Quick answer
- cPanel Web Hosting: $2.50 for the first month, then $8 a month. cPanel is included in the plan; no separate licence line.
- Standard Web Hosting: $2.50 for the first month, then $7 a month. Uses DirectAdmin, not cPanel.
- Renewal is the real price: the $2.50 figure is an introductory rate on every term; plan your budget on $7 or $8 a month.
- On a VPS, cPanel costs extra: the licence is added at checkout on top of the $3 slice (see our cPanel on an InterServer VPS guide).
The two shared plans and their renewal prices
| Term | cPanel Web Hosting (first term → renewal) | Standard Web Hosting (first term → renewal) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $2.50 → $8 a month | $2.50 → $7 a month |
| 6 months | $15 → $48 | $15 → $42 |
| 12 months | $30 → $96 | $30 → $84 |
| 24 months | Not listed on the cPanel page | $60 → $168 |
| Control panel | cPanel | DirectAdmin (with phpMyAdmin) |
Prices from InterServer's cPanel hosting and Standard web hosting pages, 2026-10-19. Taxes, if any, are not included in these figures. Check the checkout page before paying.
In other words, cPanel adds $1 a month at renewal compared with the DirectAdmin plan ($8 against $7). For comparison, a cPanel licence on a VPS is a separate charge on top of the server.
What the cPanel plan includes
InterServer's cPanel hosting page lists these tools inside the cPanel account:
- Email: domain mailboxes, forwarders, autoresponders, filters and webmail.
- Domains and DNS: primary domains, subdomains, redirects, parked and addon domains, DNS zone records.
- Security: SSL/TLS, IP blocks, protected directories, ModSecurity and hotlink protection.
- Apps: one-click installs for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, stores and forums.
- Databases: MySQL and PostgreSQL with user and permission controls.
- Files and backups: File Manager, FTP accounts and backup and restore tools.
- Free website migration from your current host, which InterServer says is especially straightforward from another cPanel provider.
What the Standard plan includes
The Standard plan page lists unlimited storage, data transfer, email accounts and FTP accounts; weekly backups; CloudLinux; SSD caching and LSCache; QUIC; a free Cloudflare CDN; InterServer's InterShield security (virus scanning and a machine-learning firewall); 461 one-click scripts; and free website transfer. Its control panel is DirectAdmin. A domain can be added for $7.99 with any web hosting package.
Who should pick which
- You already know cPanel, hand sites to clients, or move from another cPanel host: the cPanel plan. The $1 a month over Standard buys the familiar panel.
- You only need one simple site and do not care which panel: Standard, at $7 after the first month.
- You need root access, custom software, isolation or steady heavy traffic: a VPS instead. InterServer's own page says to upgrade "when the site needs more isolation, custom server software, sustained heavy traffic, or dedicated resources". Our InterServer VPS review covers the $3 slices, and the best VPS for WordPress page compares VPS options.
Things to check before buying
- Shared hosting means shared server resources; "unlimited" storage and transfer on any shared plan sit under the host's acceptable-use rules.
- The introductory $2.50 applies to the first term only. The renewal prices above are what InterServer lists today; they are not a promise for future years.
- We have not measured speed or uptime on these plans and publish no test data for them.
Check current InterServer hosting plans →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does InterServer web hosting include cPanel?
Only the cPanel Web Hosting plan does. InterServer's cPanel hosting page describes it as web hosting "with the cPanel dashboard included"; there is no separate licence line on the plan. The Standard Web Hosting plan uses DirectAdmin instead of cPanel.
How much does InterServer cPanel web hosting cost after the first month?
$8 a month on the monthly plan. The 6-month term is $15 and renews at $48; the 12-month term is $30 and renews at $96 (InterServer's cPanel hosting page, read 2026-10-19).
Is cPanel free on an InterServer VPS?
No. On a VPS, InterServer's cPanel VPS page says the cPanel/WHM licence is added in the order flow on top of the $3 slice. If you want cPanel without a separate licence, the shared cPanel Web Hosting plan is the route.