Nowadays, it can be complicated to find the right hosting company. It’s like walking through a dark street without knowing where to go.
If you are one among those who are searching for the best hosting solution, you have two choices: Bluehost and DreamHost. Since both companies have been on the market for many years, their services are almost the same.
Don’t worry if you are also confused between Bluehost Hosting and DreamHost Hosting. In this article, I will make a head-to-head comparison between Bluehost vs DreamHost, two of the most popular hosting service providers.
At the end of the comparison post, you will be able to select a hosting service that suits your needs.
About Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the most famous & oldest hosting companies in the industry. Bluehost was founded in 1996, and its headquarters are in Provo, Utah. This company has excellent customer service and support 24/7. Since 2005, it has been recommended by WordPress.
Endurance International Group currently owns Bluehost. In just a few years, Bluehost has become one of the largest hosting providers.
Today, they host more than 2 million websites worldwide, which demonstrate the trust of their customers in their service. I want to learn more about Bluehost then here is the complete Bluehost Review 2023.
About DreamHost
Founded in 1996, DreamHost is also an American hosting service provider. Among developers, designers, and digital marketers, DreamHost is the most popular hosting provider. They are based in Los Angeles.
This company started a couple of years ago; it got lots of attention and quickly became one of the market’s featured in-reach hosting service providers.
With more than 400,000 customers around the globe, they are WordPress’ recommended hosting service provider, hosting over 1.5 million websites.
It is mainly because they offer many exciting features such as unlimited bandwidth, backups, and other benefits at a very reasonable price that makes them so popular. Learn more about Dreamhost from here.
Feature Comparison: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Ease of Use: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Bluehost uses the standard cPanel, a platform used by many other hosting providers, and is pretty simple to learn. Cpanel has an easy-to-use interface, so it’s ideal for new users. All the features and functionality you need to manage your website are at your fingertips.
DreamHost offers its own custom Cpanel, which is more advanced and quite challenging to learn than the standard cPanel. Many settings hide some of the basic functions that are used on a daily basis. It will take some time to get used to this customized Cpanel.
Winner – Bluehost
Uptime: Bluehost Vs DreamHost
If we talk about uptime, then it is one of the most crucial elements of performance that determines how much time your users can access your website.
Bluehost guarantees 99.9% uptime on its website. They don’t mention possible credits on their website in the event they don’t fulfill their commitment.
However, if you are not happy with their service, you can always cancel your account at any time, and Bluehost will refund the unused portion of your plan.
DreamHost guarantees 100% uptime, and for every hour that the server is down, you will receive a free day of hosting.
We have seen pretty consistent uptime from Bluehost and DreamHost during our tests.
Winner – Both
Loading Speed: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Loading speed is another factor that affects performance. If your website loads too slowly, customers will move on to another one. According to a survey, the average user waits around 3 seconds before moving to the next page.
DreamHost and Bluehost both offer fast loading times. Bluehost has a loading time of 713 ms, while DreamHost has a time of 1350 ms. Both are good, but Bluehost is faster.
Winner – Bluehost
Extra Costs and Upsells: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Upselling is a method which hosting companies use to generate more revenue from their clients. They do this by suggesting products that the clients might be interested in.
Occasionally, these upselling or ads become so irritating that they adversely affect the user experience.
When compared to other hosting services, Bluehost’s advertisements are pretty aggressive.
They tried to sell you products and tools you didn’t need. It will display a bunch of ads even if you want to update sites.
Even though DreamHost offers advertisements, its upselling strategy isn’t as aggressive as Bluehost’s. Occasionally, you will see ads, but they won’t ruin your experience.
DreamHost’s upselling strategy is quite good compared to Bluehost’s constant advertisements.
Winner – DreamHost
Server Location: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Bluehost only has one U.S. server. If you have any issues related to hosting, their customer service is available 24/7. Clients from outside the USA may experience server problems.
DreamHost has two American servers. You cannot choose any other server location. Though they have talented customer support teams, the only problem is that their customer service only operates on U.S. time.
For those people who live outside the U.S., it might be pretty difficult to contact them. Each of these hosting services works the same way for international customers.
Winner – Both
Bandwidth: Bluehost Vs DreamHost
Bluehost’s shared hosting plans have unlimited bandwidth, but as you upgrade to higher plans such as a VPS, the bandwidth is limited.
While DreamHost provides unlimited bandwidth with all their plans. No bandwidth restrictions with DreamHost.
Winner – DreamHost
Domain Registration: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Both Bluehost and DreamHost offer free domain registrations for the first year. Domain registration costs $11.99/year in Bluehost and $11.88/year in DreamHost, which you are getting absolutely free of cost.
Winner – Both
Website Builder: Bluehost Vs DreamHost
Bluehost offers an exclusive Website builder. With this builder, you can choose from a variety of preloaded themes that are mobile-responsive.
