Choosing a web host for your small business website can be confusing because hosting provider plans are so similar. To help you compare popular choices GoDaddy and DreamHost, we’ve taken a deep dive into the plans, features, and costs of each provider.
Here’s a quick overview of when to use GoDaddy vs DreamHost:
- DreamHost: You want a drag-and-drop WordPress editor or need to save money
- GoDaddy: You need to get your website up and running fast without much hassle
DreamHost vs GoDaddy At a Glance
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
Expert Score | 4.9 out of 5 | 3.7 out of 5 |
Cost per Month* | From $2.95 | $6.99 |
Ecommerce From* | From $2.95 (requires plugin) | $6.99 (requires plugin) |
Renews at | $10.99 | $9.99 |
Free domain & Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) | ✓ | Free SSL (first year only)** |
Websites | Unlimited | 1 |
Storage | Unlimited | 25GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Website Builder | BoldGrid drag-and-drop builder | Content-block with artificial intelligence (AI)-chosen template |
Automatic Updates | ✓ | ✕ |
Free Themes | ✓ | ✕ |
Daily Backups | ✓ | ✕ |
Basic Email | Unlimited | 2 Microsoft 365 mailboxes included for first year |
Support | 24/7 ticket, chat, and phone support (callback) | 24/7 chat and phone support |
*Billed annually; renews at higher rate | ** Renews at $99 a year | ||
For purposes of comparing plans, we feel DreamHost’s Shared Unlimited plan is the best value for small businesses just launching a website. The Shared Unlimited plan includes ample resources, including unlimited disk space and bandwidth as well as unlimited email addresses. While it renews at a slightly higher cost after the first year, the added expense is worth what you get. Throughout this piece, we refer to the Shared Unlimited plan.
When To Use DreamHost
DreamHost offers its Shared Hosting plan for an introductory price of $2.95 a month for the first year. This includes a drag-and-drop WordPress website builder, a free domain and SSL certificate, and access to great customer support resources. Here’s when you should consider using DreamHost:
- You’re building a WordPress website: DreamHost is almost built for hosting WordPress. Every new account comes with WordPress pre-installed and includes BoldGrid, a drag-and-drop website builder that makes creating your website easier.
- You prioritize security and stability: Every DreamHost plan includes automatic updates for WordPress core and security features. This helps keep your website secure from hackers and data thieves.
- You’re building an ecommerce website: Combining DreamHost’s robust web hosting plans with WordPress means you can build an ecommerce website relatively inexpensively as many ecommerce plugins offer free versions for use with WordPress.
When To Use GoDaddy
GoDaddy is the OG of web hosting providers. It’s been around since pretty much the beginning, and it is one of the most popular web hosts thanks in no small part to its high-visibility, star-studded advertising campaigns. With hosting starting at $6.99 a month, it’s a little more expensive than other web hosts, but it also packs in some features that make it worthwhile. Here’s when you should use GoDaddy:
- You’re not building a WordPress website: GoDaddy is a great host, but it’s not necessarily the best home for a WordPress website. If you’re looking at other content management systems (CMS) or creating a fully custom website, GoDaddy is a great choice for hosting.
- You want to get up and running fast: GoDaddy provides users with a block-based website builder that can have your site up and running in as little as a few hours. It’s easy to learn and master, and while the sites aren’t the most advanced or feature-rich, you can still create a good-looking website for your business.
- You need to book appointments online: Every GoDaddy hosting account includes an appointment booking app—even the free version of their website builder. Depending on which hosting package you choose, you can take appointments, accept payments, and even schedule and manage recurring appointments, all from the web.
