---
title: "Choosing your web hosting for Éclair"
description: "Choosing web hosting for Éclair: the criteria that matter, 10 web hosts compared (PHP, HTTPS, renewal price) and advice for your profile."
url: "https://eclair.academy/en/hosting"
lang: "en"
author: "Thierry Gustin"
published: "2026-11-02"
updated: "2026-11-02"
---

# Choosing your web hosting for Éclair

> **Key takeaways** — When choosing web hosting for Éclair, check for PHP 8.3, Apache or LiteSpeed with .htaccess, a free HTTPS certificate, outgoing HTTPS connections for the AI assistant, a file manager that extracts ZIP files, and backups. All ten web hosts studied run Éclair: they differ in their control panel, outgoing connections, server location, support language and renewal price.

Choosing web hosting for Éclair is simpler than for most CMSs: no database, less than 1 MB of files, and a shared hosting plan with PHP is enough. The real differences lie elsewhere: PHP version, HTTPS, outgoing connections for the AI assistant, upload tools, support and renewal price. Here are the criteria, ten web hosts compared and advice for your profile.

## What you'll be able to do

### 🎯 Spot the right criteria

PHP 8.3, .htaccess, HTTPS and outgoing connections: what really matters for Éclair.

### 📊 Compare ten web hosts

Control panels, servers and prices checked on November 1, 2026, renewal included.

### 🚀 Move on to installation

Open your web host's step-by-step guide and install Éclair right away.

## Web hosting for Éclair: the criteria that really matter

| Criterion | Why it matters | What to check |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PHP 8.3 | Éclair requires PHP 8.1 at least; below 8.2, its setup wizard advises switching to 8.3 | That 8.3 is offered, ideally set site by site |
| Apache or LiteSpeed | Éclair's `.htaccess` creates the clean URLs and protects the internal folders | URL rewriting; with Nginx alone, access to its configuration |
| Free HTTPS certificate | The MCP connector only accepts `https://` addresses | A one-click Let's Encrypt certificate (or equivalent) |
| Outgoing connections | The AI assistant calls `api.anthropic.com` or `api.openai.com`, IndexNow notifies Bing and the art direction font comes from `cdn.jsdelivr.net` | That outgoing port 443 is open |
| File upload | Uploading the 480 KB archive and extracting it is faster than uploading its 130 files one by one | A file manager that extracts ZIP files, or SSH access |
| Backups | Éclair backs up `data/` and `media/` in one click; a copy kept by your web host adds a second layer | How often, and how long copies are kept |
| Location | Your content, accounts and form messages are stored at your web host: the GDPR applies | A data center in the European Union, or a choice of location |
| Support language | A blocking issue gets solved faster in your own language | Support languages and hours |

> **What if outgoing connections are blocked?** — Your site works normally: pages, editor, SEO, form. The built-in AI assistant, IndexNow notifications and the download of the art direction font need them; for the font, a fallback font takes over. The [MCP connector](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/ai-mcp/understanding-mcp) works the other way round: Claude or ChatGPT connects to your site.

## Technical comparison of the ten web hosts

Data checked on November 1, 2026 on each web host's official pages. “Not documented” means that no official source confirms the point: test it after installation.

| Web host | Control panel | Web server | PHP 8.3 | Online ZIP extraction | Outgoing connections |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [o2switch](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/o2switch) | cPanel | PowerBoost, behind LiteSpeed | Yes (8.1 by default) | Yes | Strict firewall, 443 not documented |
| [Hostinger](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/hostinger) | hPanel | LiteSpeed | Yes, by default | Yes | Open, except ports 0 and 25 |
| [OVHcloud](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/ovhcloud) | OVHcloud Control Panel | Apache 2.4 | Yes | No (FTP, or SSH from the Pro plan up) | Allowed and logged |
| [IONOS](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/ionos) | IONOS account | Apache | Yes | Not documented | Not documented |
| [PlanetHoster](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/planethoster) | N0C | LiteSpeed | Yes | Yes | Strict firewall, 443 not documented |
| [Infomaniak](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/infomaniak) | Manager | Apache | Yes | Yes (Web FTP) | Default list, more ports in self-service |
| [LWS](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/lws) | LWS Panel | Apache and Nginx | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| [SiteGround](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/siteground) | Site Tools | Apache behind Nginx | Yes | Yes, into a subfolder | Port 443 open |
| [Raiola Networks](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/raiola-networks) | cPanel | LiteSpeed | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| [Webempresa](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/webempresa) | WePanel | Apache, Nginx and Varnish | Yes | Not documented | Not documented |

