Is your web hosting causing you sleepless nights? Check out our in-depth evaluation of DreamHost to see whether or not it is the service provider that will best allow you to relax.
At this time, DreamHost is hosting over 1.5 million websites all around the world. It is well-known for providing an abundant amount of storage space as well as providing every possible kind of web hosting service.
You can feel confident that DreamHost offers a plan that will meet your requirements, regardless of whether you require shared, VPS, dedicated, or cloud hosting for your website. The actual question, though, is whether or not these proposals are any good.
Now, let us to respond to that question.
We at Website Builder Expert are not just dedicated to assisting you in getting your business online; rather, we want to ensure that once you are online, you have the best opportunity to be successful. Because of this, we conduct impartial research on a diverse selection of web hosting services.
Because we want to provide you with recommendations that are tailored specifically to meet your requirements, the research team that we have on staff has been putting in long hours analysing the many hosting services that are now available on the market.
You can get an idea of what we thought of DreamHost by looking at its overall rating as well as how it performed in a number of important categories, which are as follows:
Dreamhost Review -- Ease Of Use
Getting started with DreamHost for your website hosting is simple. However, before we can get into that, you are going to have to determine the kind of hosting service that best fits your needs.
This is highly dependent on the kind of your website and the specifications that it requires. Sharing a hosting space is an option that will work well for most personal websites and new businesses. Hosting on a virtual private server (VPS) is something that more established organisations would want to look into, while a dedicated hosting package is what an enterprise-level firm will require.
When you have determined what kind of web hosting you require, signing up for a plan with DreamHost is a piece of cake.
You will first be shown a list of supplementary items that are completely discretionary. At this point, you have the option of incorporating additional services into your subscription, such as acquiring a domain name, upgrading your security, and hosting your email.
You will be able to access the DreamHost dashboard once you are satisfied with the service and your money has been completed. DreamHost, in contrast to the majority of other big hosting companies, does not employ a cPanel interface.
DreamHost, on the other hand, has its own own user interface that was built in-house and is intuitive and quick to respond.
If you are used to working off of a cPanel, it will take some time for you to become accustomed to the new interface. However, because to the abundance of available courses, the learning curve is not overly steep.
DreamHost Review -- Reliability and Performance
The percentage of a system’s uptime is a figure that is frequently discussed. Simply said, it refers to the period of time that your website is live and operational on the internet.
But what really is a satisfactory level of uptime? Isn’t a score of 99.99 percent just as impressive as a score of 99.00 percent? And why can not a single service boast an uptime of one hundred percent? Because all of these queries need answers, kindly let us to elaborate.
The vast majority of web hosting providers provide an uptime of at least 99.9%. For this one and only reason, anything less than that is considered to be substandard. Due to the inherent characteristics of the internet, it is physically impossible for any provider to boast an uptime of 100 percent.
DreamHost promises that the websites it hosts will be available online 99.95% of the time. That means that, on a yearly basis, your website will, on average, be accessible online and functioning properly for all but four and a half hours. That works up to around five minutes each and every week.
Even while this is not in any way a negative aspect, there are other service providers out there that can give even more reliable uptime. For instance, HostGator boasts the highest uptime of any service provider that we’ve evaluated, clocking in at a perfect 99.99 percent.
To put that into perspective, over the course of a single year, websites that are hosted by HostGator see an average downtime of less than one hour.
Uptimes provided by DreamHost are completely sufficient, but they are not the finest available on the market. I believe that’s what we’re trying to express here.
The amount of downtime that may occur when using DreamHost is not really a concern unless you are powering anything that is of critical necessity, such as a voting website.
DreamHost review -- Types of Hosting
Many people have an inaccurate perception of DreamHost as being a “jack of all crafts.” It is reported that despite the fact that it offers shared, VPS, dedicated, WordPress, and cloud hosting, it does not excel in any of these areas while covering all of the major types of hosting.
Well, the results of our impartial testing made it abundantly evident very quickly that in point of fact, DreamHost does in fact provide first-rate shared hosting and first-rate shared WordPress hosting.
It also has its very own website builder, which is an online tool that assists those who are not computer savvy in creating their very own website; however, more on that topic will be discussed later.
Following this, we will go through each type of hosting that DreamHost offers in order to provide you with a concise summary of what to anticipate from our services.
DreamHost Shared Hosting
Best for personal sites and startups
The shared hosting solution provided by DreamHost really performed admirably. In addition to this, its standard beginning price is far lower than that of any other top-rated supplier.
