Choosing web hosting in Switzerland: a 7-point checklist

Choosing web hosting in Switzerland is less about raw gigabytes and more about where your data lives, who answers when something breaks and what you really pay over the years. This checklist covers the points that matter most for businesses, associations and freelancers, whether you are in Zurich, Geneva or Ticino.

1. Where is the data centre?#

Ask in which country, and ideally in which city, your website, mailboxes and databases run. A Swiss data centre keeps your website close to Swiss visitors and makes data protection questions simpler. Also ask where backups are stored: a backup is a copy of your data too.

2. Data protection: the revFADP#

Since 1 September 2023 the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP) applies to anyone who processes personal data in Switzerland, including contact forms, shop orders and newsletters on your website. Points to check with a hosting provider:

• Is the provider a Swiss company, and where is it registered?
• In which countries is your data stored and processed?
• Can you get the information you need for your own privacy policy?

Switzerland is recognised by the EU as a country with an adequate level of data protection, which also helps if you have customers in the EU. This checklist is not legal advice; for your privacy policy ask a specialist.

3. Support in your language#

When your website is down, you want to explain the problem in your own language, to someone who can fix it. Check which languages support speaks, how you reach it (ticket, email, phone) and whether there is a knowledge base with real guides.

4. The real price#

• Compare the renewal price, not only the first-year offer.
• Check whether prices are in CHF and whether VAT is included or added.
• Count what you need anyway: SSL certificates, daily backups, email, a domain.

5. What is included#

A good Swiss web hosting plan includes free SSL certificates, daily backups, email on your own domain and a simple way to install WordPress. Check the limits that matter for you: storage, number of domains, mailboxes and databases.

6. Getting in: migration#

Moving an existing website is where most problems happen. Ask whether the provider moves your files and databases for you, and how mailboxes are set up so your addresses keep working.

7. Getting out: cancellation and your data#

Check how you cancel, how long the notice period is and how you download your files, databases and emails. A provider that makes leaving easy usually makes staying easy too.

How ThunderHosting answers this checklist#

ThunderHosting is a Swiss hosting company from Ticino. Our web hosting runs in our data centre in Lugano and includes free SSL, daily backups, email and one-click WordPress, with prices in CHF or EUR (ThunderHosting is not subject to VAT, so the prices shown are final prices). Support speaks English, German, French and Italian, and we move your website for free. Running a business in the canton? See our page on hosting in Ticino, and pair your hosting with a .ch domain.

Frequently asked questions#

Do I have to host my website in Switzerland?#

No law requires a Swiss data centre for every website. But hosting in Switzerland keeps the data close to your visitors and makes the data protection part of your privacy policy simpler.

What does the revFADP mean for my website?#

If your website collects personal data, for example through a contact form or a shop, the revFADP applies. Your privacy policy has to say, among other things, which data you collect and, if data is disclosed abroad, to which countries.

Is a Swiss .ch domain enough?#

A .ch domain says where you are, not where your data is. The hosting decides where your website and emails actually run.