Bluehost vs DreamHost: Complete 2026 Comparison
Bluehost 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, Performance and Support.
Data last updated June 2026
Overall Winner
DreamHost
- Wins in 4 of 7 categories
- Top in: Best Price, Best Performance, Best Support
- 3.8/5 overall rating
Bluehost vs DreamHost: Overview
On entry pricing, DreamHost is the cheaper option at $2.89/mo versus $3.99/mo for Bluehost. Renewal tells the real story: Bluehost marks prices up about 150% at renewal versus roughly 280% for DreamHost, making it the better long-term value.
Bluehost's standout is only host officially recommended by WordPress — a natural fit for wordPress beginner wanting official endorsement and phone support. 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
Best Price
DreamHost
$2.89/mo vs $3.99/mo
Best Value
Bluehost
Lower renewal markup (150% vs 280%)
Best Performance
DreamHost
100% uptime, 3.8/5 rating
Best Support
DreamHost
Live chat, Phone, 24/7
Best for WordPress
Tie
Similar WordPress features
Best for Developers
DreamHost
SSH, Git, Staging, Node.js
Best for Beginners
Bluehost
Higher ease of use score (9.0/10)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Essential Info | ||
| Hosting Type | Shared Hosting | Shared Hosting |
| Monthly Price | $3.99/mo | $2.89/mo |
| Renewal Price | $9.99 | $10.99 |
| Renewal Markup | 150% | 280% |
| Overall Rating | 3.4/5 | 3.8/5 |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.99% | 100% |
| Trustpilot Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 27,784 | 8,018 |
| Free SSL | ||
| Free Domain | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| Pricing Details | ||
| First Year Cost | $47.88 | $34.68 |
| Second Year Cost | $119.88 | $131.88 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly Billing | — | — |
| Minimum Contract | — | — |
| Technical Specs | ||
| Storage | 10 GB | 25 GB |
| Storage Type | NVME SSD | NVME SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered GB | Unmetered GB |
| Max Websites | 10 | 25 |
| Max Databases | 20 | — |
| PHP Versions | 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 | 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 | DDoS protection and Web Application Firewall included on all plans | Basic |
| Malware Scanning | ||
| Malware Removal | ||
| Firewall Included | ||
| Backup Frequency | Weekly | 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, Knowledge Base, Webinars, Blog, Academy | Live Chat, Phone (callback), Email/Ticket, Knowledge Base |
| Live Chat | ||
| Live Chat Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Phone Support | ||
| Phone Support Hours | 24/7 | 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 | 5 | — |
| Mailbox Size | 0.1 GB | — |
| Webmail Access | ||
| Spam Filter | ||
| Email Forwarding | ||
| Performance | ||
| CDN Included | ||
| CDN Provider | Cloudflare CDN | Cloudflare CDN |
| Server Locations | Provo, UT (US), Orem, UT (US), Frankfurt (Germany), Mumbai (India), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Paris (France), Sydney (Australia), London (UK), Madrid (Spain), Hong Kong (China), Shanghai (China) | Ashburn, VA (US), Hillsboro, OR (US), Netherlands (EU) |
| Server Location Count | 11 | 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 | Bluehost Website Builder | DreamHost Website Builder |
| Migration | ||
| Migration Websites Limit | 1 | — |
| Migration Turnaround | 4 days | 3 days |
| Paid Migration Cost | $149.99 | $99.00 |
| Migration Quality | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliant | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
| HIPAA Compliant | ||
| Data Center Certs | — | — |
| Ratings | ||
| Value for Money | 3.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Performance Rating | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Support Quality | 3.5/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Security Rating | 3.0/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Features Rating | 3.5/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4.0/10 | 3.5/10 |
| Transparency Rating | 2.5/10 | 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 | 3.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| For Beginners | 5.0/10 | 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 (200K soft, 1M TOS violation) | 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 | 2003 | 1996 |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Parent Company | Newfold Digital (formerly Endurance International Group, acquired 2010) | 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, India, United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia | United States, Canada, Netherlands |
| Local Currencies | USD, INR, GBP | USD |
| Support Languages | English | English, Spanish |