DreamHost VPS Hosting
Best for SMEs
DreamHost Dedicated Hosting
Best for large businesses
DreamHost is not known for its expertise in dedicated hosting. In point of fact, it’s a really significant area for improvement. Its prices are comparable to those of competitors, but it does not provide any characteristics that are unique to itself, which makes its attraction a little less alluring.
DreamHost WordPress Hosting
Best for WordPress websites
Both shared and managed hosting options are available for WordPress Websites. It is true that DreamHost is a tale of two halves because while its shared WordPress hosting service is one of the best available, its managed plans are very unimpressive. DreamHost’s shared WordPress hosting service is one of the best on the market.
DreamHost Cloud Hosting
Best for growing websites
Cloud hosting is possibly DreamHost’s most serious shortcoming. The most significant issue is that you are unable to personalise your plan in order to adjust the resource restrictions in accordance with your preferences.
DreamHost Review -- Features
The features that are included with each of DreamHost’s pricing tiers are, for the most part, identical to one another, although there are some exceptions. This is dependent on two factors: the kind of hosting service that you use and the level of the price plan that you are currently on.
We’ve broken down some of DreamHost’s most important features and discussed what they are and what you receive with each plan in order to make things simpler for you.
Backups and Domain Name
No matter what hosting plan you’re subscribed to with DreamHost, you’ll always receive free daily backups of your website. This is a fantastic feature that provides you with a lot of peace of mind in the event that something goes wrong.
Even if you decide that you do need to buy a domain name, the first year of that purchase is likewise free. In order to be eligible for this, you will need to register a domain with one of the following extensions:.com,.org,.club,.net, or.info.
SSL Security Certificate
Protecting the personal information of your site’s visitors is easier with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate. People will see a little padlock icon next to your URL. This emblem lets visitors know that your website is secure and that they may explore it without worry.
It is also helpful for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), as Google tends to penalise insecure websites in the search results ranks. Every website that is hosted on DreamHost is given a complimentary SSL certificate.
Bandwidth
Every DreamHost plan includes unmetered transfer since the company does not monitor its customers’ bandwidth use or traffic levels. This indicates that there is theoretically no limit to the bandwidth.
The fact that you do not have to worry about reaching your bandwidth limit is a wonderful perk, but if your website has a sudden surge in visitors, you should be aware that this might cause additional problems.
RAM
The information pertaining to your website is kept on the server in a format known as Random Access Memory, or RAM for short. More random access memory (RAM) is necessary to store and load your website if it is larger.
You might anticipate RAM constraints anywhere from 512 megabytes to 16 gigabytes if you go with a cloud hosting subscription. This, however, increases to between 4 and 64 gigabytes per month with a dedicated hosting package.
To put those RAM restrictions for dedicated hosting into perspective for you, they are on par with those of the very finest providers now available. However, the RAM restrictions for cloud hosting are about what one would expect.
One-Click Installs and Automated Updates
These time-saving capabilities are exclusive to websites built with the WordPress content management system. With the help of one-click installations, you’ll be able to link your DreamHost account to your WordPress website with only a single click of the mouse.
DreamHost will also automatically monitor any software upgrades that WordPress may release, so you won’t have to worry about ensuring that your installation is always up to date. However, the same cannot be said for WordPress plugins; thus, you will be responsible for managing those on your own.
DreamHot Review -- Customer Support
DreamHost provides customer assistance through a variety of channels, including call backs, live chat, tickets, discussion forums, and its own help centre. You are unable to get in touch with DreamHost on the telephone, but there are so many other methods that you may receive assistance that this is not really an issue.
The live chat assistance is accessible seven days a week, starting at 5:30 am Pacific time and going until 9:30 pm. You have the option of speaking with support personnel that is fluent in Spanish if English is not your first language.
A word of caution: in the event that DreamHost is overloaded with help queries, waiting periods may be rather long. On the other hand, the majority of the time, a response will be sent to you within a couple of minutes at the most.
You must first identify a problem before putting it forward as a ticket for the system to operate properly. After that, the support experts at DreamHost may look into your problem and provide a response. You won’t need to waste time continually scrolling the page in order to see whether someone has answered to your ticket since you’ll be notified when someone does.
You may search for any questions using the online help centre provided by DreamHost. It works in a similar manner as when you type a question into Google.
