DreamHost is a popular award-winning hosting company, and one of WordPress.org’s officially recommended hosts. They offer domain registration and web hosting services, including managed WordPress hosting. Their platform offer everything you need to grow your website, whether you’re a new blogger or an established business. See our expert DreamHost review to decide if it’s the right choice for you.
In this detailed DreamHost hosting review, we’ll put their promises to test. For a comprehensive overview, we’ll look into the following areas:
- Performance: Speed is critical for making successful websites. How fast will your website load with DreamHost?
- Reliability: Will your website will be up all the time without any service disruptions?
- Customer Support: How good are DreamHost support options?
- Features: What features do they offer to make it easier to run your website?
- Pricing: How much it would cost you? Are there any DreamHost deals that can save you money?
This is a comprehensive DreamHost review with lots of details. If you don’t want to read the full review, here is the quick scorecard with our verdict right below it.
| DreamHost Review Summary | |
|---|---|
| Performance grade | A |
| Average load time | 330 ms |
| Average response time | 77 ms |
| Free domain | Yes |
| Free SSL | Yes |
| 1-click WordPress | Yes |
| Support | Live Chat / Knowledge base |
| Start with DreamHost | |
Bottom line: We found DreamHost to be fast and reliable. They have flexible hosting plans and friendly technical support.
That being said, let’s get into the detailed DreamHost review so that you can compare our test results and make your own mind.
About DreamHost
DreamHost was founded in 1997 by four friends at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California: Dallas Bethune, Josh Jones, Michael Rodriguez and Sage Weil. Since then, DreamHost has become one of the most well-known and popular web hosting companies. They now host over 1.5 million websites, including over 750,000 WordPress installations. They’ve won PCMag’s Business Choice Awards for Best Web Hosting Service for 2014-2016.
DreamHost is also a certified carbon-neutral host, and makes every effort to conserve resources in their own offices. They’re also a member of the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce.
Pros and Cons of DreamHost
DreamHost is a popular web hosting provider, but it may not be right for everyone. Consider these pros and cons before choosing a plan.
Pros
- Award Winning Hosting – DreamHost has won the PCMag Readers’ Choice Award for best business hosting. They rated high in reader surveys for their reliability and tech support.
- Money Back Guarantee – DreamHost offers a 97-day money back guarantee. That means you can cancel your account within 97 days of signing up and get a full refund.
- Free Domain and Privacy – Every DreamHost plan includes one free domain name registration plus domain privacy, so your contact information isn’t made public on the web.
- Monthly Billing With No Setup Fee – DreamHost pricing plans allow you to pay month-to-month, without having to pay a setup fee.
- Automatic Daily Backups – DreamHost plans come with automatic daily website backups. Although we always recommend users to set up their own real-time WordPress backups.
Cons
- Support Isn’t Immediate – DreamHost has set times for live chat support and an emailed based ticket system. This means it may take a while before you can get a response.
- No Email – DreamHost doesn’t offer email accounts for the Starter plan of their WordPress shared hosting. Though you can get it for $1.65/ mo or use an external business email provider.
DreamHost Performance Tests
WPBeginner users trust our reviews of WordPress products and services because we only recommend the companies that we have used ourselves.
For our WordPress hosting reviews, we sign up for each top hosting provider. After that, we set up demo websites so that we can properly test their claims with our own performance tests.
For this DreamHost review, we signed up for a hosting account and installed WordPress. We used the default theme and filled our test site with Theme Unit Test Data including media and images. This way our test site looked and behaved like an actual WordPress site.
DreamHost Speed Test Results
No one likes a slow website. A faster website is crucial for a better user experience and SEO.
That’s why we ran the website speed test first. For this test we used Pingdom and here are the test results:
Our test site loaded in less than half a second, which is excellent. However, this test alone does not show the full picture because our test site has no traffic at all.
DreamHost Stress Test Results
Next, we wanted to see how well DreamHost handles website traffic during peak hours. To measure this, we used a tool called K6 (formerly called Load Impact).
