DreamHost is an award-winning hosting company and one of WordPress.org’s officially recommended hosts. They offer domain registration and web hosting services, including managed WordPress hosting.
Whether you’re a new blogger or an established business, their platform has everything you need to grow your website.
In this detailed DreamHost review, we’ll put their promises to the test. For a comprehensive overview, we’ll look into the following areas:
- Performance
- Reliability
- Customer Support
- Features
- Pricing
DreamHost Pros and Cons
Let’s start with its pros and cons, and after that, we’ll cover the other topics.
DreamHost Pros
Affordable Pricing
Their prices throughout their hosting plans are competitive. Shared hosting plans beginning at $2.59 per month make them a budget site to run for individuals and small businesses.
Free Features
Several free features are complimentary for customers such as free SSL certificates, free domain name for the first year, and free WHOIS Privacy protection. Adding these features adds security and privacy without any extra costs.
User-Friendly Control Panel
DreamHost uses a custom control panel that is easy to use for beginners to manage their websites effectively.
Reliable Uptime
The company promises 100% uptime, meaning that the websites will always be available to their visitors. Maintaining an online presence is crucial, so this commitment is key.
Fast Loading Speeds
Solid state drives (SSDs) are used on DreamHost servers and help speed up the loading of websites. Faster load times can have a positive impact on search engine rankings.
Comprehensive Customer Support
Live chat and email support are available 24/7 to help whenever you need them. It is very good for the quick resolution of problems.
Generous Money-Back Guarantee
Shared hosting plans from DreamHost come with a 97-day money-back guarantee, giving users enough time to test drive the service without risk.
DreamHost Cons
Limited Data Center Locations
Data centres are mainly situated in the US, and users with a global audience may encounter latency problems due to the absence of international servers, which can cause loading time problems for visitors from other locations.
Custom Control Panel
Although DreamHost has a pretty user-friendly control panel, not all users are comfortable with using it instead of the usual cPanel, which may hinder their ability to perform hosting features.
Additional Costs for Features
The basic plans don’t include some of the more advanced features, like anti-malware tools, and you’ll need to pay extra each month.
Email Hosting Not Included in Basic Plan
By default, the Shared Starter plan doesn’t include email hosting, so you’ll need to pay an additional fee per mailbox, so it may be worth considering if your business depends on branded email addresses.
No Phone Support
DreamHost doesn’t provide direct phone support, a turnoff for people who like immediate face-to-face verbal communication to solve problems.
Paid Site Migrations
Unlike some competing hosts, DreamHost charges a fee for moving your existing website to its platform, which would be a turn-off for users who want to switch hosts without spending more money.
DreamHost Performance Tests
Website owners who want reliability and speed need to evaluate the performance of a web hosting provider. The key performance metrics include speed test, stress test, and response time.
Speed Test
Website loading speed greatly affects user experience and also SEO [search engine optimization]. Speed tests show that DreamHost is one of the fastest hosting providers.
Its average fully loaded time was 1.1 seconds, which is well within the recommended 2.5-second threshold.
Moreover, the hosting service showed a Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) time of 0.73 seconds, which means that the primary website content loads efficiently. DreamHost’s positioning as a solid option for speed means this.
Stress Test
The stress test aims to evaluate whether a hosting service can withstand high traffic volumes. We simulated traffic with multiple virtual users and tested DreamHost under various loads.
- The response times averaged 1.5 seconds with 25 virtual users accessing the site simultaneously, and there were no significant delays.
- During high activity, the server experienced uneven response times, peaking at over 2.8 seconds, when the number of virtual users was increased to 50.
- Stability improved when the load was reduced back to 25 users, showing that DreamHost is well equipped for handling light traffic, but may not be able to handle spikes in traffic.
Based on these results, if you have a normal site then DreamHost is fine, but if you have a high-traffic site then you should scale or look at alternative providers.
Response Time Test
Server response time is the time taken by a server to respond to a user’s request. An average server response time of 238 milliseconds on DreamHost was incredibly good, far below the industry average of 600 milliseconds.
Response times averaged 342 milliseconds in a week-long testing period with little variation.
But in some cases, when the traffic is higher or the content delivery is more complex, the response time exceeds 3 seconds and is variable under heavy load.
This may be so, but most users will still find that response times are fast and consistent, and DreamHost is a good choice for small to medium-sized websites.
Website Uptime Test
Website uptime is one of the most important metrics that tell you how reliable a hosting provider is. The uptime guarantee from DreamHost is 100% — they promise to keep websites up at all times. DreamHost had 100% uptime, and 99.95% reachability — meaning the site was available to visitors all the time — during a month-long testing period.
But DreamHost averaged 98.4% uptime over a longer monitoring period, which means it occasionally, though minimally, went down.
DreamHost Features
DreamHost is a well-established web hosting provider known for its robust features and user-friendly services. Here’s an overview of its key offerings:
- Domain Registration: DreamHost is transparent and affordable when it comes to domain registration, with .com domains starting from $8.99 per year, and no additional costs. It comes with free privacy features and the option to hide all the details as soon as you sign up.
- Email Hosting: Email hosting is also provided by DreamHost with 25GB of space per mailbox, spam, virus, and phishing protection. The Shared Starter plan is the most elementary one that offers unlimited email hosting, but for $1.67 per month extra per address.
- Website Management Tools: Apart from a file manager, a staging site, auto-HTTPS, and SSL certificates, DreamHost offers migration tools. But there are some options like staging sites and fast NGINX hosting which are available but will be applicable only if you upgrade from shared hosting plans or pay extra.
