Hosting.com vs DreamHost: Complete 2026 Comparison
Hosting.com and DreamHost are both shared hosting providers, but they suit different priorities. Across our 7-category breakdown, DreamHost comes out ahead, winning 4 of them — including Price, Value and Performance.
Data last updated June 2026
Overall Winner
DreamHost
- Wins in 4 of 7 categories
- Top in: Best Price, Best Value, Best Performance
- 3.8/5 overall rating
Hosting.com vs DreamHost: Overview
On entry pricing, DreamHost is the cheaper option at $2.89/mo versus $2.99/mo for Hosting.com. Renewal tells the real story: DreamHost marks prices up about 280% at renewal versus roughly 301% for Hosting.com, making it the better long-term value.
Hosting.com's standout is turbo servers with LiteSpeed caching claiming 20x faster speeds than standard hosting — a natural fit for speed-focused user who wants developer tools and doesn't mind renewal price increases. DreamHost, by contrast, leans on employee-owned privacy advocate with 100% uptime guarantee and full developer tools, ideal for privacy-conscious developer or WordPress enthusiast wanting ethical hosting.
Category Winners
DreamHost
$2.89/mo vs $2.99/mo
DreamHost
Lower renewal markup (280% vs 301%)
DreamHost
100% uptime, 3.8/5 rating
DreamHost
Live chat, Phone, 24/7
Hosting.com
Optimized, Staging, WooCommerce, LiteSpeed
Tie
Similar developer features
Hosting.com
Higher ease of use score (8.0/10)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Essential Info | ||
| Hosting Type | Shared Hosting | Shared Hosting |
| Monthly Price | $2.99/mo | $2.89/mo |
| Renewal Price | $11.99 | $10.99 |
| Renewal Markup | 301% | 280% |
| Overall Rating | 3.6/5 | 3.8/5 |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.9% | 100% |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 5,066 | 8,018 |
| Free SSL | ||
| Free Domain | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| Pricing Details | ||
| First Year Cost | $35.88 | $34.68 |
| Second Year Cost | $143.88 | $131.88 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly Billing | — | |
| Minimum Contract | 1 months | — |
| Technical Specs | ||
| Storage | 15 GB | 25 GB |
| Storage Type | NVME SSD | NVME SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered GB | Unmetered GB |
| Max Websites | 1 | 25 |
| Max Databases | Unlimited | — |
| PHP Versions | 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 | 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 |
| SSH Access | ||
| Git Deployment | ||
| Staging Environment | ||
| Cron Jobs | ||
| Redis Available | — | |
| Programming Languages | ||
| Node.js Support | ||
| Python Support | ||
| Ruby Support | ||
| WordPress Features | ||
| WordPress Optimized | ||
| WordPress Auto-Install | ||
| WordPress Auto-Updates | ||
| WordPress Staging | ||
| WooCommerce Optimized | ||
| LiteSpeed Cache | ||
| Object Caching | ||
| WP Multisite | — | |
| WP-CLI Access | ||
| Security | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| DDoS Protection Level | Reinforced DDoS Protection included | Basic |
| Malware Scanning | ||
| Malware Removal | ||
| Firewall Included | ||
| Backup Frequency | Daily (Turbo plans) / Weekly (basic plans) | Daily (automatic, not guaranteed accessible) |
| Backup Retention | — | 30 days |
| Backup Restore Fee | Free | — |
| On-Demand Backup | ||
| Two-Factor Auth | ||
| Wildcard SSL | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Support | ||
| Support Channels | Phone, Live Chat, Ticket, Knowledge Base | Live Chat, Phone (callback), Email/Ticket, Knowledge Base |
| Live Chat | ||
| Live Chat Hours | 24/7/365 | 24/7 |
| Phone Support | ||
| Phone Support Hours | 24/7/365 | Callback system (not 24/7 direct) |
| Ticket Support | ||
| Priority Support | ||
| Support Languages | English | English, Spanish |
| Knowledge Base Quality | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| Avg Support Wait | — | — |
| Email Accounts | ||
| Email Account Limit | 25 | — |
| Mailbox Size | — | — |
| Webmail Access | ||
| Spam Filter | ||
| Email Forwarding | ||
| Performance | ||
| CDN Included | ||
| CDN Provider | Cloudflare CDN (free) | Cloudflare CDN |
| Server Locations | Ann Arbor, MI (US-East), Phoenix, AZ (US-West), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Singapore | Ashburn, VA (US), Hillsboro, OR (US), Netherlands (EU) |
| Server Location Count | 4 | 3 |
| Choose Server Location | ||
| HTTP/2 Support | — | |
| Brotli Compression | — | |
| Uptime SLA Credit | ||
| Platform Support | ||
| Drupal Support | ||
| Joomla Support | ||
| Magento Support | ||
| Laravel Support | ||
| Django Support | ||
| Next.js Support | ||
| Rails Support | ||
