vs
xCloud vs GridPane: Pricing, Features, and Which WordPress Platform Is Best?
Compare xCloud and GridPane on pricing, hosting model, backups, migration, security, support, and agency features to pick the right WordPress platform.
134 features compared · 77 where the two differ · Last updated: 24/08/2026
Quick verdict
Choose xCloud if…
- You want a lower-cost managed server, or a genuinely free self-managed control panel with no site-count ceiling.
- You need more than WordPress on the same server — Laravel, custom PHP, or one-click apps like n8n, Mautic and Uptime Kuma.
- You want an MCP endpoint and AI agent skills to manage servers and sites from Claude, Cursor or another agent.
- You run an agency and want white-labelling, team roles and a reseller programme without a separate tier.
- You want live chat support included rather than gated behind a paid infrastructure plan.
Choose GridPane if…
- You are already deep in GridPane's workflow and tooling and see no reason to move.
- You want its AI Bot Blocker or Vulnerability Shield PRO add-on as first-party features.
- You are comfortable evaluating GridPane's Bespoke Hosting tier for a fully custom, high-SLA agency contract.
- You do not need anything beyond WordPress, so its WordPress-only focus is not a limitation for you.
At a glance
xCloud vs GridPane at a glance
The decision criteria first. The full feature-by-feature matrix is below.
| Criteria | xCloud | GridPane |
|---|---|---|
| What each product is | WordPress hosting and server-management platform; self-managed or fully managed | WordPress-specialist server-management platform for agencies; self-managed or managed via PeakFreq |
| Pricing model | Free self-managed control panel, or a managed plan bundling the server | Free Core plan (software only) on your own server, or PeakFreq bundling panel + managed server |
| Starting price | $0 self-managed; managed servers from $20.01/month at matching specs | $0 Free Core (25 sites, your own server); PeakFreq managed servers from $19/month |
| Site limits on the free tier | Unlimited websites creation on any connected server | Up to 25 websites on the Free Core plan |
| Supported cloud providers | Vultr, DigitalOcean, GCP, Hetzner, AWS, Linode, or any Ubuntu server via SSH | Bring your own Vultr server, or GridPane's own PeakFreq managed servers |
| Application support beyond WordPress | WordPress, custom PHP, Laravel, and a 125+ app one-click library (n8n, Mautic, Uptime Kuma, phpMyAdmin) | WordPress only — no custom PHP, Laravel, or general app hosting |
| Staging and cloning | 1-click staging with push/pull, clone to same or another server, full server clone | 1-click staging with push/pull, clone to same or another server (no full server clone) |
| Backups and restore | Full and incremental site backups, downloadable, plus full server backups on any S3 storage | Full and incremental site backups, downloadable, plus full server backups on any S3 storage |
| Security | 7G/8G firewall, Fail2Ban, WordPress integrity checker, AI bot blocker, IP allow/deny built in | 7G/8G firewall, Fail2Ban, WordPress integrity checker; AI Bot Blocker and vulnerability tools are paid add-ons |
| Redis / object caching | Full page and Redis cache, Object Cache Pro integration included | Full page and Redis cache, Object Cache Pro integration included |
| Migration | Built-in bulk site and server migration, plus cPanel migration, at no extra cost | Built-in bulk site and server migration, plus cPanel migration, at no extra cost |
| Agency and team features | Team management, role permissions, and a white-label reseller programme with your own billing | Team management and role permissions; no white-label reseller programme published |
| Support channels | Live chat support included, plus documentation | Support ticket access on PeakFreq; no live chat published on the Free Core plan |
| AI and agent tooling | MCP server and installable AI agent skills for Claude, Cursor and other agents | Not published |
| Main limitations | No agency-specific Bespoke Hosting tier for fully custom, high-SLA contracts | WordPress-only; no MCP/agent tooling published; live chat and several security tools are paid extras |
Feature comparison
Every Feature, Side by Side
134 features side by side, including everything xCloud has shipped since the original comparison. 77 of them differ between xCloud and GridPane — use the filter to see only those.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
