Dreamhost vs HostGator: Which Web Host is Best in 2022?

DreamHost vs HostGator 2022 | Which One Is Best for You?

So you’re looking for a hosting service and have reduced your options down to two of the industry’s top brands – DreamHost and HostGator. It’s a huge decision, but we’re here to help make it a bit simpler. In this comparison, we’ll pit these hosting titans against one other so you may compare all they have to offer.

HostGator is the best choice for:

Users that like to have as little downtime as possible
Those seeking a variety of assistance alternatives
Users seeking a robust feature set on the most affordable options

DreamHost is best suited for:

Users on a tight budget
WordPress users seeking high-quality WordPress hosting
Users who require a lengthy trial time to evaluate a supplier

We’ve put these two through their paces, extensively investigating and testing them. After hours of research, we suggest HostGator as the superior of the two. It’s an excellent all-arounder, taking second place in our overall rankings with a score of 93 percent – far ahead of DreamHost, which is ranked 12th with a score of 70 percent.

Don’t just take our word for it; we’ll show you exactly how we arrived at this conclusion in this post. We’ll compare HostGator vs DreamHost, delving into their value for money, overall features, simplicity of usage, and more, so you can make your own judgement and confidently choose the best one for you.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pros and Cons of HostGator

Pros of HostGator

• Simplicity of Use

HostGator provides a well-rounded hosting solution that appeals to a wide range of consumers rather than just one sort.

• Ensured Uptime

Because of its 99.99 percent uptime guarantee, you won’t have to worry about visitors being unable to access your site for extended periods of time.

• Characteristics

Even on its most basic plans, HostGator provides limitless storage. It also includes free email marketing tools from Constant Contact.

• Customer Service

You can get crucial help via its live chat and phone lines, as well as its fantastic Knowledge Base, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cons of HostGator

• There is no free domain.

It does not provide a free domain with all plans, therefore you will only receive one with specific packages.

• High cost

Its plans are more expensive than DreamHost’s.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pros and Cons of DREAMHOST

Pros of DREAMHOST

• WordPress Suitability

DreamHost offers outstanding WordPress features like as pre-installation and free domain transfers.

• Reasonably priced hosting

It provides affordable entry-level shared hosting options starting at $2.59 per month (introductory price).

• Money-back Promise

A generous 97-day money-back guarantee allows you to explore the platform before determining if it’s appropriate for you.

Cons of DreamHost

• Few Support Options

There is no phone number to call if you want assistance; instead, you must arrange a call back.

• Guaranteed Average Uptime

Its uptime promise of 99.95 percent isn’t as spectacular as HostGator’s.

1) Usability

HostGator vs. DreamHost: Ease of Use – HostGator Wins

HostGator’s cPanel interface is logical, and if you get confused, the Knowledge Base is a gold mine with materials or specific lessons to assist you out.

-Process of Onboarding

HostGator and DreamHost both offer a rather simple onboarding procedure. Although HostGator does not offer a domain name as a free bonus with all of its yearly packages, you can easily combine an existing domain or purchase a new one during the registration process. This means you won’t have to switch between websites when getting set up.

The same can be stated about DreamHost, however unlike its competition, if you choose an annual plan (rather than a monthly one), you’ll receive a free domain name as an added bonus. This is only applicable for the first year, but it’s a nice alternative if you’re wanting to save a few dollars and don’t mind the long-term plan.

-Creating (and Maintaining) Your Website

Both of these companies make it simple to set up and manage a website. HostGator has a marketplace where you can install programmes like WordPress, Weebly, and G-Suite with a single click, allowing you to be up and running in minutes. Its Knowledge Base is also a true treasure trove of helpful hints, tips, and lessons. If you get stuck, you’ll quickly locate a resource to assist you out.

HostGator’s Knowledge Base contains articles and lessons on a variety of topics to assist you get out of any jams you might find yourself in.

Whereas HostGator aims to meet the demands of all users, DreamHost focuses on WordPress as its preferred partner. It comes pre-installed with WordPress, which saves you time and effort. You’ll still have to go through the same processes to get started as you did with HostGator, but you’ll have saved a few seconds.

HostGator, like other major hosting companies, employs a cPanel interface. If you’ve previously hosted a site, this will be familiar to you, and you’ll be able to jump right back in without having to figure out where everything is. Even if you’re unfamiliar with this type of interface, its current design makes it simple to use.

DreamHost, on the other hand, employs a custom-built dashboard. This is still quite basic and straightforward to use, but it may take some getting used to, especially if you’ve previously used a cPanel. However, after you’ve gotten used to the layout, it should be a piece of cake.

2) Characteristics

HostGator vs. DreamHost: Features – HostGator Wins

HostGator provides large limitless storage, free email addresses, and gratis email marketing. However, it only gives a free domain with certain packages, whereas DreamHost offers it with all of its yearly plans.

DreamHost Hosting Types

Shared – prices start at $2.59 per month.
WordPress – prices start at $12 per month.
VPS – prices start at $10 per month.
Dedicated Hosting – prices begin at $149 per month.
Cloud hosting costs as little as $4.50 per month.

