Every feature we ship starts with a simple question: what do the people running cPanel & WHM servers every day actually need? The cPanel & WHM 2025 Annual Survey drew 3,300 completed responses, our largest response to date, and the message inside that data is consistent: you want to see the platform evolve, and you want proof that we’re listening.
We’ve gone through every section of the data, from the feature votes and open-text comments to the AI capability questions and satisfaction ratings, and we’re sharing the full picture here.
Some of what you’ll read below is also a preview of a broader shift already underway inside cPanel & WHM: a more modern interface and a rebuilt security layer are already in progress, and an AI assistant built for the way server admins actually work is on the roadmap as a direct result of this feedback. This survey is the foundation that shift is built on.
You can read the full report here: cPanel & WHM 2025 Survey Results
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Survey Audience
The 2025 survey drew 3,300 completed responses from across the cPanel & WHM user base, representing a significantly broader cross-section of the community.
Most respondents are long-tenure users: 92.7% have been using cPanel & WHM for years, with only 2.39% considering it for the first time. This is a survey of people who know the product well, which makes the feedback more meaningful.
Here are the different segments of the survey respondents by business type:
Many respondents hold multiple roles simultaneously, with common overlaps between IT Directors and System Admins, and between CTOs and IT Directors. These are the people responsible for running hosting infrastructure day to day, often across multiple servers and customer accounts.
An additional 842 respondents indicated they are open to speaking directly with our Product Managers about the improvements they want to see in 2026.
Overall Satisfaction: NPS Score
The average NPS rating for cPanel & WHM 2025 changes came in at 28, with the following breakdown:
- Promoters: 45.9%
- Passives: 36.3%
- Detractors: 17.8%
An NPS of 28 in a mature infrastructure product is a meaningful signal. Nearly half of our user base are active promoters. At the same time, the open-text responses make clear that there is real pressure on perceived value, and we’re addressing that directly later in this post.
Most Valued Features Delivered in 2025
We asked respondents to identify which updates delivered during 2025 they found most valuable. The results reflect a user base that values platform stability, compatibility, and performance at the core layer.
Here are the top 5 valued changes by percentage of respondents selecting each:
EasyApache 4 updates leading with over half of all respondents selecting them is a clear signal: the hosting stack’s PHP, Apache, and extension layer is where operational reliability lives for most providers. That’s where we invested, and it registered.
WP Toolkit appearing in the top five confirms what the broader hosting data also shows: WordPress management has moved from a nice-to-have into a core operational requirement for providers across all segments.
Top Requested Features for 2026 and Beyond
Respondents were asked to identify the features they most want to see built into cPanel & WHM. Here are the 12 most-requested features by response volume:
A few things stand out here.
The Native Firewall Manager is the clear priority signal
At 46.3%, it outranked every other request by a significant margin. The discontinuation of ConfigServer Firewall (CSF) left a real gap in the security stack, and many administrators are still running unmaintained installs while waiting for a native replacement. This is operationally urgent for a meaningful segment of our user base, and it’s why the WebPros Shield project is currently in progress, targeting H2 2026.
Security and performance advisory ranked second
Providers want the panel to proactively surface issues before they become incidents. A unified advisor available across cPanel and WHM is in definition phase now, targeting Q4 2026.
Backup management ranked third
The absence of a native incremental backup system has been a recurring pain point. Comet Backup integration into cPanel and WHM is actively in progress, targeting Q3 2026.
Webmail is on the horizon soon
Roundcube is consistently described as outdated relative to what end users now expect from an email client. Business Email integration is currently in definition, targeting Q3 2026.
For the full status of these requests and where they sit on the roadmap, visit: features.cpanel.net.
AI in cPanel & WHM: What Users Actually Want
AI was one of the most active sections of the entire survey, and it’s a clear preview of where cPanel & WHM is headed next. We dedicated a full section to it, specifically asking which AI capabilities users want built into the panel, and received 1,727 responses to that question alone, one of the highest response volumes of any section in the survey.
The results break down into nine clear categories:
A strong pattern emerges across nearly every category: this isn’t a user base asking for AI as a gimmick. It’s a user base asking for AI that acts like an experienced sysadmin looking over their shoulder, catching what a human would eventually catch, but faster and around the clock.
The single most-requested capability, by a wide margin, is an AI assistant that reads server logs, identifies the source of a problem, and explains what to do about it. They want the kind of tool that turns a 2am log dive into a clear next step. Resource diagnostics, security anomaly detection, and automated spam filtering follow the same logic: respondents want AI that’s useful, contextual, and actionable, not a feature for its own sake.
