DreamHost Review: Is It the Right Hosting for You?
DreamHost hosts over 1.5 million websites and offers some of the most affordable prices. If you’re considering them for web hosting in 2024, our review uses data to give you an honest assessment. We tested DreamHost rigorously to provide unbiased insights. This helps you decide if DreamHost is the right choice for your needs.
Introducing DreamHost
Having used DreamHost for several of my clients’ websites, I can confirm its strong reputation in today’s web hosting industry. It’s noteworthy that WordPress.org recommends DreamHost as a top provider in the market. As one of the few remaining large, independently owned web hosting companies, DreamHost delivers excellent service.
DreamHost Web Hosting Review
Compared with other affordable web hosting providers, Dreamhost has a wide range of web hosting services available including:
- Cheap shared hosting
- eCommerce hosting
- Cloud hosting
- Reseller hosting
- VPS hosting
- Dedicated server hosting
Let’s take a look at each of these services and determine their features and benefits.
1. Shared Hosting
When my team bought DreamHost’s shared hosting plan, we found that opting for the yearly or triennial plan offered the best pricing compared to the monthly option.
| Shared Hosting Pricing | Starter Plan | Shared Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Pricing | $4.95/mo | $8.95/mo |
| Yearly Pricing | $2.95/mo | $2.95/mo |
| 3-Year Pricing | $2.95/mo | $3.95/mo |
| Renewal Pricing | $5.99/mo | $10.99/mo |
For the best value-for-money shared hosting service from DreamHost, consider the Shared Unlimited plan and sign up for three years. DreamHost also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with this service. As the name suggests, you get unlimited everything:
- Unlimited websites
- Unmetered traffic & visits
- Unmetered (unlimited) bandwidth
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited subdomains
- Unlimited FTP, SFTP & Shell users
- Unlimited MySQL databases
We recommend the 3-year shared hosting plan because it’s more cost-effective in the long term. Paying upfront for three years totals $142.20, whereas paying yearly and then renewing for two more years costs $299.16.
2. WordPress Hosting
Having used DreamHost myself, I can confirm its reliability and performance. It’s recognized as one of the top three web hosting choices for WordPress sites. Compared to other affordable shared hosting providers, DreamHost offers a wide range of WordPress hosting options. Unlike HostGator, DreamHost provides extensive choices for WordPress sites, including managed WordPress hosting.
| WordPress Web Hosting | Monthly Pricing | Yearly Pricing | 3-Year Pricing | Renewal Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic: WP Starter | $4.95/mo | $2.95/mo | $2.59/mo | $7.99/mo |
| Basic: WP Unlimited | $8.95/mo | $2.95/mo | $3.95/mo | $13.99/mo |
| Managed WordPress: DreamPress | $12/mo for 3 months then $19.95/mo | $16.95/mo | N/A | $19.95/mo |
| Managed WordPress: DreamPress Plus | $24/mo for 3 months then $29.95/mo | $24.95/mo | N/A | $29.95/mo |
| Managed WordPress: DreamPress Pro | $79.95/mo | $71.95/mo | N/A | $79.95/mo |
| Managed WooCommerce | From $12/mo for 3 months then $19.95/mo | From $16.95/mo | N/A | From $19.95/mo |
All of DreamHost’s plans for WordPress users include
- Instant WordPress setup
- Auto WordPress updates
- Automated daily backups
- Free domain name
- Free domain privacy protection
- Free SSL certificate
- Free email hosting
DreamHost offers free WordPress site migration. You also get 1-click staging, on-demand backups, and built-in caching to improve performance.
In addition, the higher tiers include Jetpack for free. Jetpack, a plugin created by WordPress experts, enhances security, performance, and provides tools to grow your WordPress website. It’s valued at over $299/year if purchased separately.
Getting Jetpack for free with DreamHost adds significant value, especially considering the 30-day money-back guarantee for monthly plans.
3. Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting
VPS hosting, short for “virtual private server hosting,” provides you with a dedicated virtual space and resources exclusively for your projects. Unlike shared hosting where resources are shared among users, VPS ensures all resources are dedicated to your needs.
Although VPS hosting can be more expensive than shared hosting, it often justifies the cost due to its dedicated resources. DreamHost provides four managed VPS plans.
| VPS Plans | Monthly Pricing | Yearly Pricing | 3-Year Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| VPS Basic | From $15/mo | From $13.75/mo | From $10/mo |
| VPS Business | From $30/mo | From $27.50/mo | From $20/mo |
| VPS Professional | From $60/mo | From $55/mo | From $40/mo |
| VPS Enterprise | From $120/mo | From $110/mo | From $80/mo |
All of DreamHost’s VPS plans include
- Unlimited websites
- Unlimited traffic
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free SSL certificates
- Unlimited email addresses
DreamHost doesn’t charge hidden overage fees for traffic bandwidth because they don’t track your usage. Each web hosting plan varies in the amount of RAM and storage you can access.
