It can be difficult to choose the right web hosting provider. This is because it is often fraught with confusion and panic attacks for those who are not well-informed. You may feel like you’re running into a maze without a clear goal. There are many companies offering similar services, and it gets even more confusing when everyone claims they are the best.
If you narrow down your choices to the best web hosts, you may find yourself comparing Bluehost and DreamHost.
Bluehost and DreamHost, two giants in WordPress hosting, are the only two hosting providers that the content management system recommends. Bluehost, a full-service host that is more user-friendly than DreamHost, offers managed services and premium infrastructure with solid-state drives.
It is difficult to choose: Should you go for the industry leader or the experienced, powerful dark horse?
However, you should consider your hosting requirements and budget when making a final decision. This blog will help you make an informed decision on which company is best suited for your business.
It is time to get started!
Bluehost: What does it mean?
Bluehost was founded in Provo, Utah by Danny Ashworth, and Matt Heaton. It powers over 2 million websites around the world. To reach 1,000,000 domain names, this US hosting provider took only five years. SiteGround, which was established in 2004 and reached the same milestone after 14 years, came a year later.
EIG (Endurance International Group) purchased Bluehost in 2010. This group also owns a few smaller hosting companies like FatCow, iPage and HostGator. The purchase did not seem to have any impact on the company’s quality; it remains one of the best hosting options available.
Bluehost has more than 750 dedicated staff members who are available to assist customers 24 hours a day. Bluehost is a popular choice in the hosting industry due to its affordability and ease of use, which both veterans and novices can appreciate.
What is DreamHost?
DreamHost, a Los Angeles-based business that specializes in web hosting, is best known for its ease of use. It was originally founded as The New Dream Network in 1997. The company changed its name to DreamHost in 1997 and has managed over 1.5 million WordPress blogs and apps for designers, developers, and small businesses.
DreamHost is the best host for your website if it’s growing and attracting more visitors. DreamHost’s support team is available 24/7 to provide valuable assistance and help customers solve their problems and improve their business performance.
Bluehost vs. DreamHost – Comparison of key features
It is easy to see why so many people decide on web hosting services solely based upon the company’s lowest prices. We recommend that you review the main features before making a final decision.
This will ensure that you get the best value for your money. These key features are crucial, so don’t overlook them!
Domain registration
When you purchase any Bluehost or DreamHost Hosting plan, you can claim your domain name for free.
Bluehost domain registrations cost $11.99 the first year, and $17.99 each subsequent year. Domain privacy protection typically costs $11.88 per annum, but certain hosting packages come with no cost.
DreamHost offers many domain names. For example, DreamHost domain names start at $11.99 per annum. This price includes privacy protection that hides your personal data when someone searches your domain.
Site builder
Bluehost doesn’t actually have a website builder. However, it doesn’t require one. It integrates well with WordPress, so you can use the CRM to build your website. WordPress offers a wide range of templates that can be tailored to your content.
You can tweak the look of things by using a plugin. Bluehost also integrates with Weebly, but you will only receive the basic version of Weebly. It is important to take the time to read it!
Remixer, on the other hand, is the DreamHost DIY website builder. DreamHost allows you to create a website in just minutes with more than 70 pre-designed themes. You can see examples of professionals using Remixer to help their businesses on the DreamHost website. Remixer comes with two plans, but there is a monthly fee.
Databases
All hosting plans include unlimited MySQL databases from both providers. Both platforms allow you to create, delete, or manage databases from your cPanel. You don’t need to worry about where to begin, each company offers detailed tutorials that will help you.
WordPress Hosting
Bluehost and Dreamhost both offer managed WordPress plans. Managed WordPress plans are typically more expensive than shared plans. Managed WordPress plans come with certain features such as caching to improve performance and stability.
Managed WordPress hosting plans have the advantage that your WordPress sites are automatically backed up and updated, which allows you to concentrate on more important things.
Backups
Bluehost offers automatic backup services every week without additional charges. DreamHost prohibits the storage of backups on its servers. Backups must be downloaded from the host server and deleted immediately after being created. DreamHost automatically backs up website data and databases, but they are not guaranteed.
Migration of websites
Bluehost and DreamHost do not offer site migration free of charge. Bluehost charges $149.99, DreamHost $99, and DreamHost costs $99 for site migration.
Money-back guarantee
Bluehost provides a 30-day industry-standard guarantee. DreamHost offers a guarantee for 97 consecutive days. You have three months and a week to verify that your plan meets your expectations. This is the longest money-back period within the hosting community.
