PROS
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> Affordable and feature-rich plans
> Good performance testing results
> Easy website setup process
> Free domain, SSL, domain privacy, and daily backups
CONS
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> Malware removal tool is paid
> Live chat is not 24/7
> No Free Email
DreamHost has a pretty good range of different services and packages, ranging from VPS hosting and dedicated hosting to flexible cloud hosting setups and its more affordable shared hosting packages.
DreamHost isn’t quite the industry giant, but it has grown from zero to 400,000 customers in the 22 years since it was established in 1997. It has customers from over 100 different countries and power more than 1.5 million websites and 750,000 WordPress installations.
But is DreamHost the best hosting company for you? Well, that depends.
It’s an affordable hosting provider, keeping its features lean in order to keep prices low. That may sound great if you’re on a tight budget. But what about quality? Can DreamHost keep it high?Read on to find out.
DreamHost is one of the easier web hosts to use, but that’s in part because it doesn’t overload you with features and so it’s relatively easy for you to find your way around.
Signing up isn’t too tricky and neither is building your own custom package. The only ease of use problems that you might have will crop up if you have a problem and can’t get the customer service team to help.
DreamHost also offers a website builder, which can help you get started quickly. However, it can’t really compete with more professional tools and content management systems (CMSs) like WordPress.
It is nice that it offers monthly packages as opposed to the six-month and one-year minimum contracts that many competitors force upon their customers.
Creating an Account
Signing up with DreamHost isn’t too tricky, and it goes out of its way to simplify the process as much as possible with language that’s as approachable as having a chat with a friend at a bar.
The only drawback is the verification process, which was a bit of a pain, but I doubt that DreamHost puts every single one of its customers through that extra step. All in all, it was a pretty pleasurable experience and you can read about it here.
Installing WordPress and Connecting a Domain
Installing WordPress is so easy, all you basically have to do is wait. You can automate the process by checking a box when you sign up. You’ll receive an email from DreamHost once WordPress is set up, and you can go straight in and start using it.
Configuring a domain name and installing your free Cloudflare CDN is also ridiculously easy.
Dedicated WordPress Package
DreamHost’s main offering is its WordPress hosting packages, which include everything from easy installers to free themes and over 50,000 plugins that you might have to pay for elsewhere.
DreamHost even automates updates so that you don’t have to worry too much about that, although if you’re heavily customizing your site, then you may prefer to use manual updates to make sure that a botched automatic update doesn’t take your site offline.
Built-In Caching
Built-in caching doesn’t come as standard, but it’s nice to know it’s there when you need it. You’ll have to pay a little extra for the privilege, but it can help your website load more quickly and can even prevent downtime by serving up a cached version of your site to visitors if they’re unable to reach the main server.
DreamHost isn’t one of those hosts which offer an endless list of features. Still, it does provide a tool suite with enough to get you started, and it makes up for its lack of features by being easy to use and reasonably reliable.
Of course, some of its more advanced plans, such as its VPS hosting and cloud hosting packages, come with added features. Even its cheap shared hosting packages come with SSD storage, email hosting, and a free domain name. If you want to use the website builder, though, then you’ll have to pay a monthly fee.
Open Source First
There’s a difference between offering open source software and actively supporting it. DreamHost puts its money where its mouth is, actively contributing to the open source movement and WordPress in particular by creating and contributing to code snippets, community libraries and more.
This might not have any noticeable impact on you as an individual, but it can only be a good thing for the company as a whole.
Privacy Second
DreamHost may be a budget brand, but it certainly takes your privacy seriously. In fact, you’ll be pleased to know it has some pretty decent freebie privacy features including a comprehensive anti-spam policy and free WHOIS privacy.
At first glance, you might wonder why to bother to obfuscate WHOIS information if you’ve got nothing to hide, but the truth is that hiding your WHOIS information can cut down on spam and make it harder for hackers to target you.
100% Uptime Guarantee
You can’t get much better than this. DreamHost guarantees 100% uptime on all of its hosting plans. What’s more, it’s not just a gimmicky marketing campaign – it’s actually backed up by compensation. You’ll get a credit of one day’s fees for every hour of downtime, up to a maximum of 10% of the monthly fee.
Eco-Friendly Hosting
If you’re trying to reduce your company’s carbon footprint, DreamHost is a pretty good choice. It uses high-efficiency cooling infrastructure at its data centers, and it’s powered by grids that obtain electricity from renewable sources.
The company also implements a range of recycling plans and other eco-friendly initiatives on-site in its offices to reduce its impact.
Shared Website Hosting offers 2 hosting plans. Each of these plans comes with unlimited traffic, fast SSD storage space, free Domain included and Automated WordPress Migrations, free SSL certificates, and security features such as virus scanning, site hardening, and hosting firewall. Each plan also includes WordPress Pre-installed.
Shared Starter : A great place to start! Website hosting with an entry level price for new sites, including WordPress.This plan allows Automated Backups, Unlimited Bandwidth & Storage, Free SSL Certificate, and FREE Privacy Protection. You’ll also get Add Email as low as $1.67/mo and WP Website Builder. This plan is available for 2.59/mo and you choose between monthly, yearly, and 3 year plans.
Shared Unlimited : Great for multiple websites, including WordPress, and anyone who wants email hosting @ your domain.This plan allows Unlimited number of Websites, Automated Backups, Unlimited Bandwidth & Storage, Free SSL Certificate, and FREE Privacy Protection. You’ll also get Unlimited Email @ Your Domain and WP Website Builder. This plan is available for 2.59/mo and you choose between monthly, yearly, and 3 year plans.
