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What’s the best hosting for AliDropship?
In this post, we’ll cover the various options and web hosting providers you have when it comes to using the AliDropship plugin.
Maybe you’re ready to buy the plugin and you’re not sure where to host your store.
What Are the System Requirements for AliDropship?
Before selecting a host for your dropshipping store, first, it’s important to check the system requirements from the AliDropship Knowledge Base.
To build an online store you’ll need:
- Domain name
- WordPress CMS
- Hosting
For the server requirements, these include:
- PHP 7.1 or higher
- File size upload limit: min. 16MB
- ionCube activated on your hosting
- cURL libraries ver 7.58.0 recommended (the minimum required version is 7.29.0)
If any of these requirements are confusing for you, not to worry, as most hosts will meet these needs.
Using the AliDropship Plugin with BlueHost
The web hosting service that I used with the AliDropship plugin was BlueHost.
To this day, I still continue to use BlueHost for all of my web hosting needs and I haven’t had a problem. If any issues arise, it’s fairly simple to get in contact with their customer support team to get the issue resolved. This ranges from basic questions about WordPress, to set things up, or even more in-depth technical help.
Not only that, but Bluehost’s servers come with ionCube pre-installed, which you need in order to run AliDropship.
You can sign up with BlueHost starting at only $3.95/month.
Do Other Hosting Companies Work with AliDropship?
In short, yes you can use other hosting companies, and most popular commercial hosting companies will work for your AliDropship store.
However, there are some special notes regarding specific compatibility issues for particular hosts according to the knowledge base page.
- SiteGround: If you’re using SiteGround as a hosting provider, please note that ionCube works only on PHP 7.2.
- GoDaddy: We do not recommend using basic GoDaddy plans and Managed WordPress plans because activating the ionCube loader on these plans is not possible. Select among the business plans to avoid issues with the ionCube loader.
- iPage: iPage We do not recommend using iPage as a hosting provider because it uses outdated cURL libraries (7.22.0) and it is not going to update them in the nearest future.
- Local Hosts: Please note, the AliDropship plugin does not support WordPress Multisite Network and does not work on localhosts.
Does AliDropship offer Hosting?
Yes, AliDropship has its own hosting solution. They offer to host your online store as an optional add-on at checkout when purchasing the plugin.
If you don’t want to mess around figuring out if a hosting company will work with the plugin or contacting tech support, then you’re probably better off using AliDropship’s hosting.
In addition, their hosting is optimized to work perfectly with the plugin. The hosting plans are also quite affordable compared to some of the other hosting solutions out there. AliDropship’s silver plan (at $48/year) is more than enough for most people getting started with a store, and you can always upgrade later.
If you buy the plugin you can bundle in their hosting and you’re all set without having the worry about the ionCube loader, cURL libraries, or PHP.
Keep in mind though that the system requirements for AliDropship are pretty standard across most hosting companies.
To Conclude
There are many different web hosting providers out there to choose from. At the end of the day, it’s important to select one that includes:
- 24/7 Support
- Great pricing
- Easy to use
You can also read through customer reviews of different hosting providers. However, it can be difficult to find legitimate reviews. You can try looking through reviews from people with substantial pros and cons of the service.
Thus far, I have been happy with hosting my websites on BlueHost. They also meet all the technical requirements to run AliDropship right out the box.
Or, you can bundle the AliDropship plugin along with their hosting plan when you buy the plugin. They will also install WordPress, the AliDropship plugin, and an SSL certificate for free.
Hopefully, this post helps you determine the best hosting for AliDropship!