We gradually built up to 100 unique visitors at once to see how the server would handle increased requests from multiple connections at the same time.
Here is our first stress test result.
The blue line represents page load time and the green line represents the number of users on the site.
As you can see, our site remained available throughout the test. However, the response time went up as users increased.
That’s because we turned off DreamHost’s pre-installed WordPress caching solution. Once we enabled a caching plugin, the stress test result improved dramatically.
As you can see, our test site handled 97 requests per second (16,000 requests total) with an average response time of 77 ms.
That’s incredible.
What this means is that if you have a WordPress blog, small business website, or an online store, your website can easily handle sudden traffic spikes.
DreamHost Response Time Test Results
Next, we wanted to test how our DreamHost test site responds to requests from different geographic locations. To measure this, we used a tool called Bitcatcha.
As you can see our response times remained steady across the globe. They were particularly great in North America and Europe.
DreamHost Uptime Test Results
It is also important to notice that our website didn’t go down during testing. We enable the downtime tracker because often during stress tests, some hosting servers will crash.
This is another sign that DreamHost is a reliable hosting platform.
DreamHost Hosting Plans and Features
DreamHost specializes in providing hosting for web designers, developers, bloggers, and online businesses. They support and use open source technologies, apps, and platforms like WordPress and Joomla.
Their one-click installer includes configurations for many open source apps. As a Dreamhost customer, you get expert support, free migrations, and built-in security features.
Their hosting options include: shared hosting, email hosting, managed WordPress hosting, VPS hosting (Virtual private servers), and dedicated servers. They also offer cloud hosting packages and cloud storage.
All of DreamHost’s plans use SSD drives for faster loading. DreamHost also uses a proprietary control panel instead of cPanel.
Shared hosting includes:
- 1 free domain registration and Let’s encrypt free SSL
- unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Easy to use control panel
- Unlimited email accounts and subdomains (with WordPress unlimited shared plan)
- 1-click installation of WordPress
Shared Hosting Pricing
DreamHost’s shared hosting plans start at $2.59 per month (3-years billed). You can also choose to pay monthly for the Shared Starter plan, but the price goes up to $4.59 per month.
For additional functionality and email accounts, you can upgrade to WordPress Shared Unlimited plan which starts at $3.59 (billed 3-years). This plan also allows you to add unlimited websites to your account.
Managed WordPress Plans
DreamHost also offers a managed WordPress hosting plan called DreamPress. DreamPress is over 5 times faster than shared hosting. The linux servers are optimized for WordPress, and they can handle traffic spikes (millions of visitors) without your website going down.
Managed WordPress hosting also includes:
- Automatic WordPress core updates for security
- Private IP address and SSL certificate pre-installed for eCommerce sites
- SSD storage and unmetered bandwidth
- Web application firewall to block malware and brute-force attack mitigation.
- One-click staging site set up
- Free website builder along with on-demand as well as daily backups
- DreamPress Pro and Plus plans also include unlimited CDN and Jetpack Professional add-on features.
- Dedicated hosting with your own CPU server resources for maximum performance
In our DreamHost review, we found that they provide high-quality, reliable hosting at very affordable prices. Their plans include everything you need to build your website and room to upgrade when your site grows.
Support and Customer Service
DreamHost offers 24/7 email support via a ticket system. You can open a request for support through your DreamHost account dashboard.
They also offer Live Chat support between 5:30 AM and 9:30 PM Pacific Time through the panel. You can also request a callback service for an additional fee.
They also maintain a comprehensive Knowledge base and a forum on their website where you can post your questions. The support team is active in the forums, and most questions are answered within 24 hours.
Many reviews mention the quality of their support, though some reviewers were frustrated by not having access to immediate phone or live chat support (24/7).
While live chat and phone support can be useful for simple questions, customers with more complicated issues are usually directed to open a support ticket anyway.
