DreamHost Review: Does It Really Offer Contract-free Hosting Plans?
Kelly is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and Apple Developer who has counseled businesses of all sizes and growth stages. You can find her expertise across Fit Small Business in marketing, business website, and business trend content.
Rain is a staff writer at Fit Small Business focusing on sales, such as VoIP and video conferencing.
This article is part of a larger series on Small Business Websites.
DreamHost offers reliable web hosting services for various business needs and businesses of all sizes. Its commitment-free shared hosting plans come with all the core features you need to build and maintain your websites, such as domain, SSL certificate, website templates, and security tools. If you are a beginner with a tight budget looking for a low-cost yet high-value web hosting plan, DreamHost is for you.
DreamHost
What We Like
- One of the few hosting services to offer contract-free plans
- Very low fees on long-term plans at just $2.59 per month
- Top-notch customer support
- Includes a free domain name, SSL certificate, and business email, like Bluehost
- 100% uptime guarantee
- 97-day money-back guarantee
- Free automated daily backups
- Free automated WordPress migrations
What's Missing
DreamHost Is Recommended For:
- Those on a budget looking for reliable and ultra-low-cost web hosting
- Businesses that do not want to commit to a contract
- Those who want peace of mind with a long, 97-day money-back guarantee
Who DreamHost Is Best For
DreamHost is among the cheapest web hosting service providers. It helps you quickly set up and publish secure websites. While most competitors provide low-cost hosting services in long-term contracts, DreamHost lets you sign up for its plans on a month-to-month basis. These contract terms and subscription tiers are excellent for business owners who want to increase their online presence while making most of their limited budgets.
Specifically, DreamHost is best for:
- Those who don’t want to commit to a contract and are looking for reliable and ultra-low-cost web hosting: DreamHost offers comprehensive products at the lowest rates and contract terms. Unlike most providers, it provides month-to-month subscription options, including a free SSL certificate, a website builder, and various affordable products for different needs. Its shared hosting plans include domain registration, a website builder, and solid-state drives (SSDs). It is among our top picks for the best cheap web hosting providers and best web hosting companies for having the most affordable all-inclusive plans with short- to long-term plans.
- Businesses wanting peace of mind with a long, 97-day money-back guarantee: DreamHost beats most web hosting companies that offer a money-back guarantee by making customers who paid through credit cards eligible for a full refund upon cancellation within the first 97 days of purchase. Most providers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, while some, like HostGator, extend it to 45 days.
- WordPress hosting: DreamHost provides a wide range of WordPress hosting plans, including basic, managed, and virtual private server (VPS) subscriptions with monthly terms. It also helps users migrate their existing WordPress sites into DreamHost for free, a service included in specific plans. It is also one of our best WordPress hosting providers for its reliable 100% uptime guarantee.
- No-commitment email hosting: DreamHost offers 25GB of email hosting storage with security features at a very low monthly price per mailbox. Those subscribed to higher tiers can enjoy this feature for free. It is among our list of the best business email providers and best cheap email hosting providers for its month-to-month plans at ultra-low prices.
- Ecommerce stores set up through WooCommerce: DreamHost has affordable hosting plans made specifically for those with WooCommerce needs. It features pre-installed WooCommerce and a storefront theme, one-click staging, and priority 24/7 WordPress support.
When DreamHost Would Not Be a Good Fit
Though DreamHost offers impressive services that fulfill all website creation needs, it doesn’t mean that it is the perfect match for you. Other factors to consider include budget, platform preference, and ease of use for your current knowledge and experience.
- Businesses that need unlimited storage: DreamHost is among the website hosting providers that offer the cheapest base plans. However, it only comes with 50GB storage. If you need more storage space, then you may consider HostGator. It also offers unmetered storage and bandwidth on all of its low-cost plans.
- Those who are not using WordPress to build a site: If you are looking into getting your site up the quickest way possible and aren’t explicitly aiming to utilize WordPress, you may look into Squarespace. It is among our recommendations for the best website builders for offering its all-inclusive website hosting service and drag-and-drop builder with ready-to-use templates.
DreamHost is a good option for beginners wanting to quickly publish their business websites without breaking the bank. If you are still unsure and are looking for more options, check out our guide on the best web hosting companies for small businesses.
DreamHost Pricing
DreamHost offers the most affordable contract-free plans with monthly introductory fees that start at $4.59. Alternatives in the market like Bluehost do not offer plans with month-to-month billing and those that do, such as HostGator, cost more than double the price.
All DreamHost plans include everything you need to easily and quickly publish your sites, such as domain, SSL certificate, subdomains, site storage, and a website builder.
Shared Hosting Plans | Shared Starter | Shared Unlimited |
|---|---|---|
Best For | Those with only one website | Teams that run multiple websites |
Monthly Pricing* | $4.95/month | $8.95/month |
12-month Term Pricing* | $2.95/month | $2.95/month |
36-month Term Pricing* | $2.59/month | $3.95/month |
Renewal Pricing** | $5.99-$7.99/month | $10.99-$13.99/month |
Numbers of Websites | 1 | Unlimited |
Site Storage | 50GB | Unlimited |
Number of Subdomains | 5 | Unlimited |
One-year Domain Registration*** | ✔ | ✔ |
SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ |
24/7 Customer Support | ✔ | ✔ |
Business Email | ✕ | ✔ |
*Introductory pricing paid in full at the beginning of the billing cycle. Regular rates apply upon renewal, except for introductory rates for monthly terms that last for three months.
