1. Context
A) I manage ~30 sites for small clients
B) cPanel pricing went crazy since 2019
C) Looking at alternatives seriously now
2. What I need
I) Reseller functionality
Ii) AutoSSL
Iii) Softaculous or equivalent
Iv) Backup rotation that clients understand
3. DirectAdmin observations
1) Evolution skin is actually decent
2) License cost is fraction of cPanel
3) Plugin ecosystem is thinner
4) Community forums feel like 2005
4. Worries
A) Vendor lock-in again (JBMC Software now)
B) "Worth learning" implies time investment
C) Will clients revolt at different UI
5. What would flip me
I) 3-year cost under $500 total
Ii) Feature parity for 90% of use cases
Iii) Stable update cadence
Anyone with 2+ years on DirectAdmin? Does the "cheap" turn into "expensive via time" quickly?