Bluehost vs DreamHost | IT PRO

Web internet hosting corporations like Bluehost and DreamHost offer you the {hardware} and server sources that it’s essential run a web site. You can host your individual web site, but it surely’s really useful to make use of one of many best web hosting companies to avoid wasting money and time. 

In our Bluehost vs DreamHost comparability, we examine two of the world’s main hosts. Both provide a variety of internet hosting merchandise, together with high-value shared internet hosting. But are they equal? Which possibility can finest meet your wants?

Here, we have a look at the 2 platforms’ costs, consumer interface, foremost options, and extra that will help you resolve.

• Bluehost: top tools and competitive prices
  Bluehost ranks among the many high net hosts due to cheap internet hosting, scalability, a 60-day money-back assure, and rather more. Its most cost-effective shared internet hosting plan is £2.34 a month (36-month plan), with 50GB of storage and unmetered bandwidth.
• DreamHost: great performance and support
  Offering internet hosting throughout a number of varieties, DreamHost offers high efficiency with value-adding options, particularly a give attention to privateness and safety. Alongside aggressive pricing plans which might be consistenly cheaper than rivals, it is price contemplating.

Bluehost vs DreamHost: What we in contrast

• User interface and setup
• Pricing
• Server sources
• Customer service
• Domain registration and administration
• Website builder
• Security options
• Which supplier is finest for me?
• What our reviewers mentioned
• Alternatives to Bluehost and DreamHost

User interface and setup

Both Bluehost and DreamHost goal learners and provide quick, streamlined setup processes. 

With Bluehost, you’ll instantly be requested whether or not you need to use the Bluehost website builder or set up WordPress. If you choose one in every of these choices, you will have to work via a few brief steps to get your web site up and operating. However, you can too skip this if you need to make use of a distinct CMS. 

The foremost Bluehost administration dashboard is superb. It comprises hyperlinks to and administration instruments for every of your internet hosting plans. You can even discover a area administration portal, a market, and numerous e-mail and advertising and marketing instruments.

For extra technical administration, Bluehost makes use of the industry-standard cPanel management panel. It’s beginner-friendly and simple to make use of, although it’s nothing too fancy. cPanel isn’t obtainable with DreamHost, however its personal proprietary management panel is arguably higher. 

DreamHost additionally has a central administration dashboard. It’s slightly extra complicated than Bluehost’s, but it surely has the whole lot that it’s essential host a brand new web site or challenge. For instance, the left of the primary dashboard comprises a menu that lets you handle web sites, domains, WordPress websites, e-mail, and extra.

Pricing

Both Bluehost and DreamHost provide a choice of shared, VPS, WordPress, and dedicated hosting choices. Their shared plans are the most well-liked, and we centered on them right here. 

Bluehost’s pricing plans

Bluehost has 4 plans, with costs starting from £2.34 to £11.08 a month for an preliminary 12-month plan (renewing at £7.93 to £21.43). The most cost-effective plan helps one web site and has 50GB of storage, whereas the opposite three help limitless web sites with limitless storage. 

DreamHost’s pricing plans

DreamHost solely has two shared internet hosting plans. The most cost-effective Shared Starter plan prices £2.42 a month for the primary 12 months (£6.55 on renewal) and helps a single web site. The Shared Unlimited plan additionally prices £2.42 a month for the primary 12 months for limitless web site connections, however this will increase to £11.47 on renewal. 

Overall, DreamHost provides significantly better flexibility and worth for cash than Bluehost.

Server sources

The variety of server sources included together with your plan will dictate how a lot site visitors your web site can deal with and what number of information you’ll be able to retailer. 

DreamHost seems wonderful on this entrance, providing limitless bandwidth and storage with each of its shared internet hosting plans. However, a better have a look at the corporate’s phrases and circumstances exhibits that this isn’t actually the case. Once your web site’s storage or bandwidth use begins to have an effect on the traditional operate of the shared server that you simply’re utilizing, you can be requested to improve. 

Bluehost provides related sources. All 4 plans include unmetered bandwidth. The most cost-effective shared possibility has 50GB of storage, and the opposite three include limitless house. But the identical catch applies right here because it did with DreamHost: in the event you begin utilizing too many sources, you can be requested to improve.

Customer service

Bluehost provides respectable customer support via its 24/7 telephone and dwell chat help channels. The crew is pleasant and responsive, though we do have a couple of issues in regards to the brokers’ means to assist with technical queries. 

DreamHost provides an analogous 24/7 dwell chat help service. Help can also be obtainable by requesting a callback from a member of the customer support crew, however this prices additional. 

On the plus aspect, each DreamHost and Bluehost provide wonderful self-help sources. The DreamHost Knowledge Base is tidy, with a built-in search bar and cleverly chosen classes that will help you slender your search. There are many articles and guides, and the DreamHost Academy comprises extra common sources that will help you create and handle your web site. 