All of them read Éclair's `.htaccess` and offer a free certificate. None of them runs Nginx alone.

## Price comparison, renewal included

Prices of the entry-level plan, checked on November 1, 2026 on the pricing page listed. They are in euros (Swiss francs at Infomaniak), as shown on the web hosts' French pages, or on their Spanish or European pages for Raiola Networks, Webempresa and SiteGround. They exclude VAT unless stated otherwise, and may differ in your country.

| Web host | Entry plan | Starting price | Renewal price | Pricing page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| o2switch | Grow | €7.00 excl. VAT/month, billed annually | €7.00 excl. VAT/month, no promotion | [o2switch.fr](https://www.o2switch.fr/hebergement-illimite/) |
| Hostinger | Premium | €2.49 excl. VAT/month, 48 months paid upfront | €9.99 excl. VAT/month | [hostinger.com](https://www.hostinger.com/fr/hebergement-web) |
| OVHcloud | Starter | €1.59 excl. VAT/month (€1.91 incl. VAT) for the first year | €2.59 excl. VAT/month | [ovhcloud.com](https://www.ovhcloud.com/fr/web-hosting/) |
| IONOS | Standard | €3 excl. VAT/month (€3.60 incl. VAT) for 6 months | €6 excl. VAT/month (€7.20 incl. VAT) | [ionos.fr](https://www.ionos.fr/hebergement/hebergement-web) |
| PlanetHoster | Projet Web Standard | €7.99/month, excl. or incl. VAT not stated | Not stated | [planethoster.fr](https://www.planethoster.fr/) |
| Infomaniak | Hébergement Web | From CHF 10.91 excl. VAT/month, billed annually | No promotion shown | [infomaniak.com](https://www.infomaniak.com/fr/hebergement/tarifs-et-caracteristiques) |
| LWS | LWS Perso | €1.49 excl. VAT/month (€1.79 incl. VAT) for the first year | €3.99 excl. VAT/month | [lws.fr](https://www.lws.fr/hebergement_web.php) |
| SiteGround | StartUp | €2.99 excl. VAT/month, 12 months paid upfront | €15.99 excl. VAT/month | [siteground.com](https://eu.siteground.com/web-hosting.htm) |
| Raiola Networks | Hosting SSD Inicio | €8.95 excl. VAT/month, or €79.95 excl. VAT/year | Not stated, no current promotion | [raiolanetworks.com](https://raiolanetworks.com/hosting-web/) |
| Webempresa | Plan Micro | €35 excl. VAT/year, i.e. €2.92/month | Regular price of €70 excl. VAT/year; discount duration not stated | [webempresa.com](https://www.webempresa.com/hosting/hosting-web.html) |

The starting price is often misleading. Hostinger goes from €2.49 to €9.99 excl. VAT/month, SiteGround from €2.99 to €15.99 excl. VAT/month, OVHcloud's Pro plan from €1.99 to €9.99 excl. VAT, IONOS's Plus plan from €1 to €11 excl. VAT and o2switch's Cloud plan from €1.86 to €16 excl. VAT. When choosing web hosting for Éclair, always compare the cost over two or three years.

## Which web host suits your profile?

### You're a beginner and live in France

**o2switch** is the simplest choice: a full cPanel, support based in France and available 24/7, servers in France and a stable price, with no promotion. Just remember to switch PHP from 8.1 to 8.3, and test outgoing connections if you want the AI assistant. **LWS** is the other option: phone support in French, a file manager that extracts ZIP files and a one-click HTTPS redirect, but no SSH access.