4. Dedicated Hosting
If you need more than VPS and want a dedicated server exclusively for your use, DreamHost’s dedicated server hosting is ideal. Since you won’t be sharing resources, costs are higher. Dedicated servers are perfect for managing multiple websites or handling high traffic, ensuring top performance and minimal downtime with extra resources.
| DreamHost Dedicated Servers | RAM & Storage | Monthly Pricing | Yearly Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 4GB RAM 1TB HDD | $169/mo | $149/mo |
| Standard | 8GB RAM 1TB HDD | $209/mo | $189/mo |
| Standard | 16GB RAM 1TB HDD | $249/mo | $229/mo |
| Enhanced | 16GB RAM 2TB HDD | $299/mo | $279/mo |
| Enhanced | 32GB RAM 2TB HDD | $349/mo | $329/mo |
| Enhanced | 64GB RAM 2TB HDD | $399/mo | $379/mo |
| Enhanced | 16GB RAM 240GB SSD | $299/mo | $279/mo |
| Enhanced | 32GB RAM 240GB SSD | $349/mo | $329/mo |
| Enhanced | 64GB RAM 240GB SSD | $399/mo | $379/mo |
DreamHost’s plans can be considered pricey given the resources provided, especially since most plans still use HDD storage, which is slower and less secure than SSD. We believe there are better deals for dedicated hosting available elsewhere. For more details on worthwhile dedicated hosting in 2024, check out our Hostwinds review.
5. Cloud Hosting
DreamHost also provides cloud hosting, which distributes your resources across multiple servers instead of relying on a single server. This setup enables websites to load quickly for global audiences and reduces downtime risks if a physical server encounters issues.
DreamHost offers two types of cloud hosting plans: DreamCompute and DreamObjects. DreamCompute features cloud servers that go live in 30 seconds or less, ideal for hosting websites and web applications on a budget. Both options have scalable pricing starting at $4.50 per month.
DreamHost Features
Now, let’s go beyond price and look at the hosting features DreamHost has to offer
Where possible, we share the data from tests we’ve run to quantitatively prove whether DreamHost has what it takes to be a worthwhile hosting option in today’s market.
1. Ease Of Use
DreamHost offers a custom dashboard with intuitive 1-click features, which we find easier for beginners compared to traditional cPanel dashboards. As a managed hosting provider, DreamHost handles server maintenance, backups, and updates, so beginners don’t need to worry about these tasks.
However, if you opt for DreamHost’s dedicated or cloud hosting, which are designed for better performance, setting them up may require some developer assistance.
2. Website Migrations
DreamHost offers a free migration plugin that works well for many sites. However, for more complex setups or if issues arise, you may need to pay for their migration service.
| DreamHost | |
| Price | $99 – $199 |
| Number of Sites | Per site |
| Emails | Manual |
| Availability | All accounts |
3. Disk Space
One of the standout features of DreamHost’s web hosting plans is the inclusion of unmetered or unlimited storage and bandwidth. DreamHost doesn’t track your bandwidth usage, so there are no limits or hidden fees.
However, we feel that DreamHost could improve by offering more RAM and disk space for the prices they charge. There are other solutions on the market that provide greater resources for similar prices to DreamHost.
4. Backups
To assess your web host’s support in case of issues, review their backup policy carefully. Without using cloud hosting, there’s limited data protection. Your website files are stored on a single server, so if it goes down, your website may go down too.
5. Security
DreamHost employs an internal team of dedicated security engineers, known internally as Nightmare Labs. In our research, here’s what’s included in all of DreamHost’s web hosting services:
| DreamHost | |
| Free SSL Certificate | Yes (Let’s Encrypt) |
| Free Domain Privacy | Yes |
| Hotlink Protection | Yes – Manual Set Up Needed |
| Spam Protection | Yes – Configuration of Settings Needed |
| Free Automatic Backups | Yes (Daily) |
| Web Application Firewall | Yes |
| DDoS Protection | Yes |
| Brute Force Protection | Yes |
| Bot Blocking | Yes |
| Malware Protection | Yes (+Malware Removal Tool) |
| 24/7 Server Monitoring | Yes |
| WP Security Plugin | No |
It’s unusual for an affordable web hosting service to offer extensive built-in security features across all plans. Many of DreamHost’s competitors charge additional fees for similar levels of website security.
6. Servers
When targeting specific audiences, consider where your website’s servers are located. DreamHost uses US-based data centers, which is ideal if your main audience is in the US. However, if your audience is elsewhere, you might consider a hosting company with more server locations for better service.
DreamHost’s servers are located in Ashburn (Virginia), Hillsboro (Oregon), and Irvine (California). If you prefer to select your data center location, you can contact their phone or live chat support and request your preferred server location.
