DreamHost vs Bluehost: Which Wins?
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Comparison winner
Hosting your own website shouldn’t be stressful – and if you pick the best host for your needs, it won’t be! DreamHost and Bluehost are two high-quality options, so if you’re torn between them, then you’re already ahead of the game – and we’ve created this comparison to help you make the right call.
We’ve spent over 230 hours researching and comparing the top web hosts on the market, so we know quality when we see it. Plus, we asked over 1,200 readers like you what they value most in a host, to make sure we focused on the right areas.
After all that, we can definitively say that Bluehost is the better provider overall, with excellent ease of use and superb WordPress integration. But don’t count DreamHost out completely – read on to see why its security features and VPS plans impressed us, too.
Pros and Cons
Bluehost Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Excellent WordPress integration: Bluehost is recommended by WordPress itself, and comes with seamless one-click installation • Around-the-clock support: Phone and live chat are available 24/7 | • Sales-y checkout process: Bluehost adds extra products to your cart at checkout, which you’ll have to remove yourself |
DreamHost Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Automatic daily backups: DreamHost makes backups of your website every day • Cheap VPS hosting: VPS plans start from just $10 per month | • No direct phone support: You can submit a ticket online to request a call from the DreamHost team, but you can’t call them yourself |
Ease of Use
Which one is more beginner-friendly?
Which one is more beginner-friendly?
The Winner
Bluehost is easier to use than DreamHost
Signing Up
You can get started with either Bluehost or DreamHost in just a few minutes. In both cases, the first step will be choosing a domain name for your website. If you already own a domain name that you want to use, you can enter it at this stage and then transfer your domain name once you’re all signed up.
If you’re choosing a new domain, you can purchase and register it directly through either host. Not all web hosts also function as domain name registrars, so Bluehost and DreamHost both get bonus points for the added convenience of letting you manage your hosting and domains in one place.
Next, it’s time to check out. Both hosts will ask for your billing information, phone number, and email address at this stage, and then you’re done!
Managing Your Site
Bluehost uses a popular software called cPanel to power your account dashboard.
The cPanel interface is clean and easy to navigate, whether you want to manage your website’s files (pictured), add a new domain, or browse new themes and plugins for your site.
In the “Home” tab on the left hand menu, you’ll even find a handy checklist for setting up your site:
DreamHost, on the other hand, doesn’t use the cPanel software. Instead, it uses its own custom-built panel, which can perform most of the same functions.
Similar to cPanel, the DreamHost control panel has a clear navigation menu on the left side of the dashboard. From there, you can manage your domains, email addresses, and billing information.
Overall, the DreamHost control panel is pretty easy to use – there’s even a drop-down menu with links to support options, including the DreamHost knowledge base. Still, Bluehost takes the cake on this one because the cPanel dashboard is so clear and navigable – and it’s also widely used, so if you ever want to switch hosts in the future, chances are you won’t have to adapt to a new management system!
- Interested in cPanel? Learn more about your options with our ranking of the best cPanel hosting providers.
- Purchasing a domain name for the first time? Find out how much a domain name costs.
Features
Which has more to offer?
Which has more to offer?
The Winner
It's a tie!
Types of Hosting
There are a few different types of web hosting out there, and the main difference has to do with the amount of server space and resources each type can provide.
- Shared hosting means your website is hosted on the same server as other sites, and you share resources like storage and bandwidth.
- WordPress hosting is shared hosting, specifically optimized for WordPress websites.
- Cloud hosting is similar to shared hosting, but resources are shared between a network of connected servers, rather than just one. Cloud hosting is very reliable, because the burden of uptime is shared between servers.
- VPS hosting stands for virtual private server hosting, and it’s basically a shared server that mimics the environment of a dedicated server. This means more resources will be allocated to your site, but you won’t be paying the price of a real dedicated server.
- Reseller hosting is a little different from the rest. In this model, you’d purchase server space from Bluehost or iPage, but not to use yourself – you’d actually then rent it out to other people, as a sort of business model.
- Dedicated hosting is the real version of what VPS hosting is mimicking. With dedicated hosting, you get an entire server to yourself – all of its resources are dedicated to your website.
