Pelican Panel vs PufferPanel
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pelican Panel
Modern open-source game server control panel
VS
PufferPanel
Open-source game server management panel for many games
| Feature | Pelican Panel | PufferPanel |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,330 | ★ 1,748 |
| First released | 2024 | 2015 |
| Replaces | TCAdmin, Multicraft | AMP, Multicraft |
What are Pelican Panel and PufferPanel?
Pelican Panel
Pelican is a free, open-source game server management panel built with Laravel. It is a modern successor in spirit to Pterodactyl, running game servers in isolated containers.
- Container-isolated game servers
- Modern Laravel-based UI
- Egg-based game definitions
- Streamlined installer
PufferPanel
Pufferpanel is a free, open-source game server management panel that provides a web interface to install, configure, and control dedicated game servers. It supports a wide range of games through its template system.
- Web-based game server panel
- Multi-game template support
- User and subuser permissions
- OAuth login
Pelican Panel vs PufferPanel: key differences
Pelican Panel is written in PHP, while PufferPanel is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Pelican Panel versus Apache-2.0 for PufferPanel. PufferPanel is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Pelican Panel. PufferPanel is the more established project (first released 2015), while Pelican Panel arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Pelican Panel if…
- Easier setup than predecessors
- Active development
Watch out for
- Young project
- Smaller community so far
Choose PufferPanel if…
- Lightweight panel
- Supports many games
Watch out for
- Smaller than Pterodactyl ecosystem
- Templates need tuning
Frequently asked questions
Is Pelican Panel or PufferPanel better?
Neither is universally better. Pelican Panel has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pelican Panel and PufferPanel free and open-source?
Yes. Pelican Panel is licensed under MIT and PufferPanel under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pelican Panel and PufferPanel with Docker?
Pelican Panel: yes. PufferPanel: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pelican Panel or PufferPanel?
PufferPanel has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Pelican Panel. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.