Bluehost vs DreamHost – Ease of Use Comparison
Control Panel
A website hosting provider’s control panel is where you can access the features of the chosen plan. Bluehost uses cPanel. However, Bluehost has a modified interface so that regular cPanel users can make adjustments.
DreamHost chose to use an owner-designed cPanel instead, since it doesn’t like third-party interfaces such as Plesk and cPanel. DreamHost’s interface is similar to other interfaces and would not make a significant difference for people who are new to hosting. It might take some time to get used to for those who are already familiar with cPanel.
Installer in a click
Bluehost uses the MOJO Marketplace One-Click Installer to install almost one hundred apps quickly. DreamHost offers a one-click installation section. However, there aren’t as many options as MOJO Marketplace.
Website navigation
Both providers offer useful comparison charts that allow you to compare tiers of their plans. DreamHost makes it more difficult to find information without using Google or looking through wikis.
Note We’ll compile the following table to give you a better understanding of both web hosting providers’ main features. Let’s take a look at the table below!
| Feature | Bluehost | DreamHost |
| No cost domain name | Yes. For the first year, you can sign up for an annual program | Yes. For the first year, you can sign up for an annual program |
| SSL Certificate Free | Yes | Yes |
| CDN Free | Cloudflare CDN is enabled, but not automatically. | No |
| No cost website migration | It costs $144.99 | It costs $99 |
| Storage space | 50GB – Unlimited, depending on your plan | Unlimitable |
| cPanel | Yes | DreamHost does not have a cPanel that is customized to its needs. |
| One-click app installation | Yes | Yes |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 97 Days |
When it comes to key features, Bluehost and DreamHost are pretty evenly matched. However, you will see that Bluehost offers more features such as backups and CDN, and DreamHost offers website migration at a lower price and a longer money back guarantee.
Both Bluehost and DreamHost offer solid ease-of-use. However, Bluehost seems to have the edge because of its better implementation of cPanel and easier website migration.
Bluehost vs DreamHost – Speed and Uptime Comparison
Websites should load quickly and be available whenever we need them. Hosting platforms know what customers expect and are committed to providing services that are consistent and reliable.
Which of these two contestants is the best in this particular area? Let’s find the answer!
Comparison of Bluehost and DreamHost Speed
According to Down.com‘s test, Bluehost’s average page speed was 2.89 secs. The fastest was 0.00 sec and the slowest was 9.17 seconds. DreamHost was at 2.65s with the fastest being 0.00 sec and the slowest being 21.25 seconds.
Bluehost vs DreamHost – Uptime Comparison
The website’s uptime is a measure of how reliable and accessible a website is to its users. Bluehost guarantees 99.9% uptime, but they do not provide any information about credit options if they fail to comply. If you cancel your account for any reason other than they are not fulfilling their agreement, there is no charge. You can cancel your account at any time and get a refund for any unused part of your plan.
DreamHost guarantees a 100 percent uptime. You will be credited with a credit of up to 10% for each hour or part of your hosting fees for a website that is not online. This does not apply to scheduled maintenance days. After the customer has contacted support about the problem, the downtime begins. You won’t receive credits if your site is in trouble. DreamHost does not have to credit you for any reason.
Bluehost and DreamHost reliability
Bluehost’s data center is located in Utah. It is powered and cooled by redundant sources and has diesel backups for emergency situations. Except for the Cloud Plans, it does not have redundant or mirrored backups of data. Backups will only be retained for 30 days.
DreamHost has two California data centers, one in Irvine and one in Los Angeles. Plans are in place to consolidate California’s data centers into one data center in Portland. All data centers are equipped with redundancy in diesel backups and power, as well as 24/7 security.
Bluehost’s uptime guarantee may not be available. While Bluehost is reliable and fast, it could still pose a problem. DreamHost offers one of the best uptime guarantees anywhere in the hosting industry, we have to admit.
Comparison of Bluehost and DreamHost Security
Your website could be at risk from hacking attempts, phishing and brute force attacks. However, you would expect your web host provider to protect your website against these types of threats. It is often not the case. You should verify what security features your web hosting provider offers.
Bluehost only offers the minimum level of security. You will need to buy add-ons to ensure your website is fully protected. SiteLock Lite is a malware scanner that scans five pages per month on your website.
