E-commerce businesses make great use of OpenCart to promote their products and services, and numerous hosting services are optimized and equipped with infrastructure to create and run OpenCart stores.
If you are thinking of creating and hosting an OpenCart e-commerce business website and are wondering which OpenCart hosting platform to use, read on…
In this article I will be exploring the best OpenCart hosting platforms that you can choose from; including A2Hosting, Hostgator, InMotion, Hostinger, Cloudways, and SiteGround.
Before we delve into the OpenCart hosting platforms, let us first understand what OpenCart is, and what OpenCart web hosting means.
What is OpenCart?
OpenCart is an open-source e-commerce platform on which users create and manage online stores. It is an online shopping system with support and information provided in varying languages and currencies.
OpenCart allows you to customize your store, as well as access to source code to help you change your store outlook.
It gives you a great categorization of services and a look into customer analytics and sales.
OpenCart comes with an unlimited range of products and applications; search engine optimization; and extension options. It is a safe and reliable way to manage your store online.
OpenCart Hosting
Hosting platforms that are optimized for OpenCart are referred to as OpenCart web hosting services.
These kinds of platforms provide the needed infrastructure, including bandwidth and server space among other resources to run an OpenCart store.
OpenCart hosting has to meet certain requirements for a smooth and enjoyable hosting experience.
Requirements for OpenCart hosting
To host OpenCart, you will need to meet these requirements;
- Extensions – OpenCart hosting will require that you enable some extensions like Web server (Apache or Nginx are better); Database (MySQL); and PHP 5.4 (or above).
- Libraries – OpenCart hosting will require some mandatory libraries for example Zip; Curl; GD Library; XML; and Zlib.
- Memory limit – the recommended memory limit is 128 and above. The higher the memory the better the performance, especially for large online stores.
- Web Hosting environment – Linux-based hosting is best recommended for OpenCart, but it can also run on Windows servers.
- SSL certificates – highly recommended for secure data transmission.
Okay, now we know what OpenCart and OpenCart hosting are, as well as the requirements. But what is the best OpenCart hosting platform?
7 best OpenCart hosting services
Here are the top best OpenCart hosting platforms, you can read about each of them before you make your decision on which one to use for your e-commerce business.
1. A2 Hosting
For businesses moving to online platforms, A2 hosting is an amazing OpenCart hosting platform with ease of access and great functionality.
It offers a variety of products including;
- Domain services and unlimited accounts
- Free website migrations to help you migrate sites easily and transfer data
- Site building service with helpful website builder features
- SSL certificates – free, to guarantee your online store safety
- Unlimited storage
Additionally, A2 hosting offers the best speed – it is fast-acting; offers round-the-clock support – through phone, email, and live chat; gives you a money-back guarantee; and offers cost-effective plans.
A2 OpenCart hosting pricing plans range from as low as USD 1.99 monthly for the start-up plan, to USD 11.99 for the Max plan.
If you want great speed, in addition to all other features, and take OpenCart’s official recommendation as a measure, then this is your best choice.
2. Cloudways
Cloudways will give you full advantage of resources as all the resources are mixed and used as a single system. You will enjoy convenience, great speed, and secure and reliable hosting with this option.
Features and products include;
- Scalability – to allow you to achieve your plans of growing your e-commerce business
- SSD storage
- Configuration flexibility
- A managed cloud server for the best performance and data security
- Free Migration
- Free SSL certificates – for security requirements fulfillment
- Unlimited apps allow you to launch as many applications as your business needs and as your server can effectively support.
- Staging environment – to allow your test changes, then push them live quite easily.
In addition, you get 24/7 expert support; transparent pricing with a free three-day trial without having to share your credit card details; staging environment; and automated backups.
The pricing here however is a bit higher than the average, but you will like the results.
Cloudways’ pricing plans are as follows;
So, if you are looking for reliable hosting that will offer you a great chance to grow your eCommerce business with great scalability features; and you are not a shared hosting fan, then you may want to try this cloud hosting service.
3. SiteGround
SiteGround is seemingly specifically designed for e-commerce businesses because of its amazing features including server options offered and free CDN, web spaces, and huge traffic management.
Other features of SiteGround include;
- PHP framework – fast
- Caching system that transfers files and data
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Daily backups
- SSD storage
In addition, you get automatic OpenCart installations; domain registration; site transfer, and pocket-friendly pricing.
SiteGround offers a variety of hosting plans to meet the hosting needs of various clients. The start-up plan is only USD 3.99 monthly with unlimited databases, the GrowBig plan at 6.69, and the GoGeek plan at 10.69.Â
So, if you are looking for pocket-friendly, secure hosting; SiteGround will be a good start for you.
4. HostGator
If you are a blogger, an entrepreneur, or a small business owner with the need to host an OpenCart site, HostGator will entice you with their affordable OpenCart web hosting services.
