DreamHost is a well-established and widely recognized hosting provider with a primary focus on shared hosting and WordPress. It also offers VPS and private server hosting solutions for larger projects. Being a well-established host, DreamHost receives widespread recommendations, mostly positive, highlighting its affordable prices, generous resources, good performance, and strong security. In this review, we will thoroughly examine DreamHost’s features, performance, available hosting plans, and more to verify the validity of these claims. For a quick summary, refer to the end of this article.
If you are in a hurry, you can find a summary of the review at the end of this article.
Table of Contents
- Review Summary
- Pricing
- Hosting Plans and Pricing
- Performance
- Security
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Final Thoughts
DreamHost Review Summary
Rating: 4.4 stars
Price: Prices start at $2.59/month
Uptime: >99.99%
Hosting types: Shared, VPS, cloud, managed WordPress, and dedicated server
Server locations: The US
Support: Live chat (5:30 AM – 9:30 PM PT), phone support, and 24/7 email tickets
Coupons: DreamHost coupon 79% OFF
DreamHost Pricing
DreamHost offers competitive pricing, starting at $2.59 per month for shared hosting. Other hosting options include DreamPress managed WordPress, VPS, and dedicated servers for larger websites.
Hosting Type: Best for
- Shared web hosting: Starting a website. Affordable and easy-to-use hosting.
- DreamPress hosting: Managed WordPress platform with dedicated server resources, great for online stores.
- VPS hosting: High-performance hosting if you have technical skills.
- Cloud hosting: Web-based application hosting. Affordable and highly powerful.
- Dedicated hosting: Advanced projects. Provides the highest level of resources and server control.
DreamHost Hosting Plans and Pricing
DreamHost offers various hosting plans to cater to different website needs. The Starter plan, priced at $2.59/month, is suitable for personal websites, while the Unlimited plan, priced at $3.95/month, is ideal for individuals and small businesses. Both plans include free domain registration, domain privacy, SSL, content delivery network, unmetered bandwidth, and daily backups.
| Plan | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 website limit and 50 GB of SSD storage. Best for a single personal website – blog, portfolio, or company services. | $2.59/month |
| Unlimited | Unlimited websites, free email hosting, and unlimited storage. Great for individuals, small businesses, and small online stores. | $3.95/month |
These shared hosting prices are highly competitive, especially the Unlimited plan, which offers extensive features at an affordable rate.
Please note that the prices mentioned above are for the 36-month billing period. For the best value, choose the Starter plan for 3 years at $2.59/month. Alternatively, the annual plan rate is also favorable.
One important thing to consider is that different billing cycles renew at different monthly rates. Therefore, it’s essential to review the pricing details before making a purchase.
Performance
DreamHost stands out in terms of performance. It offers a 100% uptime guarantee and consistently delivers >99.99% uptime, exceeding expectations. In terms of speed, DreamHost loads both light and heavy pages quickly, with an average server response time of 231ms, which is well below the industry average of around 600ms.
In performance testing, DreamHost has demonstrated reliability with minimal downtime and impressive loading speeds. For example, a blank WordPress site loaded the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) in just over 0.8 seconds in the US. While speed may vary in other locations, DreamHost consistently meets the benchmark for fast loading times.
DreamHost’s servers are located in the US, which makes it an ideal choice for audiences in North America but less convenient for users in other continents. Overall, DreamHost’s performance is commendable, offering reliability, speed, and the ability to handle varying levels of traffic.
Security
DreamHost prioritizes security by providing essential and advanced security measures across all hosting plans. These include SSL certificates, web application firewalls, daily backups, and domain privacy protection.
Free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates are included to ensure a secure connection between browsers and servers. The web application firewall comes with custom rules to filter traffic and protect against attacks and bots. DreamHost also offers automated daily backups, storing them for up to two weeks.
While most security features are included at no additional cost, it’s worth noting that DreamHost’s malware removal tool, DreamShield Malware Remover, is a paid service priced at $29.99 per year or $3 monthly. However, there are alternative third-party options available for malware protection.
In summary, DreamHost takes security seriously, providing a comprehensive set of security measures free of charge, with the exception of the optional malware removal tool.
Ease of Use
DreamHost offers an intuitive and user-friendly hosting management experience, particularly for WordPress hosting users. While it supports hosting for other applications, WordPress users benefit from features designed specifically for them. The setup process is effortless, allowing users to install WordPress with just one click.
The custom-built control panel provides easy access to essential features. After the initial setup, users can manage additional domains, subdomains, and install new instances of WordPress. The control panel also provides access to webmail, FTP, and SSH for more advanced users.
Whether you choose the Boldgrid Website Builder or Remixer, DreamHost offers two website builders for easy website creation. Both builders provide customization options and intuitive interfaces, allowing users to create professional and responsive websites without requiring extensive web development skills.
In conclusion, DreamHost is known for its user-friendly hosting management, particularly for WordPress users. The setup process is straightforward, and the control panel offers easy access to essential features.
Customer Support
DreamHost provides multiple channels for customer support, including live chat (available from 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM PT), phone support, and 24/7 email tickets. Additionally, users can access the extensive knowledge base and community forum for self-help and additional resources.
The knowledge base is comprehensive, offering tutorials and explanations for various topics. The community forum, while active, may not receive as frequent responses. Support requests can be submitted through tickets, which offer quick and efficient assistance.
It’s worth noting that phone support is a paid option, costing $9.95 for a single call back or $14.95/month for three monthly calls. This pricing may be considered relatively expensive compared to other support options.
In summary, DreamHost provides multiple support channels, although live chat is not available 24/7, and phone support is a paid option. However, the knowledge base and ticket support are reliable sources of assistance.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I highly recommend DreamHost as a reliable hosting service, particularly for WordPress users. It offers competitive pricing, excellent performance, robust security measures, user-friendly management interfaces, and a range of customer support options.
DreamHost is an ideal choice for beginners, as well as small business websites. The pricing is affordable, the setup process is easy, and the performance and security features exceed expectations. DreamHost offers great value for the provided features and resources, making it a top contender in the hosting industry.
Authors Bio: Jonathan Mitchell is a tech enthusiast and experienced reviewer with a strong focus on technology, web hosting, and various other categories. With his extensive knowledge and expertise, he provides comprehensive and honest reviews on a wide range of tech products and services. From smartphones, smart home devices, consumer electronics, and web hosting platforms to online learning platforms, education, online music courses, online retailers, and marketing strategies, Jonathan covers a diverse range of topics. His goal is to simplify complex tech concepts and deliver unbiased recommendations, helping readers make informed decisions.
