Who pays for hosting?

One of the most common questions clients ask is: "Who pays for hosting — you or me?" The answer depends on how your project is set up. Here's a clear breakdown of both arrangements.

The fundamental principle

Your website's hosting is your business cost — not Chykalophia's. We don't profit from hosting fees. We may manage it for convenience, but the cost is always ultimately yours.

Your hosting account — and everything in it — belongs to you. If you ever move to a different agency, you take your hosting account with you.

Two common arrangements

Arrangement 1: You own and pay the hosting account directly

In this arrangement:

• You create and own the hosting account (Flywheel, WP Engine, or Kinsta).
• You add us as a collaborator or user so we can manage the site.
• The hosting company bills you directly.
• You see the invoice from the hosting company.

Benefits: Full visibility. You always know exactly what hosting costs. No markup.

What we need from you: Access to the account. See give us access to your Flywheel hosting, WP Engine, or Kinsta.

Arrangement 2: We manage the hosting account and pass the cost to you

In this arrangement:

• We set up and manage the hosting account.
• We add you as a collaborator so you can access your own site.
• We invoice you for hosting costs as part of your care plan or as a line item.
• The hosting company bills us; we pass the cost through to you.

Benefits: Less for you to manage. We handle renewals, billing issues, and plan changes.

What you should know: We pass hosting costs through at cost — we don't mark them up. Your invoice from us will show the hosting fee clearly.

Which arrangement applies to you?

Your project lead or the welcome documentation from your project will specify which arrangement you're on. If you're not sure, ask us — we'll tell you clearly.

Your rights regardless of arrangement

Whichever arrangement you're on:

• Your site's files belong to you. We can provide a backup at any time.
• Your data is yours. Content, contacts, orders — all yours.
• You can move to a different host at any time. We'll help you migrate.
• You can take over the account. If you want to manage hosting yourself, we'll transfer account ownership to you.

Domain ownership — a note

Your domain name (e.g. yourbusiness.com) should always be registered in your name, not ours. This is separate from hosting. See who owns your domain for why this matters.

Common questions

Related guides

• Understanding your hosting bill
• Renewing hosting & avoiding lapses
• What happens when we migrate your host
• Give us access to your Flywheel hosting
• Give us access to your WP Engine hosting
• Give us access to your Kinsta hosting