### Your audience is in Spain

**Raiola Networks** hosts in Spain, in two data centers in Madrid, with 24/7 support in Spanish and no current promotion. **Webempresa** also offers support in Spanish and a data center in Europe or the United States; be careful, by default it blocks access to WePanel and FTP from countries where Spanish isn't spoken. **SiteGround** has a data center in Madrid and support in Spanish by chat.

### Your audience is international

**SiteGround** covers the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific, answers by chat and ticket in five languages, and documents an open port 443: the AI assistant works without any extra steps. **Hostinger** also offers servers on several continents and open outgoing connections, but its human support answers in English and its introductory price requires a 48-month commitment.

### You favor privacy or Swiss hosting

**Infomaniak** hosts its infrastructure in Switzerland, outside the European Union, with no promotional introductory price and a PHP version you can set per site. **PlanetHoster** has data centers in Paris, Lausanne and Montréal: for each project, you choose Europe or North America, with 24/7 support in French.

### You're an agency

**PlanetHoster** lends itself to multisite: one PHP version per web project, an application firewall you can adjust rule by rule, and a pack of 10 projects at €5.49/month over 24 months, renewed at €19.99/month. **OVHcloud Pro** hosts 100 sites with SSH access, and **Infomaniak** includes 20 sites in its Hébergement Web plan. Avoid SiteGround's StartUp plan, limited to one site. To organize production, read [Scaling Éclair in an agency](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/expert/agencies).

## What to avoid

- **Plans without PHP**: Infomaniak's free Hébergement Starter plan, for example, only accepts static pages.
- **Choosing on the introductory price alone**: look at the renewal price and the commitment period.
- **An Nginx-only server without access to its configuration**: the `.htaccess` rules have to be reproduced there ([Nginx, VPS, proxy and CDN](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/expert/nginx-vps)).
- **A site without HTTPS**: the setup wizard flags it, and the MCP connector refuses it.
- **An installation in a subfolder** if you plan to use the MCP connector: prefer the root of a domain or subdomain.

## Step-by-step guides by web host

- [o2switch](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/o2switch)
- [Hostinger](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/hostinger)
- [OVHcloud](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/ovhcloud)
- [IONOS](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/ionos)
- [PlanetHoster](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/planethoster)
- [Infomaniak](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/infomaniak)
- [LWS](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/lws)
- [SiteGround](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/siteground)
- [Raiola Networks](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/raiola-networks)
- [Webempresa](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/webempresa)
- [cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin: the universal method](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/cpanel-plesk-directadmin)

## Key points

- When choosing web hosting for Éclair, check PHP 8.3, `.htaccess`, free HTTPS and outgoing connections.
- All ten web hosts studied run Éclair; they differ in support, location and tools.
- Always compare the renewal price, not just the introductory price.
- Choose according to your audience: France, Spain, international, Switzerland or agency.

## Going further

- [Prepare your installation](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/prepare-installation): the checklist before you start.
- [Install Éclair step by step](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/install-eclair): the wizard's 5 screens.
- [Troubleshooting](https://eclair.academy/en/docs/troubleshooting): the most common errors and how to fix them.
- Sources: the [supported PHP versions](https://www.php.net/supported-versions.php) on php.net and [Éclair's official requirements](https://github.com/Jacckisback/eclair-cms/blob/main/docs/GUIDE.en.md#installation) on GitHub.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best web host for Éclair?

There isn't just one: all ten web hosts studied run Éclair. In France, o2switch is the simplest to start with; in Spain, Raiola Networks; for an international audience, SiteGround; for Switzerland, Infomaniak.

### Is free hosting enough for Éclair?

Only if it offers PHP 8.1 or later, URL rewriting through `.htaccess` and an HTTPS certificate. Free plans limited to static pages won't do.

### Do I need a MySQL database?

No. Éclair stores everything in protected files in the `data/` folder: the database included in your plan won't be used.

### Can I change web hosts later?

Yes. Copy the whole site folder to the new web host, then change the address in **Settings › General** if the domain changes. Internal links adapt on their own.