Established in 1996, Dreamhost has cemented its legacy as a pioneer in the web hosting industry. Today, it proudly powers over 1.5 million websites, blogs, and applications, with a comprehensive range of services that include shared, VPS, dedicated, Cloud, and WordPress hosting plans.
As a hosting review expert/website owner myself, it made sense I reviewed Dreamhost – one of the most popular hosting providers in the world. Dreamhost is known for its speed and reliability, and over 1.5 million domains trust them. In the rest of this piece, I’ll share my thoughts on the host’s pricing, overall features, performance, ease of use, and support.
DreamHost delivers on its promise of comprehensive hosting solutions. Their basic shared plans are packed with value-added features that ensure optimal performance and user convenience. Customers receive a free SSL certificate and domain, the advantage of SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and SSH access. Furthermore, the pre-installed WordPress, automated migrations, and the Dreamhost custom control panel streamline the hosting experience, making it both robust and user-friendly.
Reviews across various platforms highlight the trust that users place in Dreamhost. On HostAdvice, they boast a commendable score of 4.3 based on 290 reviews. Trustpilot mirrors this positive sentiment, giving them an impressive 4.7 from a whopping 4664reviews. Additionally, their dedication to service quality and customer satisfaction is underscored by an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
DreamHost has demonstrated unwavering commitment and excellence in web hosting, making them a top pick for both novices and seasoned webmasters seeking dependable hosting solutions.
DreamHost
Dreamhost is a reliable hosting company amid a sea of them. With unmatched service since 1996, they ensure your website has top-tier functionality and reliable performance. Explore Dreamhost and maximize your online presence.
Offers other website and marketing-specific services
Cons
Not the best support – limited time
Not privately owned
Storage is not the best on the market
Rating Breakdown
With the huge number of hosting providers on the market, it’s important that we have a standardized way to compare them. At HostAdvice, we created a hosting provider rating methodology to do just that.
So irrespective of the kind of hosting or features a particular provider offers, our methodology evaluates every important factor and scores each host based on how they perform.
Parameter
Score
Why we gave this score
PRICES
9.5
Dreamhost offers hosting plans that are pretty affordable compared to other providers and a rather unusual 97-day money-back guarantee. I gave them a 9.5 because you can choose to commit to monthly, 1-year, or 3-year billing packages.
FEATURES
9.0
Vast hosting kinds, CloudFlare-compatibility, SSD servers, free domain and SSL, pre-installed apps and WordPress, a custom control panel, and other features make Dreamhost feature-heavy. I’d give them a 9.0 because some addons are not free.
PERFORMANCE
8.0
300 ms response time, 99.9% uptime, SSD servers and storage, and great load times make the host among the high performers. I’d give them a 8.0 because there are still faster hosts.
USER FRIENDLINESS
9.0
Beginner-friendly Dreamhost control panel, intuitive UI, and 1-click installs make the host very user friendly. I’d give them a 9.5 because the custom control panel makes them very easy to use.
SUPPORT
8.5
Live chat, ticketing, phone support, discussion forums, and a vast knowledgebase. However, I’d give them a 8.5 because most of these are only available for existing customers.
Dreamhost Prices & Plans – 2023
Dreamhost offers shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud and WordPress plans (managed and unmanaged). They also offer email hosting, a website builder, and a unique suite of pro services – web design, marketing, management etc.
On most of their plans, Dreamhost offers a remarkable 97-day money back guarantee – enough time to decide if you like their services and the right to cancel anytime.
And when you finally decide to commit to Dreamhost, you can pay via a credit card, debit card or Paypal.
Dreamhost’s unlimited shared plan is the most recommended as you get everything from the ‘starter’ plus unlimited websites to host and unlimited storage… for the same price range.
TipTip: Dreamhost’s shared hosting plans are best for websites that don’t get a lot of traffic – new or entry-level websites. They give you the most resources on a budget. Note that the prices specified are for Dreamhost’s 1-year packages.
I’d personally recommend Dreamhost’s VPS business plans if you’re just getting started with VPS hosting. 60 GB SSD storage and unmetered bandwidth at $27.50/month.
TipTip: Dreamhost’s VPS plans are ideal for businesses that experience traffic spikes and need scalable resources – fluctuating server demand. These VPS plans allow you to quickly increase or decrease the resources you need.
