DreamHost
Affordable web hosting with transparent pricing and strong WordPress support
DreamHost is a Los Angeles-based web hosting provider offering shared hosting, managed WordPress (DreamPress), VPS, dedicated servers, and cloud infrastructure. The company is officially recommended by WordPress.org and serves 1.5M+ sites with a custom control panel, generous 97-day money-back guarantee, and unlimited bandwidth on most plans.
How we scored it
A weighted average of the 4 dimensions below, each judged 0–10 from published pricing, vendor documentation and independent user feedback. We do not run hands-on tests, and no vendor has any say in a score.
2 further dimensions are not scored for this product yet, so they are left out of the average rather than counted as zero. How the score works.
What it actually costs
Intro pricing shown — see the renewal note for what you'll pay after the introductory term. We don't hide the second-act price.
Shared Starter
DreamHost states this plan is no longer available for purchase; legacy plan only (no current published price).
Shared Unlimited
DreamHost states this plan is no longer available for purchase; legacy plan only (no current published price).
DreamPress 1
Pricing page shows a promotional first-term price of $14.99/mo (first year) and an auto-renew / regular monthly rate of $19.99/mo; quantities (sites/storage) are listed on the product page.
VPS 2GB
Pricing card shows a first-term promotional rate of $13.75/mo (first year) and an auto-renew / regular monthly rate of $31.99/mo; plan details list 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 60 GB NVMe storage.
Dedicated Server
DreamHost publishes Dedicated plans starting at $165/mo (page shows 'plans start at $165/mo'); additional configuration upgrades and add-on pricing are listed in knowledge-base docs.
What to check before you rent DreamHost
Infrastructure is cheap to start and expensive to leave. These four questions decide what it costs you over three years rather than three months.
The renewal, not the intro price
Introductory pricing is normal in this category and the renewal is the price that matters. Check the renewal rate on DreamHost’s own pricing page before the first term ends, not after.
What the commitment buys
Longer terms carry the lowest headline rate and the least room to change your mind. Price the shortest term you would actually be comfortable with, then decide whether the discount is worth the lock-in.
The cost of leaving
Moving a site or a workload is the hidden switching cost: migration time, DNS and TLS changes, and whatever egress the provider charges to hand your own data back. A provider is only cheap if leaving is.
What is actually metered
Bandwidth, storage, backups and support tiers are usually the lines that grow, not the base plan. Find the ceiling on each before you commit, because that is where the bill moves.
These are the checks we apply across hosting, in the same order, so two pages can be compared line for line.
How much does DreamHost really cost?
Our calculation from the vendor's published prices — not a figure the vendor advertises.
One price covers the account whatever the team size, so cost per person falls as the team grows. Fixed recurring prices per plan (promo first-term prices shown separately); costs scale by choosing higher-tier plans (not per-seat).
| Team size | Per month | Per year | Over 3 years | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $2.89 | $34.68 | $104.04 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 5 people | $2.89 | $34.68 | $104.04 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 10 people | $2.89 | $34.68 | $104.04 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 50 people | $2.89 | $34.68 | $104.04 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
Based on the Shared Starter plan at $2.89 a month. Three years at the current monthly price. The vendor does not publish a renewal rate, so no increase is assumed.
Work out your own cost
- Flat rate — the price does not change with team size.
- No renewal increase is published, so today's price is held flat.
DreamHost against the field
The highest-scoring alternatives in the same category, compared on the figures we hold for all of them.
| DreamHostThis page | Kinsta | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReviewCost score | 7.5/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Cheapest plan | Shared Starter | — | — |
| From | $2.89/mo | $35.00/mo | $1.99/mo |
| Renews at | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Biggest strength | Introductory pricing starting from $2.89/month for shared hosting makes it accessible to beginners | Exceptional website speed performance consistently ranked at the top of managed WordPress hosts with sub-200ms time-to-first-byte | Exceptionally competitive introductory pricing starting under $3/month attracts budget-conscious users |
| Biggest drawback | Renewal prices jump significantly—some plans see 171% increases after the first year | Premium pricing starting at $35/month makes it 3–10 times more expensive than budget shared hosting, unsuitable for hobby sites or tight budgets | Steep renewal rates: introductory pricing jumps 3–5× at term end (e.g., $2.69→$10.99); renewal shock is the single most common user complaint |
Prices are the published figures at the time of writing and change often. Renewal pricing is shown where the vendor publishes it. See how we review.
What people ask about DreamHost
Straight answers to what buyers actually ask, drawn from the documentation and published user reports.
What is the real cost of DreamHost after the first year?
Is DreamHost good for WordPress?
Does DreamHost offer phone support?
How long is DreamHost's money-back guarantee?
Does DreamHost use cPanel?
Page history
- Published
- 13 September 2026
- Last updated
- 1 October 2026
- Pricing checked against vendor
- 1 October 2026
Sources & verification
Pricing on this page was taken from the vendor's published pricing page on 1 October 2026.
- Shared Starter hosting overview — DreamHost Knowledge BaseOfficial documentation · DreamHost · read 1 October 2026
- Shared Unlimited hosting overview — DreamHost Knowledge BaseOfficial documentation · DreamHost · read 1 October 2026
- DreamHost Pricing & Plans — Hosting, VPS & AI WebsitesOfficial pricing page · DreamHost · read 1 October 2026
- DreamPress Managed WordPress Hosting - DreamHostOfficial pricing page · DreamHost · read 1 October 2026
- Managed VPS Hosting with Unmetered Bandwidth | DreamHostOfficial pricing page · DreamHost · read 1 October 2026
- Fully Managed Dedicated Server Hosting - DreamHostOfficial pricing page · DreamHost · read 1 October 2026