Best Alternatives to GoDaddy and DreamHost
Depending on the features and type of small business website you’re building, both DreamHost and GoDaddy can be great providers. That’s not to say they’re the only ones who could be right for your website. Many providers offer additional features, functionality, or ease of use not found in either GoDaddy or DreamHost. Here are a few of the best alternatives to DreamHost and GoDaddy:
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per Month* | $16 | $3.95 | $16 |
Ecommerce Plans Monthly* | $27 | $3.95 | $33 |
Websites | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Storage | 2GB plus page-count limits | 10GB | Unlimited, but page-count limits apply |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Website Builder | AI builder or template-based, plus drag-and-drop editing | Web.com intuitive, block-based website editor | Block-based templates with drag-and-drop editing |
Templates | Around 900 | Around 150 | 110 |
One-click Add-ons | 300-plus | ✕ | Around 35 |
Email | 1 address included | Unlimited email addresses | Email add-on through third-party provider |
Learn More | |||
*With annual billing; may renew at higher rate | |||
DreamHost vs GoDaddy Pricing
| |
|---|---|
Starting Cost per Month: $2.95* Renews at: $10.99 per month* Includes: One (1) website Free domain Free SSL 50GB storage Unlimited traffic Unlimited email addresses WordPress preinstalled BoldGrid WordPress website builder | Starting Cost per Month: $6.99* Renews at: $9.99 per month* Includes: One (1) website Free SSL 25GB storage Unlimited traffic 2 free Microsoft 365 mailboxes** |
*Billed annually | **First year only; renews at $47.76 after introductory period | |
Getting the most bang for your buck is probably one of the most important deciding factors in choosing a web hosting service. When it comes to value, DreamHost has GoDaddy dead to rights. There is no comparison.
DreamHost’s shared unlimited plan is just $2.95 a month to start, compared to $6.99 a month with GoDaddy. Although GoDaddy renews at a slightly cheaper rate of $9.99 a month, you have to consider the extra $47.76 email charge for two addresses—bringing your effective monthly total to $13.97. DreamHost renews at $10.99 a month and includes unlimited email. It also includes a free domain and free SSL certificate, adding further value to the introductory price.
Most Affordable: DreamHost by a Mile
There is no comparison between the value you get with DreamHost and what you get from GoDaddy. DreamHost beats GoDaddy across the board in pricing, offering more storage, more functionality, and more features than GoDaddy offers, and doing so at a much lower price.
GoDaddy vs DreamHost Products & Services
| |
|---|---|
Shared web or WordPress hosting from $2.95 per month | Shared web or WordPress hosting from $2.95 per month |
WooCommerce hosting from $16.99 per month | WordPress ecommerce hosting from $9.95 per month |
Managed WordPress hosting from $16.95 per month | Managed WordPress hosting from $13.95 per month* |
Virtual private server (VPS) starting at $10 per month* | VPS starting at $29.99 per month* |
Dedicated servers from $249 per month | Dedicated servers from $89.98 per month* |
Domain registration ($8.99 to 19.99 per year for .com) | Domain registration ($12.99 per year for .com) |
Unlimited email addresses included | New professional email hosting from $14.99 per year |
Custom website design from $1,499 SEO, social media marketing, and more from $399 per month | Custom website design, SEO, social media marketing, and more with prices based on custom proposals for each service |
*Billed annually; renews at higher rate | |
DreamHost and GoDaddy offer a comparable list of products and services. These include basics like web hosting, managed WordPress, and virtual private servers (VPS). Additionally, both companies provide custom web design, SEO services, social media marketing, and more.
While both offer comparable services, DreamHost publishes the starting prices for professional services like web development and social media marketing. Website design starts at $1,499 while other services like social media marketing begin at $399 a month. You can get many of the same services from GoDaddy, but you won’t know where those prices will start until you’ve had a consultation and given the provider time to build you a custom quote.
Best Web Hosting: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
Storage | Unlimited | 25GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free Domain & SSL | ✓ | SSL Only |
Email | Unlimited | 2 Microsoft 365 addresses for first year only (renews at $47.76) |
Content Delivery Network (CND) | Add-on, 12 cents per GB | Included |
Web hosting features tend to stack up relatively evenly between hosting providers. After all, ultimately you’re talking about space on a computer somewhere that sends out copies of your website whenever someone requests it. That’s not the case with DreamHost vs GoDaddy. The products both providers offer have some significant differences—differences that may mean one is much better for you than the other.