DreamHost maintains an extensive knowledge base on their website that answers the most common questions users have about hosting. If you have a more complicated issue, it probably could not be answered immediately via live chat or phone even if it was available.
Conclusion: Is DreamHost Right for You?
Now that you have read through our entire DreamHost review, you might be wondering whether DreamHost is the right web host for you.
After reviewing DreamHost services in detail, we are awarding them with the title “Best DIY Hosting” for WordPress users.
DreamHost is highly rated for its fast and reliable hosting. They’ve won numerous awards and get rave reviews from their customers. But it may not be the right choice for you if you need a lot of help getting started.
They have limited live chat hours and email-based support can be slower. We recommend DreamHost to DIY users who want affordable prices, high uptime guarantee, and are comfortable figuring things out on their own using the comprehensive knowledge base.
Ready to get started with DreamHost? Click here to select your DreamHost plan today.
DreamHost Coupon
WPBeginner users get an exclusive 72% discount on shared hosting and a free domain with our DreamHost coupon code, or a 16% discount on managed WordPress hosting with our DreamPress coupon code.
All you have to do is click on this link to purchase. The discount will be auto-applied.
Frequently Asked Questions About DreamHost
Following are a few of the commonly asked questions (FAQs) about DreamHost that we have been asked by our users.
Is DreamHost a good host?
Yes, DreamHost is a good host for any type of starter WordPress website. They offer great features, a rock-solid platform, and fast servers at an affordable cost.
Their quality of service and pricing is on par with HostGator, GoDaddy, InMotion Hosting, and Bluehost.
The only web hosting company that offers cheaper web hosting prices than DreamHost is Hostinger.
Does DreamHost use cPanel?
No, DreamHost does not use cPanel. Instead, they have built their own custom control panel that has all the management features you’ll find in cPanel.
You can easily do MySQL database management, change PHP versions, access 1-click installers for WordPress, manage SSH & FTP access, and more.
Which is better Bluehost or DreamHost?
Bluehost and DreamHost offer similar features and they are both good hosting providers. However, Bluehost has an edge as they offer 24/7 Live Chat support which is great for beginners.
Which is better DreamHost vs SiteGround?
DreamHost and SiteGround used to be similar, but recently SiteGround has significantly improved their web hosting platform. However, they have also increased their pricing by 2x.
So the comparison isn’t fair anymore.
If you were comparing DreamHost vs SiteGround based on shared hosting prices, then DreamHost is better.
However if you were comparing DreamPress managed hosting vs SiteGround, then SiteGround offers a lot more value for better pricing.
Where are DreamHost servers located?
DreamHost servers are located in the United States. They have data centers in Ashburn Virginia and Hillsboro Oregon. DreamHost headquarter is located in Brea, California.
Can I Install WooCommerce on DreamHost?
Yes, you can easily install WooCommerce on DreamHost shared hosting as well as VPS plans.
Ready to start with DreamHost? Get 72% off on your DreamHost plan by clicking here to sign up for DreamHost. The discount will be auto-applied.
Sandy says
Fairly new to Dreamhost but so far everything has worked well.
Mauro Parra says
I have been using Dreamhost since… forever. I love this guys. I usually just forget about them, but when you need them, the support is awesome. I report something and will be solved right away.
jac colon says
I was having a problem uploading large files attached to my emails. I had an important file to send and it happened to be on a Sunday. Didn’t expect an answer for a few days, but they responded that same Sunday and solved the problem for me. I have always had terrific response with technical support. Been using Dreamiest almost from their start.
Ferdian Wisnukendra Mesepy says
I’m glad that my first hosting engagement is with Dreamhost not the others. Its has been a while now since the first time I put my trust on website hosting with Dreamhost. Great product services and perfect troubleshooting support.
Feeling save and comfort on website hosting is what you need now days. Dreamhost make you feel that way. Keep moving forward Dreamhost!
Risto Niemi-Pynttäri says
I am happy with the support. I got an important advice for my Littellin problem. Thanks.
