Can each of my sites run a different PHP version
Yes. The version is selected per account, by you, from the control panel, and one account's choice has no effect on any other.
The problem this solves
Portfolios grow over years, so they end up holding software of different vintages. Something built in 2020 depends on a theme that stopped being maintained and refuses to start on a current release. Something built last month wants the newest release available. A server with one global setting forces you to choose between them.
Choosing per account means you never have to. Old stays where it runs; new runs current.
The limitation to plan around
The setting belongs to the account, not to individual sites within it. Put five sites in one account and all five share one version, so a single antique among them decides for the rest.
Treat that as one of the questions you answer when deciding what lives with what, alongside how busy each site is and who owns it. Separating them costs little here, since a site gets its own dedicated address whichever account it sits in.
Changing without drama
- Back up.
- Move one site, live with it for a day, then do the next. Never the whole portfolio in one action.
- Read the error log afterwards, not the home page. Sites often look perfect while quietly logging warnings that turn fatal on the following release.
- Look at scheduled tasks. Anything invoking PHP by full path carries on using the previous one.
Reverting is one click, so what you are risking is an afternoon rather than your data.
Keep a note
Record which sites are held back and what is holding them. Without that record you eventually inherit sites nobody will touch because nobody remembers why they were pinned.
Which version should I pick?
Ordinarily the newest one your software officially supports, rather than the oldest it merely tolerates. Newer releases are quicker and still receive security work; older ones eventually stop receiving either.
Can I go back if something breaks?
Yes, immediately, from the same screen. That is why the sensible order is to change one site and use it for a day rather than reading release notes for a week.
Do you change it for me?
We do not move accounts between versions without being asked, precisely because the decision belongs to whoever knows the site. If you would like us to handle a sweep across a portfolio, tell us and we will plan it with you.
More depth in Platform and Limits, and vendor documentation at docs.cloudlinux.com.
Still not sure which way to go?
Tell us what you are building. If it needs less than you think, we will say so.