One thing going in GoDaddy’s favor is that it includes a CDN in its web hosting package. A CDN caches copies of your website on servers around the world. Because the server is closer to the user, a CDN can speed delivery of your website, improving overall site speed and SEO performance. DreamHost offers a CDN, but it’s an add-on at 12 cents per GB of traffic–which could rack up to a hefty fee quickly.
Meanwhile, DreamHost offers unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth on its Shared Unlimited plan—so you never have to worry about how big your website gets. If you’re serving up a lot of images, media files, or product listings, you’ll need that extra storage space and bandwidth. With GoDaddy, you only get 25GB. That may seem like a lot but, in reality, it’s probably not enough for anything beyond a basic informational website. If you’re looking to conduct commerce, you’ll want to choose DreamHost.
Best WordPress Hosting: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
WordPress Preinstalled | ✓ | ✕ |
WordPress Page Builder | ✓ | ✕ |
Daily Backups | ✓ | ✕ |
Automated WordPress Migration | ✓ | ✕ |
Automatic WordPress Updates | ✓ | ✕ |
WooCommerce-ready Plans | $16.99 per month | Requires purchase of WooCommerce plug-in (starting at $240 per year) |
When you look at the WordPress-specific features you get with DreamHost, you might think the provider was built from the ground up specifically to support WordPress. That’s because, essentially, it was. DreamHost delivers numerous features that make it ideal for building your WordPress website, which is why it landed in the top spot on our list of best cheap WordPress hosting services.
Because WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world, DreamHost strives to make using WordPress as simple as possible. All tiers of service include:
- WordPress preinstalled on your domain
- BoldGrid drag-and-drop website builder for WordPress
- Automated WordPress migration (for companies with existing WordPress websites)
- Automatic daily backups
- Optional automatic updates of WordPress core and security features as well as some plugins
GoDaddy offers none of these solutions. Nor does it make installing WordPress particularly easy. Using WordPress on GoDaddy can be downright complicated–even for advanced users. If you’re building a WordPress website, do yourself a favor and skip GoDaddy. Choose DreamHost, and you won’t regret it.
Pro tip: WordPress is an open-source, free CMS, and you can use it on virtually any web host without having to buy the core WordPress system. That’s not to say building a WordPress website won’t cost you. Almost all functionality you’ll need, from building web forms to booking appointments, require plugins—and plugins cost money. Sometimes big money. Find out more about the true costs of building a WordPress website before you pull the trigger.
Best Place to Buy Domains: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
.com Introductory Price | $8.99 | $11.99 |
Renews at | $19.99 | $21.99 |
Domain Privacy | Included | $9.99 per year add-on |
Given that GoDaddy is the OG of domain names—that’s what it became most famous for back in the day—you might think it’s the best place to buy your domain. Sadly, you’d be wrong. GoDaddy does sell domain-only plans, but so does DreamHost. The devil is in how much those domains are going to cost you, both in the short and long term.
With GoDaddy, you’ll pay an introductory price of $11.99 for the first year. If you want domain privacy, (and trust us, you do), you’ll shell out an additional $9.99 a year. After your first year, your domain will automatically renew at GoDaddy’s regular price of $21.99—plus domain privacy for $9.99, driving the cost of your domain well north of $30 a year.
DreamHost has that beat, hands down. The introductory price for the same domain purchase at DreamHost is just $8.99. This includes domain privacy. After the first year, your domain, including domain privacy—will renew at an affordable $19.99. This makes DreamHost a great value.
When it comes to buying a domain name in the GoDaddy vs DreamHost race, there’s no comparison. DreamHost provides the same product for less than 2/3 of the cost of GoDaddy.
