In this comparison, I look at how Namecheap and DreamHost compare in terms of cost, simplicity of use, performance, security, and customer service.
Namecheap and DreamHost used to provide complimentary services, with Namecheap selling domains and DreamHost providing hosting. Two distinct providers providing two distinct services. It makes perfect sense.
But that was before Namecheap entered the hosting market.
They now both provide beginner-friendly hosting at reasonable pricing. What about their present dynamic? It is, after all, more competitive than complimentary.
So, how do one compare to the other in terms of hosting services? That’s what our Nahttps://lite.bz/DzF0hmecheap vs DreamHost comparison will reveal. Let’s get started.
Namecheap vs Dreamhost -- Overview
Namecheap and DreamHost both provide reasonably priced and readily manageable shared hosting services. While Namecheap primarily focuses on providing some of the lowest costs on the market, DreamHost offers dependable, fast, and secure services even with its most basic package.
Here’s a comparison of the two.
WINNER
Dreamhost
Namecheap vs Dreamhost Pricing Review
When comparing Namecheap vs DreamHost cost, Namecheap is the less expensive alternative, with shared hosting options beginning at $1.58/mo. At the same time, DreamHost’s plans begin at $2.59 per month.
Here’s what each service provider has to offer:
While there are several possibilities, shared hosting is the most popular. Because of reason, it is the primary subject of this DreamHost vs Namecheap comparison.
To begin, the lowest plans from both providers provide free features such as a domain name, domain privacy protection, an SSL certificate, a website builder, and unmetered bandwidth.
However, there are several distinctions:
- Namecheap’s Stellar ($1.58/mo) plan offers 20GB SSD storage, twice-week backups, 30 email addresses, and Supersonic CDN.
- DreamHost’s Starter ($2.59/mo) plan allows you to host one website and provides 50GB of storage as well as automated daily backups.
Namecheap’s Stellar plan is definitely the less expensive alternative at first glance. It’s a tight race for the greatest value, but Namecheap’s Stellar takes the lead because it’s less expensive and allows you to host three sites. DreamHost, on the other hand, isn’t far behind, with more storage capacity and automated daily backups.
So far, I’ve just reviewed the lowest shared hosting plans in our Namecheap hosting vs DreamHost comparison. Both companies, though, have more to offer. So let’s see which plan provides the most value.
Namecheap Pricing Review
Namecheap offers three shared hosting plans with monthly rates ranging from $1.58 to $4.68.
If you only want to operate one site or a few modest blogs, the Stellar plan will enough. The Stellar Plus plan, on the other hand, is ideal for running a company website or a popular small-to-medium blog. For around $1 more than Stellar, you receive unlimited storage and emails, as well as the opportunity to host an infinite number of websites and automated backups.
Our Recommendation
Dreamhost Pricing Review
In the meanwhile, DreamHost offers two shared plans: Starter ($2.59/mo) and Unlimited ($3.95).
While the Starter plan has all of the key features and adequate server capacity, I recommend that you upgrade to the Unlimited plan. Unlimited email addresses, websites, and bandwidth are available for an additional $1.36 each month. If you’re seeking for a short-term solution, the 1-year billing cycle may be appealing, since it reduces the monthly pricing of the Unlimited plan to $2.95.
Just keep in mind that DreamHost Unlimited is one of the top unlimited web hosting services available.
Our Recommendation
Namecheap vs Dreamhost Pricing Review -- Summary
It’s also worth mentioning that DreamHost’s shared hosting comes with a 97-day money-back guarantee. Namecheap, on the other hand, only offers the normal 30-day warranty.
Namecheap is often less expensive than DreamHost. However, both hosts are reasonably priced and resourceful.
WINNER
Namecheap
Namecheap vs Dreamhost -- Ease of Use
Both Namecheap and DreamHost have chosen various methods to management while being equally user-friendly. Namecheap offers a simple billing interface and puts all site administration options in the cPanel. Meanwhile, DreamHost manages all hosting services and websites with a simple bespoke control panel.
To begin, Namecheap features a straightforward user interface. It’s neat, yet a touch barren, because the interface is mostly used for invoicing and accessing the cPanel.
When it comes to cPanel, Namecheap provides the standard version. There are no modifications, skins, or anything of the kind. However, you will retain the complete functionality of the panel, which is rather impressive.
This is where you may do any website management activities. It will be used for domain and SSL activation, setting configuration, email creation/management, and WordPress installation using the Softaculous one-click app installer.
Overall, all of the features and tools are well-organized. Everything is within easy reach, and the layout is simple. All of the tools are properly identified and categorised into a larger category. There’s also a search box to help you discover tools more quickly.