- Professional Services: DreamHost provides additional services that include custom web design, marketing, site management, and web development for people who require some assistance. Extra charges apply to these services.
DreamHost Pricing and Plans
DreamHost has several hosting plans to suit all needs and budgets. Here’s an overview of their primary hosting options and associated DreamHost pricing:
Shared Hosting Plans
If you are looking for an affordable and reliable hosting solution for individuals and small businesses, then DreamHost’s Shared Hosting plans are for you.
- Shared Starter: This plan costs $2.95 per month (introductory rate) and hosts one website with 50GB SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth. It comes with a free domain name during the first year, a free SSL certificate, daily backups and a 97-day money-back guarantee. The price renews at $7.99 per month.
- Shared Unlimited: This plan costs $2.95 per month (introductory rate) and includes unlimited websites, unlimited SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth. Additionally, it includes a free domain name for the first year, a free SSL certificate, daily backups and a 97-day money-back guarantee. The renewal pricing is $13.99 per month.
Cloud Hosting Plans
DreamHost’s Cloud Hosting plans are designed for scalability and flexibility:
- Cloud Starter: This plan at $99 per month has 1 hosted domain, 5GB SSD disk space and 100GB premium bandwidth. It provides free SSL certificates, 99.95% uptime SLA and 1000 Mbit uplink.
- Cloud Business: This plan is priced at $179 per month with 5 hosted domains, 10GB SSD disk space and 250GB premium bandwidth. It also comes with Free SSL certificates, a 99.95% Uptime Service Level Agreement and a 1000 Mbit uplink.
- Cloud Enterprise: This plan costs $259 per month and includes 10 hosted domains, 25GB SSD disk space and 500GB premium bandwidth. Free SSL certificates, 1000 Mbit uplink, 99.95% uptime service level agreement.
VPS Hosting Plans
For websites requiring more resources and control, DreamHost provides Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting:
- VPS Business: Starting at $15 per month (billed annually), this plan includes 2GB RAM, 60GB SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth. It comes with a free SSL certificate and 24/7 customer support. Renewal pricing is $37.99 per month.
- VPS Professional: Priced at $30 per month (billed annually), this plan offers 4GB RAM, 120GB SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth. It includes a free SSL certificate and 24/7 customer support. Renewal pricing is $69.99 per month.
- VPS Enterprise: At $60 per month (billed annually), this plan provides 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth. It comes with a free SSL certificate and 24/7 customer support. Renewal pricing is $137.99 per month.
- VPS Premier: For $90 per month (billed annually), this plan includes 12GB RAM, 360GB SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth. It offers a free SSL certificate and 24/7 customer support. Renewal pricing is $169.99 per month.
Dedicated Hosting Plans
DreamHost offers the following Dedicated Hosting options:
- Dedicated Server: This plan costs $149 per month and includes a dedicated server, in which one gets to choose some features of the service. It has a free SSL certificate, unlimited customer support service, and full root access to the server.
This is the DreamHost pricing for all its available plans.
DreamHost Support and Customer Service
DreamHost has an email support system available for round-the-clock support through a ticketing system. It is possible to open a support request right from your account with DreamHost, from the main panel.
They also provide 24/7 Live Chat support through the panel. As an extra service, there is a possibility to order a callback option. Customers can also use extensive tutorials and troubleshooting articles that are available in the knowledge base.
Several DreamHost reviews talk about the quality of their support and some of them complained because they could not get phone support at any time of the day. Although there can be simple questions that can be answered via live chat or phone call, the support team can ask the users to open a ticket for some issues.
Intermediate and advanced users would find their support resources and articles quite useful while handling some of the basic hosting problems. Forums are not reliable since any information posted there can be fake; that is why Dreamhost stopped using this option in 2022.
Conclusion
Finally, after going through the entire DreamHost review, you may be wondering if DreamHost is the right web host for you. After analyzing the services offered by DreamHost, we gave them the title of the “Best DIY Hosting For WordPress.”
DreamHost is known for its speed and reliability of hosting services. They have been awarded many times and their customer satisfaction is off the roof. But they may not be the right choice if you need a lot of help getting started.
Their customer support may be a little slower, but the support quality is great. For DIY users looking for cheap prices and a 99.99% uptime guarantee while comfortable with using a knowledge base, we suggest going with DreamHost.
DreamHost FAQs
Q. Is DreamHost a good company?
Yes, DreamHost is a well-regarded web hosting provider known for reliability and good customer support.
Q. Which is better, DreamHost or GoDaddy?
It depends on your needs; DreamHost is usually faster and has better customer support, while GoDaddy is used for domain registration.
Q. Is DreamHost safe to use?
Yes, DreamHost is secure, it has SSL certificates, strong encryption and great security measures in place.
Q. Which is better, DreamHost or Bluehost?
As for the easy-to-use service, Bluehost is preferred by many people, while DreamHost is preferred by users who are familiar with the service and the possibilities of its work.
Q. Why is my DreamHost so slow?
Slow performance can be due to factors like insufficient resources, high traffic, or poor optimization of your website.
Q. Who owns DreamHost owned by?
DreamHost is privately owned and managed by New Dream Network, LLC.
Q. How much is DreamHost monthly?
DreamHost’s shared hosting plans start at around $2.59 per month, with prices varying by service.
Q. How much does DreamHost cost?
Prices for DreamHost hosting plans start from approximately $2.59 per month, depending on the plan and features.
Q. Which is better, DreamHost or HostGator?
DreamHost is more suitable for flexibility and customer support, while HostGator is more popular due to its cheap prices and simplicity.
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