Bluehost and DreamHost offer the following types of hosting:
| Bluehost | DreamHost |
|---|---|
| • Shared – starts at $2.95 per month • WordPress – starts at $2.95 per month • WooCommerce – starts at $15.95 per month • VPS – starts at $18.99 per month • Dedicated – starts at $79.99 per month | • Shared – starts at $2.59 per month • WordPress – starts at $2.59 per month • WooCommerce – starts at $16.95 per month • VPS – starts at $10 per month • Dedicated – starts at $149 per month • Cloud – starts at $4.50 per month |
Both providers offer the three “main” types – shared, VPS, and dedicated – as well as WordPress and WooCommerce hosting, which are basically shared plans specifically optimized for WordPress sites and WordPress online stores, respectively.
If you’re interested in reseller hosting, you’ll want to look elsewhere – our ranking of the best reseller hosting providers is a good place to start. Bluehost does recommend ResellerClub as a third-party option, but neither Bluehost nor DreamHost offers in-house reseller hosting plans.
Shared Plan Comparison
On their cheapest shared plan, Bluehost and Dreamhost both include:
- One website
- One free domain for the first year
- 50 GB storage space
- Unmetered bandwidth
Bluehost also includes a free content delivery network, or CDN, which helps ensure that your website loads quickly – regardless of where in the word your visitors are coming from. You’ll also score up to $150 in Google Ads credit, to help you promote your site.On the other hand, DreamHost impressed us by offering automated daily backups to help keep your site safe, even on its cheapest shared plan.
Pricing
Which offers more bang for your buck?
Which offers more bang for your buck?
The Winner
Bluehost is better value than DreamHost
At a Glance
- Bluehost’s introductory prices start at $2.95 per month, and its renewal prices start at $7.99 per month
- DreamHost’s introductory prices start at $2.59 per month, and its renewal prices start at $5.99 per month
For example, DreamHost’s cheapest plan costs $2.59 per month, but only if you sign up for your first three years in advance, so you’ll have to pay $93.24 up front. If you sign up for one year in advance, the introductory price goes up a little bit to $2.95 per month, or $106.20 altogether.
However long that first term is – you’ll usually get to pick anywhere between six months and three years – the monthly price will renew at a set regular rate once it ends. This is called the renewal price.
For example, DreamHost’s cheapest plan costs $2.59 per month ($93.24 total) for the first three years, but that cost renews at $5.99 per month ($215.64 total) every three years after that.
Prices by Hosting Type
Let’s see how these providers’ prices compare for each of the three “main” types of hosting we talked about earlier, going by the cheapest introductory price:
| Bluehost | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Shared | $2.95 | $2.59 |
| VPS | $18.99 | $10 |
| Dedicated | $79.99 | $149 |
Why is Bluehost Better Value for Money?
Bluehost earned an impressive 4.6/5 in the “value for money” category of our research, while DreamHost fell behind the pack with a 3.0/5.
But why? At a glance, DreamHost’s shared prices are slightly cheaper than Bluehost’s, and its VPS plans also start at a lower rate. But cheapest doesn’t always mean best value, and a closer look shows that Bluehost’s plans give you more bang for your buck.
Think of it this way – for an extra 36¢ each month (compared to DreamHost), Bluehost comes with:
- An easier-to-use interface and the widely popular cPanel software
- Excellent WordPress integration
- Superior live chat and knowledge base support
…and we’d call that over-delivering for the price!
- Check out our rankings of the best cheap shared hosting, best cheap VPS hosting, or the best cheap dedicated hosting to save money, without sacrificing quality.
Performance and Security
Which host has your back?
Which host has your back?
The Winner
It's a tie!
Uptime
Uptime refers to the amount of time per year that your website is live and accessible to visitors without any issues. It’s a really important factor in a website’s success, because an unreliable website can cost you loyal visitors – and for ecommerce businesses, it can also cost you revenue.
It’s impossible to guarantee 100% uptime, but you’ll want your hosting provider to be within the 99.97% – 99.99% range. That may not seem like a big range, but every little bit counts – a difference of just a few hundredths can actually translate into hours of extra downtime each year.
| Bluehost | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical uptime | 99.98% | 99.95% |
| Downtime per year (based on typical uptime) | ~One hour and 45 minutes | ~Four hours and 30 minutes |
When it comes to uptime, Bluehost is a more reliable provider than DreamHost.
Website Backups
Backups are the easiest way to restore a previous version of your website in case anything goes wrong. Having an up-to-date backup of your site on hand is a great way to make sure your content is safe.
Of course, it’s even more convenient if you don’t have to remember to make these backups yourself – and that’s where DreamHost has you covered, offering automatic daily backups on all of its plans.