I personally recommend Dreamhost’s standard dedicated hosting plan if you’re just getting started with dedicated resources. You get 1 TB HDD, uncapped bandwidth, and 4 GB RAM in an Intel Xeon 4-Core 8-Thread.
Dreamhost offers three pricing tiers each under its standard and enhanced dedicated plans charged based on the amount of RAM you get.
For standard:
4 GB RAM – 1 TB HDD storage – $149
8 GB RAM – 1 TB HDD storage – $189
16 GB RAM – 1 TB HDD storage – $229
For enhanced:
16 GB RAM – 2 TB HDD – $279
32 GB RAM – 2 TB HDD – $339
64 GB RAM – 2 TB HDD – $379
16 GB RAM – 240 GB SSD – $279
32 GB RAM – 240 GB SSD – $329
64 GB RAM – 240 GB SSD – $379
TipTip: Dreamhost’s dedicated hosting plans are best for businesses that get a lot of traffic and hence experience high data demand. Businesses that also handle sensitive data – e.g: customer payment methods, etc.
Dreamhost’s entry level and most affordable WordPress plans. I’d recommend the enhanced that gives you unmetered storage and bandwidth for the same price as the most basic.
TipTip: Entry-level WordPress plans best for new websites or domains that handle little traffic.
Features
Free domain and SSL
1-click installs
97-day money back guarantee
Unmetered bandwidth and storage
Custom control panel
Dreamhost has some rather special features but among all these, the most prominent is probably its customized control panel – Dreamhost does not offer cPanel but rather, a custom-built control panel for user friendliness. Dreamhost also offers a remarkable 97-day money back guarantee on its plans.
Dreamhost also offering VPS-powered WordPress plans is not something you see everyday.
DreamHost
Dreamhost is a reliable hosting company amid a sea of them. With unmatched service since 1996, they ensure your website has top-tier functionality and reliable performance. Explore Dreamhost and maximize your online presence.
If you’re considering hosting your website on Dreamhost, it’s important that you know how well your website will perform – as a result of how the host’s servers perform.
Some important performance metrics to measure are the host’s server response time, uptime, and fully loaded time.
The quicker the host’s servers respond when a user visits your website, the quicker your web pages will load and be available to the user. This will mean longer engagement times, less bounce, and more conversions for you.
As a standard, Google recommends a fully loaded time between 1-2s. 99.9% uptime has become the industry’s standard and Dreamhost assures you of that.
To measure their server performance, I tested metrostyle.com – a domain hosted on Dreamhost – on GTMetrix and these were the results:
The server response time averaged around 250 ms and had a fully loaded time of 2.1s. The host also had a very impressive overall performance of 99%:
DreamHost
Dreamhost is a reliable hosting company amid a sea of them. With unmatched service since 1996, they ensure your website has top-tier functionality and reliable performance. Explore Dreamhost and maximize your online presence.
To talk to a real person, you will have to be a paid customer, otherwise you only have a bot at your disposal.
While they have their place, their replies will of course be rigid. Via the bot chat, you can also create a support ticket and email thread to an agent who’ll respond in less than 24 hours.
Phone support
Phone support is also only available for paid customers.
Discussion forums
For some reason, Dreamhost’s discussion forums redirect to knowledgebase page. My guess is they’re also available only when you’re a paid customer and can be accessed via the control panel.
Knowledgebase
Dreamhost has a well-stacked knowledgebase and help desk equipped with a search engine to give you a library of answers to whatever questions you may have about their packages, how-tos, etc.:
User-Friendliness – Ease of use
Registration
Registering on Dreamhost is as simple as buying one of their plans. Using their shared plans as an example, simply click the ‘Get started’ and then ‘Sign up now’.
The chat portal seems connected with real humans (when you’re about to pay lol).
You’ll be asked whether you want to register a new domain, have an existing domain, or will get to that later:
You can also choose how you want to pay – monthly, yearly, or triennially.
Next, you’ll be asked to fill in your details – payment details (card or Paypal), billing info, your account info (name and email), and whether you want to add extra features like email and Dreamhost protection.
Proceed to checkout and you have your account ready!
DreamHost Control Panel
Dreamhost doesn’t support cPanel – they made it super clear. Instead, they offer a custom-built control panel. From here, you can manage your domains, mail, FTP & SSH, Support and much more!
So there’s no separate panel for the more technical stuff. Everything can be controlled from one dashboard, making the host incredibly intuitive.
