DreamHost vs Hostinger
We give DreamHost a 2.2 GPA and Hostinger a 2.0, out of 4.0. DreamHost grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
DreamHost
Independent shared and WordPress host with monthly or multi-year terms
Hostinger
Shared, WordPress and cloud hosting run from its own hPanel dashboard
How we grade them
| 2.2GPADreamHostFair | 2.0GPAHostingerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ALaunch on a 2-year term is $2.49 a month paid upfront, so two years cost $59.76, well under the $5.97 a month an A needs in this category. It then renews at $8.99 a month. Paying monthly is $4.99 for 3 months, then $11.99. | BPremium's only readable price is 48 months for $143.52 upfront, so two years cost you $143.52, about $5.98 a month. That's inside the cheaper quarter of hosts and a cent over the A line, and the same payment covers years three and four. Then it's $10.99 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial. The cheapest way to try it is monthly billing at $4.99 for the first 3 months. | FNothing free. There's no free plan and no trial, just a 30-day refund on hosting, and a new domain can only be refunded within 96 hours. |
| Features | C25 websites on Launch, daily backups, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL, an AI WordPress builder and a starter site built by DreamHost's team. The gap is email: professional email is free for 3 months, then billed separately. | ChPanel, one-click WordPress, malware scanning, free migrations and an AI agent are all there. The gaps are on the plan most people buy: Premium keeps weekly backups, not daily, and the domain and mailboxes are free for the first year only. |
| Ease of use | CNo app store rating to go on. Liftoff sets up WordPress from a few questions and the team builds one starter site, but there's still a domain and email to sort. | CNo app store rating to go on. hPanel and the AI agent take fiddly bits like DNS off your hands, but you're still setting up a domain, email and a site. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web control panel with no app on record, but there's a DreamHost API: a key from the panel lets scripts reach the account functions you pick. | BA web dashboard, with no app on record. There's a public API, though, and hooks for Google Analytics, Google Ads, Meta Pixel, Claude Code and Cursor. |
| Best for | cheap shared hosting you can pay monthly | cheap hosting if you can pay four years upfront |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: DreamHost and Hostinger. How we grade
Price against what you get
DreamHost starts at $1.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hostinger starts at $10.99 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and DreamHost starts $9 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than DreamHost for less, and none scores higher than Hostinger for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- DreamHost starts at $7.99 per month at renewal (Launch), after a first 4 years at $1.99 a month. Hostinger starts at $10.99 per month at renewal (Premium), after a first 48 months for $143.52.
- DreamHost also covers managed WordPress.
- Hostinger also covers malware protection.
At a glance
| DreamHost | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $7.99 per month at renewal (Launch), after a first 4 years at $1.99 a month | $10.99 per month at renewal (Premium), after a first 48 months for $143.52 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DreamHost, LLC | Hostinger |
| Price read from | dreamhost.com | hostinger.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
DreamHost
- Site owners who want to pay monthly instead of committing for years
- People running several small sites from one shared plan
- Beginners who want a starter site built for them
Hostinger
- Small sites and blogs whose owners can pay four years upfront
- Owners who want hosting, domain and email in one account
- People who want AI help building and running a WordPress site
Worth knowing
DreamHost
- Every intro price is for the first term only: Launch is $1.99 a month for 4 years paid upfront, then $7.99, and monthly billing goes from $4.99 to $11.99 after 3 months.
- Professional email is free for 3 months only and is then billed separately.
- The free domain needs a yearly or multi-year plan, covers the first year, and must be claimed within the first 3 months.
- DreamPress managed WordPress is a separate plan line: DreamPress 1 is $14.99 a month for the first year, then $19.99, for one site.
Hostinger
- The advertised $2.99 a month needs 48 months paid upfront ($143.52); Premium then renews at $10.99 a month, Unlimited at $16.99 and Cloud Startup at $25.99.
- The plan table shows only 48-month prices. 1-, 12- and 24-month terms are also sold, but their prices appear only once the term is chosen.
- The free domain needs a plan of a year or longer, and both the domain and the mailboxes are free for the first year only.
- Hosting can be refunded within 30 days, but a new domain registration only within 96 hours.