EPC says
We are a non profit organization. We are using Dreamhost for web hosing service with free domain. By the Grace Of God we are using this service absolutely free and they always respond quickly to any support issues. Dream host is awesome ….I would recommend Dreamhost to any organization or individual that is looking for hosting service.
Luca says
I have found myself in need of a contant support by Dreamhost for a few days and the service received it has been really professional and especially useful.
Really glad of the five years Hosting too.
Gopal Agrawal says
So, it seems there is a process in Dreamhost to kill all process under my userid if it goes beyond a certain memory usage. Now, Dreamhost support denied to let me know when it happens, denied to let me know the limit. Moreover, there was practically no change to the site for a while and a very bare minimum usage. Needless to say, I am super disappointed with the support ! Already looking for a replacement.
barry opliger says
Though I am not a direct customer have been helping a customer out by contacting Dream Host for them. I find their responses complete and would not hesitate, if I needed a web service, to join up.
Jim says
I love Dreamhost! Can’t say enough so I’ll just say they’re the best.
Darlene Walker says
Quick email response to my support request! Resolution received in a timely manner, couldn’t be happier with the level of service.
lk says
Unimpressive control panel. Choose dreamhost because they are in California.
Julie says
Dreamhost’s technical help is quick and detailed. Not being a techie, I need that extra measure of explanation. I have come to expect that their technical team will provide thorough answers. Well done, DreamHost!
Amado says
As a user with only the basics of website management (business owner), I am happy to find top notch customer service.
Dan B. says
I’ve been a happy Dreamhost customer for 6-7 years now, and can’t imagine leaving. Their customer support team are helpful and quick. Pretty much the opposite of Comcast. That should be their new slogan “Dreamhost: We’re The Opposite of Comcast.”
SOLD! Take my money!
Robin says
I’ve been using DH for 10 years, with Virtual Private Server and the monthly chat support service. Despite having unlimited bandwidth and storage I’m looking to move off them because of email issues, and, too a lesser extent, slow page load times.
For some reason, DH just doesn’t seem to be able to host email consistently. Sign up with Google and it works for years. With DH, there are problems every few months. Email stops working. iOS devices can’t log in. The latest: when I check my email accounts in the panel, my email user names have been replaced with my DH user name. The support guys don’t see that on their end, but it seems to affect my email.
I run a business and I need reliable email. Too many problems with DH, especially for what I pay for their services. You’d think guys from CalTech could do better. But they’re too busy adding stuff to make the basics work.
James says
Where do I begin with how much I <3 Dreamhost. Their monthly email newsletter is one of the best things ever. They are real geeks who love what they do. These are not corporate IT guys who are wasting time until they can get a "real" job. This is who you want hosting your server, no matter how small it is. These guys get how fun it is to hack computers into massive cloud based virtual machines. Every issue I have ever had has resulted in me being even happier that I chose Dreamhost. Their backend panel options are functional, efficient and useful. Their online wiki is stocked with helpful information written to help you go from padowan to jedi linux master.
I am proud of Dreamhost, and I brag about them often.
Norlaila says
Great first experience. I love that they provide free hosting for non-profits and they set it up right away. When I had issues with setting up the WordPress, they replied back the same day and answered my questions.
Beth says
I love DreamHost. Their support is prompt, efficient, comprehensive and personal. Their documentation is outstanding. I volunteer with non-profits and love directing them to DreamHost.
Amy says
I’m so frustrated with Dreamhost. I’ve had the same problem for several months now, and every person I ask gives me a different reason and solution for the problem… and so far none of the suggestions have helped at all.
Not impressed and will probably move somewhere else.
Vanessa says
Timely email responses from our account rep. Thank you! However, from time to time, I would still like to speak to someone live, especially being a “non-techy” person… but there is no 800# to call =(
marina says
Dreamhost have great customer service. Kind, professional and timely. I am a very happy customer.
Alejandro Garduno says
I just switched 2 weeks ago from another hosting. I did need some support to set up my site since the size of the import file was about 80 Mb. I requested help from Dreamhost and they performed it pretty well.
