InMotion Hosting has published a side-by-side comparison of cPanel and its newer InMotion Central dashboard, aimed at customers running WordPress on its hosting plans. The piece walks through the features that exist in both tools, the features that only exist in one, and where each makes sense for a typical WordPress owner.
According to InMotion Hosting, the two products cover similar ground on the basics but diverge sharply once you move past domain, file, and email management.
- Both panels cover DNS, file, email, and PHP version management.
- CPanel supports multiple CMS platforms; InMotion Central is WordPress-only.
- InMotion Central adds Playground, Snap, and site health monitoring; cPanel does not.
- CPanel exposes root access and SSH on supported plans; InMotion Central does not.
- One-click WordPress installs exist on both, via different paths.
What Both Panels Do
Domain and DNS management, file management, email management, PHP version selection, and one-click WordPress installation are all available on both sides. So are backup options, although the specifics differ.
That overlap matters because it means customers switching from cPanel to InMotion Central do not lose the basics; they trade some of them for a WordPress-first interface.
Where They Diverge
InMotion Central is WordPress-only. CPanel supports Drupal, Joomla, Moodle, and other CMS installs alongside WordPress. For an agency running mixed stacks, that single fact can be the deciding one.
The other big split is features built around the WordPress workflow. InMotion Central ships with Playground for staging changes, Snap for spinning up new sites from a curated template, and a site health monitor. CPanel does not have equivalents out of the box.
Where cPanel Still Wins
CPanel's documentation base is enormous, and most hosting providers speak it fluently. It also exposes root access and SSH on supported plans, which InMotion Central does not, and it ships with the Softaculous one-click installer, which gives customers a familiar path to other apps.
For users who want a general-purpose control panel they can grow into, cPanel remains the safer default.
Say You Run Five Client Sites
Say you host five client WordPress sites on a single InMotion plan and you want to test a plugin update without breaking the live site. InMotion Central's Playground feature gives you a sandbox to do exactly that. CPanel requires you to set up a staging subdomain, copy the site, and manage the staging URL yourself.
For a WordPress-only operator, that workflow difference is the actual decision.
What to Watch Next
Watch whether InMotion Central picks up multi-CMS support or stays WordPress-only. The roadmap will tell you whether InMotion sees the panel as a one-product tool or as a future competitor to cPanel across its lineup.
Key takeaways
- InMotion Central is a WordPress-first control panel with staging and site-health features cPanel does not have.
- CPanel still wins on multi-CMS support, root access, and ecosystem familiarity.
- The right choice depends on whether you run WordPress only or mix platforms.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between cPanel and InMotion Central?
CPanel is a general-purpose hosting control panel; InMotion Central is built specifically for WordPress.
Does InMotion Central support CMS platforms other than WordPress?
No, it is WordPress-only.
Which panel includes staging features like Playground and Snap?
InMotion Central.
Does cPanel offer root access and SSH?
Yes, on supported hosting plans.
Which panel has the larger documentation base?
CPanel, by a wide margin, which is part of why it remains the default for many hosts.