What ties all of these together is specificity. Respondents are describing an AI layer that is contextual to their server, actionable in the moment, and integrated directly into the workflows they already use, not a separate destination they have to remember to check.
We take the caution in the data just as seriously as the enthusiasm. 57 respondents (3.3%) explicitly oppose AI integration, primarily citing concerns about data privacy, additional cost, and forced feature adoption. That feedback is shaping the implementation as much as the demand is: everything we build here will be opt-in, transparent about what data it touches, and designed so that providers who want nothing to do with it can simply ignore it entirely.
One quote from the open-text responses captures the prevailing mood well:
“Give us a real AI assistant that reads logs, spots problems, and tells me what to do. That I’d pay for.”
That’s exactly the brief we’re building to. An AI Support Assistant in the GUI, grounded in real log data and real server context rather than generic suggestions, is currently in scope for Q3 2026, and it’s one of the pieces of the broader platform transformation we’re most energized about.
What the Open-Text Responses Tell Us
Beyond the structured questions, we received over 4,100 open-text responses across three separate questions:
- “If you could change one thing about cPanel & WHM”
- “Which modern AI features would you like to see integrated?”
- “What can we do to improve the rating you set?”
We analyzed all of them. Here’s what the data says.
The UI is getting attention
The second-largest category in the “one thing to change” responses is UI and UX modernization, at 15.5% of answers. Dark mode is the single most-requested cosmetic change, and feedback on the WHM sidebar navigation, mobile responsiveness, and task efficiency appears consistently across responses.
That work is already underway. We’re introducing Meridian, a fully revamped end-user interface that replaces Jupiter’s grid of 100+ tools with goal-oriented navigation organized around six areas:
- Websites
- Files
- Databases
- Security
- Performance
Meridian ships as an opt-in theme alongside Jupiter and updates on its own cadence, so providers can manage rollout on their schedule.
A native firewall is coming
Security and firewall concerns account for 7.5% of the “one thing to change” responses and 6.6% of the improvement suggestions. Administrators want a native, maintained solution built into the panel itself, and that is exactly what we’re delivering. The Native Firewall Manager is our top-ranked feature request and our top development priority. We’re committed to closing this gap.
Back to core
A segment of respondents expressed that they want cPanel & WHM to stay focused on what it does best: reliable, precise server management. That feedback is noted. Our goal for 2026 is to ship meaningful improvements to the core platform, including security, backups, email, performance visibility, and let that work speak for itself.
What is working
145 respondents indicated no desired changes or expressed direct satisfaction with the product. That’s 7.7% of the “one thing to change” responses, and it’s an important signal. The core platform, the WHM management layer, the integration ecosystem, and the overall reliability of cPanel-powered environments are consistently praised. The areas of frustration are specific and addressable, and that’s exactly the kind of feedback we can act on.
What We’re Building in 2026
The survey results confirmed our priorities. The three areas with the strongest demand signal are all actively in development. A native firewall manager and brute-force protection layer is currently being built to replace the gap left by CSF.
Improved backup management, including incremental backup support via Comet Backup integration, is in progress. And a unified Security and Performance Advisor, surfacing proactive recommendations directly inside the panel rather than requiring administrators to hunt for issues, is in definition now.
Beyond security and reliability, the feedback on email, AI, and the broader user experience is shaping what comes next. Business Email integration, which will be a meaningful upgrade to the webmail experience that end users have long needed, is on track.
An AI Support Assistant built into the GUI, focused on the practical, log-reading and diagnostic use cases that respondents asked for specifically, is also scheduled. We’re approaching AI capability the way the survey asked us to: opt-in, operationally useful, and grounded in actual server management workflows rather than generative features added for their own sake.
For the full picture of what’s planned, in progress, and under consideration, the roadmap is live at features.cpanel.net.
Thank You
3,300 responses is a meaningful commitment of time from people. We genuinely appreciate every one of them.
The goal of this survey is to make better decisions about what we build, and the 2025 data gives us a clearer signal than we’ve had before. The priorities are not ambiguous: security tooling, backup management, email modernization, a more responsive UI, and AI that earns its place by solving real operational problems.
We’ll share updates as work progresses. If you want to go deeper on any of the roadmap items, or if you’re one of the 842 respondents who opted in to speak with a Product Manager, watch your inbox.
Want a more direct hand in what we build next? Sign up for our UX program and help test new features before they ship.
For the current roadmap: features.cpanel.net.