Installing WordPress on Dreamhost
Dreamhost’s WordPress plans come with WordPress pre-installed and what’s more? You get automatic WordPress updates, free auto WordPress migrations, and the WP website builder.
Also, Dreamhost offers a 1-click WordPress installer, however, to use it, your website must be fully hosted on Dreamhost – i.e not parked, mirrored, redirected, or DNS only.
To install WordPress in the WordPress panel, click ‘Install WordPress’ then ‘Learn more and install’. Fill in the ‘install to’, ‘select database’, ‘deluxe install’, and then add the ‘WP website builder’.
Click ‘Install it for me now’.
Add an email account with Dreamhost
Do note that Dreamhost’s shared starter plan doesn’t include email and you’ll have to pay for it separately. However, on the shared unlimited and every other plan, you get unlimited emails.
To add an email to your domain on Dreamhost, in the panel, click ‘Manage emails’. Click ‘Create new email address’ and then fill in the details:
Choose an address, mailbox name, password (pick or auto-generate), set disk storage, choose whether you want daily warnings… and voila! Your email is ready.
Conclusion: Do We Recommend Dreamhost?
Dreamhost is indeed a great host with several unique features in its offering – a 97-day guarantee, VPS plans specifically for WordPress, and cPanel-free user interface that makes it especially great for hosting newbies.
So, do I recommend Dreamhost? I do. My only qualms with them is their support could be much better. No live chat or phone support unless you’re a paid customer. If you’ll be needing a lot of help, they may not be the best choice for you as their contact hours are limited.
Asides from those, I like how their plans are straight to the point when compared to other hosting providers on the market.
DreamHost
Dreamhost is a reliable hosting company amid a sea of them. With unmatched service since 1996, they ensure your website has top-tier functionality and reliable performance. Explore Dreamhost and maximize your online presence.
Great service for novice webmaster, just what our small NFP veterans' association needed.
WordPress migrated our small, low-traffic WordPress site from another host without problems. Support has been prompt and patient with an old retired Marine dragooned into serving as Webmaster. Price is right, too, since our only revenue source is donations from members.
User interface was worst. Had an upload issue where php memory needs change. Ticket was replied 3 days after. And they did something saying ssl not activated and every files of website gone. ENTURE INSTALLATION AND MY WORK VANISHED. Terrible and WORST experience. Even GODADDY will feel better than them . That is how much terrible their experience is.
lo estafan a uno, con la opcion que ellos tienes de autopago, ni siquiera le avisan a uno, ellos mismos la colocan. compre un paquete por 35 dolares un año, y al año me debitaron, primero sin avisar y segundo con un valor mucho mas alto, por 155 dolares. estafadores!!!
This company enables stolen archive material to hosted via their platform to wordpress.
This company enables stolen archive material to hosted via their platform to wordpress. They make very hard to deal direct with them, then use legal disclaimers to not take any responsibility of what there members do. Then they back that up with take legal action then they will deal with it. I would love to do but don't have the funds. They have no moral sense or duty because they don't have to. Am dismissed because I don't have the finances to beat down their protective wall. Even though I have proof they still don't want to know. My complaint has fallen on, we are not interested.
Unreliable Mail server super slow My website is down
Obvious problem with mail servers emails take hours or even days to arrive into mail box and It is not getting any better. Today, November 23, 2021 my website crashed in the morning and It was down for 12 hours.
DreamHost is a website hosting that has recently misled users and by following its invented (often dishonest) rules, it removes important files from the customer's account - from the server - that are part of the domain infrastructure.
