Hosting. Simplified.
Built better.
The control panel that replaces cPanel, Imunify, and WP Toolkit. One binary, one install command: web, mail, DNS, security, and backups, provisioned and managed for you.
Planned free tier at launch: 3 accounts and 10 sites on one server.
Built on open source you already trust
Built on: nginx, PHP-FPM, FrankenPHP, MariaDB, PowerDNS, Let's Encrypt, Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd, SnappyMail, Coraza WAF, OWASP CRS, CrowdSec, ClamAV, Snuffleupagus, Restic, PostgreSQL, NATS, gRPC, mTLS.
- PHP versions, 5.6 to 8.5 (legacy mode for 5.6 to 7.3)
- 12PHP versions, 5.6 to 8.5 (legacy mode for 5.6 to 7.3)
- Security layers included at every tier, free included
- 6Security layers included at every tier, free included
- Known cPanel restore edge cases, each with a test fixture
- 14Known cPanel restore edge cases, each with a test fixture
- Fallback window: the cPanel source stays up until cutover
- 7daysFallback window: the cPanel source stays up until cutover
One panel, every job
From cPanel cutover to daily operations.
The jobs that eat a host's week, each with a purpose-built view. Pick one, or let the tour run.
Leave cPanel one account at a time.
Pull accounts straight from a running cPanel/WHM server, or restore cpmove backups. Review what maps before anything moves.
Sites, databases, mail, DNS, and SSL come across
14 known cPanel edge cases, each with a test fixture
Seven-day fallback: the source stays up until you cut over
What is different
Built the way we wanted a panel to work.
One binary. One command. The whole stack.
hostcraftd is a single static Go binary with the panel UI embedded. The installer provisions web, mail, DNS, databases, security, and backups for you.
Every screen is a keystroke away.
Jump to any account, site, or setting from one search box.
Signed updates.
Panel releases are signed and verified before install. Third-party dependencies are pinned and served from a signed HostCraft mirror.
gRPC and REST, per-method permissions.
Every panel action is on the REST API and on a gRPC API over a local socket.
$ sudo grpcurl -plaintext \
-unix /run/hostcraft/hostcraftd.sock listTune the firewall per site.
Coraza WAF profiles per site, plus a guard that keeps internal services on loopback.
A lapsed licence never stops a site.
If a paid licence lapses, the panel falls back to free tier limits. Hosted sites keep serving.
Many servers. One admin console.
Agents enrol with one command and talk to the control node over mTLS, with a CA the control node manages. Paid tier.
The problem
cPanel costs more every year. Your customers expect more for less.
cPanel raised prices three times in five years. Imunify is a separate license that climbs with account count. WP Toolkit costs extra. CloudLinux is another subscription. Add them up and you are paying for four products just to run one hosting business.
Meanwhile, your customers are comparing you to cloud platforms that feel modern, respond instantly on mobile, and never bounce them into a 2003-era interface. The expectations gap is widening.
HostCraft is the alternative: one binary, one interface. Security, the mail stack, backups, SSL, and updates are included at every tier, free included. WP Toolkit, reseller, the deliverability suite, and cluster mode are on paid tiers.
Platform overview
Every view you need.
From the account owner looking at their sites to the admin watching cluster health, every view is purpose-built.
Modern account owner dashboard
A clean, responsive interface your customers actually want to use. Stat cards, resource graphs, quick actions, and a command palette. Nothing feels bolted on.
WHM-equivalent admin view
Manage all accounts from a single admin interface. Suspend, transfer, resource-cap, and audit any account without SSH. Full multi-tenant isolation built in.
How we compare
HostCraft vs the alternatives
HostCraft vs cPanel, Plesk, and HestiaCP on the features hosts ask about most.
| Feature | HostCraft | cPanel | Plesk | HestiaCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAF and malware scanning in the planned free tier | ||||
| WP Toolkit | Paid tiers | Add-on | Edition dependent | |
| Cluster / multi-server mode | Cluster tier | |||
| Free tier (planned, no time limit) | ||||
| Single binary panel, no PHP runtime | ||||
| Starting price | $0 free tier (paid coming soon) | See vendor | See vendor | Free |
Pricing
Start free at launch. Grow when you are ready.
A free tier is planned at launch, no licence needed. Paid tiers are coming soon: flat per server, no per-account fees.
Free
AUD $0Planned: no time limit, no licence needed.
Everything you need to run a small server: the full web, mail, DNS, security, and backup stack.
- Up to 3 hosting accounts
- Up to 10 sites
- 1 server
- Security stack, SSL, backups, and updates
- Mail stack (Postfix, Dovecot, Rspamd)
- Legacy PHP mode off
Starter
For growing hosts that have outgrown the free tier.
Pro
For established hosts and resellers on a single server.
Cluster
Everything in Pro, across multiple servers under one panel.
Built to move our own servers off cPanel first.
HostCraft is developed by JCR Computers in Sydney. Our first milestone is migrating the customer sites on our own cPanel/WHM server to HostCraft. The product is in early development, so there are no customer testimonials here yet. We would rather show you the work than invent them.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Powering a brighter tomorrow
Join the waitlist
HostCraft is almost ready. Join the waitlist and we will email you when it launches. A free tier is planned: up to 3 accounts and 10 sites on one server.
Join the waitlist. We will email you when HostCraft launches.
Planned free tier at launch. No spam, one email when we launch.
Already have a panel? Sign in here.