| Static Site Support | ||
| Control Panel | ||
| cPanel Included | ||
| Control Panel | cPanel | DreamHost Panel |
| Softaculous | ||
| Website Builder | ||
| Builder Name | Site.pro Website Builder | DreamHost Website Builder |
| Migration | ||
| Migration Websites Limit | 1 | — |
| Migration Turnaround | 3 days | 3 days |
| Paid Migration Cost | $25.00 | $99.00 |
| Migration Quality | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliant | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
| HIPAA Compliant | ||
| Data Center Certs | SSAE16 | — |
| Ratings | ||
| Value for Money | 3.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Performance Rating | 4.5/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Support Quality | 3.5/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Security Rating | 3.5/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Features Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4.0/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Transparency Rating | 3.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Suitability Scores | ||
| For Bloggers | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For E-commerce | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Agencies | 3.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For Developers | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| For Beginners | 4.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For Enterprise | 2.0/10 | 2.0/10 |
| Policies | ||
| Bandwidth Overage | Unmetered within fair use; excessive use may require upgrade | Unmetered; no overage charges |
| Storage Overage | Must upgrade plan; inode limits apply | Must upgrade plan or purchase additional storage |
| Adult Content Allowed | ||
| Gambling Sites Allowed | — | |
| Crypto Sites Allowed | ||
| Reseller Hosting | ||
| White Label | ||
| API Access | ||
| Company Info | ||
| Year Founded | 2001 | 1996 |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Parent Company | World Host Group / hosting.com (acquired January 2025; rebranded to hosting.com May 2025; investors include Oakley Capital, Barings, Bain Capital) | New Dream Network, LLC (employee-owned) |
| Green Hosting | — | |
| Instant Activation | — | |
| Managed WordPress | ||
| Managed WP Available | ||
| Pricing Model | — | — |
| Monthly Visit Limit | — | — |
| Visit Overage Cost | — | — |
| PHP Workers | — | — |
| Plugin Restrictions | — | — |
| Dev Environment | — | — |
| Dev Env Name | — | — |
| Regional Info | ||
| Best Countries | United States, Netherlands, Singapore, Germany, United Kingdom | United States, Canada, Netherlands |
| Local Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, INR | USD |
| Support Languages | English | English, Spanish |
| Data Sovereignty | GDPR | GDPR |
| External Ratings | ||
| G2 Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.0/5 |
| BBB Rating | A+ | Not Accredited |
| Advanced Technical | ||
| Inode Limit | — | — |
| Max DB Size | — | — |
| Max Upload Size | — | — |
| Database Type | MySQL/MariaDB | — |
| Elasticsearch | — | |
| Image Optimization | — | — |
| PHP Switching | ||
| Subdomains | 25 | — |
| FTP Accounts | 25 | — |
| Additional Pricing | ||
| Free Domain Duration | — | 12 months |
| Money Back Exclusions | 30-day full refund; Prorated refund for unused services available up to 90 days; Domain fees non-refundable; Setup fees non-refundable | Only applies to shared hosting with credit card payment; DreamPress has 30-day guarantee; Domain registrations non-refundable; SSL certificates non-refundable; Add-on services non-refundable; Updated to 30 days as of July 2025 |
| Payment Methods | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Skrill, Bank Transfer, Check | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Check |
| Auto Renewal Default | ||
| Domain Privacy Included | — | |
| Domain Privacy Cost | $14.99/yr | — |
| SSL Provider | Let's Encrypt (auto-renewed) | Let's Encrypt |
| Dedicated IP Cost | $5.99/mo | — |
| Additional Support | ||
| Phone Support Countries | United States | United States, Canada |
| Priority Support Cost | — | — |
| Community Forum | ||
| Support Outsourced | — | |
| Object Cache Type | OPcache/Memcached | Built-in caching (DreamPress) |
| Business & Affiliate | ||
| Affiliate Program | ||
| Commission Type | Tiered per sale | Flat rate (tiered) |
| Commission Amount | $55 (1-10 sales), $75 (11-15), $100 (16-20), $125 (21+ sales); $5 second-tier; 90-day cookie | Up to $300 per referral; 97-day holding period; monthly bank transfer payout; no earning limits; top earners made $20K+ last year |
| Additional Policies | ||
| File Hosting Allowed | ||
