DreamHost is one of the leading web hosting service providers. It has grown and maintained a successful hosting business for the last 18 years. It currently hosts around 1.5 million sites, blogs, and applications. IsItWP users get an exclusive 40% discount on web hosting.
4.7 / 5.0 5.0 / 5.0 5.0 / 5.0
4.0 / 5.0 4.0 / 5.0 4.0 / 5.0 4.7 / 5.0
DreamHost is one of the oldest web hosting companies, founded back in 1996, even before the advent of Google. DreamHost is now the home for over 1.5 million websites, blogs, and applications, with over 400k happy customers, spanning throughout more than 100 countries.
DreamHost offers a wide variety of web hosting plans for customers of all sizes. Their hosting services include:
Their team is top-notch, and they are always ahead of the curve when it comes to their technology stack. It is one of the officially recommended web hosts by WordPress.org and also the highest-rated web host by PCMag.com.
They offer everything you need to get your website up and running. They give you free domain registration with annual plans, free SSL encryption with Let’s Encrypt, a one-click installer for WordPress and a website builder known as Remixer for those who want to kick start a website with absolutely no coding involved.
On top of that, every shared hosting plan with DreamHost comes with a 97-day money back guarantee. That means you get full three months to try DreamHost and if you’re not fully satisfied, you can request a full refund.
They are also a domain name registrar and offer domain registration and parking services as well.
DreamHost’s shared hosting plan starts at $8.95 per month (regular price). You’ll find their extensive knowledge base immensely helpful to kick off a website from the ground up.
4.3 / 5.0
DreamHost offers cheap hosting, also known as shared hosting, which is the best choice for entry-level and small websites. With cheap hosting, you share the same physical server with many other DreamHost users. Although you share server resources like physical hard drives and RAM with other users, your website files are secured and only accessible to you.
There are 2 shared hosting plans: Shared Starter and Shared Unlimited. DreamHost lets you pay monthly, annually or every 3 years. DreamHost’s 3-year plan provides the best value with over 47% cost savings over the monthly plan.
With any of the DreamHost hosting options, you can waive off the domain name registration fees for one year. You’ll also get free SSL encryption, and 1-click WordPress installer.
Unlike most other web hosting providers, DreamHost comes with a 97-day risk-free money back guarantee.
5.0 / 5.0
DreamHost’s dedicated hosting could be the best choice for websites with high-traffic volume. With dedicated hosting, you get a complete server for your sole use, giving you much more control over the server and operating environment.
With DreamHost’s dedicated server, you get RAID 1 storage, 24×7 server monitoring and tech support, 100% network uptime guarantee, DDoS protection, full root, and shell access and more.
You get a custom-built control panel for your dedicated hosting needs with the flexibility to add or remove servers, reboot or powercycle your server whenever you need it. Plus, you can also manage your domains, websites and email address with ease.
4.6 / 5.0
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is the best bet for you if you want to build websites with secured data or resource-heavy applications that are growing through rapid growth and expansion. With VPS, you get a tremendous amount of bandwidth and storage along with easy backup and scalability.
With every managed VPS hosting plan, you get expert assistance on installing manual security patches, user-friendly control panel, 20 x faster SSD storage.
DreamHost allows you to choose from three different VPS plans based on RAM (1GB to 4GB) and SSD storage capacity ranging from 30GB to 240GB.
If you’re technically inclined and looking for an inexpensive, scalable server that gives you full control with root access, you can choose DreamCompute, which is unmanaged VPS hosting also known as cloud hosting.
5.0 / 5.0
DreamHost’s WordPress hosting protects your website from WordPress specific vulnerabilities and malicious attacks.
With their managed WordPress hosting, you’ll get automatic WordPress updates so you can ensure your site is always updated and secured. With every plan, automatic daily backups and on-demand backups are included.
DreamHost’s managed WordPress hosting is the best solution for you if you don’t want to perform site maintenance yourself and needs WordPress specific support for maintaining your WordPress site. With Plus plan or higher, you get Jetpack Pro subscription, daily malware and scanning repair, and instant access to the extensive collection of WordPress themes.
4.8 / 5.0
DreamHost offers WooCommerce hosting for users who want to quickly build an online store without the tedious process of WordPress and WooCommerce installation. WooCommerce hosting is almost similar to the Plus plan of managed WordPress hosting. The only difference is that WooCommerce will be preinstalled on your account.
