If you need to construct a Linux-powered web site, DreamHost ought to be one of many first locations you look. The web hosting service has a wealthy characteristic set that satisfies many personal- and business-related webhosting wants by providing shared, WordPress, digital personal server (VPS), cloud, and devoted plans. In addition, its website-building software program offers site owners easy instruments to create enticing, versatile websites. As a end result, DreamHost is an Editors’ Choice award-winning net host, racing to the highest alongside opponents like HostGator, Hostwinds, and Liquid Web.
Shared Web Hosting
If you are seeking to create a site, however do not need to spend some huge cash, shared webhosting is the best way to go. Shared internet hosting is a particularly low-cost form of web hosting that sees your website share CPU, RAM, and different server sources with different web sites. As a end result, it is not a really highly effective internet hosting tier; when you anticipate your website to see a considerable amount of visitors, it is best to look into digital personal server (VPS) or devoted internet hosting.
Additionally, for the reason that “shared” in shared internet hosting refers to the truth that every server might host a number of websites that share the sources of the {hardware}, you might be to some extent on the mercy of your server mates. If one among them will get on the entrance web page of Reddit, you would possibly discover that your website slows to a crawl in consequence.
DreamHost has two shared internet hosting plans: Shared Starter and Shared Unlimited. Shared Starter (beginning at $4.95 per 30 days, or $3.59 per 30 days with a one-year dedication) affords limitless month-to-month information transfers and storage, however lacks e mail. That’s proper: no e mail. For that, you could improve to the Shared Unlimited (beginning at $10.95 per 30 days, or $4.95 per 30 days with a one-year dedication). That plan provides e mail and limitless web site internet hosting. The lowered worth for the one-year plan (beforehand $7.95 per 30 days) places it in placing distance of the Starter possibility, making it a significantly better possibility than earlier than.
That stated, HostGator, the Editors’ Choice winner for shared internet hosting, is among the few net hosts we have reviewed that gives Windows-based shared webhosting. That’s an enormous deal, as there are numerous companies that require Microsoft’s working system to run particular software program. DreamHost, however, solely affords Linux-based servers. HostGator additionally affords limitless e mail throughout the board.
VPS Web Hosting
DreamHost affords 4 Linux-based VPS web hosting plans (beginning at $15.00 per 30 days, or $13.75 per 30 days with a one-year dedication) for companies that want servers with extra energy than what shared internet hosting affords. VPS internet hosting locations your web site on a server with far fewer digital roommates than shared internet hosting. As a end result, there’s extra server energy obtainable to your website to faucet.
DreamHost’s VPS plans provide limitless month-to-month information transfers and domains, which is a pleasant perk. However, the bottom reminiscence and storage is kind of low; the Basic plan (whose costs are quoted above) affords solely 1GB of RAM and a 30GB solid-state drive. On the opposite hand, the very best configuration ($120 per 30 days, or $110 per 30 days with an annual contract) maxes out at 8GB of RAM and 240GB of solid-state storage. Unfortunately, the VPS plans solely provide the Ubuntu Linux working system.
Hostwinds, PCMag’s prime decide for VPS internet hosting, has superior VPS plans. It has wallet-friendly, well-rounded VPS choices. Take the managed Linux VPS plans, which begin at simply $5.17 per 30 days for 1GB of RAM, 30GB of disk area, 1 TB of month-to-month information transfers, and limitless e mail and scale to $247 per 30 days for 96GB of RAM, 750GB of disk area, 9TB of month-to-month information transfers, and limitless e mail.
Dedicated Web Hosting
If you need most webhosting energy, it’s essential get a devoted server. With this setup, your web site lives on a server all by itself, thus leveraging all of the system sources. You ought to look into devoted internet hosting when you’re anticipating your website to see an unbelievable quantity of visitors, and in case your website is so mission-critical that it completely cannot go down or decelerate.
DreamHost has a number of dedicated server choices. The choices begin with the Standard 4 plan ($169 per 30 days, or $149 for an annual dedication) that features 4GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The choices prime off with the $379 per 30 days Enhanced SSD 64 plan that boasts 64GB of RAM and 240GB of solid-state storage. Each DreamHost devoted server plan has limitless information transfers.
Unfortunately, DreamHost lacks Windows-based devoted servers; it is Linux or bust right here, too. If you desire a construct an internet site utilizing Microsoft’s working system as a basis, we propose testing AccuWeb, PCMag’s Editors’ Choice for devoted webhosting, which affords Linux and Windows devoted server choices. AccuWeb additionally has highly effective devoted plans, together with a $1,070 per 30 days package deal that has 8TB of storage, 512GB of RAM, and as much as 50TB of month-to-month information transfers.