Bluehost makes its own backups of your site, but they’re not guaranteed (they’re more for Bluehost’s records) and will be overwritten with a new copy every 30 days – so you’ll still want to save copies yourself in the cPanel dashboard.
Security Measures
Both Bluehost and DreamHost include free SSL certificates on all of their hosting plans. SSL certificates keep your visitors’ data secure by encrypting the connection between their browsers and your web server.
Optional Security Products
The basic SSL certificates that Bluehost and DreamHost include on their plans should be sufficient for most websites. But if you want to go the extra mile in terms of security – for example, if you’re running an online store and want to reassure customers that their payment information is safe – then you can purchase a more advanced SSL certificate for your site.
- With DreamHost, you can add a professionally-signed SSL certificate from your account dashboard for $15 per year
- With Bluehost, you can add a private SSL certificate from your account dashboard for $6.67 per month
- Discover the best free SSL hosting providers (spoiler alert: Bluehost is #1)
Migrating Domains and Websites
Which is more convenient?
Which is more convenient?
The Winner
It's a tie!
Thinking of switching your website to either Bluehost or DreamHost? Then we’ve got good news: both hosts offer a free, automated website migration service. However, your website will have to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible.
Migrating to Bluehost
Bluehost’s free migration service is available for most WordPress websites. If you qualify, an expert will move your site over for you.
You might not qualify if you’re using an old version of WordPress, or if your database is very large. In that case, you have two more options:
- You can use Bluehost’s paid migration service for $149.99
- You can move your website to Bluehost manually
Having to do a manual migration (that is, moving your site on your own) isn’t the most convenient way, but it’s definitely not too difficult to handle! The process mostly involves saving your website’s files to your computer, and then uploading them to your new host. If you decide to go down this route, we’ve written a guide on how to transfer website hosting that will help.
Migrating to DreamHost
DreamHost offers a paid website transfer service starting at $99. If you’d rather take the free route, DreamHost has an automated migration plugin that you can use to move a WordPress site. You’ll just need to be signed up for a DreamHost plan before you can install the plugin on your site.
What About Moving a Domain?
Bluehost lets you transfer domains with the following extensions: com, net, org, us, co, info, and biz. You can initiate the transfer easily from your Bluehost dashboard!
As for DreamHost, you’ll just have to follow the usual steps of manually transferring a domain name to a new host.
Help and Support
Which is better?
Which is better?
The Winner
Bluehost has better support than DreamHost
Bluehost scored a perfect 5/5 in the “help and support” section of our research, while DreamHost seriously underperformed with a 1.3/5.
Support Options
| Bluehost | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 24/7 | No* |
| Live chat | 24/7 | 3 AM - 9:30 PM PT |
| Knowledge base | Excellent | Good |
*DreamHost doesn’t offer direct phone support. In other words, you can’t call DreamHost yourself, but you can report an issue online and request a call back from the team.
Bluehost clearly has more support options than DreamHost – but customer support is often a quality over quantity situation, and the quality of Bluehost’s services is what pushes it to the front of the pack in this area.
When we tested Bluehost’s live chat feature, we were really impressed by how quickly the team got back to us, and by the detail of their responses.
DreamHost’s live chat can sometimes have longer wait times during its available hours, but for the most part, we’ve still received responses in a few minutes or so.
DreamHost vs Bluehost: Summary
This page has covered all the most important factors to consider when choosing between Bluehost and DreamHost, from ease of use to cost. In the table below, we’ll do a quick recap of what we’ve covered, so that you can make your decision with confidence.
| Provider | Bluehost | DreamHost |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Winner! Uses popular cPanel dashboard | Uses custom-made dashboard |
| Features | Tie! Offers a free CDN and Google Ads credit | Tie! Offers daily backups and affordable cloud hosting |
| Pricing | Winner! Low prices and great value | Low prices and decent value |
| Performance and Security | Tie! Excellent uptime | Tie! Excellent backup policy |
| Migration | Tie! Free and paid options available | Tie! Free and paid options available |
| Support | Winner! 24/7 phone and live chat | No direct phone support |
Bluehost is the overall winner of the DreamHost vs Bluehost debate. Still, it won’t be the best fit for everyone…
Who Should Use Bluehost?
- Anyone hosting a WordPress site
- Anyone wanting to get set up quickly
- Anyone concerned with uptime
Who Should Use DreamHost?
- Anyone looking for very cheap VPS hosting
- Anyone who frequently updates their site’s content
- Anyone who prefers online support to phone support
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