Upon subscribing to a WooCommerce hosting plan, you can easily get your online store up and running just by logging into your WordPress dashboard. The storefront theme is preinstalled with WooCommerce hosting. You’ll also get a Jetpack Pro subscription.
Here’re a few things we liked about DreamHost
Here are a few limitations of DreamHost…
Does Dreamhost live up to their uptime promise?
To test the server performance for our DreamHost review, we’ve created a test WordPress site using the default Twenty Seventeen theme and dummy content for theme development, including images. This way our test site looked and behaved like an actual average WordPress site.
After setting up our test site, we ran a speed test on our site using Pingdom.
As you can see in the results, our DreamHost test site loaded in less than half a second. That’s faster than 97% of all tested sites, which is incredible for a site without any performance optimization plugins.
Apart from Pingdom, we also used a testing tool called Load Impact to figure out whether our DreamHost site can survive a traffic surge. Load Impact sent some virtual users (VUs) to our site and gradually built up to 100 visitors at a time to test how the server handles it.
In the chart, you can find a blue line (VUs active) which shows the number of virtual users sent to our DreamHost site and a green line (VU load time) which represents how much time it took to load a web page for a user.
As you can see, DreamHost’s performed was great and consistent throughout the test. The number of live visitors on the site doesn’t have an impact on site performance.
The content of your site can have an impact on your page loading time. For instance, if your site contains too many images, it will take more time to load. In fact, images account for most of the downloadable bytes in a typical site.
To get a more accurate result for our test, instead of solely analyzing page load time, we decided to test the actual server response time with Bitcatcha by ignoring the content of our page entirely.
Bitcatcha works differently than Pingdom. It ignores the content of your page and records the page loading time from eight different global locations: New York, LA, London, Brazil, India, Singapore, Japan, and Australia. The speed for each location is measured three separate times, and then the results are averaged.
From the result, you can see that DreamHost server response time remained under less than half a second for all geographic locations. It was particularly great in the United States.
If you need help with DreamHost’s hosting service, you can check out their extensive knowledge base that comprises of tutorials and recommendations. You’ll find DreamHost’s support portal immensely helpful for building and growing your website with a DreamHost hosting account.
DreamHost provides live chat and ticket based support for free with every hosting plan. The main drawback is that Live Chat is only available during 5am – 10pm PST, 7 days a week.
The DreamHost support team strives to answer all emails within 24 hours. Although call back requests are available, they’re not included in every hosting package. You’ll have to subscribe to it separately either by making a one-off payment or monthly subscription. Bear in mind that callbacks cannot be made for numbers outside the United States and Canada.
If you’re just starting out with a new website, you can choose DreamHost’s shared hosting plan.
There are 2 shared hosting plans: Shared Starter and Shared Unlimited.
For WordPress optimized hosting, you can choose from their managed WordPress hosting plans.
Take a detailed look at the pricing of different DreamHost hosting plans.
| PLAN | DISK SPACE | BANDWIDTH | PRICE |
| Shared Hosting | Unlimited | Unlimited | $2.59 / mo. |
| WordPress Hosting Starter | Unlimited | Unlimited | $2.59 / mo. |
| Basic VPS Hosting | 30 GB | Unmetered | $10 / mo. |
| Dedicated Hosting | 1 TB | Unlimited | $169 / mo. |
Having helped thousands of users choose a web hosting plan and start their website, we have answered just about every question you can think of. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about DreamHost.
Which DreamHost plan should I get?
The answer really depends on your hosting needs. When you’re starting out, simply choose their shared hosting plan. DreamHost has only a single shared hosting plan, which makes it easy to get started with an account. If you want to create an online store, then we recommend using their WooCommerce hosting which is specifically designed to handle eCommerce websites.
Can DreamHost handle high traffic?
DreamHost is capable of handling high traffic. But keep in mind that it all depends on the plan you choose. If your site starts consuming too much resources, then DreamHost will ask you to upgrade to a higher plan.
Can I upgrade my DreamHost plan later?
We always recommend users to start with the smaller plans and upgrade as needed. DreamHost makes it very easy for you to upgrade.
Does DreamHost offer a month-to-month payment option?
Yes! DreamHost offers month-to-month payment option. However, keep in mind that they offer significant discounts for longer-term deals.
Can I create subdomains in DreamHost?
