You don't buy separate hosting with Shopify: Shopify is a fully hosted platform, and servers, bandwidth, SSL certificates, CDN and security updates are included in every plan. That's why there's no separate "Shopify hosting price"; the monthly plan fee you pay covers hosting too. But hosting being included doesn't mean Shopify solves everything: your store's speed, data backups and email hosting are still your responsibility.
In this article we explain what Shopify hosting covers, what it doesn't, and what stores in Turkey should keep in mind.
What does Shopify hosting cover?
Servers and infrastructure: your store runs on Shopify's servers. You don't deal with server setup, maintenance or scaling.
Unlimited bandwidth: you don't pay extra bandwidth fees when traffic grows. You don't need a separate package for traffic spikes during campaigns.
Global CDN: images, theme files and pages are served to customers from the nearest point via servers around the world.
Free SSL certificate: an SSL certificate is automatically created and renewed for every domain you connect.
Security and PCI DSS compliance: Shopify is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, the payment security standard. Platform-level security updates happen without any action from you.
Platform updates: Shopify's new features and infrastructure improvements reach your store automatically; you don't need to upgrade versions.
Shopify is known for keeping its platform's annual uptime high and scales to handle traffic during major campaign periods. You don't need separate server preparation for busy periods such as Black Friday.
What doesn't Shopify hosting cover?
Although hosting is included, the following remain your responsibility:
1. Store speed
Shopify's infrastructure is fast, but your store's real speed is largely determined by your theme and apps. A heavy theme, uncompressed images and apps that load scripts on every page slow pages down however good the infrastructure is. We cover speed optimisation in detail in our Core Web Vitals guide.
2. Data backups
Shopify backs up the platform itself, but it doesn't offer a store-level "restore" button to undo mistakes you make (products deleted by accident, a broken theme edit, a faulty bulk update). That's why it's important to export your product, customer and order data regularly or use a backup app. Duplicating your theme before editing it is also a good habit.
3. Email hosting
When you buy a domain from Shopify, you can use email forwarding: emails sent to info@yourbrand.com are forwarded to your personal inbox. But Shopify doesn't offer full email hosting. For business email, you need a service such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
4. Server-level access
On Shopify there's no direct server access, no way to run your own server code and no database editing. Custom needs are met through Shopify's app infrastructure, APIs and Shopify Functions. This means giving up some flexibility, but in return it removes the maintenance and security burden.
Domain management
When your store first opens, it goes live at yourstore.myshopify.com. You can use your own domain in two ways:
Connecting an existing domain: you update the DNS records with your domain provider to point to Shopify.
Buying a domain from Shopify: the domain, DNS and renewals are managed from the Shopify admin.
We explain the connection process step by step in our Shopify domain guide.
What stores in Turkey should keep in mind
Data location: Shopify's servers are outside Turkey. This means customers' personal data is transferred abroad. Under KVKK, Turkey's data protection law, you need to take this into account in your privacy notice and the required consent processes. For details, see our KVKK and ETBİS compliance guide.
Speed in Turkey: thanks to Shopify's CDN, visitors in Turkey also access pages from a nearby point. If you experience slowness, the cause is usually your theme and apps, not the servers.
Payments and hosting are separate: although hosting is included in every plan, payment infrastructure needs to be set up separately in Turkey. As Shopify Payments isn't available in Turkey, you need an integration with a provider such as iyzico or PayTR; details in our Shopify Payments article.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy separate hosting for Shopify?
No. Hosting is included in every Shopify plan. You don't need to buy a separate server or hosting package.
How much does Shopify hosting cost?
There's no separate hosting price; the monthly Shopify plan fee covers hosting. You'll find current plan prices in our guide to Shopify.
Can I move my Shopify store to my own server?
No. Shopify only runs on its own infrastructure. If you want to move your store to another platform, you need to export your data and import it into the new platform.
Does Shopify have unlimited products and traffic?
Yes, there's no plan-based upper limit on the number of products or bandwidth. Some technical limits, such as the number of variants, do apply.
Let's review your setup together
Having hosting included reduces the technical burden, but the real difference comes when your store's speed, backups and integrations are set up properly. If you'd like to review your store's technical setup, get in touch through our Shopify technical support page.