With this option you will have;
- Unlimited disk space
- Unlimited bandwidth to avoid any issues with data storage
- Domain registration; is free and allows you as many domains as you want
- 99% uptime
- Free SSL certificates
In addition, you get a 45-day money-back guarantee; quick and easy OpenCart installation; and 24/7 expert support.
Plans here start at USD 3.75 per month for shared hosting, USD 5.95 per month for WordPress hosting, and the highest start-up price at USD 89.98 per month for dedicated hosting.Â
So, if you want to try web hosting and can only afford reasonable rates, HostGator offers the best plans.
5. InMotion Hosting
For user-friendly functionality, great customer support, and enhanced speed features, InMotion hosting has you covered.
You will be able to fully customize your shopping cart experience with InMotion’s OpenCart templates, themes, and extensions.
With InMotion hosting, you will have the following features;
- Free domains – multiple
- Security – the hosting service offers automatic backups and hack protection
- 99.9% uptime
- Simple and easy installation
- SSD storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free transfer
In addition, you will enjoy fast content loading time; ease of access; one-click data restoration; various payment gateways to make payments easy for your customers; and a money-back guarantee.
InMotion hosting pricing plans start at USD 2.29 monthly for shared hosting, WordPress hosting starts at USD 3.49 monthly, VPS hosting starts at USD 19.99 monthly, and dedicated hosting starts at USD 89.99 monthly.Â
So, if you are just starting and don’t have much knowledge in coding, you will be able to easily use this hosting plan; if you are willing and able to pay; and are looking for a standard hosting service, this will be a great choice to start with.
6. Hostinger
Hostinger is one of the most affordable OpenCart hosting providers with shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated hosting. This provider offers a one-click OpenCart installation among other features;
- Free SSL – for online store security
- Daily backups
- 99% uptime
- SSH access
- Fast speeds
In addition, you will have 24/7 customer support; a money-back guarantee, and a user-friendly control panel.
Pricing plans for this service range from USD 1.99 to USD 8.99 monthly.
7. FastComet
FastComet is well known for its fast speed, free file transfer, and free domain transfer.
You get faster access to your files and databases compared to other non-SSD providers, and an easy-to-use and powerful control panel.
Other features of FastComet include;
- Security – backups and malware detection for the safety of files and data
- One-click installation
- Tutorials to help you use it even if you are attempting it for the first time.
- Free extensions
FastComet is also quite affordable, with pricing plans starting at USD 2.39 monthly.
However, there is no unlimited data storage with this provider, and their bandwidth is less.
FAQs
What are the advantages of OpenCart hosting?
Choosing OpenCart hosting for your online store ensures that you put your business specifically in the right hands and comes with several advantages;Â
Effectiveness; OpenCart ensures that all components are organized for sites to work effectively; it is optimized to perform those specific duties.Â
Speed; OpenCart hosting services offer fast hosting speed without interference with the quality or performance of the websiteÂ
Highly customizable features; OpenCart hosting allows you to create your business web with your niche, interests, and visuals.Â
Various providers; you have a variety of OpenCart hosting providers that you can choose from, so it won’t be difficult to start or make a choice.Â
What should I consider when choosing an OpenCart hosting provider?Â
OpenCart hosting is hosting optimized for e-commerce businesses. Several platforms can provide you with this service.Â
To help you make the best choice, here is a list of key features that your choice should have:
1. Compatibility; for better functionality and performance, your hosting provider should meet the minimum MySQL version and PHP requirements specified by OpenCart. This is because OpenCart is typically compatible with standard web hosting environments that support PHP and MySQL.
2. Security; security measures such as SSL certificates, regular backup, robust firewall protection, and detection are crucial for e-commerce websites. These will ensure the safe storage and transfer of data and files.
3. Ease of use and installations; the hosting provider should offer one-click installation possibilities for example, easy-to-use cPanels among other tools to simplify your navigation and control of the store.
4. Scalability; make sure you have room to grow and expand on online stores. The hosting provider should be scalable to accommodate the growing product listings, traffic, and transactions. Providers may offer scalable solutions such as VPS or Cloud hosting.
5. Customer support; in case of any technical issues, you need a reliable provider who can help at any time. Providers that offer 24/7 customer support through various media like live chat, email, calls etc will be the best choice.
6. Other important features include uptime guarantee; performance and cost of services.
Conclusion
Think online store websites; think OpenCart hosting. Business has never been better with adequate visibility, which is what OpenCart web hosting provides you with.
If you are planning to build an e-commerce website using OpenCart, you have the best options in this article to choose from to help you host your website and grow your business.
The choice will depend on your needs as well as your budget.
A great deal of these are quite affordable with great features to boost your online business and give you a great ecommerce experience.