Thomas Ng says
have been using Dreamhost since year 2000, and I have recommended to many of my friends that it provides great service and support. One feature I found missing the ability for administrator to configure/COPY incoming mails to another email address (in panel.dreamhost.com) – i.e. retaining all incoming emails to the original addressee…as in t he forward email option, once email is downloaded by the designated addressee/s, the original addressee may not be able to receive those mails.
Sarah E says
Great and patient customer service. Reliable long term hosting and advancee notification on payments due.
Gabe Valdivia says
Recently Dreamhost replaced the traditional CPanel with their own panel. Except on the new Panel options there is no ‘Hosting’ option. Uploading the public folder or viewing the file structure can only be done via FTP or SFTP. I took 3 emails before I got a decent answer back from Dreamhost. Their people are pretty awesome but their panel really leaves a lot to be desired. I’ll be migrating my sites to another provider.
geert-jan says
We have been at dreamhost for a long time,, more then 10 years, and I like that they can help you at any level of understanding, and all problems big and small somehow get solved. This environment always changes, and they adapt to it very well. So we feel at home and save. sounds silly but that is the situation.
Chris B says
I have been with DreamHost Since 2000. I can honestly say that I would not think about using any other web hosting service. I have used a lot just to compare services and expand and nothing compares to what DreamHost has to offer. Customer service has always been spot on. Even through just email, responses usually take just a few hours. Thanks DreamHost! and Keep up the great service!
Emily Horch says
Excellent first experience. DreamHost was recommended to me by a friend who also a tech professional. One of the reasons he gave was the support. I’m a complete newbie so ran into some first-timer problems setting up my new email. DreamHost support replied very quickly and gave me an explanation for my problem and links to follow to learn how to solve it. Thanks, DreamHost support guys!
Jen says
I built a client website on my domain. I needed help to export the files and download SQL. I live chatted with Dreamhost rep who sent me links to the tutorials that explained how to find the information that I needed. I was satisified with the speed and information that I obtained from customer service.
I don’t like the website interface, though. I had little cause to login and use the Dreamhost interface as I made all site updates via wp-admin. On the rare occasion that I did use the Dreamhost interface I found that it is not at all intuitive and I had a hard time finding the information that I needed. My client uses a different web host. When I logged in to upload the files/SQL I found the interface to be intuitive and easy to use with clearly labeled icons for major areas of the site.
Nguyen Nam Trung says
Excellent support and wonderful web panel.
It’s the best support I’ve ever worked with.
I’ve been using dreamhost for 5 years and there is no reason to leave.
claude rapoza says
I related via e-mail that my web site was being controlled and manipulated by a former employee who was finding great joy in making threats to either shut down or harm my web site. Made numerous attempts to get my issue fixed. Was stonewalled at every turn. When I asked via e-mail to please give me options to fix my problem, I got what looked like a form letter response. Not only did it take a long time for someone to respond, they did nothing to help me fix my problem nor did they offer any options to fix my problem. I find it hard to believe that I am the first customer that this has ever happened to and was looking for options of which I was offered none.
Tom Gander says
I’ve been with DreamHost over 10 years. I’m a small customer but the few times I’ve needed help I needed it! I’ve always gotten a response and the problem solved within an hour. And I don’t ever recall downtime.
I highly recommend Dreamhost both for price and service above and beyond the price.
Sara says
just getting started ,and I am a novice at all things web but found Dream host to be easy to work with.
Mr. Wallace Karira Muraya says
Well, let me say that Dreamhost Team does a great job for us. For example for me, they tackle every issue for me in case anything arises.
Keep on keeping on rising high as a star!
Christina says
The DreamHost team are exceptional professionals. Even though so far away from me, they are always so close. Every time I need support, they are there at the other end of the line. Always make me happy with their amazing newsletter. Even though it’s not so easy for me to deal with the computer language, their dashboard is absolutely user friendly. No endless efforts to achieve what I’m looking for. When I first chose their services from similar companies, was completely by chance. I have never regret it. Thank you.