Best Business Email Provider: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
Standalone Email Hosting | Included | $1.99 per user, per month |
Storage | 1GB per address | 25GB |
Email Aliases | ✓ | ✕ |
Productivity Suite (Documents, Spreadsheets & Presentations) | ✕ | Additional charge ($7.99 per user, per month) |
Shared Calendars, Contacts & Tasks | ✕ | ✕ |
Anti-Phishing & Virus Protection | ✓ | ✓ |
Mobile & Desktop Apps | ✓ | ✓ |
Add to Email Clients | ✓ | ✓ |
Google Workspace Add-on | $7.20 per month, per user* | Must be purchased through Google |
*Billed annually; renews at higher rate | ||
When you buy web hosting through GoDaddy or DreamHost, you’re probably going to want professional email hosting too (yourname@yourbusiness.com, for example). With DreamHost, basic email is included, with unlimited email boxes and 1GB of storage per box. GoDaddy does not offer a native email service but, instead, farms out email addresses to a lite version of Microsoft 365.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Microsoft 365 comes with 25GB of cloud storage and a host of security and safety features that exceed those from DreamHost. But those features and storage come at a price, specifically $1.99 a month per user. This can drive up the cost of your monthly hosting bill substantially, especially if you have multiple employees who need their own addresses.
Another key difference is in how each provider delivers premium email services with productivity suites like Google Workspace or the full-featured version of Microsoft 365. Productivity suites include a word processor, spreadsheet program, presentation builder, and more. GoDaddy offers a full-access Microsoft 365 add-on for $7.99 a month. This gets you access to business email and the popular Microsoft Office web apps, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Microsoft 365 also includes Teams, a videoconferencing application.
But Google Workspace is the more popular online productivity suite. It offers Docs, Sheets, and Slides—its version of a word processor, spreadsheets, and presentation builder. Additionally, you get access to Google Meet voice and videoconferencing. DreamHost sells Google Workspace add-ons for $7.20 a month. To get Google Workspace on GoDaddy, you’ll have to buy it directly from Google and manually configure your server settings to access it.
Whether you’re looking for standard business email or need a full-featured productivity suite, DreamHost is the clear choice. It not only gives you access to the most popular online productivity suite. It’s cheaper to boot.
Best Professional Services: DreamHost
| | |
|---|---|---|
Website Design | From $1,499 | Custom pricing |
Social Media Marketing | From $399 | ✕ |
SEO | From $399 | ✕ |
Website Management | From $59 | ✕ |
Custom Web Development | From $89/hour | ✕ |
For small businesses looking to outsource their online marketing, including website design and social media advertising, DreamHost offers professional services starting at just $89 an hour. It will build a custom WordPress website for as little as $1,499. To help improve your Google ranking, you can get SEO for as little as $399. All of these services are critical parts of building brand awareness.
GoDaddy offers a website development service as well. But unlike DreamHost, it does not advertise its starting prices, meaning you’ll be in the dark until you spend time with a GoDaddy representative and they build a custom plan just for you. Also, GoDaddy’s websites are relatively limited in the number of pages and amount of content they’ll create for you—with the maximum website they’ll build clocking in at just 10 pages.
Overall, if you’re looking for a one-stop shop, DreamHost does more and with more transparency than GoDaddy. This makes DreamHost the clear winner when it comes to professional services.
Best Customer Support: GoDaddy (barely)
| | |
|---|---|---|
24/7 Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Chat Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Email/Ticket Support | ✓ | ✓ |
Phone Support | Via callback | ✓ |
Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✓ |
Tutorials | ✓ | ✓ |
Building and maintaining a website can be complicated. That’s to say nothing of managing your own email accounts. If you’re new to the web management game, chances are you’ll need support. On this front, both GoDaddy and DreamHost have your back.
DreamHost offers 24/7 customer support via email and chat. You can request a telephone callback for phone support, as well. In addition, DreamHost provides a help guide, knowledge base, and DreamHost Academy tutorials for those who are more self-help-oriented.
GoDaddy also provides 24/7 support via email and chat. But unlike DreamHost, GoDaddy’s telephone support is direct-dial, meaning you can call in and get someone on the phone instead of waiting for a callback. Additionally, GoDaddy also provides help guides, a knowledge base, and tutorial videos, although their video offerings are somewhat less comprehensive than those of DreamHost.