DreamHost has been added to the world DBA database with the status "red", ie untrusted and unreliable, which means that this service provider is not recommended and you should rather avoid using this hosting. O-CAI also warns users on its website: o-cai.com
In the details of the entry, we can read: "The user amy.lokmart@gmail.com via the O-CAI Organization purchased the homesfilms.com domain from the dreamHost operator with the server for $ 189 for 3 years. Running a film production project at Homesfilms.com. for a year, various materials were introduced, including 637 .mp4 files, which were to support work and learning on the film production process. After exceeding 1TB of disk space, a special dreamHost algorithm removed 637 files. The user amy.lokmart@gmail.com saw no further sense The development team removed the remaining materials from the account and transferred the domain to another host. DreamHost officially claims that its servers are unlimited, but if you exceed 1TB, it transfers your files to the DreamObjects service and orders you to pay extra, telling everyone that they are backups. DreamHost does not respect someone else's work [...] "
The amy.lokmart@gmail.com user statement says: "You cannot upload .mp4, .mp3, .jpg, .gif, .zip, .rar and other files to the DreamHost server, because if you take up too much space, they will delete everything. This is the worst hosting I've ever used. I really don't recommend using dreamHost. You should really think seriously before anyone wants to use dreamHost. There is no absolute contact from dreamHost. -mail responds the robot - then there are superficial responses as if someone prepared them earlier for a commercial recurring mailing. DreamHost is not honest, because it does not give back all the money - I paid for 3 years, and I used 1 year hosting and I did not receive any refund, for example part of the money, they only return the extra money paid to the account at a later date. If someone intends to use dreamHost, let them know that they will lose TIME AND MONEY, and time is money lust ".
O-CAI tried to contact dreamHost at support@dreamhost.com, but unfortunately all incoming messages are deleted because you are not a customer.
Been with them 3-4 days because of their "100% uptime". Their entire network has been constantly down for almost TWO DAYS. My uptime monitor reports total completely down over the last 2 days of almost FOUR hours. Including for an HOUR last night. Dreamhost is completely unsympathetic that my business is losing money, and has been sending out "gee we're sorry. It will probably be fixed soon" emails. I've been in many hosters, and Dreamhost is the worst by far. I now have to find another hoster, and move my site AGAIN because their service has been pathetic and unreliable. Run as fast and as far as you can from Dreamhost. A completely unreliable and dysfunctional provider.
ADDED: It's now the THIRD day my website is going down. A hoster with unresolved DNS problems taking down my site. This is the most unreliable service I've ever been 9n, and all I've gotten from Dreamhost is "our techs are working on it. Meanwhile, I lose money and clients, and they dont seem to care at all.
Great service for novice webmaster, just what our small NFP veterans' association needed.
WordPress migrated our small, low-traffic WordPress site from another host without problems. Support has been prompt and patient with an old retired Marine dragooned into serving as Webmaster. Price is right, too, since our only revenue source is donations from members.
Servidores sobrecargados, lentos y muy mal rendimiento
Desde que migramos el sitio a DreamHost, tenemos problemas de mucha lentitud y errores de timeout en nuestro sitio web. Los servidores usan software desactualizado y tienen cargas realmente muy altas. Es evidente que están muy sobrecargados. Pésimo rendimiento y velocidad.
La carga en estos momentos: 4 users, load average: 42.73, 38.82, 33.18
Will the cost of the hosting plan increase at renewal?
Every DreamHost plans price increases when you renew it.
Does DreamHost offer Windows VPS hosting?
No, DreamHost doesn’t have Windows VPS hosting options. Their VPS plans use Linux.
Does DreamHost offer an uptime guarantee?
DreamHost guarantees 100% uptime with every DreamHost plan. And if you experience any downtime, you receive compensation equal to the cost of one day’s hosting, up to a maximum of 10% of your total hosting cost.
How can I purchase a domain name at DreamHost?
Buying a domain name with DreamHost is easy. You can use their domain search tool to buy your desired domain name.
Can I contact customer support even if I’m not a current customer?
Yes, you can. You can visit DreamHost’s support page and select Sales. Or, you can contact them through their ticketing system.
What are some good Dreamhost alternatives?
Some good Dreamhost alternatives are A2 Hosting, Namecheap, BlueHost, SiteGround, and Hostgator.
Is Dreamhost fast?
Dreamhost has decent speeds but is actually not the fastest host on the market. Other hosts like A2 Hosting, SiteGround, Hostinger boast faster server response times.
Is Dreamhost the same as BlueHost?
No. Dreamhost and BlueHost are two different hosts. Both offer similar services – shared, VPS, dedicated and WordPress hosting but overall, Dreamhost offers more features out-of-the-box than BlueHost.
HostAdvice.com provides professional web hosting reviews fully independent of any other entity. Our reviews are unbiased, honest, and apply the same evaluation standards to all those reviewed.While monetary compensation is received from a few of the companies listed on this site, compensation of services and products have no influence on the direction or conclusions of our reviews. Nor does the compensation influence our rankings for certain host companies.This compensation covers account purchasing costs, testing costs and royalties paid to reviewers.
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