**Renewal fees vary depending on the length of the term.
***In any plan, users must sign up for a one- or three-year contract to qualify for free one-year domain registration.
For more information, select a plan from the drop-down menu below:
Shared Starter
If you are planning to set up only one website, then Shared Starter is for you. It costs $2.59 to $8.95 per month for the initial term, depending on the length of the contract. This package includes features that enable users to customize and publish websites quickly, such as pre-installed WordPress and a drag-and-drop website builder.
This entry-level plan’s 36-month pricing—which costs $2.59 per month for the initial contract—is comparable with GreenGeeks’ $2.49 initial monthly fee. Both providers offer 50GB of data storage, but DreamHost charges an extra $1.67 monthly fee per mailbox for those who want to add an email. However, GreenGeeks’ renewal pricing is double the amount of DreamHost’s regular rates.
Shared Unlimited
Unsure if you only need one website? Go for Shared Unlimited. Initial prices range from $3.95 to $8.95 per month, depending on the selected billing cycle. It allows teams to host unlimited websites and includes unlimited storage, business emails, and subdomains.
DreamHost Features & Key Insights
DreamHost offers low-cost web hosting packages for various purposes. If you are a beginner wanting to quickly set up a business website or online store, then this provider is worth considering.
Below, let’s go over some of the essential inclusions its plans come with:
Storage & Bandwidth
DreamHost’s shared hosting plans provide 50GB up to an unlimited amount of solid-state drive (SSD) storage. This technology ensures that your website’s load times are 200% faster than those hosted in standard HDD storage. Additionally, all shared hosting plans feature unmetered bandwidth or traffic.
Competitors are charging more for the same or less amount of storage. For instance, Hostinger’s monthly fee for its base plan with only 30GB of storage is almost twice as expensive as DreamHost’s monthly rate.
Reliability
DreamHost only has U.S.-based data centers in Ashburn, Virginia, and Hillsboro, Oregon. It falls short from its competitors, such as GreenGeeks and GoDaddy, which have data centers across various countries. However, it offers a 100% uptime guarantee, where DreamHost provides refunds when its users’ sites go down.
Additionally, DreamHost also offers a 97-day money-back guarantee for those who paid through a credit card. Users will be eligible for a full refund if their plans are canceled within the first 97 days of subscribing and creating their accounts.
If you are looking into utilizing WordPress, then DreamHost is for you. It offers optimized servers, database software, and configurations designed for excellent WordPress performance.
Features & Inclusions
DreamHost’s website builder enables users to customize their pages through drag-and-drop editing and design blocks. (Source: DreamHost)
DreamHost’s base shared hosting plan features the tools you need to set up your business website. Its entry-level tier comes with:
- Free domain for one year and SSL certificate (with an annual contract)
- Customized control panel
- Pre-installed WordPress installation
- Drag-and-drop website builder
- Automated daily backups
- Unmetered transfer
- SSD storage
Want to customize your site without the need to code? Check out our guide on the best website builders for small businesses.
DreamHost offerings aren’t different from competitors like Bluehost—providing unlimited storage and premium features on its more expensive plans. However, DreamHost has its own control panel. Its control panel features most of cPanel’s functions. In addition, it allows past cPanel users to manually import their backup files into its custom panel. The backup file may contain all of your data, including your databases, email accounts, and sites.
Customer Support
DreamHost provides its knowledge base full of valuable and searchable guides on its products and services.
(Source: DreamHost)
DreamHost offers 24/7 customer service through tickets and its helpbot. A live chat channel is available daily from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Pacific Time. It also has a knowledge base with a library of comprehensive articles with images to help its users. Though it has limited live chat support and other channels like phone, most users commend its customer service team for being responsive and helpful.
If you are looking for guides in building your website and getting traffic, DreamHost also provides its Academy page, which features courses and videos to aid your learning process.
What Users Think of DreamHost
DreamHost received fewer recent reviews online compared to some of its competitors, like GoDaddy. DreamHost’s online reviews match our analysis, noting that it’s one of the best web hosting providers for beginners due to its good mix of price and value. At the time of writing, it earned the following unbiased ratings from popular and credible user review websites:
- G2: 3.8 out of 5 stars based on 70 reviews
- TrustRadius: 8.7 out of 10 stars based on 8 reviews
- HostAdvice: 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 284 reviews
Aspects that users appreciate about DreamHost’s services include excellent customer support, low rates, and great uptime. On the other hand, there are mixed views on its custom control panel; some reviews highlighted users finding it intuitive while some DreamHost complaints mentioned it was hard to navigate.
Bottom Line
DreamHost is one of the best web hosting companies, not only for its affordable and feature-rich offerings but also because of its incredible customer support. Subscribing to any of its plans comes with web hosting and WordPress experts at your disposal—making it great for beginners who need guidance. DreamHost is worth considering if you are currently on a budget and have no web design or coding experience.
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