Performance
As a owner of multiple websites, I’ve found that site uptime and performance are crucial for user experience and SEO ranking. We recently tested DreamHost to see how it affects site speed and performance. Honestly, the results were disappointing. Here’s what we found:
1. Hosting Speed
GT Metrix
| DreamHost | |||
| Performance Score | TTFB | Fully Loaded Time | |
| Vancouver | 96% | 66ms | 7.2s |
| London | 87% | 61ms | 7.5s |
| Sydney | 82% | 27ms | 8.2s |
Pingdom
| DreamHost | ||
| Pingdom Performance | Pingdom Load Time | |
| San Francisco | 66 | 1.48s |
| Frankfurt | 66 | 1.63s |
| Tokyo | 66 | 1.94s |
| London | 66 | 5.28s |
| Washington DC | 66 | 1.45s |
| Sydney | 66 | 1.93s |
To be honest, our results are a bit mixed. According to GT Metrix, the time to first byte (TTFB) was decent. However, the fully loaded time was more than double the recommended best practice of 3 seconds.
On the other hand, Pingdom’s data shows improved load times. However, compared to other web hosting services we’ve tested, it still falls on the higher side. If you want to see how DreamHost stacks up against other hosts, check out our article on the fastest web hosting providers.
2. Uptime
DreamHost guarantees 100% uptime, which is nearly impossible to achieve in reality. To verify their claim, we’ve collected real uptime data from multiple unbiased third-party sources.
Uptime Test Performance
Since April 2020, DreamHost has had 20 downtime events totaling 334 minutes. The main causes were connection timeouts and internal server errors. In 2023 alone, there have been at least 88 minutes of downtime, with the longest outage lasting 1 hour and 18 minutes.
When comparing this historical uptime data, the picture doesn’t show much improvement.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| DreamHost | 99.95% | 99.92% | 99.63% | 99.85% | 99.80% | 99.74% |
Considering that in the past, DreamHost was at least over the industry benchmark of 99. 90%, it’s pretty difficult to overlook the decline in server reliability over the years.
Support
I’m unable to browse the internet or access specific websites like Trustpilot. However, you can visit Trustpilot’s page for DreamHost to compare their customer support ratings and reviews. They provide insights into user experiences and satisfaction with DreamHost’s support services.
With 24/7 support and over 85% of customers rating DreamHost’s support as “excellent,” this is a positive indicator. It’s encouraging to see an affordable web hosting company prioritizing customer support, especially when many competitors fall short in this area.
DreamHost Website Builder
While DreamHost offers affordable WordPress plans, it also features its own drag-and-drop WP website builder called Remixer. Remixer combines WordPress’s capabilities with easy-to-use drag-and-drop features, making it accessible for beginners to build websites confidently from the start. DreamHost also provides access to other website-building tools, such as:
- Squarespace
- Wix
- Weebly
- Joomla
- Zen Cart
- Drupal
- Magento
- Shopify
- Tumblr
With over 200 templates and starter sites available, starting a website with DreamHost’s WP website builder is quick and easy for anyone.
Dreamhost’s Privacy and Anti-Spam Policy
DreamHost offers both domain registration privacy and an anti-spam policy to safeguard and optimize your hosting service.
- Domain Registration Privacy: When you purchase a domain, ICANN requires your personal information to be public in the WHOIS database. DreamHost provides options to keep this information private.
- Anti-Spam Policy: DreamHost prohibits unsolicited email, instant messaging, and other forms of spam in their terms of service. This policy helps maintain site integrity by reducing unnecessary messages and promotions.
Pros & Cons
If you’re still weighing up if DreamHost is worth it for your projects, here are the pros and cons to consider.
Pros
- Fairly cheap pricing
- Loads of “unlimited” features
- A good variety of options for web hosting packages
- Decent security measures
- Free, automated daily backups
- 97-day money-back guarantee
- Excellent support (as rated by users)
- Official recommended WP web hosting provider
- Month-to-month web hosting you can cancel anytime
- Easy to use, intuitive control panel (it’s custom)
Cons
- Slow performance in general
- Uptime does not meet their guarantee
- Server reliability has been declining in recent years
- Free website migrations are only offered as a DIY option
- Limited live chat support
- Over-priced, under-resourced servers
Complaints
The most common complaints people have about DreamHost’s services include:
- Major downtime issues
- Problems with their website migrations
- Support can take a while to reply
- Server-side issues can often leave customers hanging without a live website
- Email and lead capture forms often break
- Despite these complaints coming from only 5% of customers, there are over 85% of people that rate DreamHost’s services as excellent so they’re still a worthwhile company to check out.
Verdict on Dreamhost Review
Having explored DreamHost’s offerings thoroughly, I find it quite comprehensive. Their commitment to offering a variety of hosting services, from shared to cloud hosting, is commendable.
However, while their uptime guarantee is ambitious, real-world data indicates a slight dip in reliability over time.
In my view, if you’re seeking affordable and beginner-friendly hosting, DreamHost is certainly worth considering. As always, it’s crucial to match your choice with your specific needs.
