes |
Email management | yes | yes* |
File management | yes | yes* |
WordPress optimization | Varies by plan | yes |
One-click WordPress install | Available Via Softaculous |
automatic |
WordPress core update | Available Via Softaculous |
yes |
themes and plugins management | no | yes |
Site health monitor | no | yes |
playground | no | yes |
snap | no | yes |
Other CMS management | yes | wordpress only |
PHP version control | yes | yes |
Number of websites hosted | Varies by plan | 1 per plan |
Backup options | yes* | yes* |
root access | no | yes |
team | no | yes |
Billing management | no | yes |
What is a web hosting control panel?
Simply put, a control panel is a graphical user interface (GUI) that helps users manage their website and server configuration.
The aspects controlled by the control panel are:
- Domain management
- File management
- Database management
- Email settings
- security settings
- etc.
Web hosting companies offer control panels to help customers who lack technical expertise or are uncomfortable connecting to command terminals. These panels let you easily manage different tools. Additionally, many hosting plans offer her SSH or Root access for users who prefer a more advanced approach.
What is a c-panel?
while holding about Control panel market share 7%, cPanel is the second most used control panel in the world. cPanel offers a wide range of tools and features and has a very intuitive user interface that will help web hosting beginners.
Note: Managed VPS and Managed Dedicated Server customers can access WebHost Manager (WHM) to create and manage multiple cPanel accounts on their servers, but this article specifically focuses on cPanel for WordPress website management. Focus on functionality.
Extensive documentation and community support make cPanel a popular choice for both web hosting providers and users, streamlining website management and improving the overall hosting experience.
Features of cPanel
cPanel is popular among users due to its extensive documentation and interface. Its features include:
- One-click WordPress installation: cPanel is Softaculous or WP Toolkityou can quickly and easily set up a WordPress website without any technical knowledge.
- File and database management: cPanel’s file manager allows users to easily manage their WordPress files by uploading, editing, organizing, and more. It also gives her access to PHPMyAdmin for managing WordPress databases.
- Email management: cPanel allows users to create and manage email accounts associated with websites. This includes email forwarding, autoresponders, and spam filter settings.
- security settings: cPanel offers a variety of security features such as SSL/TLS management, password protection, IP blocking, firewall settings, etc. to provide a robust security measure for your WordPress website.
- Note: Some security settings may only be available through WHM.
- Backup management: cPanel allows users to manually perform backups of their WordPress website files, databases and configurations to ensure data protection.
- Note: InMotion Hosting allows cPanel users to add a backup manager. automatic backup For website files and databases. These backups are stored on a separate server, so you won’t lose any data if your website’s server fails. Users will still be able to take advantage of cPanel’s general manual backups.
- Website statistics: cPanel provides detailed website statistics and analytics through AWStats, including visitor logs, bandwidth usage, and resource stats, giving users insight into their WordPress website performance and traffic.
- CMS support: Apart from WordPress, cPanel supports installing and managing other content management systems (CMS) such as Drupal and Joomla, allowing users to access multiple websites under one account.
These features make cPanel a reliable and efficient tool for managing your WordPress website, offering convenience, security and performance optimization.
What is All-in-One Dashboard?
As explained above, the control panel focuses on the technical aspects of hosting and offers specialized tools for server and website management.
All-in-one dashboard, on the other hand, is a broader concept that includes not only hosting-related tasks, but also other website management features.
All-in-one dashboards typically include features such as account management, SEO optimization, analytics, billing and support. This type of dashboard aims to provide a comprehensive solution for managing all aspects of your website from a single interface.
What is InMotion Central?
InMotion Central is the latest offering from InMotion Hosting. This is a powerful all-in-one dashboard with multiple site and account management features for the best possible user experience on a fully isolated VPS server.
![Screenshot of InMotion Central All-in-One Dashboard](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/WordPress-Hosting-Speed-1024x574.png)
InMotion Central currently only supports WordPress websites. Its focus is to provide users with a highly optimized server environment for WordPress, ensuring fast performance.
Users with an InMotion Central plan can also invite other users to their projects via Teams for free. This makes it a great choice for agencies managing corporate websites and designers who want to hear their client’s opinion on their current project.
InMotion Central is easy to use, powerful, and fast, making it perfect for users looking for a premium managed WordPress hosting experience.
Features of InMotion Central
As an all-in-one dashboard focused on WordPress, InMotion Central features include:
- If WordPress is pre-installed: InMotion Central starts with a server environment pre-installed with the latest version of WordPress. However, you can easily create more WordPress installations by clicking a button in the project area.
- File and database management: InMotion Central gives you easy access to file and database managers. This feature is currently only available in Playgrounds, but will soon be available in VPS environments as well. You can also access them through SSH access.
- Note: A premium key is required to access the GUI version of File and Database Management.
- WordPress management: Activate, deactivate, or update plugins and themes, check site status, and create backups without logging into your WordPress dashboard.
- Playground (Exclusive to InMotion Central): Playgrounds allow you to safely stage, test, and redesign your website. Troubleshoot issues, fix errors, and add new features in Playground without interrupting your live site.
- Snap (InMotion Central Exclusive): Snap makes it easy to create a WordPress site by creating blueprints for themes and plugins. This feature is great for agencies building sites with a common set of plugins, eliminating the need to install each plugin individually. All Snap Sites start in the Playground environment and are ready to deploy to your VPS production environment in no time.
- Email management: Email management is now easier through cPanel and includes the ability to manage email inboxes and spam filters. Users can easily access their inbox through the InMotion Central interface.
- Team (InMotion Central exclusive): Invite others to view, manage, and work on your projects at no additional charge.
- security settings: Each production server runs as a completely isolated container, eliminating the possibility of cross-infection from other customers. Additionally, InMotion Central plans come with a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with Modsec and protection from brute force and DDoS attacks.
- Backup management: With InMotion Central, you can easily create a backup of your website or server within your dashboard. Use the Backups section of Maintenance to create a backup of your website and easily restore it. Alternatively, create a server snapshot to capture all server settings at a specific point in time and revert to those settings as needed.
- Website statistics: You can easily see your project’s website statistics in the Site Statistics section. Get a complete view of your visitors, site health recommendations, and view your overall WordPress settings.
- CMS support: Currently InMotion Central only supports WordPress websites, but this may change in the future.
- Account and Billing Management: With InMotion Central, you can assign resource ownership to project assets, view subscriptions and receipts, and customize billing information for each team.
InMotion Central is the ideal solution for agencies, marketing teams, and web designers looking for a fast and easy way to manage their WordPress sites. Users can take advantage of her fully isolated VPS with lightning-fast performance, her Playground environment for testing, and WordPress management tools, all from her single dashboard.
final thoughts
In conclusion, both cPanel and InMotion Central offer a unique set of features and benefits for WordPress site owners.
cPanel offers a proven, widely used, trusted solution for many years in the web hosting industry. It offers comprehensive tools and features, making it suitable for users who prefer a traditional, feature-rich control panel.
InMotion Central combines multiple functions into one dashboard to provide a streamlined and integrated approach. This option may appeal to users looking for simplicity and ease of use while leveraging a powerful infrastructure.
Ultimately, the decision between cPanel and InMotion Central should be based on your personal needs, preferences, and the specific requirements of your website.