 xCloud |  GridPane | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting Type | Cloud Servers | Cloud Servers |
| Self Managed control panel | Starts from $0 | Starts from $0 |
| Self Managed Hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Managed Hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Reseller Hosting Program | Yes | Yes |
| Server Configuration | ||
| Web Server – NGINX & OLS | Yes | Yes |
| Integrate Own Provider (Vultr, DO, GCP, Hetzner, AWS, Linode, Ubuntu) | Yes | Yes |
| Root Access to Server | Yes | Yes |
| Vertical Scaling | Yes | No |
| Unlimited Websites Creation | Yes | Yes |
| External Database | Yes | No |
| Multiple PHP Versions in Same Server | Yes | No |
| Compatibility & Easy Management for PHP 8.4 | Yes | Yes |
| Site Configuration | ||
| 1-Click Demo Site | Yes | Yes |
| Site Delete | Yes | Yes |
| Site Disable | Yes | Yes |
| Recreate Site using Local and Remote Backups | Yes | Yes |
| Supervisor | Yes | Yes |
| WordPress Integrity Checker | Yes | Yes |
| Page Speed Insights | Yes | No |
| Application Support | ||
| WordPress Applications | Yes | Yes |
| Custom PHP Applications | Yes | No |
| Laravel Applications | Yes | No |
| One Click Apps | ||
| Uptime Kuma | Yes | No |
| n8n | Yes | No |
| Mautic | Yes | No |
| phpMyAdmin | Yes | No |
| PHP Applications | ||
| Clone a Git Repository | Yes | No |
| Manually Upload Website | Yes | No |
| Blank Site | Yes | No |
| Laravel Applications | ||
| Queue Worker | Yes | No |
| Scheduler | Yes | No |
| Horizon | Yes | No |
| One Click Apps – n8n | ||
| Timezone | Yes | No |
| Environment | Yes | No |
| Custom Domain | Yes | No |
| Demo Domain | Yes | No |
| One Click Apps – phpMyAdmin | ||
| Custom Domain | Yes | No |
| Demo Domain | Yes | No |
| Additional Domain | Yes | No |
| One Click Apps – Uptime Kuma | ||
| Custom Domain | Yes | No |
| Demo Domain | Yes | No |
| Additional Domain | Yes | No |
| WordPress Features | ||
| WordPress Multisite (Sub-domain/Sub-folder) | Yes | Yes |
| Blueprints | Yes | Yes |
| WordPress Theme, Plugin, & Core Update | Yes | Yes |
| 1-Click Staging Site With Pull Push | Yes | Yes |
| 1-Click Magic Login | Yes | No |
| Magic Login Disable | Yes | No |
| Search Engine Visibility | Yes | No |
| WP-CLI | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Blueprint | Yes | Yes |
| Security | ||
| 7G & 8G Firewall | Yes | Yes |
| Fail2Ban Integration | Yes | Yes |
| 7G & 8G Integration With WP fail2ban PluginFirewall | Yes | Yes |
| Firewall Management | Yes | Yes |
| WordPress Integrity Checker | Yes | Yes |
| AI Bot Blocker | Yes | No |
| Vulnerability Scanner | Yes | No |
| Vulnerability Shield PRO Addon | Yes | No |
| Automatic FREE Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates | Yes | Yes |
| Custom SSL/TLS Certificates | Yes | Yes |
| IP Whitelist/Blacklist | Yes | No |
| Integrations | ||
| Transactional Email Service | Yes | Yes |
| Easy Integration with Mailgun, SendGrid, ElasticEmail, or Any SMTP Provider | Yes | Yes |
| Slack Integration | Yes | Yes |
| WhatsApp Integration | Yes | No |
| Telegram Integration | Yes | No |
| Object Cache Pro Integration | Yes | Yes |
| Backup and Migration | ||
| Full Site Backup | Yes | Yes |
| Incremental Site Backup | Yes | Yes |
| Site Backup Download Option for Remote Backups | Yes | Yes |
| Full Server Backup Management | Yes | Yes |
| Remote Site Backup on Any S3 Storage | Yes | Yes |
| Bulk Site & Server Migration | Yes | Yes |
| cPanel Site Migration | Yes | Yes |
| Management Tools | ||
| Supervisor | Yes | Yes |
| Custom NGINX | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced Cron Job | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Cron Jobs | Yes | No |
| File Manager | Yes | No |
| Reset File & Folder Permissions | Yes | Yes |
| Server & Site Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Command Runner | Yes | No |
| Add Existing Database | Yes | Yes |
| Database Server – MySQL & MariaDB | Yes | Yes |
| Clone Site to Same & Another Server | Yes | Yes |
| Clone & Deploy from GIT | Yes | Yes |
| Server and Site Log | Yes | Yes |
| Full Server Clone | Yes | No |
| DNS ManagementWith Cloudflare | Yes | Yes |
| Largest Files & Folders Scanner | Yes | No |
| Caching Tools | ||
| Edge Full Page Cache | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in 1-Click NGINX Configuration for Caching Plugins | Yes | No |
| Full Page & Redis Cache | Yes | Yes |
| Team Management | ||
