DreamHost

DreamHost offers straightforward and competitive pricing, with plans covering shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting. While the initial rates are attractive, they don't include the deep discounts that some competitors offer, making them less appealing for users seeking the lowest upfront cost.

Like most hosting providers, renewal prices are higher than promotional rates, but DreamHost remains transparent about pricing. Additionally, while some basic features—such as email hosting—come with an additional fee, DreamHost clearly displays these costs during sign-up, ensuring customers aren't caught off guard by unexpected costs.

One standout feature is their 97-day money-back guarantee, which is significantly longer than the standard 30-day refund policy seen with most competitors.

DreamHost offers 24/7 customer support through live chat and a ticketing system, ensuring that users can access help at any time of day or night. Support is available in both English and Spanish, providing flexibility for a wider range of users. Connecting to a support agent is typically quick, which is a positive feature for users who need immediate assistance. However, there tends to be a noticeable delay between replies, which can disrupt the flow of the conversation and extend the resolution time.

While the support team is generally helpful, responses can often be too broad or miss the point of the issue entirely. This can lead to some frustration, as it may require several rounds of communication to clarify the problem and receive a more tailored solution. Despite these challenges, most issues are eventually resolved, but the back-and-forth process can take longer than expected. For users looking for quick, precise answers, this may be an area where DreamHost's support could improve.

DreamHost provides customer support in English, and Spanish.

Uptime

We perform thousands of uptime checks each day to ensure our reviews are accurate and reliable. The statistics below are based on the uptime checks we have performed in the last 30 days.

DreamHost provides a 100% uptime guarantee, which is more ambitious than the industry standard of 99.9%. This reflects strong confidence in its redundant power systems, cooling, and proactive server maintenance to minimize downtime. However, as with any hosting provider, achieving true 100% uptime is challenging, and minor service interruptions can still occur.

Our independent monitoring and user reports indicate that DreamHost generally delivers excellent uptime performance, with only occasional, brief disruptions. While there have been no major reported outages in recent months, planned maintenance and isolated technical issues may lead to short periods of downtime.

DreamHost compensates customers for any unplanned downtime by providing one day of service credit for every hour of downtime. This policy ensures that users are reimbursed if their website experiences unexpected interruptions.

Data Center Locations

• United States

DreamHost operates data centers in the United States, with locations in Ashburn, Virginia, and Hillsboro, Oregon. These data centers are strategically positioned to offer low-latency connections to customers across North America. Customers with a predominantly international audience (outside of North America) might want to consider alternative hosting providers with more geographically distributed data centers.

While DreamHost does not typically allow customers to freely choose or migrate their websites between data centers, it is possible to request a migration by contacting their support team. The migration process may depend on your hosting plan and other technical requirements, so it's best to reach out to DreamHost for assistance and to understand any limitations or steps involved.

Storage

DreamHost’s shared hosting service offers "unlimited" storage, backed by SSD (Solid State Drive) technology for faster data access and improved website performance.

However, while storage is advertised as unlimited, fair usage policies apply. DreamHost may impose I/O and Inode limits to ensure fair resource distribution and optimal server performance. Users with particularly high resource demands, such as those hosting large files or websites with many directories, should be aware of these potential limitations.

Bandwidth

DreamHost offers unlimited bandwidth on its shared hosting plans, meaning there's no specified cap on data transfer, which is ideal for websites with fluctuating or high traffic. This flexibility ensures that both personal blogs and growing business websites can operate without worrying about hitting a bandwidth limit.

While the bandwidth is technically unlimited, DreamHost expects users to adhere to their acceptable use policy. This ensures fair usage among customers and prevents activities that could negatively affect server performance or other users.

Migrating to DreamHost

DreamHost offers website migration services to help users smoothly transfer their sites from other hosting providers or accounts. The pricing for migration varies depending on the type of website and hosting plan.

Migrating a WordPress website from another company:

• $99 per site if migrating to a standard shared hosting plan.
• Free migration if migrating to a DreamPress plan, which is DreamHost's managed WordPress hosting solution.

If you're transferring a WordPress website from one DreamHost account to another, the migration fee is more affordable:

• $25 per site for a standard shared hosting plan.
• Free migration when moving to a DreamPress plan.

For non-WordPress websites, the migration fee is a standard $99 per site, regardless of the hosting plan.

Backups

DreamHost offers automated daily backups for its shared hosting service at no additional cost, providing users with a solid layer of security for their data. These backups ensure that website files and databases are regularly saved, giving users peace of mind that their data is protected. However, it's worth noting that DreamHost retains these backups for a limited period and advises customers to maintain their own backup solutions for long-term data security.

When it comes to restoring backups, DreamHost doesn't provide direct access through the control panel. Instead, users must request a restore via DreamHost's support team. While this process ensures that critical restorations are handled with care, it may not be as convenient for those who prefer a more immediate, self-service approach. Users who require more control over their backups may want to consider maintaining their own backup solutions alongside DreamHost's automated service.

Email

DreamHost offers email hosting starting at $1.67 per month per mailbox. Each mailbox comes with a 25 GB storage limit, which should be sufficient for most users, though high-volume email users may need to consider the 100 emails per hour sending limit. For businesses with high email traffic, this could be restrictive. Receiving limits are generally more flexible, but excessive usage might lead to throttling.

It is worth noting that most other hosting providers offer a more comprehensive email service, often included in their standard plans. Many of them don't charge extra for email hosting, and they tend to provide more robust features, including higher sending limits, advanced spam protection, and more. DreamHost's separate charge for email hosting may make it a less attractive option compared to these providers.

SSL Certificates

DreamHost offers free SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt with all hosting plans, providing essential encryption for websites at no extra cost. The automatic installation of these certificates ensures a hassle-free setup for most users, while manual installation is available for those with specific needs. Additionally, DreamHost provides paid SSL certificates from Sectigo. While these paid options may be appealing for users who require extra security or brand validation, most websites will be well-served by the free Let's Encrypt SSL.

DreamHost's website presents a polished, professional look with an intuitive navigation system at first glance. It's easy to browse through, giving users a seemingly seamless experience. However, despite the clean design, important details like usage limits, terms of service, and additional features are not immediately visible. To find this critical information, users often have to dig through multiple pages, which can be frustrating for those seeking transparency and clarity upfront.

Another area where the website could improve is in preventing accidental add-ons during the sign-up process. The platform makes it relatively easy to unintentionally select paid extras, which can be misleading for new users who may not realize they've opted for additional services. While the website is user-friendly at a glance, these issues can make navigating the platform and finding essential details more cumbersome than it needs to be.