Cheryl Megosh says
Dreamhost has been by far the most reliable hosting service I have encountered. I have been managing my church website for the last 6 years on Dreamhost. The Chat support has been exceptional and we now have two domains that are managed with one account which is very convenient. I like the fact that such tools as Block the Hacker and the Spider Bot blocks are very good. Web panel makes it very easy to manage accounts and domains not to mention the email accounts. I also like the fact that the carbon footprint is green. I would recommend Dreamhost to any organization or individual that is looking for hosting service.
Sue Sampson says
Had an urgent question on an obscure issue, and got an assist almost immediately. Person on the other end of the chat answered all my questions, offered additional info, then answered subsequent questions. Perfect! Thanks for excellent service.. again. ~Cheers
cris says
Awsome customer support service.
Gnetahn Jehman says
I would like ot let everyone know they resolved my issue in a few minutes. It looked like I was going to have to get a support ticket but the one-line person said they would look at something and found an error. Fixed and hurray. Good work. I appreciate being listened to, even if I had to push a little.
Enrique says
Outstanding service towards clients even with no existing fares to being able yo keep using their services. Completely satisfied. A big yes.
Dale Stubbart says
I’ve been using Dreamhost for more than 10 years. They always respond quickly to any support issues. I love their Green Hosting and attitude. I also like their page load speeds and uptime. Price is great too.
David Lloyd says
I started using dreamhost to experiment learning to do web programming, but then became disabled with a brain injury, and haven’t been able to do much with it yet. However, on the occasions when I’ve wanted to try an idea that requires web services, I’ve been able to find appropriate solutions and implement them, mostly without help, but when I needed help, I found it friendly and available. Dreamhost has the services I need at a price I can afford. It is the first service I would recommend to anyone else wanting to start a website, whether it would be a blog, a wiki, an email service, an educational site, a personal web portal, or any or all of the above. I can see many potential uses I haven’t explored myself, and I am overall very impressed with this service.
Vince Janoski says
I’ve been using Dreamhost for just about 10 years now through three iterations of my own WP blog and now several other domains/sites. Their support has always rocked. When things break they dig in and take care of the problem in ways I would have never been able to handle on my own. Any problems I’ve had over the years have been resolved super fast. They are pros up and down and I never want to leave!
Tom Gonser says
We’ve been absolutely delighted with the level of support we’ve received from DreamHost. It’s always prompt and to the point. Moreover it comes with a bit of light humor that so often is missing in dry online exchanges. We’ve extremely pleased with our choice of DreamHost!
Nicki Lock says
I’ve been using Dreamhost for 5+ years and couldn’t be happier – their customer support is top notch! Every time I’ve done something wrong on my end, they are there to bail me out. What more could you ask for!
Abdullah Khan says
Wise people say that don’t put your all eggs in one Basket but to me the basket of Dreamhost seems to be too secure to putt my all eggs in it. I not only use the hosting plane but also registered at least eight domains with Dreamhost. There may be others who may have better services but honestly speaking Dreamhost never let me think ‘out of the box’. I wish and pray they remain same. I know an instance where they did not bow down under pressure to remove a domain and hosting of an organization which governments wanted to shut down. That proved that the organization believes in privacy and professionalism and does not have any political linkage. I wish it keeps that way in future as well.
Goston says
I love DreamHOst DreamPress!
Alpesh Nakrani says
Really faster and perfect support I have seen. Keep it up. loved your service..
Hoov says
I have been using Dreamhost for 6 years or so. There are occasional problems, but they generally get them resolved quickly. When it seems to be only a problem with my service, the support folks have had me up and running fairly rapidly. A couple times the outages were for extended periods of times, but anyone who has made a living troubleshooting electrical and electronics knows that sometimes things are hard to fix. So far there has not been an outage for what I call an unrealistically long time.