| Proxy/VPN Allowed | ||
| Bandwidth Overage Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Account Suspension Policy | Violation of ToS; non-payment; resource abuse | AUP violations result in suspension or termination; content illegal in USA prohibited |
| Malware Removal Cost | $0.00 | — |
| Downloadable Backups | ||
| Additional Platforms | ||
| PrestaShop | ||
| Ghost | ||
| Shopify Migration | ||
| Wix Migration | ||
| Squarespace Migration | ||
| Webflow Export | ||
| Editorial Info | ||
| Best For | Speed-focused websites needing Turbo servers; Developers wanting SSH, Git, WP-CLI access; Users wanting multiple data center location options; WordPress sites needing LiteSpeed caching; Budget shared hosting with promo pricing; Reseller hosting with white-label options | Privacy-conscious users (employee-owned, privacy advocacy); WordPress users (DreamPress managed hosting); Users wanting long money-back period; Developers (SSH, Git, multiple languages); Users wanting 100% uptime guarantee; Open-source advocates; US-based websites (2 US + 1 EU data center) |
| Avoid If | Budget-sensitive at renewal time; Need free domain included; Want guaranteed 99.9%+ uptime; Prefer all-inclusive pricing; Need PCI/HIPAA compliance; Want more than 4 data center locations | Need cPanel; Need included email on basic plan; Need more global data center options; Prefer direct phone support; Need enterprise compliance (no SOC2/HIPAA); Budget-conscious long-term (VPS renewal 150% markup) |
| Known Issues | Significant renewal price increase (up to 6x promo price); Reports of declining support quality; No free domain included; $25 fee to change data center location; Uptime occasionally below guarantee (99.95% actual vs 99.9% promised); Some migration issues reported; Turbo servers only on higher-priced plans; Company acquired and rebranded to hosting.com in 2025 | No cPanel (custom panel takes adjustment); Email not included on Shared Starter (only free 3 months); PHP Extended Support costs $5/mo extra; DreamShield security and hack recovery are paid extras; Money-back guarantee reduced from 97 to 30 days (July 2025); Phone support is callback only (not direct dial); Automatic backups exist but not guaranteed accessible; Only 3 data center locations |
| Unique Selling Point | Turbo servers with LiteSpeed caching claiming 20x faster speeds than standard hosting | Employee-owned privacy advocate with 100% uptime guarantee and full developer tools |
| Ideal Customer | Speed-focused user who wants developer tools and doesn't mind renewal price increases | Privacy-conscious developer or WordPress enthusiast wanting ethical hosting |
| Best Alternative To | SiteGround | Bluehost |
| Primary Competitors | SiteGround, Hostinger, InMotion Hosting | Bluehost, InMotion, A2 Hosting |
We strive for accuracy, but pricing and features change frequently. Some data may be outdated. Report an error and we'll update it promptly.
Our Verdict
Choose Hosting.com if you...
- Want LiteSpeed caching for WordPress
- Are new to web hosting
- Want more server locations (4 available)
Choose DreamHost if you...
- Want to save money ($2.89/mo vs $2.99/mo)
- Prefer more predictable renewal pricing
- Want higher-rated hosting (3.8/5)
- Require 24/7 live chat support
Hosting.com vs DreamHost: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hosting.com cheaper than DreamHost?
Yes — DreamHost is cheaper, starting at $2.89/mo compared with $2.99/mo for Hosting.com. Factor in renewals too: DreamHost marks up about 280% after the first term.
Which is better for WordPress, Hosting.com or DreamHost?
Hosting.com is the stronger WordPress host thanks to WordPress-optimized servers, LiteSpeed caching, staging and WooCommerce tuning. If WordPress or WooCommerce is your main workload, it's the safer pick.
Does Hosting.com or DreamHost have better uptime?
DreamHost edges out Hosting.com on performance with a 100% uptime guarantee and a 3.8/5 overall rating. For uptime-sensitive sites, it's the more dependable choice.
Which has better customer support, Hosting.com or DreamHost?
DreamHost has the edge on support offering 24/7 live chat, phone support and ticket support.
Is Hosting.com or DreamHost better for beginners?
Hosting.com is friendlier for beginners, scoring higher on ease of use in our assessment. New users will generally find it quicker to get started.
Should I choose Hosting.com or DreamHost?
For most users, DreamHost is the better overall choice, winning 4 of our 7 categories (notably Price, Value and Performance). That said, the right host depends on your specific needs — check the category breakdown above for the factors that matter to you.