| Data Sovereignty | GDPR | GDPR |
| External Ratings | ||
| G2 Rating | 3.4/5 | 4.0/5 |
| BBB Rating | Not Accredited | Not Accredited |
| Advanced Technical | ||
| Inode Limit | 200,000 | — |
| Max DB Size | 5 GB | — |
| Max Upload Size | 50 MB | — |
| Database Type | — | — |
| Elasticsearch | — | — |
| Image Optimization | — | — |
| PHP Switching | ||
| Subdomains | — | — |
| FTP Accounts | — | — |
| Additional Pricing | ||
| Free Domain Duration | 12 months | 12 months |
| Money Back Exclusions | Cloud hosting excluded; Monthly term plans excluded; Domains non-refundable ($15.99 deducted if free domain used); Premium domains non-refundable; Setup fees excluded; Most add-on products excluded; Renewals only refundable within 30 days | 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 | Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Check |
| Auto Renewal Default | ||
| Domain Privacy Included | — | — |
| Domain Privacy Cost | — | — |
| SSL Provider | Let's Encrypt (auto-renewed every 90 days) | Let's Encrypt |
| Dedicated IP Cost | — | — |
| Additional Support | ||
| Phone Support Countries | United States | United States, Canada |
| Priority Support Cost | — | — |
| Community Forum | ||
| Support Outsourced | — | — |
| Object Cache Type | — | Built-in caching (DreamPress) |
| Business & Affiliate | ||
| Affiliate Program | ||
| Commission Type | Flat rate (tiered) | Flat rate (tiered) |
| Commission Amount | $65 per sale base; up to $125/sale for high performers; 30-day cookie; $100 minimum first payout; via Impact.com | 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 |
| Account Suspension Policy | AUP violations may result in suspension or termination; 48 hours to respond to abuse team before suspension | AUP violations result in suspension or termination; content illegal in USA prohibited |
| Malware Removal Cost | — | — |
| Downloadable Backups | ||
| Additional Platforms | ||
| PrestaShop | ||
| Ghost | ||
| Shopify Migration | ||
| Wix Migration | ||
| Squarespace Migration | ||
| Webflow Export | ||
| Editorial Info | ||
| Best For | WordPress beginners (officially recommended by WordPress.org); Users wanting phone support 24/7; Users who need cPanel; Staging environment included; Free Cloudflare CDN; Global audience (11 data centers Oct 2025); High affiliate payouts ($65-125/sale) | 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-conscious at renewal time; Need Node.js on shared hosting; Adult or gambling content; Require large email storage; Dislike aggressive upselling; Need cheap VPS (competitors much cheaper); Enterprise compliance requirements | 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 | Renewal prices 2-3x higher than promo ($2.95 → $9.99); Aggressive upselling on add-ons; Limited 100MB email on Basic plan; No Node.js on shared hosting; 4,000+ negative reviews cite cancellation/billing issues; VPS pricing significantly higher than competitors; G2 rating only 3.4/5; Not BBB accredited; Some Reddit reports of downtime issues; $99.95 domain redemption fee | 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 | Only host officially recommended by WordPress.org with staging on all WP plans | Employee-owned privacy advocate with 100% uptime guarantee and full developer tools |
| Ideal Customer | WordPress beginner wanting official endorsement and phone support | Privacy-conscious developer or WordPress enthusiast wanting ethical hosting |
| Best Alternative To | HostGator | Bluehost |
| Primary Competitors | HostGator, SiteGround, Hostinger | 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 Bluehost if you...
- Prefer more predictable renewal pricing
- Are new to web hosting
- Want more server locations (11 available)
Choose DreamHost if you...
- Want to save money ($2.89/mo vs $3.99/mo)
- Want higher-rated hosting (3.8/5)
- Want to run Node.js applications
Bluehost vs DreamHost: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bluehost cheaper than DreamHost?
Yes — DreamHost is cheaper, starting at $2.89/mo compared with $3.99/mo for Bluehost. Factor in renewals too: DreamHost marks up about 280% after the first term.
Does Bluehost or DreamHost have better uptime?
DreamHost edges out Bluehost 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, Bluehost or DreamHost?
DreamHost has the edge on support offering 24/7 live chat, phone support and ticket support.
Is Bluehost or DreamHost better for beginners?
Bluehost 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 Bluehost or DreamHost?
For most users, DreamHost is the better overall choice, winning 4 of our 7 categories (notably Price, Performance and Support). That said, the right host depends on your specific needs — check the category breakdown above for the factors that matter to you.