Bluehost’s data base is a bit more cluttered and more durable to navigate. But you’ll be able to nonetheless use the built-in search bar to search out what you want, and the sources are wonderful. 

It’s arduous to separate the 2 corporations right here, however DreamHost’s lack of free telephone or e-mail help is regarding.

Domain registration and administration

Both Bluehost and DreamHost embrace domain registration and administration of their additional companies. This lets you register and retailer your domains alongside your internet hosting accounts, streamlining ongoing administration. 

With DreamHost, you should have entry to a variety of TLDs. Popular .com domains begin at simply £6.55 a 12 months, whereas price range extensions, akin to .xyz, begin from simply 73p a 12 months. All DreamHost domains include free domain privacy, which is sweet to see, and limitless free subdomains. You may even switch an current area to your DreamHost account. 

Bluehost is rather more costly, with .com domains ranging from £10.65 a 12 months. Budget choices do fall to a few {dollars} a 12 months, however there’s a catch. Domain privacy isn’t free, and you’ll have to pay a further £9.74 a 12 months for this.

Website builder

A beginner-friendly web site builder may help you create a brand new web site with a minimal quantity of fuss. Both Bluehost and DreamHost provide some form of WordPress web site builder. 

The new Bluehost WordPress website builder is nice, albeit easy, and ranks among the many best website builders. It permits drag-and-drop modifying and is way simpler to make use of than the native WordPress editor. You will probably be supplied with a personalised theme once you get began, and all customisations are transformed to clear code. Ongoing administration is completed by way of the primary WordPress dashboard. 

DreamHost’s builder is much more spectacular. It’s built-in instantly with the WordPress dashboard, which implies you’ll be able to entry drag-and-drop customisation out of your foremost editor. The design flexibility right here is superb, and there are various instruments that will help you get probably the most out of your web site.

Security options

Bluehost falls down with its safety measures. At the bottom stage, it comes with primary server monitoring and free SSL certificates. You can use Cloudflare to arrange DDoS safety without spending a dime, however there’s little else included. For an additional worth, you’ll be able to entry computerized backups, proactive server monitoring, and superior malware removing instruments, however this could get fairly costly. 

Conversely, DreamHost’s safety is superb. Like Bluehost, it provides free DDoS safety and SSL certificates, however multi-factor authentication is accessible, and all DreamHost servers are protected by a sophisticated ModSecurity firewall. However, malware scanning and removing is barely obtainable with DreamShield, which prices £2.46 a month. 

Once once more, DreamHost takes the win right here.

Which website hosting supplier is finest for me?

DreamHost stands out above Bluehost on nearly each stage, from its costs to its superior web site builder and area registration instruments. Both platforms are geared toward learners, however DreamHost simply does it higher. 

DreamHost additionally provides higher worth for cash on each brief and long-term subscriptions. Its native dashboard is slightly complicated to get began with, however not more than Bluehost’s cPanel management panel is.

Both platforms provide unlimited-everything plans and respectable customer support, which is sweet to see. But DreamHost surges forward in terms of safety, area registration, and the web site builder.

Ultimately, we recommend going for DreamHost over Bluehost in the event you’re in search of an affordable, beginner-friendly internet hosting possibility. Look elsewhere in the event you want one thing extra highly effective.

Bluehost and DreamHost options, in contrast

What our reviewers mentioned

Bluehost

“At the tip of the day, Bluehost is an okay possibility for learners in search of a primary host. If you’ll be able to look previous the horrible efficiency and considerably restricted options, you will see a beginner-friendly interface and a streamlined site-creation expertise. But in order for you one thing even barely superior, look elsewhere.”

DreamHost

“DreamHost’s pricing is extremely aggressive. Performance is nice, too, and plans are easy to know and full of value-adding options. Above all, DreamHost has a give attention to privateness and safety not usually seen in most greater net hosts. It could have lower than half as many purchasers as greater rivals Bluehost and HostGator, but it surely punches above its weight.”

Alternatives to Bluehost and DreamHost

Hostinger is a wonderful various for these on a good price range. It provides among the finest low-cost website hosting companies that we’ve seen, with a give attention to safety and ease of use. Prices begin from simply £1.99 a month for a primary shared internet hosting plan, however there are many extra highly effective choices obtainable.

If you’re in search of one thing slightly extra strong to construct a WordPress web site with, WP Engine stands out. It provides managed WordPress options supported by day by day backups, an built-in WordPress web site builder, and a great deal of developer instruments. However, it’s costly in comparison with Bluehost and DreamHost.

You would possibly prefer to go for one thing much more highly effective. Hostwinds has a wide array of internet hosting merchandise, together with among the finest VPS and devoted server methods that we’ve seen. It is dear, however its plans are extremely configurable and designed for big, resource-demanding initiatives.

Further studying on website hosting

To discover out extra about the perfect options to Bluehost and DreamHost, take a look at our guides to the best unlimited web hosting, and the best VPS hosting. If you’re nonetheless unclear about why you want internet hosting, yow will discover out extra in our article asking what is web hosting?