I have a buddy that recently bought a server without a control panel. He did it because of the price. Will he be able to buy a control panel later and is it going to end up being more expensive in the long run?

Is he not able to have the VPS provider add it on for him? Or do they not offer it at all?

If they dont, and since its a VPS, you can get a cheap VPS cPanel license here: http://www.instantcpanellicense.com/

I think they will even perform the initial install for free if I am not mistaken.

I got your point of concern.Yes he can indeed get a control panel to manage his VPS account.You will simply need to contact the web hosting provider and ask for a control panel.As suggested by MikeTrike, you can purchase a license on your own too.You need to provide the license key to your host,they should get the control panel installed onto your account.

Does your requirements demand a managed account

A control panel can be installed onto a VPS later on however the best thing would be to contact the host provider and confirm this. Since most providers keep control panel optional with VPS Hosting and Dedicated Servers, the license fees would be additional.

Well, depending on what he wants. If he wants to buy a control panel, for the long run, it is cheaper. (talkin about more than 3yrs though). If he want to lease it and to pay monthly fee, he should get it from the provider that provides VPS.

Without any of the specific needs mentioned, there's quite a few options such as Webmin/Virtualmin(free), or simply find a VPS provider that offers a good deal on a VPS w/Control panel @ a good price. You'd be surprised to find out providers that buy software in bulk can give you a great deal & easily blow the $15 cPanel license at http://www.instantcpanellicense.com/ out of the water!

I assume that is a kind of the hidden fees with web hosting service provider. Get in touch with your provider and ask how much that is to have CP

Cheers

It depends, sometimes providers has better pricing for control panels as they buy in bulk. So if you take your calculator you will realize that is cheaper to buy directly from provider.

You can always add a control panel later, even install it yourself.

If the VPS provider offers control panels, there shouldn't be a problem with an upgrade.

Yes,you can ask for VPS provider and propose your requirement then the control panel will be installed on to a VPS.
Absolutely you can buy a control panel and install it by yourself,for the long run it is cheaper.

There's free control panels such as Webmin and Kloxo

I would recommend Kloxo, its free and just as supported as cPanel is. We offer it on our servers and clients love it.

I use Kloxo for my own site. Just like what ********* said, it is free and reliable. This is much convenient than any other ones related to cPanel.