DreamHost has been in business for more than 20 years today. It is a full service host that offers plans suitable for a variety of needs from shared hosting to VPS, cloud, and dedicated servers. Features are unremarkable but the company is one of the very few recommended by WordPress.org.
Good for: Beginners-friendly, Budget, or Adult Website Hosting
Website: https://www.dreamhost.com/
What We Think About DreamHost Hosting
DreamHost Pros
- Reliable server uptime performance
- Daily backup included in all shared hosting plans
- 97-day Money back guarantee
- Extensive knowledgebase
DreamHost Cons
- Price increase during the renewal
- Live chat support can be better
- Server location in the United States only
- No free site migration
DreamHost – Our Experiences & Findings
| Performance | DreamHost offers very limited performance optimization in their shared hosting plans. For better speed features, such as NGINX hosting and built-in caching, you will have to go with their more expensive Managed WordPress Hosting plans.
The company publishes their server and network service status publicly, click here to visit. |
| Security | DreamHost is suitable for those with basic security needs, but may not be the best fit for websites requiring robust, high-level security solutions. While they include essential tools like advanced web application firewall (WAF), free SSL, daily backup, and other basic server features, we think there is still room for improvement in this security. |
| Supports | Customer support at DreamHost has room for improvement, with some users experiencing longer response times and less personalized assistance. You can reach out to their support team via phone, live chat, and email. |
| Value for Money? | DreamHost is very cheap when weighed against its feature offerings and long-term cost. At $2.95 per month (renews at $6.99/mo), basic shared hosting allows you to host 1 website with 24/7 customer support, a free domain name, daily backup, and 97-days money back guarantee. Higher plans with better features like VPS starts at $13.75/mo, cloud hosting at $4.5/mo and dedicated hosting at $149/mo. |
| What Other Users Think? | Overall, users are happy with Dreamhost server performance and pricing. The company also receives high praise for its email support, which is quick and efficient according to some long-term customers. However, some users are disappointed that phone support is not free, as sometimes it’s better to talk to someone directly. |
| Suitable for Newbies? | Users who are new to website hosting can benefit from DreamHost’s extensive knowledge base and 97-day money back guarantee. The long wait time with their live chat support and limited choices in server location can be a turn off though. |
| Suitable for Small Business? | Yes and no. On one hand, DreamHost’s affordable pricing and reliable hosting performance are great for businesses looking for a cost-efficient hosting solutions. On the other hand, limited choice in server locations and poor live chat support are hard to look pass. |
| Suitable for Web Developers? | No, there isn’t many features that benefit web developers at DreamHost. We do not recommend them for hosting complex web projects. |
| Onboarding | The onboarding process at DreamHost is straight forward and smooth. Making payment will trigger their system to send you your account details. This will contain all the information you need to get started with them. |
Learn more, visit DreamHost online.
DreamHost Plans & Pricing
DreamHost offers various hosting solutions, including Shared, VPS, Dedicated, and Cloud hosting plans. Additionally, the company also provides specialty hosting services, such as Managed WordPress, Adult Websites, Email, and Minecraft hosting.
When evaluating your options, it’s crucial to remember that many hosting companies offer substantial discounts during the initial signup period, but the pricing often increases significantly upon renewal. You should thoroughly research and compare the renewal prices, not just the introductory rates, to understand the true cost of hosting over an extended period.
To help you make a more informed decision, we have prepared two tables below which compare the initial signup and subsequent renewal costs of DreamHost services with several other providers that we actively monitor.
Review DreamHost Signup Price
| Web Host | Shared | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud | WordPress | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DreamHost | $2.95 – 2.95/mo | $13.75 – 110.00/mo | $149.00 – 399.00/mo | $4.50 – 48.00/mo | $16.95 – 71.95/mo | $ – /mo |
| WP Engine | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $35.00 – 675.00/mo | $15.00 – 145.00/mo | $ – /mo |
| Hostens | $1.00 – 4.00/mo | $5.25 – 21.00/mo | $49.99 – 89.99/mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $13.13 – 52.50/mo |
| Hostinger | $2.49 – 8.99/mo | $5.99 – 17.99/mo | $ – /mo | $8.99 – 29.99/mo | $2.49 – 8.99/mo | $ – /mo |
| BlueHost | $2.95 – 13.95/mo | $29.99 – 69.99/mo | $89.98 – 139.99/mo | $ – /mo | $2.95 – 13.95/mo | $ – /mo |
| Vice Temple | $3.75 – 44.00/mo | $28.00 – 418.00/mo | $165.00 – 2420.00/mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo |
Review DreamHost Renewal Price
| Web Host | Shared | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud | WordPress | Windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DreamHost | $6.99 – 12.99/mo | $15.99 – 114.99/mo | $149.00 – 399.00/mo | $4.50 – 48.00/mo | $16.95 – 71.95/mo | $ – /mo |
| WP Engine | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $35.00 – 675.00/mo | $30.00 – 145.00/mo | $ – /mo |
| Hostens | $4.00 – 16.00/mo | $7.50 – 30.00/mo | $49.99 – 89.99/mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $18.75 – 75.00/mo |
| Hostinger | $11.99 – 24.99/mo | $13.99 – 49.99/mo | $ – /mo | $24.99 – 64.99/mo | $11.99 – 24.99/mo | $ – /mo |
| BlueHost | $11.99 – 28.99/mo | $79.99 – 142.99/mo | $179.99 – 259.99/mo | $ – /mo | $11.99 – 28.99/mo | $ – /mo |
| Vice Temple | $3.75 – 44.00/mo | $28.00 – 418.00/mo | $165.00 – 2420.00/mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo | $ – /mo |
Bottomline: Is DreamHost Right for You?
DreamHost falls short in areas such as live chat support quality and the limitation of server locations to the United States. Additionally, the absence of free site migration and a price increase upon renewal are turnoffs. Despite these issues, DreamHost’s long-standing reputation and its generous 97-day money-back guarantee make it a considerable choice​​.