Types of HostGator Hosting

Shared – prices start at $2.75 per month.
WordPress – prices start at $5.95 per month.
VPS – prices start at $29.95 per month.
Dedicated Hosting – Prices begin at $89.98 per month.
Cloud hosting costs as little as $4.95 per month.

The plans on sale appear to be pretty similar at first sight. On the yearly plan, both HostGator and DreamHost provide a free name as well as unmetered bandwidth and a free SSL certificate. However, there are some important distinctions and a few additions that distinguish them.

For example, HostGator’s most basic shared plan includes unlimited storage and unlimited free email addresses. This is quite unusual, and is normally only available with more premium packages. DreamHost only offers 50GB of storage space, and you must pay to add email accounts to your subscription.

Furthermore, HostGator distinguishes out for the free email marketing solution it offers through Constant Contact. Email is one of the most cost-effective and dependable marketing strategies available, providing a tried-and-true means of creating a devoted subscriber base. The fact that HostGator provides everything for free is a significant selling feature, especially given the high cost of obtaining your own software.

Attention: HostGator’s free domain offer

HostGator is currently giving you a free domain when you buy a Cloud, Shared, or Optimized WordPress hosting package. To be eligible for this deal, you must have a domain ending in.biz,.club,.co,.com,.host,.info,.me,.net,.online,.org,.site,.space,.store,.tech, or.website.

What about more elaborate plans?

Compare HostGator vs DreamHost’s VPS and Dedicated hosting options below.

VPS Hosting Advantages

HostGator VPS Hosting DreamHost VPS Hosting

RAM is 1 GB.
SSD storage of 30 GB
Unmetered bandwidth
Dedicated IP addresses – two
Email addresses are limitless.

VPS Hosting by HostGator

RAM is 2 GB.
120 GB SSD storage
Unmetered bandwidth
Dedicated IP addresses – two
vCPU with two cores
Email addresses are limitless.

Features of Dedicated Hosting

DreamHost Dedicated Hosting

Intel Xeon 4 core/ 8 thread CPU
Linux or Windows compatibility
RAM is 4 GB.
1 TB HDD for storage
Unmetered bandwidth
Email addresses are limitless.
DDoS mitigation

Dedicated Hosting from HostGator

Intel Xeon 2 core/ 8 thread CPU
Linux or Windows compatibility
RAM is 8 GB.
1 TB HDD for storage
Unmetered bandwidth
Email addresses are limitless.
Full or partial management
DDoS mitigation

It’s also worth noting that, while DreamHost and HostGator both provide five distinct types of hosting, inside each of them are different packages that are gradually more expensive but also offer more features.

Except for the WordPress plans, which are divided into DreamPress, DreamPress Plus, and DreamPress Pro, the DreamHost plans are divided into’starter’ and ‘unlimited’ packages.

HostGator provides Hatchling, Baby, and Business plans for each hosting type.

3) Pricing and Return on Investment

HostGator vs. DreamHost: Pricing and Value for Money – HostGator Wins

HostGator is more costly than DreamHost, but it boasts a slew of fantastic features and unrivalled uptime, making it an excellent bargain.

The starting pricing for HostGator is $2.75 per month, however the renewal fees start at $6.95 per month.

The introductory costs for DreamHost begin at $2.59 per month, however the renewal prices begin at $5.99 per month.

You’ll discover that introductory pricing are prevalent regardless of the hosting service you pick. These are deals that allow you to pay less for your first term. When your package expires and you need to renew it, you must pay the standard cost.

All HostGator and DreamHost plans are available on a monthly, annual, or three-year basis. Surprisingly, the longer you commit, the less you must pay each month. You’ll still have to pay the whole sum up front, but it’ll be less expensive in the long term.

We believe that three years is a long time to commit to a single hosting provider and, despite the savings, we do not suggest it. We recommend starting with one year and then committing to a longer duration when your renewal comes up.

Which is the better value for money, HostGator or DreamHost?

On the surface, it appears like DreamHost is the less expensive option, but is it the greatest value? Actually, it isn’t. In our analysis, DreamHost received a 3 out of 5 for value for money, whereas HostGator received a 3.9 out of 5.

Despite being more expensive, the services provided by HostGator make the extra cost worthwhile. It also offers the best uptime guarantee of any service on the market, and its customer assistance makes it a completely dependable alternative.

4) Efficiency and security

HostGator vs. DreamHost: Performance and Security – HostGator Wins

HostGator offers a higher uptime guarantee than DreamHost and includes an SSL certificate as well as weekly backups.

Visit DreamHost by clicking here: CLICK HERE

Uptime

Although it is difficult to attain 100 percent uptime, HostGator gets close. It’s the finest on the market, with a 99.99 percent uptime guarantee that blows DreamHost out of the water.

To put this into perspective, HostGator’s guarantee implies that you will have less than an hour of downtime every year. This is a key selling factor for most organisations, but especially for ecommerce stores where downtime means lost revenue.

DreamHost, on the other hand, has an average uptime of 99.95 percent. This may not appear to be much less, but in terms of real-life downtime, the difference is significant. It equates to 4.5 hours each year while your website is inaccessible to your visitors.