Key features
DreamHost
- Liftoff AI WordPress builder
- Liftoff sets up a WordPress site from your answers to a few questions. Every plan also includes one starter website that DreamHost's team builds for you.
- Daily backups and performance scans
- Shared plans run daily automated backups and on-demand performance scans, with unlimited free SSL certificates.
- Domain with privacy
- Yearly and multi-year plans include a domain free for the first year, with private registration to keep your details out of public records.
- DreamHost control panel
- One panel covers hosting, domains, email and users, with a one-click installer for WordPress and other web apps.
- DreamHost API
- An API key from the panel gives scripts access to the account functions you choose, through calls to api.dreamhost.com.
- Unmetered bandwidth
- The visit counts on each plan are estimates rather than caps, and bandwidth is not metered, so a busy month brings no overage fee.
Hostinger
- hPanel dashboard
- Hostinger's own control panel handles sites, domains, email, databases and backups, with one-click installs for WordPress and more than 100 other apps.
- Domain, SSL and email included
- Plans bought for a year or longer include a domain free for the first year. SSL is installed automatically, and mailboxes are free for the first year.
- Backups by plan
- Premium keeps weekly backups, Unlimited daily backups with restore, and Cloud Startup daily plus on-demand backups.
- Malware scanning and blocking
- Every plan scans for and removes harmful files, and lets you block visitors by IP address or country. Domain privacy hides your contact details.
- Hostinger Agent and AI credits
- An AI agent builds a WordPress site, sets up domains and DNS, and fixes common problems in chat. Plans come with a one-time gift of 250 to 1,000 AI credits.
- Free site migrations
- Hostinger moves existing sites over at no charge, with no limit on how many, either automatically from hPanel or with help from support.
Plans
DreamHost
Launch, monthly$11.99
per month, after a first 3 months at $4.99 a month
25 websites, 25 GB NVMe and about 40,000 visits a month. $4.99 a month for the first 3 months, then $11.99. No free domain on monthly billing.
Launch, 1 year$10.99
per month at renewal, after a first year at $2.89 a month
25 websites with daily backups and a free domain for the first year. The first year costs $2.89 a month, paid upfront, then $10.99 a month.
Launch, 2 years$8.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 2 years
The same Launch plan at $2.49 a month for the first 2 years, paid upfront, then $8.99 a month.
Launch, 4 years$7.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 4 years
The same Launch plan at $1.99 a month for the first 4 years, paid upfront, then $7.99 a month.
Growth, 4 years$8.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 4 years
50 websites, 50 GB and about 200,000 visits a month. $3.49 a month for the first 4 years, then $8.99. A 1-year term is $3.99, then $12.99.
Scale, 4 years$19.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 4 years
100 websites, 100 GB and about 400,000 visits a month. $7.99 a month for the first 4 years, then $19.99. A 1-year term is $9.99, then $25.99.
Hostinger
Premium, 48 months$10.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 48 months
3 websites, 20 GB SSD and weekly backups. The first 48 months cost $143.52 ($2.99 a month), paid upfront, then it renews at $10.99 a month.
Unlimited, 48 months$16.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 48 months
Unlimited websites and mailboxes, 50 GB NVMe and daily backups. The first 48 months cost $191.52 ($3.99 a month), then $16.99 a month.
Cloud Startup, 48 months$25.99
per month at renewal, after a first term of 48 months
Cloud plan with dedicated resources, 100 GB NVMe and on-demand backups. The first 48 months cost $383.52 ($7.99 a month), then $25.99 a month.
Ways to pay less
DreamHost
- Other savings
First 4 years of Launch at $1.99 a month
Launch costs $1.99 a month for the first 4 years, $2.49 for 2 years, $2.89 for 1 year or $4.99 for the first 3 months of monthly billing, before the regular rates apply.
- Other savings
First year of DreamPress 1 at $14.99 a month
The entry managed WordPress plan is $14.99 a month for the first year and then renews at $19.99 a month.
Hostinger
- Other savings
First 48 months of Premium for $143.52
Premium costs $2.99 a month for the first 48 months, paid upfront, against a regular $575.52. Unlimited is $191.52 ($3.99 a month) and Cloud Startup $383.52 ($7.99).
