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. 
Great customer service with super fast response rate, easy to understand.
DreamHost continues to be one of the most amazing hosting companies I have ever used. I have been on a three year hiatus after trying a competitor to save a few bucks. After a relatively painful experience with that company, I am back to DreamHost and delightfully surprised to see that “nothing changed” since I left (except to have gotten seemingly better). I am excited to be back as a DreamHost customer!
Excellent customer service! I used the chat feature and got a response to my question within a few minutes. The representative helped me quite a bit. Keep up the great job!
Dreamhost’s customer service is world class level. Very topnotch! Their team members – their Live Chat staff in particular – are very friendly and helpful and really know their job.
Dreamhost is a great service with knowledgeable staff, I have over 200 domains on Dreamhost and I haven’t had any clients or any problems that I could not solve using their service.
It took Dreamhost over 24 hours to respond to my urgent support request (I had both of my sites down due to PHP upgrade that Dreamhost forced upon me). Unbelievable!!! If you look for hosting, look eslewhere.
I don’t deserve DH. They should find another customer that can treat them as good as they treat me.
Dear Dreamhost,
Thanks for making me feel so special with your super service and smart advisors. Can I buy you dinner? You can order anything you want.
Warmly,
dunker.
They are super fast and efficient. The chat option always brings quick, concise answers and problems that take other hosts hours to fix are normally fixed under 3 minutes at Dreamhost. They really are a dream host. seriously.
Recently created a WordPress site for my church and changed their hosting over to DreamHost. I’ve gotten wonderful service for everything from getting the domain switched over to email servers to setting up a testing area before the site went public. The support staff really knows their stuff and get back to you in a timely manner. I’ve very pleased with DreamHost!
I have been with dreamhost since 2007. They have always returned emails within 24 hrs with helpful info and a good attitude, and I can’t remember any downtime. There might have been some, but not enough to even remember. They have good prices and great help. I am technical enough that I do not need immediate help over the phone, so I can speak to that service, but anything you need, they have. I recommend them highly.
Dreamhost was very helpful and answered all of my questions fast and efficiently. The support staff was also very nice and knew what they were talking about. I appreciate the great customer service! It’s hard to find.
I have used DreamHost now for MANY years and never had any problems, they are a fantastic business that offers decent support and an awesome service.
Truly excellent customer service and all round great service in general from Dreamhost, I cannot recommend highly enough – by far the best hosting providers I have ever used. Customer service/technical support especially is top class, they really go the extra mile and treat customers like actual people (who matter). I switched from Bluehost due to awful customer service and couldn’t be happier. Would recommend Dreamhost to anyone very happily.
At first, I was skeptical about no-phone support but my issues was quickly and completely resolved using chat and than via their built-in communication tool. In addition to their superb WordPress hosting they scored high with me on the customer service. This is a winning combination!
After being with DreamHost for 1+ years as a designer, here are a few consistent things I have noticed:
1. Easy integration of WordPress at no additional charge.
2. No hidden fees. Their services are exactly what you’d expect and more.
3. Quick and courteous customer service.
Also, Dreamhost is one of the rare company’s that have made me feel a sense of steadfast partnership with, and to me that is simply something that money just can’t buy.
Fantastic support. They responded quickly and solved my problem. Thanks Dreamhost!
The best! On time and very patient on explaining stuff, thank you guys!
Always proactive with support, and often will resolve issues themselves (and explain what was wrong) instead of just supplying a wiki. But also their wikis are super helpful.
In a world where customer service seems so very poor, Dreamhost are always just brilliant, quick, and efficient. They really have always been so kind and dealt with any issues I have had whether complex or very simple. Great job folks!
Gotta love Dreamhost. I have been doing some work for clients who use a host called ‘Go Father’ or similar, and told them to shove all of it last week. By comparison Dreamhost is a savior. Excellent support, no hidden costs.
This specific event: it, well…SUCKED. There’s just no other word for it.
In trying to pay hosting fees, the date and CVV fields wouldn’t hold data and I couldn’t complete my purchase. Upon contacting DH Chat, I explained everything and got a lot of silence and “I don’t know what to say.” Then more silence. When asked if seriously stating that he couldn’t help with me GIVING money to DH, I got minutes of silence. Still not sure if I paid once, 5 times or notation all! DH needs a person who is customer centric as well as the tech folks.
I’m in love with DH! they’re absolutely the best!!
Fantastic tech support. Within the space of a couple of days (over the weekend, no less!) I contacted them several times with some really confounding issues with my website, and they handled them all promptly and professionally. I could tell they were tough problems, but they worked at them until it was all resolved. Can’t thank them enough.
I’m using DreamHost for who knows how many years, and in the very few times that I needed support, the response was quick and professional.
This is definitely something to take into consideration when choosing who to work with.
In general I feel that the people in DreamHost love their job and you can see it every time you interact with them.
Keep up to good work!