DreamHost vs SiteGround
We give DreamHost a 2.2 GPA and SiteGround a 1.8, out of 4.0. DreamHost grades higher on value for money and platforms. SiteGround grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
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
SiteGround
Shared and WordPress hosting on Google Cloud with its own Site Tools
How we grade them
| 2.2GPADreamHostFair | 1.8GPASiteGroundWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CStartUp's first year is $2.99 a month, then it renews at $17.99, so two years cost $251.76, about $10.49 a month. That's past the cheaper quarter of hosts and the dearest of the shared hosts we could price. A 24-month term at $14.99 a month costs more. |
| 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. | FNo free plan and no trial. New shared hosting orders get a 30-day money-back guarantee, which isn't a trial. |
| 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. | BEvery plan keeps daily backups, a CDN, SSL that renews itself, daily malware scans with free removal and unlimited email accounts. Staging and on-demand backups wait for GrowBig, but nothing in the core job is missing on StartUp. |
| 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. Each site gets its own Site Tools panel, which is tidy, but there's still a domain, email and a site to set up. |
| 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. | CA web panel only, with WordPress and WooCommerce as the named integrations. There's SSH and WP-CLI for developers, but no API is on record. |
| Best for | cheap shared hosting you can pay monthly | WordPress sites that want daily backups built in |
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 SiteGround. 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. SiteGround starts at $14.99 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and DreamHost starts $13 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than DreamHost for less, and none scores higher than SiteGround 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. SiteGround starts at $14.99 per month prepaid for 24 months; 12 months is $2.99 a month in year one.
- SiteGround also covers malware protection.
At a glance
| DreamHost | SiteGround | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $7.99 per month at renewal (Launch), after a first 4 years at $1.99 a month | $14.99 per month prepaid for 24 months; 12 months is $2.99 a month in year one |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DreamHost, LLC | SiteGround |
| Price read from | dreamhost.com | siteground.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
SiteGround
- WordPress sites that want daily backups and staging without plugins
- Agencies handing clients white-label access on GoGeek
- Small businesses that want email at their domain on the hosting plan
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.
SiteGround
- The $2.99 a month is for the first year of a 12-month StartUp term only; it then renews at $17.99 a month, and GrowBig and GoGeek at $29.99 and $44.99.
- StartUp hosts one website and suits around 10,000 visits a month; more sites need GrowBig.
- Staging, on-demand backups and faster PHP start on GrowBig, and white-label access and priority support need GoGeek.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee covers new shared hosting orders; renewals are refunded only under conditions in SiteGround's refund policy.
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.
SiteGround
- Site Tools panel
- Each site gets its own Site Tools panel for WordPress, email, domains and backups, so access to one site can be shared without exposing the others.
- Daily backups, CDN and SSL
- Every plan keeps daily backups and includes a CDN and SSL certificates that renew by themselves. GrowBig and GoGeek add on-demand backups.
- Malware scans and bot blocking
- Sites are scanned for malware every day with free removal, and an AI anti-bot system and custom firewall rules block attack traffic.
- WordPress services
- Free site migrations, managed automatic updates, WP-CLI and SSH, and an AI agent for WordPress. Staging starts on GrowBig, with Git on GoGeek.
- Unlimited email accounts
- Every hosting plan includes email at your own domain with no cap on accounts, plus webmail and spam protection.
- Website Builder with AI
- A drag-and-drop builder with templates, AI text and image generation and built-in SEO is included alongside WordPress.
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.
SiteGround
StartUp, 1 month$24.99
per month
One website, 10 GB storage and around 10,000 visits a month, paid month to month at the regular rate.
StartUp, 12 months$17.99
per month at renewal, prepaid yearly, after a first year at $2.99
One website and 10 GB storage. The first 12 months cost $2.99 a month, prepaid, then the plan renews at $17.99 a month.
StartUp, 24 months$14.99
per month, prepaid every 24 months
One website and 10 GB storage at the lowest regular monthly rate. The sales page shows its first-term discount only on 12-month terms.
GrowBig, 24 months$24.99
per month, prepaid every 24 months
Unlimited websites, 50 GB, staging and on-demand backups. On a 12-month term it is $4.99 a month for the first year, then $29.99.
GoGeek, 24 months$39.99
per month, prepaid every 24 months
100 GB, staging with Git, white-label access and priority support. On a 12-month term it is $7.99 a month for the first year, then $44.99.
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.
SiteGround
- Other savings
First year of StartUp for $2.99 a month
On a 12-month term the first invoice is $2.99 a month for StartUp, $4.99 for GrowBig and $7.99 for GoGeek, prepaid. Renewals are $17.99, $29.99 and $44.99 a month.