You may learn how to perform certain activities with the assistance of specialised help articles and tutorials that come loaded with information that can be of benefit to you. This should generally be your initial point of contact in order to prevent cluttering up the live chat requests and to save some time for both you and yourself!
Every single one of our clients receives the exact same degree of assistance and support. It’s excellent if you’re on a low-cost hosting plan, but it’s bothersome because even if you pay a bit more, you won’t be treated as a priority despite the fact that you’re paying more.
The overall support service isn’t as good as the one offered by, instance, A2 Hosting, which puts its employees through intensive training to guarantee that they provide the highest possible level of assistance, but it’s more than fair and shouldn’t give you any difficulties.
DreamHost Pricing Review 2022
When it comes to web hosting, shared hosting is the cheapest option, whereas DreamHost’s most expensive options are dedicated hosting.
Knowing that the more time you put into your hosting plan, the less expensive it will be is essential. Hosting fees are an example of an example where paying upfront for a year’s worth of expenses is more cost-effective than paying monthly. Think of it as a reward for your devotion.
With this in mind, we’ve included the monthly cost of each plan, as well as how much money you may save if you sign up for an extended period of time.
Shared Hosting Prices
VPS Hosting Prices
Dedicated Hosting Price
Cloud Hosting Prices
DreamHost Review -- Other Services
Although DreamHost might not be the top provider in terms of total features, it can make a strong case for being the host that offers the most.
In addition to providing five distinct types of hosting, you have the option of purchasing any one of these three additional services.
Domain
If you do not already have a domain name, it is in your best interest to acquire one through DreamHost if you do not already have one. In this way, everything is consolidated into a single location, and you won’t have to be concerned about receiving invoices from a wide variety of sources.
Email Hosting
DreamHost is also capable of hosting an organization’s email accounts. If you choose a plan that is more advanced than their most basic shared hosting package, you will have access to an unlimited number of email accounts that you may connect to your domain. For instance, if your domain was websitebuilderexpert.com, you might make it possible for users to your website to reach you by email by creating addresses such as help@websitebuilderexpert.com.
Website Builder
Are you just getting started and don’t even yet have a website that you need to host? Not an issue. Using DreamHost’s very own DIY website builder, Remixer, you can construct and personalise your very own website. You have access to a plethora of professionally crafted templates that you can use as a basis for your work, and the editor makes it simple even for people without much experience with technology.
There are two payment options available for Remixer: the Standard plan (which costs $4.95 per month) and the All Access plan (which costs $7.95 per month). Both options cover the price of hosting your website, come with a free domain name and offer assistance around the clock, and are designed for mobile use. Should you find that you need more flexibility in the future, you may even export your site to WordPress.
DreamHost Review -- Pros & Cons
PROS
CONS
DreamHost Review -- Our Recommendation
There are some glaring advantages and disadvantages to using DreamHost. Despite this, it is only getting better because to the ever-growing client base of 1.5 million people.
DreamHost is a sleeping giant, both in terms of its brand and its service. There is still more work to be done before it can be regarded on par with other web hosting companies like as HostGator and InMotion.
Anyone who need a low-cost web hosting package but does not want to significantly reduce the quality of their service will find DreamHost to be an excellent option. Its shared hosting solution, both for WordPress and in general, is among the very finest on the market. This is true whether you use WordPress or not.
It also comes with a 97-day money back guarantee, which means that if you aren’t happy with the service, you can get all of your money back within the first three months even if you’ve already paid for it. Why not take the first step toward making your idea a reality and give DreamHost a try?
DreamHost Review -- FAQs
Can DreamHost be used for free?
DreamHost provides free shared hosting for non-profit organisations. Nonprofits can also take advantage of additional savings on VPS hosting options. All else must settle for $2.59 per month as the lowest possible price.
Which DreamHost service is the best?
Based on our own testing and research, DreamHost is the finest shared hosting service. Even without a discount, it’s the cheapest non-discounted pricing from a top-rated service provider. With one-click WordPress installations and automatic WordPress software upgrades, its WordPress hosting isn’t too awful either.
What are the best alternatives to DreamHost?
It’s safe to say that Bluehost is the greatest web host out there. For WordPress hosting, Bluehost is the best option, and it’s an excellent value for the money as well. Other well-known service providers are HostGator and InMotion. InMotion focuses on shared and VPS hosting, whereas HostGator features a top-notch dedicated hosting plan.