DreamHost

Guaranteed Uptime
99%
Downtime Throughout the Year
4h 22min 58sec
Downtime every week
5 minutes 2 seconds

HostGator

Guaranteed Uptime
99%
Downtime Throughout the Year
52:35s
Downtime every week
1 minute 0 seconds

Security

DreamHost and HostGator both provide SSL certificates in their plans, as well as protection against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. This occurs when the server is inundated with a large number of bogus traffic, preventing your regular visitors from accessing the website.

In addition, DreamHost offers free domain privacy to secure your personal information, as well as daily backups to keep your site data safe in the event of an emergency.

Although HostGator provides backups, they are only done every a week, so if a mistake occurs in between, you risk losing your most recent modifications. To be on the safe side, we recommend that you perform manual backups every day.

That’s good to know…

Your website, like any software, will require updates from time to time, especially if the platform you use launches a new, improved version. DreamHost will automatically execute WordPress updates for you, however HostGator would require you to do so manually. You may, however, use programmes like Softaculous that will automate the updates for you.

Added Benefits

DreamHost and HostGator both provide sophisticated protection in the form of DreamShield and SiteLock Essentials. However, you will have to pay for these benefits, which will be added to your total plan when you register.

We advocate investing on them, regardless of supplier, especially if you run an ecommerce company. When dealing with card payments, the extra expense is well worth it, and both are fantastic for keeping your site safe and secure. Prices for DreamShield begin at $3 per month, while SiteLock begins at $1.49 per month.

5) Domain and Website Migration

DreamHost vs. HostGator: Domain and Website Migration – HostGator Wins

Both DreamHost and HostGator provide free migration services with restrictions – anything outside of these parameters will cost you. However, DreamHost would charge you to move your domain, whereas HostGator gives one free domain migration.

Having the ability to switch hosting providers is essential, just as you shouldn’t constantly remain with the same gas or electric supplier. And the simpler it is to accomplish, the better. So, how do DreamHost and HostGator do in this regard?

HostGator provides a certain amount of free transfers according on your plan, however these are only available for 30 days after enrollment. If you are outside of this time frame or have already utilised your free transfer, you must contact HostGator for a quote if you want them to execute it for you. You may also do it by hand, but it will take some time.

DreamHost, too, provides free transfers, but exclusively for WordPress sites. If you use another CMS, you’ll have to do everything manually. This is simple enough, but if this is your first transfer, it might feel pretty difficult. To assist you, we’ve created a quick step-by-step tutorial on how to migrate website hosting.

Domain Migration

HostGator provides one free domain migration with your hosting plan and transfers the domain via Launchpad. This is only applicable to.com,.net, and.org domains.

You’ll need to go through a few processes before moving your domain, such as unlocking your domain with your former registrar. If you’re not sure where to begin, consult our article on how to transfer your domain name for assistance.

It is much easier to migrate your domain with DreamHost, but it is not free. Transfer charges begin at $9.95, unless your plan still includes a free registration transfer. Everything may be done from the DreamHost panel once you’ve chosen the proper one and contacted your existing registrar. When the transfer is complete, you should receive an email.

6) Assistance and Support

HostGator vs. DreamHost: Help and Support – HostGator wins

HostGator provides comprehensive customer assistance, and its Knowledge Base is second to none, providing a library of solutions at your fingertips.

DreamHost HostGator
The Knowledge Center is a place where you can learn about a variety of topics.
Live Chat is a service that allows you to communicate with other people in real time.
Live Chat X is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
(Only call backs)
Phone X is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Purchasing Tickets

HostGator received a flawless 5 out of 5 for customer assistance during our study process. It offers a live chat and phone support that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Furthermore, its Knowledge Base has tutorials and how-tos on practically every topic, as well as a search option that allows you to quickly locate answers to your specific inquiries.

The Knowledge Base at HostGator is an essential resource for navigating the world of hosting, including tutorials and step-by-step directions.

Although this appears to be rather excellent on the surface, we were disappointed when we put HostGator’s live chat to the test. Their responses were not always as swift as we would have wanted, and it didn’t always appear that their operators fully understood HostGator’s offerings. However, its Knowledge Base comes to the rescue – you can utilise it to fill in any gaps left by the live chat.

DreamHost also provides a live chat service seven days a week, however it is only available between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Pacific time. This may be fairly restrictive if you encounter problems outside of this time, however DreamHost, like HostGator, provides a Knowledge Base where you may utilise the search tool to find solutions to your problems.

You should utilise HostGator regardless of package if you want a dependable and high-quality service. You can’t beat HostGator’s 99.99 percent uptime guarantee and attentive customer care. Although its plans are more expensive than DreamHost’s, they are fantastic value and provide superb features even on the most basic ones.

Who should make use of DreamHost?

DreamHost is ideal if you use WordPress or are on a tight budget and want decent shared hosting at a low cost. It’s a good alternative for beginners, especially if you’re not used to a cPanel dashboard and don’t mind learning how to utilise DreamHost’s custom-built management interface.