DreamHost
Independent shared and WordPress host with monthly or multi-year terms
Our verdict
First of our top three web hosts
For: Most people hosting a small site or blog
DreamHost's Launch plan hosts up to 25 websites with daily backups, free SSL, unmetered bandwidth and a one-click WordPress installer, and its team builds one starter site for you. Two years cost $2.49 a month paid upfront, then $8.99 a month, or you can pay monthly: $4.99 for the first 3 months, then $11.99. Yearly and longer plans include a domain free for the first year. Know the limits: professional email is free for 3 months only and is then billed separately, and every low price covers the first term only.
See all three and how we rankDreamHost report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for cheap shared hosting you can pay monthly
DreamHost is the easy pick if you don't want to lock in for years, since you can pay monthly, and on a 2-year term it's among the cheapest hosts here. Launch covers 25 websites with daily backups. Just know professional email is free for 3 months only, and then it's billed separately.
Who DreamHost is for
- Great if you'd rather pay month to month than commit for years
- Handy when you run several small sites, as Launch takes 25 of them
- Good for beginners who'd like a starter website built for them
Who DreamHost is not for
- Not for you if you need email at your domain included, as it bills after 3 months
- Pricey if you stay on monthly billing, at $11.99 a month after the first 3
- Skip it if you want a free domain on a monthly plan, as it needs a yearly or longer term
Why DreamHost gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyLaunch 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.
- FFree plan and trialNothing free: no free plan and no trial. The cheapest way to try it is monthly billing at $4.99 for the first 3 months.
- CFeatures25 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.
- CEase of useNo 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsA 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from DreamHost's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/dreamhost#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/dreamhost.svg" alt="DreamHost: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where DreamHost stands among web hosts
DreamHost's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 21 other web hosts we grade, and level with 6.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 16 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $1.99 a month, against a middle price of $10.99 for the category: 1 of the 16 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 22 web hosts we grade, cut by the letter each got. DreamHost’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 16 of 21, level with 5
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 21, level with 18
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 21, level with 10
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 21, level with 21
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 12 of 21, level with 9
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 17 web hosts. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep DreamHost, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace DreamHost you would be making servers kept running, patched and backed up for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 21 other web hosts we grade. It costs $23.88 a year.
What you could not
- Servers kept running, patched and backed up for you.
- It plugs into other products, WordPress among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. DreamHost’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is DreamHost?
DreamHost is an employee-owned host selling shared web hosting, DreamPress managed WordPress hosting and VPS plans, all run from its own control panel. Shared plans include daily backups, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL, a first-year domain and the Liftoff AI WordPress builder, and can be paid monthly or for one to four years.
DreamHost is a paid product, starting at $7.99 per month at renewal (Launch), after a first 4 years at $1.99 a month. See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
DreamHost pricing
- Starts at
- $7.99 per month at renewal (Launch), after a first 4 years at $1.99 a month
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Launch, monthly | $11.99per 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 | $10.99per 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 | $8.99per 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 | $7.99per 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 | $8.99per 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 | $19.99per 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. |
Read from dreamhost.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with DreamHost before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsFirst 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.
Stated on dreamhost.com - Other savingsFirst 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.
Stated on dreamhost.com
Works with
DreamHost alternatives
- DreamHost vs Hostinger
From $10.99/mo
- DreamHost vs SiteGround
From $14.99/mo
Common questions
Is DreamHost free?
No. DreamHost is a paid product, starting at $7.99 per month at renewal (Launch), after a first 4 years at $1.99 a month.
How much does DreamHost cost?
DreamHost lists 6 plans. Launch, monthly: $11.99 per month, after a first 3 months at $4.99 a month. Launch, 1 year: $10.99 per month at renewal, after a first year at $2.89 a month. Launch, 2 years: $8.99 per month at renewal, after a first term of 2 years. Launch, 4 years: $7.99 per month at renewal, after a first term of 4 years. Growth, 4 years: $8.99 per month at renewal, after a first term of 4 years. Scale, 4 years: $19.99 per month at renewal, after a first term of 4 years. Prices were read from dreamhost.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does DreamHost work on?
DreamHost is available on Web.
Does DreamHost offer any discounts?
DreamHost publicly lists the following: First 4 years of Launch at $1.99 a month; First year of DreamPress 1 at $14.99 a month.
Does DreamHost have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. DreamHost is listed for Web.
Does DreamHost have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. DreamHost is listed for Web.
Is DreamHost open source?
DreamHost is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does DreamHost have an API?
Yes. DreamHost offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does DreamHost integrate with?
DreamHost's listing names WordPress. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes DreamHost?
DreamHost is made by DreamHost, LLC. It dates from 1997.
What are the alternatives to DreamHost?
The closest alternatives to DreamHost in our directory are Bluehost, Hostinger, SiteGround and hosting.com. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with DreamHost.
How does DreamHost compare with other web hosts?
DreamHost's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 21 other web hosts we grade, and level with 6. It stands best on value for money (A, above 16 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is DreamHost good value for money?
ToolGPA grades DreamHost A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $1.99 a month, against a middle price of $10.99 for the category: 1 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of DreamHost?
To replace DreamHost you would be making servers kept running, patched and backed up for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 21 other web hosts we grade. It costs $23.88 a year. What you could not make: Servers kept running, patched and backed up for you. It plugs into other products, WordPress among them, and has an API. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.