Cloud Hosting
You’ve most likely heard of cloud internet hosting, which spreads sources throughout a number of servers (conventional internet hosting pulls sources from a single server). Cloud internet hosting permits websites to simply enhance server wants when the state of affairs requires it. Fortunately, DreamHost affords three cloud internet hosting tiers—512MB RAM Server, 2GB RAM Server, and 8GB RAM Server—that are available Linux, BSD, and Windows varieties.
DreamHost has glorious packages that begin at $4.50 per 30 days (for 512MB of RAM, 80GB of storage, and limitless month-to-month information transfers) and prime out at $48 per 30 days (for 4 CPU cores, 8GB of RAM, 80GB of storage, and limitless month-to-month information transfers). As a end result, DreamHost’s highly effective specs make the net host the co-Editors’ Choice for cloud internet hosting companies.
If you are a company buyer who needs world-class cloud internet hosting, 1&1 Ionos is the best way to go. It’s a co-Editors’ Choice for the class that boasts extremely highly effective cloud internet hosting packages.
Reseller Hosting
If you are seeking to get into the webhosting enterprise, however do not need to take care of infrastructure issues, reseller hosting is the best way to go. Unfortunately, DreamHost would not provide standalone reseller plans; you possibly can resell your individual server area, however provided that you add different domains to your individual. Check out DreamHost’s reseller FAQ page for extra info.
If you actually need to dabble in reseller internet hosting, we advocate Hostwinds, the class’s Editors’ Choice. Hostwind’s plans, beginning at $3.29 per 30 days, have limitless e mail, storage, and information transfers. On provide are devoted and VPS packages of each the Linux and Windows selection, in addition to shared internet hosting, which is restricted to Linux. The servers have the identical RAM and storage quantities as people who Hostwinds provides immediately, which isn’t at all times the case. Hostwinds additionally allows you to apply your individual branding to the servers you lease, and it provides 24/7 tech help, too.
Building a Website
Overall, we like DreamHost’s person interface—it is easy and effectively laid out, and it made getting began on my check website simple. Instead of going the HostGator or iPage route with cute, screen-cluttering icons, DreamHost affords a tree of menu choices on the left facet of the display screen. It’s simple to search out billing info, handle domains, and consider the settings for VPS and devoted servers. We had no hassle discovering the safety choices or the third-party app market.
DreamHost now affords the WP website builder, which helps you to begin constructing your website straight away. You not need to endure a protracted wait time as your Dreamhost account will get permitted, as you as soon as did. It’s a fantastic addition. WP Website Builder comes with dozens of themes you possibly can alter, utilizing its easy drag-and-drop performance. We discovered it refreshingly easy so as to add pictures (my very own, or these from DreamHost’s royalty-free gallery), textual content, and video. You even have the choice of putting in third-party functions to your account, equivalent to concrete5, Joomla, MediaWiki, Piwigo, and, in fact, WordPress.
WordPress Web Hosting
Like a number of of its opponents, DreamHost affords WordPress hosting, in three completely different classes: WordPress Basic, DreamGo, and VPS WordPress. DreamPress is the usual possibility with managed WordPress internet hosting, a service that offers your web site the white-glove therapy by auto-updating the favored content material administration system software program, performing automated day by day backups, and offering WordPress-specific safety.
The entry-level WordPress Basic (beginning at $4.95 per 30 days, or $3.95 for a three-year dedication) comes with 50GB of SSD storage, purchasable e mail much like the Shared webhosting, and limitless month-to-month information transfers, in addition to a wide range of free WordPress themes. Moving as much as the beginning DreamPress possibility (beginning at $12.00 per 30 days), it kicks off with 30GB of SSD storage, limitless e mail and month-to-month information transfers, and help for as much as 100,000 month-to-month guests. DreamPress Plus (beginning at $24.00 per 30 days) doubles the storage, will increase the customer depend to roughly 300,000, and provides a content material supply community (CDN) for quicker website loading. The top-tier DreamPress Pro (beginning at $71.95 per 30 days) affords 120GB of SSD storage and 1,000,000 customer restrict.
DreamPress allows you to set up any plug-in you need; Pagely and WP Engine, however, prohibit you from putting in a small variety of plug-ins which will impression your website’s efficiency. Recently, DreamHost added staging to its WordPress choices, so you possibly can check new website options on one other website occasion that will not have an effect on your stay pages.
