FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Hosting, licences, the product and support — answered from the product's own documentation.
Hosting and installation
Hosting: Academy & Exam OS works on compatible shared hosting, cloud hosting, and VPS hosting. A VPS is not required. Your server must meet the listed PHP, database, HTTPS, URL-rewriting, database-privilege, and cron requirements. The built-in installer checks compatibility before installation.
Standard hosting requirements
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | PHP 8.3 or PHP 8.4 |
| 2 | Required PHP extensions: intl, mbstring, bcmath, pdo_mysql, fileinfo, openssl, gd, sodium, curl, json, ctype |
| 3 | MySQL 8.0 or newer |
| 4 | Or MariaDB 10.11, 11.4 or 11.8 (certified versions) |
| 5 | A database user with the required privileges, including TRIGGER |
| 6 | HTTPS |
| 7 | .htaccess / URL rewriting |
| 8 | The ability to run an every-minute cron job |
| 9 | Compatible shared hosting, cloud hosting and VPS hosting are supported |
| 10 | A VPS is not required when shared hosting meets these requirements |
Does Academy & Exam OS require a VPS?
No. Academy & Exam OS can run on compatible shared hosting, cloud hosting, or a VPS. A VPS is not required if your hosting provides PHP 8.3/8.4 with the required extensions including sodium, MySQL 8.0+ or a certified MariaDB version (10.11, 11.4, or 11.8), the required database privileges including TRIGGER, HTTPS, URL rewriting, and an every-minute cron job. The browser installer checks the hosting environment before installation.
Does Academy & Exam OS support MariaDB?
Yes. This release supports and has been certified with MariaDB 10.11, 11.4, and 11.8. Other MariaDB series are not certified by this release and are refused by the installer.
Will Academy & Exam OS work on Hostinger shared hosting?
It can run on compatible Hostinger shared hosting when the hosting environment meets the product requirements. The product has been successfully installed and tested on Hostinger shared hosting with PHP 8.3 and MariaDB 11.8.9. Required PHP extensions such as sodium must be enabled, and the database user must have the required privileges including TRIGGER.
The scheduled tasks (cron jobs) need the same PHP version as the website. On the tested account, /usr/bin/php ran PHP 8.2 without sodium and the hPanel "PHP" cron type also used PHP 8.2. A "Custom" cron job with the PHP 8.3 command-line binary (/opt/alt/php83/usr/bin/php there) worked. Use the binary that matches the PHP version you select.
This is not a guarantee for every Hostinger plan or configuration: the installer checks the actual environment before it writes anything.
What does the installer check before it installs?
The PHP version and extensions, writable directories, upload and memory limits, URL rewriting, HTTPS and outbound TLS on the requirements page; then the database engine and version, the character set, the privileges including TRIGGER, the binary-logging condition for triggers and that the database is empty — all before anything is written.
Licences and editions
What is the difference between Single Site, Multi Site and Reseller / White-Label?
All three include the PHP web application source, the Flutter app source and the documentation. Single Site covers one production website or domain for your own business. Multi Site covers up to 5 web installations, including deployments for your clients. Reseller / White-Label lets you resell, rename, rebrand and modify the product for your own customers under the Tier 3 terms; the reseller right itself is non-transferable.
Is the licence perpetual?
Yes. The usage licence is perpetual for the version you obtained, and normal software updates are made available to licensed customers through the product download in your osdots.com account. Priority Support is a separate, optional plan: when it ends, or if you never buy it, the installed software keeps its licence and keeps running, and the normal updates stay available.
Does the software contact a licence server?
Single Site and Multi Site installations are activated online during installation and confirm their status periodically with the OsDot Solutions licence server. Only the licence key, the installation identity, the installation host and the product version are transmitted.
The Reseller / White-Label edition contains no licence-activation code and no licence key, and does not contact a licence server.
Is the Flutter app licensed separately?
No. Every licence includes the Flutter app source; there is no separate app licence or add-on. The app has no licence of its own and needs an Academy & Exam OS installation to work.
What does it cost?
Single Site USD 67, Multi Site USD 127 and Reseller / White-Label USD 499, each a one-time licence that includes the PHP web application source, the Flutter app source and the documentation.
Support is a separate choice: Self-Service is included at no cost, and Priority Support is optional at USD 97 per year. Your licence does not expire, and normal updates stay available, if you do not buy or renew Priority Support.
The product
Is it a hosted service?
No. Each installation serves one institute on hosting you choose. It is not a hosted service and not multi-tenant.
Is it suitable for NEET or JEE preparation?
It supports the formats such institutes use: Mock Tests with up to 200 questions per attempt, and positive and negative marking such as +4 / −1, configurable for each test and section. It has no affiliation with any examination body and ships no question content of its own — only a small synthetic demo dataset that you can remove.
Does AI practice cost extra?
The product includes no AI credits. You connect your own OpenAI, Gemini or Claude account, and the provider bills you directly. AI practice is off by default, and generated questions can contain mistakes.
Is there an iPhone app?
The Flutter source includes the iOS project configuration, but iOS builds have not been verified for this release. Android release builds have been verified on an emulator.
Which payment options can my students use?
Stripe (hosted Checkout), PayPal and Razorpay for online payments with the institute's own gateway account, plus offline payments — bank transfer, mobile or wallet payment, or cash — with proof and staff approval. Checkout offers only the methods that accept the package's currency. Tax rules and in-app purchases are not included.
Does it send push notifications or SMS?
No. There are no push notifications, SMS or WhatsApp messages. The Communication Hub delivers in-app messages on the website and in the app, and optional e-mail through your own SMTP server.
How are updates installed?
Normal software updates are made available to licensed customers through the product download in your osdots.com account; they do not depend on Priority Support.
An update replaces the application files while keeping your configuration and storage; there is no browser upgrade wizard or automatic migration run. Version 1.1.0, a minor release with no database migrations, is installed this way, and an upgrade check command confirms the result. Each update ships its own step-by-step notes.
Support
What does Self-Service include?
Self-Service is included with every licence at no cost: the perpetual usage licence, the packaged documentation, the normal software updates made available to licensed customers through the product download in your osdots.com account, and critical security fixes and product-defect fixes as published by OsDot Solutions. It does not include personal technical support, custom development or server administration.
What does Priority Support include?
An optional plan at USD 97 per year. It adds personal technical product support through the OsDot Solutions support channel, priority handling of your requests within the support scope, and help with standard installation, configuration and update issues within that scope. Custom development is quoted separately; server administration and third-party hosting administration are not included.
Do I need Priority Support to get updates?
No. Normal software updates come with every licence through the product download in your osdots.com account. Priority Support adds personal help only; when it ends, or if you never buy it, your licence, your software and your downloads continue.
Can OsDot Solutions install it for me?
Yes, as a separately quoted service, together with Android app deployment and advanced customisation.
View Priority Support — $97/year Optional: your software licence and normal updates continue without it.