head to head · open source
1Panel vs Cosmos Server
1Panel has 37,343 GitHub stars, 3,400 forks, 317 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Cosmos Server has 6,190 stars, 252 forks, 201 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. 1Panel leads on adoption by 503% (37,343 vs 6,190 stars). 1Panel is written in Go under GPL-3.0; Cosmos Server is written in Go under a custom or non-standard licence. 1Panel has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Cosmos Server 4%. 1Panel was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| 1Panel | Cosmos Server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 6.2K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 252 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick 1Panel if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Cosmos Server if
- You want the Cosmos Server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Cosmos Server fits your workflow better
About 1Panel
Loved by a global community of 2.5M+ self hosters. What is 1Panel? 1Panel is a modern, open source Linux server management panel and a lightweight AI management platform. Through an intuitive web interface, it provides users with comprehensive, one stop server management capabilities: AI Management : Offers a unified management platform from bare metal to agents (Metal to Agent). It integrates an AI gateway, and Skills Hub, while supporting centralized management of agents and models. Efficient Visual Operations : Easily manage Linux servers through a web based GUI, streamlining tasks such as host monitoring…
read the full 1Panel overview →
About Cosmos Server
Thanks to the sponsors: ☁️ Cosmos is the most secure and easy way to self host a Home Server. It acts as a secure gateway to your application, as well as a server manager. It aims to solve the increasingly worrying problem of vulnerable self hosted applications and personal servers. Whether you have a server , a NAS , or a Raspberry Pi with applications such as Plex , HomeAssistant or even a blog, Cosmos is the perfect solution to run and secure them all. Simply install Cosmos on your server and connect to your applications through it to enjoy built in security and robustness for all your services, right out of…
read the full Cosmos Server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is 1Panel or Cosmos Server more popular?
1Panel has 37,343 GitHub stars and Cosmos Server has 6,190. 1Panel has the larger community by that measure.
Are 1Panel and Cosmos Server free?
Both are open source. 1Panel is licensed under GPL-3.0, and Cosmos Server has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between 1Panel and Cosmos Server?
1Panel is written in Go and Cosmos Server in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, 1Panel or Cosmos Server?
Choose 1Panel if you want the larger community (37,343 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Cosmos Server if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.