Impressive as DreamPress is, the Linux-backed A2 is the PCMag Editors’ Choice within the class. A2 boasts an optimized surroundings that’s alleged to be six instances quicker than conventional internet hosting environments. Plus, A2’s WordPress plans provide limitless storage and month-to-month information transfers in most of its choices. For extra on the fantastically common content material administration system, you possibly can learn our story on how to get started with WordPress.
E-Commerce Options
DreamHost affords the free ZenCart, which you’ll entry from the One Click Install menu. This open-source online shopping cart software program lets customers shortly try the merchandise that you’ve on the market. It additionally helps Woo Commerce.
Along with a $100 Google AdWords credit score, DreamHost allows you to observe website visitors and analytics through Chartbeat. This is completely different from most different companies, which are inclined to focus solely on Google Analytics.
Security and Other Features
DreamHost affords antispam on its e mail, however no antimalware companies. That oversite apart, we like its consideration to different facets of web site safety. The management panel has an easy-to-find hyperlink for enhancing the .htaccess file to regulate entry to the location or to arrange a password. For elements of the location that should not get listed by search engines like google, you possibly can block spiders. You can arrange cron jobs (automated batch jobs) to schedule duties and monitor processes on the location. DreamHost additionally affords free secure-socket layer (SSL) certificates, which is a must have addition for individuals who promote merchandise on-line.
If you’re a developer or handle a software program growth group, you’ll like the truth that DreamHost comes with Subversion, which may also help you handle your supply code information. Most webhosting suppliers prohibit you to no matter functions are listed on its software program market. Version-control instruments equivalent to Subversion not often make it onto these marketplaces, so it is good to see the choice to arrange your individual repository. Of course, that is assuming you do not simply use Git repositories to your code.
What when you do not actually desire a web site or a weblog, however simply a place to store your files? DreamHost additionally affords DreamObjects cloud storage plans, beginning at 95 cents per 30 days for 40GB and going as much as 20TB for $299.95 per 30 days.
Terrific Uptime
Website uptime is a crucial factor of the webhosting expertise. If your website goes down, shoppers or prospects can be unable to search out you or entry your services or products.
For this testing, we use an internet site monitoring device to trace my website’s uptime over a 14-day interval. Every quarter-hour, the device pings my web site and sends us an e mail whether it is unable to contact the location for at the very least one minute. The information revealed that DreamHost is extremely steady, and did not go down throughout the check interval. In reality, there’s been solely a single, temporary failure in lots of, many months. As a end result. you possibly can depend on DreamHost to be a rock-solid basis to your web site.
No Phone Support, Excellent Chat Support
DreamHost affords e mail and ticket-based help, in addition to on-line chat. It has a sturdy information database, too. Unfortunately, DreamHost lacks telephone help, which is just too unhealthy; typically you simply need to take care of a human being. That stated, the chat help is kind of good. We tried it on a weekday afternoon and night. In each cases, we waited lower than a minute earlier than somebody fielded my questions.
We requested concerning the variations between VPS and devoted internet hosting. The consultant gave me a radical, satisfying reply. We additionally requested the consultant learn how to import my WordPress.com setup into DreamHost and acquired a really useful hyperlink with step-by-step directions. Again, we was fairly happy with the solutions. DreamHost additionally affords a Knowledgebase that solutions many generally requested questions.
DreamHost has an excellent money-back assure coverage. According to its phrases of service, you possibly can cancel your shared net Hosting service inside 97 days of the preliminary signup and have the cash promptly refunded. Considering most hosts provide 15 to 30 days, this flexibility is welcome.
A Power User’s Dream
Thanks to its intensive instruments, together with helpful website-building software program, safety choices, a beneficiant money-back assure, and limitless storage, month-to-month information transfers, domains, and e mail, DreamHost is a prime decide and a PCMag Editors’ Choice for cloud-based webhosting companies. That stated, when you’re a company buyer who needs world-class cloud internet hosting, 1&1 Ionos is the best way to go. It’s a co-Editors’ Choice with DreamHost for the class, and boasts extremely highly effective cloud internet hosting packages.
For extra, try our suggestions for creating the best website, and our primer on how to register a domain name for your website.
Pros
DreamHost affords excellent options at glorious worth factors, with a bevy of instruments to make the method simple for novice site owners.The Bottom Line
