I have Direct Admin control panel on my server. It is very easy going. Every setup is pretty straightforward and uses Exim+Dovecot for mail server exactly like WHM/cPanel. I too wanted to try something else, so I asked my host and they recommended me Direct Admin.
Check the demo to have some insight on it's functionalities. http://www.directadmin.com/demo.html
Hi there,
1) cPanel is only compatible with CentOS, RHEL, and CloudLinux. See here: http://cpanel.net/cpanel-whm/system-requirements/ you could however go with something like DirectAdmin
2) Yes, you can have multiple domains. Look at Apache vHosts. Logins to what though, FTP?
DirectAdmin is excellent alternative to cPanel. I was looking for alternatives once i had to cut my budget and after a careful search, i decided to use DirectAdmin. I tried the demo, liked it very much. Looking for companies who offer DirectAdmin for a cheap price was time demanding, so i read some host reviews and decided to go with Rosehosting because they had the best reviews for their support team. A plus is that they offer Directadmin for 2 $. I suggest you to try DirectAdmin. http://www.directadmin.com/demo.html