GridPane vs ServerPilot
A detailed comparison to help you choose between GridPane and ServerPilot.
Quick Verdict
4.2/5
GridPane
0 reviews
3.8/5
ServerPilot
0 reviews
GridPane is rated higher (4.2 vs 3.8). Free Core plan covering up to 25 websites on your own Vultr server or a managed PeakFreq server ServerPilot is a cloud control panel for managing PHP applications on DigitalOcean, Linode, and other VPS providers. Automated security updates, multiple PHP versions, and app deployment.
GridPane WordPress server control panel for agencies | ServerPilot Control panel for PHP and WordPress apps on any VPS (no free tier since pricing rework) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.2 (0 reviews)✓ | 3.8 (0 reviews) |
| Pricing model | freemium | paid |
| Starting price | Free tier available✓ | From $5/mo |
| Best for | Server-literate WordPress agencies and freelancers managing 10+ client sites who want managed-hosting tooling without per-site pricing | Developers and small agencies running PHP/WordPress sites on their own VPS who want managed security and SSL without giving up provider choice or data ownership |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ✓ | |
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tiermanaged optionteam features | free tiermanaged option |
| Visit GridPane → | Visit ServerPilot → | |
GridPane
Pros
- + Genuinely free Core plan for up to 25 websites
- + One dashboard across multiple cloud providers
- + Tuned Nginx/OpenLiteSpeed stack with page and object caching
- + Strategic investment from Automattic backs long-term viability
- + Agency features: cloning, staging, per-site PHP control
Cons
- - Support tickets excluded from the free tier
- - Requires server and DNS literacy — steep for beginners
- - VPS costs are separate on the Core plan
- - No datacenters of its own; SLA and DDoS questions fall to your provider
- - Pricing churn — older plans retired before add-on replacement shipped
ServerPilot
Pros
- + Published, decoupled usage pricing: $5/server + $0.50/app entry, billed hourly
- + Security baseline on every tier: firewall default, no exposed management ports, app isolation, automated updates
- + Works on any major cloud provider — you keep root access and data ownership
- + One-click WordPress, AutoSSL via Let's Encrypt, multiple PHP versions per server
- + Migration tooling to move sites and databases between your servers
Cons
- - No free tier (the $0 freemium model is gone); card required at $5/server
- - PHP/WordPress only — no Node, Python, Docker, or Kubernetes workloads
- - Per-app fees compound on servers with many sites
- - No published control-plane uptime SLA; deep metrics gated behind higher tiers
- - Economy-tier support is deprioritized ticket-based help
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