Yes, you can easily create subdomains in DreamHost using the cPanel.
Do I have to register my domain name with DreamHost?
No. While you can claim a free domain name while purchasing a hosting plan, you’re not obliged to register a domain name with DreamHost. You can use Godaddy, NameCheap, or any of your preferred domain name registrar.
Does DreamHost offer free SSL?
Yes, DreamHost offers free SSL with all of their plans. Ecommerce plans come with dedicated IPs and private SSL.
Do I need to purchase the addons that DreamHost offers me?
No, you do not need to purchase any addons at the time of purchase. Should you decide that you need them later, you can always add them to your account.
Does DreamHost really offer unlimited disk space and bandwidth?
Just like any other hosting company, DreamHost also advertises unlimited resources. When they say unlimited, it just means that you don’t have to worry about disk storage or bandwidth because you get enough resources to operate a small site in a normal condition.
Can I create an ecommerce site on DreamHost?
Absolutely. DreamHost’s WooCommerce hosting plan comes pre-configured with all the things you need to start an online store.
Wondering how DreamHost stacks up against other web hosting companies? See our side-by-side comparison to see for yourself.
We think DreamHost offers a very reliable platform for hosting your websites. Their starting prices may be slightly higher than the competition, but being upfront about the prices, they leave no room for confusion down the line. With a DreamHost plan, you don’t find any hidden charges and comes with an unlimited website and email hosting.
We were also impressed with their custom control panel and quick support. DreamHost could be the best solution for you if you don’t want a cPanel based backend option. We rate DreamHost as an excellent choice for hosting any kind of website.
All DreamHost plans include a money-back guarantee. 
I’m a happy dreamhost customer of over 13 years and I’ve never had any issues or tech problems until recently, and when the problem occurred it was quickly resolved. I loved being able to chat live with them through the panel. They’re forward thinking folks who are on top of their game and I highly recommend their services to all of my clients and anyone looking for quality customer service and technical competence.
I came to Dreamhost perhaps 7 years ago at the suggestion of a friend. We were developing a website for the local boy scout troop and had some specific requirements in mind. The website that we created is ridiculously easy to use and set-up/maintain – especially for a non-tech sort of guy like me. Every time I had any kind of question, no matter how simple or how difficult, Dreamhost was right there with the right answer every time. Billing is low compared to so many other hosting services and its all included. I could not have asked for anything more. THANKS Dreamhost!!!! Keep up the good work.
I recently contacted Dreamhost two different times for help with setting up a blog, and their service was fantastic. I love the chat interface, and both of the support techs were patient, kind, polite, and went above and beyond to help me. They would tell me the solution, and then instead of sending me off into the dark night to try to figure out how to execute it, they would just do it for me, making my life 100x easier. Thank you Dreamhost! I recommend you highly and often.
I have been a DreamHost customer for about 4 years and have always been pleased with the service.
My blog was hacked a few weeks ago and DreamHost completely rescued me. Their email responses were swift and thorough and when I decided to try to fix the issue myself (even though it was over my head) a representative on the live chat feature walked me through step by step with patience and kindness.
I cannot say enough good things about the ease of service with DreamHost, highly recommended.
I was asked to pay a past due amount and Dreamhost would reinstate our website. We did but I soon found out that they had destroyed the contents of our website and we did not have a back up…now we do not have a website
I’ve been using Dreamhost for… probably a decade? I’m not a web designer/developer mind you—just a guy that hosts a couple domains.
But these guys/gals are just so solid. Super fast, super helpful, but most important super “human” if that makes sense. A sense of humour, kind, etc. Just good people!
I don’t know how big they are, but they feel like a neighbourhood shop. Good times.
I love DreamHost’s cloud computing offering. A really great service for those who do not need handholding.
Enough to say Dreamhost’s support structure is brilliant. Accommodating, patient tech support and they go the extra mile to sort out a problem. Thanks to a great team!
Dreamhost is beyond fantastic. I’ve used their support several times and each time they handled my issue with care and understanding. They always seem to arrive at the perfect solution and always go above and beyond! Their support is cool, friendly, smart, and helpful. Aside from their support, their hosting has proven to be highly reliable and highly configurable. They provide everything that a webhost should provide. It doesn’t get any better!