VPS Hosting offers 4 VPS hosting plans. Each of these plans comes with Free SSL Certificate(s), and Unlimited Email @ Your Domain.Whether you’re building Big or small, website or application, VPS plans flex to your needs.
VPS Basic: For new & small websites. This plan comes with 1GB of RAM, and Unlimited Bandwidth. It includes 30GB SSD Storage ,unlimited traffic, and unlimited number of websites. This plan is available for $10.00/mo.
VPS Business: Built for Small Business. This plan comes with 2GB of RAM, and Unlimited Bandwidth. It includes 60 GB SSD Storage ,unlimited traffic, and unlimited number of websites. This plan is available for $20.00/mo.
VPS Professional: For resource intensive sites. This plan comes with 4 GB Ram, and Unlimited Bandwidth. It includes 120 GB SSD Storage ,unlimited traffic, and unlimited number of websites. This plan is available for $40.00/mo. .
VPS Enterprise:For resource intensive sites.This plan comes with 8 GB Ram of RAM, and Unlimited Bandwidth. It includes 240 GB SSD Storage ,unlimited traffic, and unlimited number of websites. This plan is available for $80.00/mo.
Hassle-free, high-performance WordPress to grow your business.WordPress Hosting offers 3 hosting plans. Each of these plans comes with Unmetered Bandwidth, Jetpack Free Pre-Installed, free SSL certificates, and On-Demand + Daily Backups. Each plan also includes One-click Staging site, and one-click WordPress installs.
DreamPress : Everything you need to power a successful website online. This plan allows Upto 100k Visitors in a day, 30GB SSD Storage and 24/7 WordPress Support . You’ll also get Unlimited Email and Automatic daily Backup. This plan is available for $16.95/mo and you choose between yearly, and monthly plans.
DreamPress Plus : A growth engine for your business or blog. This plan allows Upto 300k Visitors in a day, 60GB SSD Storage Storage and 24/7 WordPress Support . You’ll also get Unlimited Email and Automatic daily Backup. This plan is available for $24.95/mo and you choose between yearly, and monthly plans.
DreamPress Pro: High-capacity architecture for sites demanding extreme performance. This plan allows 1M+ Visitors in a day, 120GB SSD Storage and 24/7 Priority WordPress Support.You’ll also get Unlimited Email and Automatic daily Backup. This plan is available for$71.95/mo and you choose between yearly, and monthly plans.
Professional hosting at an affordable price.Dedicated servers from DreamHost use the best hardware and software available to ensure your site is always up, and always fast.
Standard dedicated server: It is a great choice for developers or system administrators as it offers full root & shell access (SSH) for maximum control to the server . This plan offers 2 different packages with resources ranging from 4GB of RAM and up, 1TB HDD of bandwidth transfer , DDoS Protection, 100% Network Uptime Guarantee, and RAID 1 Storage. Pricing starts a $149.00/mo. You can choose between paying monthly and yearly plans.
Enhanced dedicated server: For the hoster who needs it all. Boasting a 12-core processor, up to 64GB of RAM, and 2TB of space, this server can handle multiple high-traffic sites It is a great choice for developers or system administrators as it offers full root & shell access (SSH) for maximum control to the server . This plan offers 6 different packages with resources ranging from 16GB of RAM and up, 2TB HDD of bandwidth transfer , DDoS Protection, 100% Network Uptime Guarantee, and RAID 1 Storage. Pricing starts a$279.00/mo. You can choose between paying monthly and yearly plans.
Dedicated servers comes with the following features
• Comes with either HDD or SSD hard drives for lightning fast loading times.
• Reboot or powercycle your server whenever it's needed.
• Use your server resources how you want without having to share.
• Manage all the domains, websites, and email addresses you own.
• Rest easy with 24x7 DDoS protection and 2N+2 power redundancy.
Sell anything, anywhere, anytime on the world's biggest eCommerce platform.WooCommerce Hosting offers 3 hosting plans. Each of these plans comes with Unmetered Bandwidth, Jetpack Free Pre-Installed, free SSL certificates, and On-Demand + Daily Backups. Each plan also includes One-click Staging site, and Free Automated WordPress Migrations.
DreamPress : The perfect plan to launch your WooCommerce store with plenty of room to grow. This plan allows Upto 100k Visitors in a day, 30GB SSD Storage and 24/7 WordPress Support . You’ll also get Unlimited Email and Automatic daily Backup. This plan is available for $16.95/mo and you choose between yearly, and monthly plans.
DreamPress Plus : Perfect for established WooCommerce stores with higher traffic and storage requirements. This plan allows Upto 300k Visitors in a day, 60GB SSD Storage Storage and 24/7 WordPress Support . You’ll also get Unlimited Email and Automatic daily Backup. This plan is available for $24.95/mo and you choose between yearly, and monthly plans.
DreamPress Pro: High-capacity architecture for sites demanding extreme performance. This plan allows 1M+ Visitors in a day, 120GB SSD Storage and 24/7 Priority WordPress Support.You’ll also get Unlimited Email and Automatic daily Backup. This plan is available for$71.95/mo and you choose between yearly, and monthly plans.
There will likely be times when you need to contact someone in support. That’s why knowing that there will be a knowledgeable team member to help you out at any time is crucial.
DreamHost has real-life human beings on standby to help you solve your every problem. They are experienced with web hosting and WordPress (if you choose the managed WordPress hosting plan) and can help you solve any issues you run into.
In addition, you can:
• Get in touch with customer support via live chat 24/7/365