| Team Management | Yes | Yes |
| Role Permission Management | Yes | Yes |
| Team Create and Collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| Support | ||
| Live Chat Support | Yes | No |
| Multilingual Dashboard | Yes | No |
| Addons | ||
| MailBox | Yes | No |
| Mail Delivery | Yes | No |
| Vulnerability Shiled PRO | Yes | No |
| AI and agent control | ||
| MCP server — drive servers and sites from Claude, Cursor or any AI agent | Yes | No |
| Installable AI agent skills (servers, sites, WordPress, SSL, account) | Yes | No |
| AI bot blocker — block AI crawlers and scrapers at the server | Yes | — |
| Public REST API with scoped tokens | Yes | — |
| Security and WordPress integrity | ||
| Virtual patching for known vulnerabilities (Site Security PRO) | Add-on, $2/site | — |
| WordPress integrity monitor — verifies core files against checksums | Yes | — |
| Custom security headers (HSTS, CSP) from the panel | Yes | — |
| HTTP basic auth and per-site IP allow/deny | Yes | — |
| SSH lockdown — restrict SSH to trusted IPs, custom port | Yes | — |
| Performance and caching | ||
| Edge full-page cache on a global PoP network | Yes | — |
| Cloudflare Enterprise (330+ PoPs, Enterprise WAF) | Add-on, $5/domain | — |
| HTTP/3 (QUIC) and Brotli compression, one click | Yes | — |
| Per-site PHP-FPM worker tuning and PHP extension manager | Yes | — |
| Auto-healing — restarts MySQL, NGINX, Redis or PHP if it stops | Yes | — |
| MySQL/MariaDB auto-tuning and OPcache control | Yes | — |
| Monitoring and observability | ||
| Broken link monitoring with one-click 301 redirect | Yes | No |
| Site Insights — PHP, MySQL and traffic analytics per site | Yes | — |
| Scheduled PageSpeed / Core Web Vitals monitoring with history | Yes | — |
| Telegram alerts for site, server and team events | Yes | — |
| Native macOS menu-bar app (xCloud Pulse) | Yes | No |
| Developer and deployment | ||
| Browser SSH terminal and command runner | Yes | — |
| One-click deploy from Git with stack auto-detection | Yes | — |
| Docker and Docker Compose application hosting | Yes | No |
| Node.js, Laravel and Next.js hosting with queue workers | Yes | No |
| One-click app library | 125+ apps | No |
| Supervisor process management and site snapshots | Yes | — |
| Backups, migration and agency tooling | ||
| Off-site backups to your own S3, R2, Backblaze, Wasabi, Google Drive or pCloud | Yes | — |
| Full server clone and server-to-server migration | Yes | — |
| Branded client maintenance reports (PDF) | Yes | — |
| White-label reseller programme with Stripe billing and your own plans | Yes | — |
| Business mailboxes on your own domain | Add-on, $1/mo | — |
Pricing
xCloud vs GridPane: Pricing Comparison
Plan for plan, at the specs each side actually sells them at. These are the same figures this page has always carried.
Pricing note: GridPane is a WordPress server-management platform you can run on your own server for the software alone (Free Core, $0/month, up to 25 sites). The rows below compare xCloud's managed servers against GridPane's own managed offering, PeakFreq — a bundle of the GridPane panel plus fully managed, high-frequency server infrastructure, priced from $19/month for its smallest instance (per gridpane.com/pricing, checked 2026-08-24). The $27.01–$384.05 figures below are the specific PeakFreq server tiers GridPane itself published at matching specs, not GridPane's software-only price — so treat this as an infrastructure-inclusive comparison, not a software-license one.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| vCPUs | Memory | Storage | Bandwidth | xCloud Managed Server | Gridpane Managed Server (PeakFreq) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 GB RAM | 80 GB NVMe SSD | 3 TB | $20.01 | $27.01 |
| 2 | 4 GB RAM | 128 GB NVMe SSD | 3 TB | $30.02 | $36.02 |
| 3 | 8 GB RAM | 256 GB NVMe SSD | 4 TB | $50.00 | $72.04 |
| 4 | 16 GB RAM | 384 GB NVMe SSD | 5 TB | $100.00 | $144.01 |
| 8 | 32 GB RAM | 512 GB NVMe SSD | 7 TB | $200.00 | $288.02 |
| 8 | 48 GB RAM | 768 GB NVMe SSD | 8 TB | $310.00 | $384.05 |
Already on GridPane?
Moving Is Two Supported Routes, Not A Rebuild
You do not have to rebuild the site to change host. Both routes below are documented, and both bring the files and the database across together.
xCloud's built-in migration
Connect the site you are running on GridPane and let xCloud pull it across. It is the path most people take, and it handles the files and the database together.