I’ve come to Dreamhost on many occasions with extra heavy support requests that go above and beyond the call of duty. More often than not I’ve had Dreamhost go there and help solve my dilemma. The rare occasion they did not, they hung in with me long enough to get me on my way. I’ve dealt with other service agencies and not seen this level of commitment to real people. I think that’s what makes Dreamhost different. It’s not just servers and domains. They know that real people are behind these screens. My most recent debacle earns them continued loyalty for the support and resolution I received.
Same here. NO help. Too busy to care. Not their problem. Can’t get my url to a hosting company that can deal with the problem. Dreamiest is a nightmare.
Absolutely no complaints about Dreamhost website hosting and admin.
Recently, on a couple of occasions, I have had cause to contact the Support team and they have responded promptly. Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about the support given. Sometimes, its as though the I email sent hasn’t been read and an automatic standard reply is generated based on the nature of the query. That’s frustrating. On the other hand, I’ve also had very detailed helpful advice on how to correct an issue. Which is great and really appreciated.
Overall, though, I’m a Happy Dreamhost customer.
I signed up for Dreampress 2 hosting plan at first everything is working well but then when I noticed that the Varnish cache is making me a headache of adding contents to my site. When I go to support to report my issue, their Customer Service is really awful. I asked them to turn off Varnish Cache but they didn’t comply and all they do is to transfer mo to Support Ticket. Right now I’m moving to AWS and control my whole VPS. Dreamhost is a nightmare period. I won’t take back my review unless they will fix my hosting.
Everything comes down to customer service, this makes or breaks a company. This is where Dreamhost dramatically FAILED.
I had signed up for their regular hosting, then wanted to switch over to WordPress hosting (still with Dreamhost). Upon attempting to do so, I received a message similar to “we cannot register this domain but have a subdomain created” What? Really?
So I sent a support ticket, 12 hours goes by, 24, 48 . . . and NEVER heard back!!! I switched over to other hosting (Arvixe) and have had great support throughout (getting email set up, etc) so I’ll never use Dreamiest in the future. Absolutely terrible.
They provide very high quality service. Thanks Dreamhost
Been a dreamhost customer for more than 10 years… recent support request left me a bit depressed.
I had some email rejected by the outgoing server. Seemed to be limited to one address and I pointed that out. I also did my research and found the “textbook” answer (I know enough to be dangerous). Ignoring other information in my note (e.g. this was the only address being rejected) They just sent me the same info I had taken time to look up.
In all fairness, support over the last 10+ years has always been awesome, timely, and they know their stuff. This came out of left field.
So in the end, I’ll figure it out on my own.
I’m still a dreamhost customer and have no plans to change.
Dreamhost is top notch! I have been using Dreamhost for my own hosting and recommending them to others for at least 10 years now. You can’t go wrong with these guys. Their tech support is quick to respond and very helpful.
Dreamhost is awesome. They host several of our domains. They are also very generous; I asked if they still offer complementary hosting for non-profits. They responded positively and I was able to host the domain within 48-hours. Class act!
A fine and dependable service provided by genuine guys. My old, currently unused account with them was stuck at $4.50, slightly below the minimum payable amount, and they graciously took the initiative to waive it and thus spare me the hassle of receiving the monthly invoice via email. Good practice and good taste. Thank you.
Whenever I have a question, I’m always amazed at how quickly Dreamhost responds. Thank you!
Dreamhost responded quickly and to the point to my inquires, so I could figure out my doubts for a new hosting service; I appreciate the efficiency of their response.
DreamHost has truly dreamy WordPress install. Their 1-click install is clear and their automatic updating is useful and helpful. When I’ve had problems, their tech support has been able to cheerfully resolve them for me. If you’re a true beginner, their web panels might still feel a bit intimidating, although their wiki is pretty clear and as long as you don’t try anything fancy, you should be fine.
When I first started hosting with them 10 years ago, they had some problems with uptime, but those seem to have largely been resolved as well. Their communication is always open and honest (from a company!) with a good dose of humor.
I’ve only been using the service for a few days but based on my initial experience I would absolutely recommend Dreamhost, particularly for those who are not specialists. The registration and setup is very simple, 1 click WordPress install is convenient and support has been excellent so far.
Very responsive and helping me sort something out quickly when I asked. Thanks, Dreamhost.
I have been moved to dreamhost recently and I love their services what they promised they mean it. Superb! I am using Dreamhost 2, a fantastic package for high traffic websites.