DreamHost, on the other hand, employs its own unique hosting control panel. It’s an all-in-one panel, which means it handles everything from invoicing to everyday site maintenance activities. This is a plus for accessibility because everything is just a click away.
All of the primary features are hidden in the menu on the left. That’s where you’ll discover the tools and capabilities you’ll need to do activities like adding new domains, installing new WordPress (or any other content management system) sites, accessing your webmail, managing your payment information, and contacting the support staff.
However, this results in the panel appearing rather full at first view. But believe me, it’s truly rather simple and well-organized – certainly simple enough for a total novice to navigate.
Despite their distinct methods, both Namecheap and DreamHost provided excellent simplicity of use. Namecheap stresses task separation with two different interfaces, but DreamHost provides the ease of having everything in one location. At the same time, DreamHost’s new UI is more user-friendly.
WINNER
DREAMHOST
Namecheap vs Dreamhost -- Performance
Uptime and response time
The two providers were observed for varying lengths of time. Namecheap was tracked for around two weeks, whereas DreamHost was monitored for nearly two months.
Namecheap experienced 16 outages during the course of two weeks, totaling 31 minutes of downtime. As a consequence, the uptime is 99.82 percent, which is little disappointing.
This is made much more tragic by the fact that Namecheap guarantees 100 percent uptime. But it’s nowhere to be found.
Its response time was also not much better, averaging 1.05s, which is about double the industry average of 600ms.
DreamHost, on the other hand, fared significantly better. The host had only one minute of downtime in almost two months. This resulted in a near-perfect 99.99 percent uptime.
True, DreamHost, like Namecheap, failed to meet its 100 percent uptime commitment. However, 1 minute of downtime in 2 months will not cause you any problems and is easily forgiven in my opinion.
DreamHost’s server response time, which averaged 231ms, was equally remarkable. That is less than half of the industry average.
Overall, DreamHost wins the performance duel between Namecheap and DreamHost. It is infinitely more dependable and has a faster response time.
Website loading time
The second test will compare the page loading speeds of both providers. While Namecheap performed admirably, it was no match for the lightning-fast DreamHost.
Here are the two key measures I considered to better understand the results:
- Biggest Contentful Paint (LCP) – this shows how long it took for the site’s largest element to fully load. Because LCP is one of the many factors considered by Google when creating its search result page, strive for a time of less than 2.5 seconds.
- Fully loaded time – as the name implies, this metric reflects the time it took for the site to fully load. Because site load speed is directly related to user experience, keep this time under 3s for optimum outcomes.
To be fair, both Namecheap and DreamHost are hosted and tested in the United States for our Namecheap vs DreamHost comparison.
Starting with LCP, Namecheap now has a time of 2.3 seconds. While this is within the recommended maximum of 2.5 seconds, it is a close call.
The same is true for Fully Loaded Time, which is 2.7 seconds. The provider, like LCP, manages to sneak under the 3 second timestamp, but it’s a close call.
One advantage of Namecheap is that it has three data centre locations. You may pick from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, and it is strongly advised that you select the server that is nearest to your intended audience. However, keep in mind that both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands cost an additional $1 each month.
DreamHost, on the other hand, breezed past the test. Its LCP took just 1.4 seconds, which is much less than the maximum timestamp of 2.5 seconds.
The Fully Loaded time was only 1.6 seconds. Only about half of the recommended limit of 3 seconds. Those are excellent outcomes.
However, I must point out that DreamHost’s data centres are all situated in the United States. This means that the service will be most suited for target audiences in the United States.
In summary, DreamHost is twice as quick as Namecheap when it comes to website loading times. Namecheap, on the other hand, has many data centre locations, but DreamHost just has one.
Overall, DreamHost wins this Namecheap vs DreamHost performance match because it is the more dependable and overall speedier service.
WINNER
Dreamhost
Namecheap vs Dreamhost -- Security
In terms of security, both companies appear to take it extremely seriously, including both fundamental features such as SSL and complex ones such as domain privacy.
Both suppliers provide free:
- SSL certificates – Namecheap’s plans include a free year of PositiveSSL, whereas DreamHost’s plans include Let’s Encrypt SSL.
- Domain privacy protection – this protects your personal information from the public WHOIS database.
Apart from that, Namecheap provides:
- DDoS defence through its Supersonic CDN.
- ModSecurity-based firewall. If you upgrade to a premium Supersonic CDN subscription, you will also get access to Web Application Firewall. Prices begin at $8.88 per month.
- Automatic backup – The Stellar plan includes, but does not guarantee, weekly backups. Stellar Plus and Stellar Business, on the other hand, contain an Autobackup utility that may do daily, weekly, or monthly backups.
Meanwhile, DreamHost offers:
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) to protect against harmful traffic.
- Automated daily backups to prevent severe data loss.
- For an additional $3 per month, DreamShield Malware Remover is available.
