I am using Plesk 7 as a simple webmaster. I use it for about 5 sites. I really like it myself. Makes it quite easy to setup databases and then access them. My setup comes with some simple but nice stats via Webalizer. It also has a useful function to protect folders from public access (sort of like an easier version of htaccess). Depending on your installation it also has an "Application Vault" which is like fanatastico on cPanel. I have not actually used cPanel but i imagine they are much the same really. It lets you easily view all the access logs and, in my case, its easy to setup subdomains etc... What features exactly are you most interested in? Cheers
You will get more focused answers if I we know your requirements. Almost any 'server administrator' will fit your bill if your simply hosting a few websites. If you were comparing Plesk with cPanel Plesk : Pro: Great uncluttered professional interface, partnered with Zend, SECURE Con: forced to use new database user/passwords for every project etc... Con: Inflexible sendmail/email programs If your a web developer and need to work fast but less particular about security select cPanel. Not that cPanel is insecure, just we know where the problems are and can exploit them. Plesk is tightlipped and slower and fixing their interfaces but works hard at all the security upgrades. This is my personal opinion from my experiences working with both set of servers. Your experience will vary with your requirements.
We have been using please 7.5 reloaded for about 5 months now. Customers enjoy it much more than Cpanel.. Also cheaper Plesk does have its hiccups. Couple of updates have brought the server/services to a stop. I just put a stop to updates till others get a chance to test them out. If you read though their forums you will see alot of "After update XXXX stopped working" But on the other hand, Their support staff is very quick to respond to problems. Most of our problems were resolved with their staff via ssh. A signed waiver needs to be faxed everytime SSH support is requested. It's not like CompUsa trying to sell you Extended warranty, PURCHASE the support contract you will thank yourself later.
It's good and bad IMO. If you can live with their RPMs, it's a nice, easy way to go about things. But when you need a special apache module added, or something like that, you need to install from source. My configs are all very custom, so apps like Plesk don't work very well for me.
I bought a Plesk 2 license and been using it ever since. I just do my own upgrading of the files. MY plesk is hacked really crazy...I got all types of custom stuff in there. I dislike cpanel.