CloudLinux licensing has become much easier to size if you think in terms of hosting accounts rather than server CPU or RAM. The current CloudLinux pricing structure offers tiers for one hosting account, up to five accounts and unlimited hosting accounts.
That matters because the right tier depends more on how the VPS is used than on how powerful the VPS is.
CloudLinux tiers in 2026
| Tier | Accounts | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Hosting Account | 1 | One customer’s sites on a VPS |
| 5 Hosting Accounts | Up to 5 | Agency or developer with a few clients |
| Unlimited Hosting Accounts | Unlimited | Shared hosting and larger multi-account servers |
CloudLinux’s current pricing page lists these as the main account-based tiers. The company says the 1-account plan was formerly known as the Solo edition, the 5-account plan as Admin, and the unlimited plan as Shared Pro.
1 hosting account: a focused VPS
The one-account tier is designed for a VPS or dedicated server hosting one customer’s sites. This is a useful fit when you are running a managed environment for one business or a dedicated application stack rather than selling separate hosting accounts.
Do not assume that one customer means one website. The relevant licensing concept is the hosting account, so a single customer can still operate multiple sites under the same account depending on the control panel and setup.
Up to 5 accounts: agencies and small teams
The five-account tier is aimed at agencies or developers who manage a few client environments on one server. It can be a practical middle ground when you need account isolation but do not operate a traditional shared-hosting node.
This tier is particularly useful when you want the CloudLinux resource-management model without paying for an unlimited-account environment that your server will never use.
Unlimited accounts: shared hosting
The unlimited tier is the natural fit for a shared hosting server where customers are provisioned as separate accounts and the account count can grow. CloudLinux’s pricing page currently positions it for shared hosting environments with unlimited accounts.
The important point is that unlimited licensing does not mean unlimited server resources. Your VPS or dedicated server still has finite CPU, RAM, disk and network capacity. CloudLinux’s job is to help enforce per-account resource policies so one account is less likely to dominate the node.
What the account tiers change
CloudLinux documents features such as LVE resource limits, CageFS, MySQL Governor and selectors across its product tiers, with availability depending on the specific tier and platform. LVE is particularly important in shared hosting because it can limit CPU, memory, I/O and process-related resources for individual environments.
CageFS provides filesystem isolation between hosting accounts, while MySQL Governor helps monitor and control database resource usage. These features are valuable when several independent customers share one Linux server.
If you are new to CloudLinux, our earlier CloudLinux for VPS hosting guide explains the broader reason to use the platform without repeating the account-tier decision here.
How to choose the right tier
- One hosting account: use the 1-account tier when the VPS is effectively dedicated to one customer environment.
- Two to five accounts: the 5-account tier is usually the cleanest match.
- More than five accounts or planned shared hosting: use the unlimited tier so growth does not force a licensing change.
- Check the control panel: verify that the CloudLinux features you rely on are supported on your exact panel and OS combination.
FAQ
Is CloudLinux only for shared hosting?
No. CloudLinux can also be useful on VPS and dedicated servers when you need account-level resource management, isolation and hosting-focused tooling.
Does the unlimited tier make CPU and RAM unlimited?
No. Unlimited refers to the number of hosting accounts covered by the tier. The physical server still has finite resources.
Which CloudLinux tier is best for a normal VPS with one website?
If it is genuinely one hosting account, the 1-account tier is the closest match. If you expect to create separate accounts for several customers, choose a higher tier instead.
Where can I compare a CloudLinux license?
LicenseCage has a CloudLinux license page and the main license catalogue for comparing server software options.
Bottom line: choose CloudLinux by account count first. The best license is the one that matches the number of independent hosting environments you actually intend to run, with enough room for realistic growth.
Image credit: Domaintechnik via Unsplash.