All things considered, this round of Namecheap versus DreamHost is nearly too close to call. DreamHost, on the other hand, is one of the most secure hosting companies, therefore it’s no surprise that the host has acquired a little advantage with its daily automatic backups and WAF.
WINNER
Dreamhost
Namecheap vs Dreamhost -- Support
The two companies provide a variety of support methods, including live chat and a ticketing system. DreamHost also offers phone assistance, although this comes at an additional cost. Furthermore, the pair has substantial knowledge bases.
The primary support route for Namecheap is live chat, which I tested several times. In general, the wait time is low, and the agents are ready to assist.
Namecheap also offers a quite extensive knowledge base. Its articles might be really helpful if you need assistance with things like SSL certificates or simply comparing Namecheap vs DreamHost domains.
DreamHost’s live chat is only available between 5.30 a.m. and 9.30 p.m. PT, which is unfortunate. However, in my experience, the agents are fast to join the chat and highly helpful during these hours.
During non-business hours, ticket assistance is your best bet. I tried it a few times and it nearly always worked after an hour or so. You may also call DreamHost’s support, however it will cost you $9.95 for a single call back.
If you’d rather do everything yourself, DreamHost features a vast knowledge library with tonnes of informative articles on a variety of topics.
Overall, DreamHost comes out on top. It offers more help channels, and while it lacks a 24/7 chat option, its extremely efficient 24/7 ticketing system compensates.
WINNER
Dreamhost
Namecheap vs Dreamhost -- Our Recommendation
In this Namecheap versus DreamHost duel, DreamHost comes out on top. Its costs are little more than those of Namecheap, but they are still quite reasonable. Aside from that, it’s user-friendly, highly dependable, incredibly quick, and secure. While it may benefit from a 24/7 chat option, this isn’t a deal breaker because its outstanding ticketing system kicks in seamlessly.
At the same time, Namecheap is a viable option if you’re searching for a straightforward, low-cost supplier for your own projects.
WINNER
Dreamhost
Namecheap vs Dreamhost Alternatives
BLUEHOST
Bluehost’s costs are somewhere in the centre of those of HostGator and GoDaddy. The most affordable shared hosting plan starts at $2.95 per month.
Bluehost primarily provides WordPress hosting. It has a highly user-friendly hosting administration panel and several amazing scalability capabilities, like staging. It’s a fantastic alternative regardless of your degree of hosting experience. If you want to operate a commercial website or a personal blog, this is the platform for you.
Hostinger
Are you on a tight budget? Then Hostinger is the most affordable solution. Its entry-level package starts at $2.59 per month. In comparison, Bluehost charges $2.95 per month and SiteGround charges $2.99 per month. You just cannot. Furthermore, it lets you to select one of its seven data centre locations, making it an excellent choice if your target audience is in a certain place.
When you see pricing like these, you might wonder, “What gives?” Nothing, it appears. Hostinger provides fantastic speed that I can vouch for, a bespoke control panel called hPanel that is simple to use, and trustworthy 24/7 customer service.
hostgator
HostGator, Bluehost’s sibling company, provides a variety of hosting options. In reality, it caters to both beginners and experts. In addition, if you want to swiftly put up your site, HostGator provides its own proprietary website builder. It has a drag-and-drop editor and is very simple to use.
Its pricing are reasonable, ranging from $2.75/month to $5.25/month for shared hosting. Plans for its website builder begin at $3.46 per month.
InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting is a versatile solution for nearly any website building project. The service provider is well-known for its dependable performance and wide range of hosting options.
You may select from shared, WordPress, dedicated, and VPS hosting options. If you want traditional cPanel hosting, shared hosting options beginning at $2.29/month are ideal.
Namecheap vs Dreamhost FAQs
Is DreamHost preferable to Namecheap?
Yes, DreamHost is superior to Namecheap. It performs substantially better and has more powerful security features.
Which is cheap, DreamHost or Namecheap?
Namecheap is less expensive than DreamHost, with shared hosting beginning at $1.58/mo. Meanwhile, DreamHost’s most affordable shared hosting package is $2.59 per month.
What is the best use for DreamHost?
DreamHost is ideal for novices and small business owners searching for a cost-effective and secure WordPress hosting solution.
What is the best use for Namecheap?
Namecheap is ideal for those on a tight budget who want a simple hosting option with plenty of resources.
Is it possible to utilise Namecheap with a site builder other than WordPress?
Yes, Namecheap may be used with a site builder other than WordPress. The Softaculous app installer contains over 200 content management systems (CMS) and applications.
Is cloud server storage available from Namecheap?
Yes, Namecheap does provide cloud server storage. If you want to use it with shared hosting, you may do so through Stellar Business or an EU data centre.
