ionCube
The most widely trusted PHP source code protection and licensing tool
Founded
2002
Starting Price
$249
Category
Developer Tools
Last updated June 14, 2026
About ionCube
ionCube is a PHP Encoder that protects PHP source code from theft, reverse engineering, and unauthorized use through multi-layered bytecode encoding and obfuscation. Trusted by developers since 2002, it adds licensing controls (time, domain, IP, and MAC restrictions) plus an optional online licensing portal, making it ideal for distributing commercial PHP applications and plugins securely.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Industry-standard, widely supported PHP protection trusted since 2002
- ionCube Loader is pre-installed on many popular web hosts, easing deployment for end users
- Powerful licensing options (time, domain, IP, MAC) ideal for commercial software distribution
- Unlimited encoding for unlimited deployment machines with a one-time purchase
- Dynamic Key encryption offers a uniquely strong, customizable protection layer
Key Features
Bytecode Protection
Compiles PHP source into encrypted bytecode that runs via the ionCube Loader, preventing source code from being read or altered.
Multi-Layered Encoding
Combines encryption with optional obfuscation to safeguard intellectual property at multiple levels.
Dynamic Key Encryption
Power-user feature allowing a theoretically unlimited number of custom algorithmic encryption keys for the highest level of protection.
Code Licensing
Generate license files that restrict where and for how long scripts run, with IP, domain, time, and (Cerberus) MAC address restrictions.
Online Licensing Suite
Optional cloud portal to create, edit, and distribute product licenses, set up projects, manage users, and offer trial/paid variants.
Unlimited Encoding
Encode as many projects for as many deployment machines as you need with no per-project limits.
Broad PHP Support
Encodes PHP 5, 7 and 8 syntax (up to PHP 8.4), with Loader runtime support letting encoded files run on newer PHP releases including 8.5.
Pricing
Basic
$249/one-time
- 1 license
- Unlimited encoding
- Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD
- Bytecode protection
- 3-6 months free helpdesk support
Best For
Protecting commercial PHP plugins
Developers of WHMCS, WordPress, PrestaShop and similar plugins encode their code to prevent copying and unauthorized resale.
Licensing distributed PHP applications
Software vendors apply domain, IP, time or MAC restrictions to enforce per-customer licensing and offer trial versions.
Securing code on client servers
Agencies and product companies deploy encoded PHP on customer infrastructure so business logic and source stay protected.
CI/CD encoding pipelines
Teams integrate encoding into automated build and release workflows using the CI editions with on-demand license activation.