All things being equal, both companies offer more than adequate support to customers in need. But GoDaddy has direct-contact telephone support, which gives them an edge—however slight—in the customer support category. GoDaddy wins, but not by much.
Customer Reviews of GoDaddy vs DreamHost
One of the best indicators of how well a hosting provider delivers for its customers is the reviews those customers leave. Both DreamHost and GoDaddy fare relatively well in the customer reviews category.
DreamHost earned 3.7 out of 5 stars on the customer review website G2. Customers note DreamHost’s customer service as being prompt and effective. They also single out the professional services DreamHost delivers for those wanting website design or SEO work. But not everything was roses for DreamHost. Some users had difficulty getting started or migrating their sites to DreamHost, while others were surprised by a bevy of hidden fees when they tried to leave DreamHost behind.
GoDaddy scored a slightly higher 3.9 out of 5 stars on G2. Like DreamHost, GoDaddy delivers exceptional customer service. Users also note its user-friendly (non-WordPress) website builder. But one repeated complaint is the complexity of navigating GoDaddy’s management systems. Too many users reported confusing or misleading processes that can lead to errors or downtime.
Even though DreamHost earned a slightly lower score, it still wins the race on customer reviews because the issues customers reported with the service have less impact on site performance and functionality.
Expert Opinion & Scoring
To assess a winner in the DreamHost vs GoDaddy race, we dove deep into virtually every aspect of the services each provider delivers. To do this, we leaned into decades of website design and hosting experience to create an in-depth picture of each provider’s core and niche features. Here’s how things shook out:
20% of Overall Score
Price is the number one determining factor for most small businesses. We gave a higher score to the provider that delivers the most value for your money in the long run.
30% of Overall Score
Both providers deliver a core set of features, such as storage, bandwidth, and domain names. We weighed the quality and robustness of these features to determine which provider offered the better value.
15% of Overall Score
Niche features include things like website builders, user interfaces, and technical tools to ease the process of building and managing a website. We examined the niche features each provider offers to see which was better for the user.
10% of Overall Score
Both providers give users phone, email, and chat support. They also offer knowledge base articles, help guides, and video tutorials. We looked at both the availability and quality of each provider’s customer support to see who does it better.
25% of Overall Score
We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t bring more than 20 years of expert website design experience to the table. We relied on this experience to determine, ultimately, which provider excelled in every category. We then weighed our opinions against what customers reported in their reviews, to make sure our opinions aligned with everyday users.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
While GoDaddy and DreamHost both offer web hosting services, there are a number of key differences between the two providers. DreamHost pre-installs WordPress on every hosting account, saving you time and energy. It also provides BoldGrid, a drag-and-drop WordPress website builder to help speed the process. GoDaddy doesn’t offer a WordPress installation service. Nor does its website builder support WordPress. Additionally, DreamHost includes email addresses for free in most of its plans, while GoDaddy charges per email in all of its plans.
DreamHost delivers fast, secure, and stable web hosting and email services to customers around the world. It does this for a reasonable price, starting at just $2.95 a month. With value-added features like a WordPress website builder, unlimited email addresses, and free domain and SSL certificate, DreamHost ranks at the top of our list of web hosts.
GoDaddy offers fast website hosting that’s stable. But it’s more expensive than other hosting providers, and it offers less in its hosting plans than its competitors. Moreover, managing the technical side of your GoDaddy web and email hosting can be a challenge, even for advanced users, which can lead to costly mistakes or time wasted on the phone with customer support, even for simple tasks. GoDaddy is not for the technically disinclined.
Bottom Line
In a heads-up DreamHost vs GoDaddy comparison, the winner is clear. DreamHost comes out on top. It offers a better service with more features at a cheaper price than GoDaddy. It provides customer support when you need it, and its servers are fast and nimble. You almost can’t go wrong with its Shared Unlimited plan, starting at $2.95 a month for the first year.