Bluehost also requires that you purchase SiteLock Premium to protect your website from malware and other essentials like protection against DDoS attacks, malicious script injection and brute force attacks. Bluehost is so certain that you will buy the add-on, that SiteLock Premium is checked automatically when you go to checkout. You can choose to de-select the add-on if you do not wish to buy it.
Modsecurity is a web application firewall (WAF), that DreamHost offers to protect your website against brute force attacks, malicious visitors, cross-site scripting and other threats. This helps to increase user security by preventing DreamHost cPanel hacking. DreamShield is the company’s own malware scanner. However, this add-on can be purchased separately. This advanced security feature was specifically designed to quickly detect malware and not slow down your website.
It is impossible to determine the strength of a security system’s defenses until an attack occurs. We found that DreamHost offers the WAF feature, which keeps your site safe 24/7. It is also updated whenever new threats are discovered. This level of security is available at no additional cost, unlike Bluehost. This is a sign that DreamHost takes security seriously and is more secure than Bluehost. This is why DreamHost does this for us.
Bluehost vs DreamHost – Customer support
We believe there are three key pillars to a great host provider: great performance, great pricing and great customer service. Why do we give customer service such high praise?
We can’t all be webmasters and even the most skilled website owners sometimes have problems managing their sites. Who is there to help them when they have these issues? Customer service It is essential that customer service be available and helpful.
Customers can get 24/7 support from both companies via multiple communication channels such as email and phone lines. There are tutorials and a wealth of information available, including articles on the most important topics.
Bluehost clients can initiate tickets to link them with support. However, some people prefer to use live chat and phone lines for faster responses.
DreamHost’s live chat option is not available if there aren’t enough people handling support tickets. However, if you have paid the “call back” fee you will be able to access live chat at any time. Its website states that it responds to emails within 24 hours. However, most tickets are answered much quicker.
Both companies offer excellent customer support, so there is no clear winner.
Bluehost vs DreamHost: Pros and Cons
Bluehost: The pros and cons
Pros:
- No cost domain name for the first one year
- SSL Certificate Free
- CDN Free
- Unlimited web traffic and storage space
- It is simple to use
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Hosting plans that scale
- All hosting plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee (no questions asked).
Cons:
- Renewal rates high
- Website migration fees high
- No uptime guarantee
DreamHost: The pros and cons
Pros:
- No cost domain name for the first one year
- SSL Certificate Free
- Unlimited bandwidth and data storage
- 100% uptime guarantee
- Hosting prices that are reasonable
- Security features that are reliable
- 97-day money-guarantee
Cons:
- CDN not included
- Custom-built cPanel can be a bit confusing
Bluehost vs DreamHost – Pricing plans
Pricing is without a doubt the most important factor in choosing a web host service. Bluehost and DreamHost offer a variety of pricing plans with different price points, promotional offers, and other options.
Bluehost offers a variety of price ranges to its products.
- Hosting shared: Starting at $2.75/month
- Hosting dedicated: Starting at $79.99/month
- Hosting VPS starts at $18.99 per month
- Hosting shared WordPress starts at $2.75/month
- Managed WordPress hosting (WPPro) starting at $19.95 per month
- Hosting WooCommerce: Starting at $6.95/month
DreamHost currently offers the following pricing options
- WordPress Hosting: Starting at $2.59 per month
- Hosting Websites: Starting at $2.59 per month
- Hosting VPS starts at $10 per month
- WP website builder: $2.59/month
- Hosting dedicated: $169 per month
- Cloud Hosting: $0.0075/hour
Bluehost and DreamHost have very similar promotional prices and terms and conditions. DreamHost is a better choice for long-term contact, as renewal prices are lower.
Bluehost: Who should you consider?
Bluehost is our favorite web host.
- Medium-sized to small-sized businesses (including mom and pop operations)
- Anyone who wants to explore the world of blogging
- Anyone who needs to set up small E-commerce sites
- Anyone who wants to create static websites
Bluehost is also a good choice if you are looking for an easy-to use and fast-loading plan as well as support options.
Who should DreamHost be considered?
DreamHost could be the missing piece:
- Medium and small businesses
- A few E-commerce businesses are able to compete.
- Anyone who is looking for stable, reliable hosting environments
- Anybody concerned about the security and privacy of their websites
- Anybody looking for an uptime assurance
The final verdict
This comparison of Bluehost & DreamHost should help you choose the right service for your company. It is important to remember that not all hosting solutions are the same. To make the best decision, you need to fully understand your company’s needs and budget.
Are you a Bluehost or DreamHost user? Please share your questions with us below and we will help you make a decision!