On the other hand, DreamHost offers its own website builder called “Remixer,” which includes 70 pre-designed themes that you can edit to create your own website in less than 2 minutes. DreamHost’s website builder is more comprehensive and flexible than Bluehost’s.
Winner – DreamHost
Money-Back Guarantee: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Bluehost offers an industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee for its users, while DreamHost offers a massive 97-day money-back guarantee.
In comparison to Bluehost, DreamHost provides a three-times more extended money-back guarantee. When it comes to money-back guarantees, DreamHost clearly wins.
Winner – DreamHost
Website Migration: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Both Bluehost and DreamHost offer free website migration. Unfortunately, both hosting providers offer free migration only to customers with WordPress websites.
If you don’t have a WordPress website, you’ll have to pay $144.99 to Bluehost as a migration fee and $99 to DreamHost as a website migration fee.
Winner – DreamHost (Due to less expensive)
Free SSL and Free CDN: Bluehost vs DreamHost
With all Bluehost hosting plans, you get a free SSL certificate and a free CDN called Cloudflare CDN. DreamHost offers its users a free SSL certificate but no free CDN.
To get DreamSpeed CDN, you have to purchase it separately. In North America and Europe, it will cost $0.12/G.B., and in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia-Pacific, it will cost $0.19/G.B.
Winner – Bluehost
Backups: Bluehost vs DreamHost
Backing up your website is essential if you care about it. You will lose all your hard work if something goes wrong with your website and you do not have a backup or a backup that you wish to restore from.
Backup options are limited with Bluehost. They offer three backup options: daily, weekly, and monthly.
DreamHost offers eight backup options for its customers, which is three times more than what Bluehost offers. They even offer on-demand backup.
Winner – DreamHost
Security: Bluehost vs Dreamhost
Security is a top priority for both of these companies. Bluehost offers basic security measures like SSL, SFTP, and SSH. HTTP 2 is also available automatically.
SiteLock provides free security, but you can also add an automatic malware detection feature and blacklist monitoring for $30/year.
Similar to Bluehost, DreamHost also offers all the basic security features like SSL, SFTP, and SSH. Additionally, DreamHost offers HTTPS2 and PHP7 support.
Furthermore, DreamHost has multifactor authentication and a built-in firewall. For $3, you can purchase DreamSheild, which provides additional protection for your website.
Winner – Both
Customer Support Service: Bluehost vs DreamHost
It is crucial to have excellent customer service since we all need assistance from time to time. Bluehost provides 24/7/365 support via live chat, phone, and email, as well as a community forum.
You can also look for many articles and tutorials in their knowledge base to answer all your questions.
DreamHost also offers 24/7/365 customer support via phone, live chat, and ticketing.
As they operate on U.S. time, the phones aren’t available 24/7, and if you live in another country, you may have difficulty contacting them. However, the company offers live chat and email support that is available 24/7.
Winner – Bluehost
Pros of Bluehost Hosting
- Excellent uptime.
- Fast loading speeds.
- Have a low introductory price. Every plan comes with a free domain.
- Install WordPress in one click. Beginners will find it easy to use.
- Excellent security features. All plans have a free SSL certificate & free CDN.
- Customer service is available 24/7/365.
Pros of DreamHost Hosting
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage.
- Free domains for the first year.
- Free SSL certificate.
- Automated backup options.
- Free email address.
- One-click WordPress install.
- Privacy features.
- Carbon neutral hosting service provider.
- Remixer lets you build a website in less than a minute
- 97-day money-back guarantee.
- Anytime Cancellation.
FAQs Related to BlueHost vs DreamHost
In managed WordPress hosting, many of the technical details are taken care of by the host. Typically, managed hosting costs more than standard hosting because a variety of technical problems have been handled by the company, allowing you to focus on your own business.
WordPress is specially optimized for Bluehost, which also comes with a 1-click WordPress installation. Also, they offer managed WordPress hosting, their tools and cPanel are optimized for WordPress, and they provide free website migration only for WordPress users.
Remixer is the Website builder offered by DreamHost. The company claims that you can build a website in less than one minute with its 70 preloaded templates.
Bluehost and DreamHost both offer excellent security features for your website. In terms of security, both these hosting service providers provide adequate security features to protect your website from cyber-attacks.
While Bluehost is slightly more expensive, DreamHost offers Unlimited bandwidth, Unlimited storage, and many other features, so DreamHost is the best choice if you want a value for money service.
Conclusion
Bluehost vs DreamHost comparison should provide you with enough information to pick the best hosting service for your needs. If you are still unsure about which hosting service to choose, then let me clarify that.
You should consider Bluehost if you are looking for a WordPress host that is easy to use, has good speed and uptime, and is affordable too.
If you need a low-cost hosting provider with fast loading speeds, a complete package of features, and a 97-day money-back guarantee, Dreamhost is a good choice.