Once you decide to run server-side Google Tag Manager for your Shopify store, you need somewhere to host the server container. For most stores, the choice comes down to two managed hosts: Addingwell and Stape. I have set up stores on both. For most European Shopify brands I work with, my recommendation is Addingwell, and this guide explains why, and when Stape is the better fit.
Prices and features change often, so check each provider’s current pricing page before you sign up.
What a server-side GTM host does
A server-side GTM container is a small application that receives events from your store and forwards them to GA4, Google Ads, Meta, TikTok and others. Google provides the software, but you have to run it somewhere. You can run it yourself on Google Cloud, or use a managed host that handles servers, scaling, your custom subdomain (for example data.yourstore.com) and updates.
Both Addingwell and Stape are managed hosts. Your GTM container stays yours, and you can move it from one host to the other later.
Addingwell: built for European stores
- EU hosting by default. A French company with server containers hosted in the EU, which makes GDPR discussions with your legal team or DPO much simpler.
- Support that helps you set up. Support and documentation in French and English, with help during onboarding rather than a ticket queue alone.
- Cookie restoration included. Addingwell restores the first-party cookies that Safari and other browsers shorten, so returning visitors are still recognized and their purchases stay attributed to the right campaign.
- Easier to use. The interface is designed so a marketing team can follow what is happening without being a GTM expert.
- Monitoring built in. A clear interface that shows your event volumes and the health of your server tags, so you notice when a tag starts failing instead of finding out weeks later in your ad results.
- Predictable pricing. Plans based on the number of requests, with entry plans in the tens of euros per month.
Stape: a toolbox for technical teams
- The largest specialist host for server-side GTM, used by many agencies worldwide.
- Server locations in several regions, including the EU and the US.
- Pricing based on the number of requests, with a free tier for testing.
- A large toolbox of add-ons (“power-ups”), such as loading the GTM web script from your own domain or extending cookie lifetime. Powerful, but each one has to be chosen and configured, which suits developers and tracking specialists more than marketing teams.
- A Shopify app that sends store events and order data to your server container.
- Support mainly in English, with a large self-service documentation.
Side by side
| Addingwell | Stape | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | European stores and marketing teams that want a simple, supported setup | Technical teams and international stores that want a toolbox |
| Cookie restoration | Included | Available as a power-up to configure |
| Hosting | EU by default | Several regions; choose EU yourself |
| Support | French and English, onboarding help | English, mostly self-service |
| Monitoring | Built-in tag health and event volumes | Logs and analytics |
| Ease of use | Easier: built for marketing teams | More technical: many options to configure |
| Pricing model | By requests | By requests, free tier |
| Add-ons | Focused on essentials | Many power-ups |
| Shopify integration | Dedicated Shopify app | Dedicated Shopify app |
Why I usually recommend Addingwell
Your data stays in Europe without extra thought
For a French or European Shopify brand, having tracking data processed in the EU is the simplest answer to GDPR questions. With Addingwell, it’s the default. With Stape, it is possible too, but you need to choose the right region when you create the container.
Returning visitors stay recognized
Safari and other browsers shorten the life of tracking cookies, so a customer who comes back after a week can look like a new visitor, and the sale loses its link to the ad that brought them. Addingwell’s cookie restoration keeps those cookies alive, which protects attribution in Google Ads and Meta without extra configuration.
Easier for the people who use it
Most Shopify brands don’t have a tracking engineer in-house. Addingwell is easier to use day to day: your marketing team can see that events are flowing and spot a problem without opening GTM. Stape gives more control, but it is a toolbox, and it rewards people who know exactly which tool they need.
Problems get noticed early
Server-side tracking fails quietly: a tag stops sending, and nothing looks broken on the store. Addingwell’s monitoring makes these drops visible in its interface, which is exactly what you want when nobody on your team checks the container every week.
Your team can talk to a human, in French
When your marketing team needs help with the container, explaining a tracking problem in your own language to someone who helps you fix it saves real time. For French brands, that support is a strong advantage.
The price difference is small
Stape’s entry plans are cheaper, and its free tier is useful for testing. But for a typical Shopify store, the difference is a few euros a month, small compared with the cost of the setup and the value of reliable data.
When Stape is the better choice
- You sell mainly outside Europe and want servers close to your customers in the US or elsewhere.
- You have a technical team or developer who wants to pick and configure each tool in Stape’s toolbox, such as serving the GTM script from your own domain.
- You work with an international agency that already runs all its clients on Stape.
- You want a free tier to experiment before committing.
What about Google Cloud?
You can host the container yourself on Google Cloud Run. It gives full control and can be cheaper at very high volumes, but you manage scaling, logging, updates and the custom domain yourself. For most Shopify stores, a managed host is cheaper once you count the time saved.
My recommendation
- French or European Shopify store, run by a marketing team: Addingwell. Easier to use, cookie restoration included, EU hosting, built-in monitoring and support that helps you, for a price close to Stape’s.
- Technical team, or store selling mainly outside Europe: Stape, for its toolbox and worldwide regions.
- Very high traffic and an in-house data team: consider Google Cloud.
Whichever you choose, the hosting is the easy part. What makes the data reliable is the setup inside the container: clean events, deduplication and consent. My Professional Shopify tracking package includes the full server-side setup, on Addingwell by default or on Stape if you prefer, with the hosting billed directly to you. Read Shopify server-side tracking for what it fixes, or book a free 30-minute call to choose together.