Read the migration guideMigrate Guru, if you prefer a plugin
A free WordPress plugin, fully compatible with xCloud. Useful when you would rather drive the move from inside the site you already control.
Read the plugin guide
Before you start: if a token migration fails, our guide's first checks are to disable 2FA and Cloudflare Bot Fight Mode on the source site. A migration that stalls is almost always a security setting rather than the data.
xCloud vs GridPane: Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people ask before moving between xCloud and GridPane.
Is xCloud better than GridPane?
It depends what you need. xCloud is better if you want a lower-cost managed server, apps beyond WordPress, or AI agent tooling. GridPane is a strong choice if you are already invested in its agency-specific workflow and only ever run WordPress. Neither is universally "better" — see the choose-if lists above for the specific reasons.
What is the difference between xCloud and GridPane?
Both manage a server you own (or a managed plan on top of one), rather than hosting sites themselves. The main difference is scope: GridPane is built exclusively for WordPress and agencies running many client sites. xCloud manages WordPress too, but also custom PHP, Laravel and a 125+ app one-click library, plus MCP/AI agent tooling GridPane does not publish.
Is xCloud a hosting provider or a control panel?
Both. xCloud is primarily a control panel that manages a server you connect — from Vultr, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, AWS, GCP, Linode or any Ubuntu host — with a $0 self-managed tier. It also sells its own managed servers if you would rather not hold a provider account. GridPane works the same way, via its own PeakFreq managed servers.
Can I use my own VPS with xCloud or GridPane?
Yes for both. xCloud connects to Vultr, DigitalOcean, GCP, Hetzner, AWS, Linode or any Ubuntu server over SSH, self-managed for $0. GridPane's Free Core plan runs on your own Vultr server for $0 too, covering up to 25 sites. Beyond that you are choosing between each platform's own managed servers, PeakFreq for GridPane and xCloud's managed plans.
Can I migrate from GridPane to xCloud?
Yes. xCloud includes bulk site and server migration plus a dedicated cPanel migration path, at no extra cost. The usual approach is to migrate while DNS still points at the GridPane server, test on xCloud, then cut over once everything checks out — no rebuild required.
Does GridPane support anything besides WordPress?
No. GridPane is built exclusively for WordPress. xCloud manages WordPress plus custom PHP applications, Laravel (including queue workers, scheduler and Horizon), and a 125+ app one-click library covering tools like n8n, Mautic, Uptime Kuma and phpMyAdmin.
Which is better for agencies?
Both target agencies. xCloud includes team management, role permissions and a white-label reseller programme with your own billing at no separate tier. GridPane offers team management and role permissions, and a Bespoke Hosting tier from $2,000/year for agencies that want a fully custom, high-SLA contract with GridPane directly.
Which is cheaper for multiple WordPress sites?
On self-managed pricing, both start at $0 — xCloud has no published site-count ceiling, while GridPane's Free Core plan caps out at 25 sites before you need PeakFreq or Bespoke Hosting. On managed servers at matching specs, xCloud's published prices ($20.01–$310/month) run below GridPane's PeakFreq tiers at the same vCPU/RAM/storage ($27.01–$384.05/month) as of 2026-08-24.
Which one provides better backups?
They match on paper: both offer full and incremental site backups, downloadable, plus full server backups to any S3-compatible storage. xCloud additionally offers a full server clone as a separate action, which is not listed in GridPane's published feature set.
Which one is easier for beginners?
xCloud, mainly because of its broader one-click app library and included live chat support, which lowers the cost of getting unstuck. GridPane's interface is built around its agency workflow, which is powerful for someone managing many client sites but has a steeper learning curve for a first-time self-managed server owner.
Can I switch from GridPane without rebuilding my sites?
Yes. Both xCloud and GridPane use standard WordPress installs on a Linux server, so a migration moves files, the database and configuration rather than rebuilding anything. xCloud's bulk site and server migration tools are built for exactly this move.
Hear what people are saying about us
See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.
I'm moving my servers to xCloud, a cloud control panel by M Asif Rahman and the WPDeveloper team. Their roadmap looks interesting and no, there are no team mates nor API limits with xCloud! #xCloud #wordpress #hosting
Leo KooHow Cloud Nine Web Elevated Client Experience While Streamlining Hosting Operations using xCloud
Ed EllinghamxCloud is like having an expert server team on call — without the big agency costs. It's given me back my time and given my clients peace of mind. Highly recommended for freelancers and small teams who want reliable performance and security.
Dumitru ButucelxCloud isn't just a solution. It's like one of that friend who got your back when you screw things up pretty bad.
Waqar AhmedTrust me when I say, once people explore the potential of xCloud they gonna switch from other panels, just keep delivering the best tech, lots of love for the team 😍😍
Rahul SinghxCloud works really well, I am surprised by its performance being this the release version, I have tried many paid platforms such as runcloud, cloudpages or serveravatar, as well as free platforms such as CyberPanel, CloudPanel or Hestia Control Panel and direct competitors such as SpinupWP and FlyWP. Of all those that I have tried, the platform that works best for WordPress is SpinupWP and I believe that xCloud can reach and surpass that development, its roadmap is promising. Congratulations to the xCloud team, I hope they become the leading platform in the segment, it has all the potential to achieve it!
Brian GeovannyI've been with runcloud for the last 3 years. However, after trying xcloud for the last month, I'm switching over. They are on a roll with their setup.
Kevin PinedaSo far my experience has been smooth like silk. I didn't imagine that configuring and managing a VPS would be so easy. As of today, I have deployed 8 sites. The support is good, and they treat users with respect, even if they ask stupid questions (myself included). For the future, I hope for greater flexibility in scheduled backups and more comprehensive and consistent documentation. I'm sure that within a few months, xCloud will become the leader in its segment. This community is amazing, and the Staff here is super helpful.
Massimo VillaI've recently taken all of my Vultr-hosted sites and gotten rid of cPanel for them to substitute it with xCloud. I have to say, I'm really impressed with xCloud so far! The interface is definitely the standout feature for me.
Tony LewisHow Kevin Heinrichs Cut Hosting Costs by 84% While Running WooCommerce & Node.js Sites Efficiently
Kevin HeinrichsCame from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.
Gerson ElI came from Cloudways and won't go back. Highly impressed with xCloud. Glad I gave them a chance.
Jared McDowellI like xCloud better than RunCloud, but one thing I'll point out is that some years ago RunCloud was hungry for business, the support was outstanding, and the community was active and helped each other. Maybe it was sold, there was a change in management, or they stopped being hungry, but the quality of the RunCloud offering declined and it hasn't been moving forward quickly. My point is that currently the xCloud team has the edge and it is theirs to keep or lose
David McCanI had 150 sites on cloudways and am in the process of moving them to xcloud. Much faster and better priced.
Dan SpinozaDear xCloud Team, I have been using xCloud for some time now and am genuinely impressed with its capabilities and the flexibility it offers by allowing users to bring their own VPS for management. It's a fantastic service, and my experience so far has been very positive. Successful migrated 5 sites on a single server. Xcloud migration tool worked great. There were few hiccups with security plugin like MalCare but disabling the plugin prior to migration worked just fine.
Rahil MaknojiaHow Advanced Web Strategies Saved Over $2,000 & Recovered 56 Hours per Month Managing 70+ Client Websites
Gary MoodyxCloud gave me what no other hosting platform could: the flexibility of a VPS with the convenience of managed WordPress. As a solo founder running an entire business on one server, that combination is an important unfair advantage.
Jorge de los Reyes MartínezHow Newman Web Solutions Ensured Perfect Uptime and Seamless Scaling For 120+ WordPress Sites with xCloud
Lori NewmanI too have moved over to xCloud. It's pretty sweet. One click n8n and uptime Kuma apps
John ApertureCame from runcloud. Tried xcloud and never came back.
Karl FanegaI use Server Avatar and xCloud and I'll sooner use xCloud than Server Avatar personally.
Jay PaganoI went from Cloudways to xCloud. No intention on switching in the foreseeable future.
Blaine MooreKeep comparing
Compare xCloud With Anything Else You're Weighing Up
Every comparison runs the same format — the full feature table and the published prices.
Server control panels
You own the server; the panel provisions and manages what runs on it.
See the comparisonxCloud vs RunCloud
A control panel for PHP and WordPress servers you own.
See the comparisonxCloud vs SpinupWP
A cloud control panel for self-managed WordPress servers.
See the comparisonxCloud vs ServerAvatar
A control panel for deploying and managing PHP servers.
Managed hosting
Someone else owns the servers and rents them to you with the stack on top.
See the comparisonxCloud vs Cloudways
Managed cloud hosting on DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS and Google Cloud.
See the comparisonxCloud vs SiteGround
Managed shared and cloud hosting, built around WordPress.
See the comparisonxCloud vs Rapyd Cloud
Managed WordPress hosting aimed at high-traffic stores and sites.
Ready To Try xCloud Instead?
Start free, bring your own server or ours, and move when you are ready. No contract and no migration fee.