Bluehost vs DreamHost - My Personal Experience After Using Both

Last updated on May 19th, 2025 at

So, you’re trying to choose between Bluehost vs DreamHost for your website hosting? You’re in the right place! Think of it like picking between two trusted and popular brands — both can host your website, but which one is the better fit for you?

Bluehost is known for being beginner-friendly, with a clean setup process and strong support. It’s officially recommended by WordPress and works great for blogs, small business sites, and anyone new to hosting. But it does come with upsells and higher renewal prices to watch out for.

DreamHost, on the other hand, is also WordPress-recommended and offers a more no-nonsense hosting experience. It gives you more features upfront — like free daily backups and privacy protection — without pushing extra add-ons. But its dashboard might feel a little less polished to first-time users.

In this Bluehost vs DreamHost comparison, I’m not here to crown a winner. I’ll break down their key differences, pros and cons, and help you choose the one that fits your needs — whether you’re starting your first blog, building an online store, or just need a reliable host for your site.

Feature	Bluehost	DreamHost
⭐ Rating	4.5	4.4
💵 Price (from)	From $1.99/month	From $2.59/month
📑 Uptime guarantee	99.9%	100%
🔥 Coupons	Bluehost coupon 75% OFF!	DreamHost coupon 79% OFF!
Storage space (from)	10 GB SSD	50 GB SSD
✂️ Free domain (first year)	Yes	Yes
🔒 Free SSL certificate	Yes (first year)	Yes
➡️ Site migration	Free WordPress migration (1 site) or paid (up to 5 sites)	Free website migration plugin and paid options
💾 Automated backups	Daily Website Backups (Free 1st year), not with Basic Plan	Free (daily)
📧 Email accounts	Free (up to 10 accounts)	Yes (Shared Unlimited plan)
👨‍💻 24/7 live support	Yes	Yes
💰 Money-back guarantee	30-day	97-day

Plan and Pricing

💬 Who win For Pricing:

Bluehost takes the edge if you’re looking for beginner-friendly hosting with strong support and a smooth setup.
But if you want more free features upfront, like privacy protection and backups, DreamHost offers great long-term value — without the upsells.

Bluehost Plans

bluehost vs Dreamhost

Best for: Beginners, bloggers, and anyone who wants easy setup with great support
💰 Starts at $2.95/month
📅 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

✅ Basic Plan – $2.95/month (Renews at $11.99)

1 Website
10 GB SSD Storage
Free Domain (1st Year)
Free SSL Certificate
Free CDN
~15,000 Monthly Visits
24/7 Chat Support
👉 Great for small personal or business websites

✅ Plus Plan – $4.95/month

Unlimited Websites
20 GB SSD Storage
~50,000 Monthly Visits
All Basic Features + More Space
👉 Ideal for those managing multiple sites

✅ Choice Plus – $5.45/month

Everything in Plus
50 GB SSD Storage
Extra Privacy & Security
👉 Good choice for privacy-conscious users

✅ Pro Plan – $13.95/month

Unlimited Websites
100 GB SSD Storage
More Power & Speed
👉 Best for higher traffic or growing businesses

🟢 Why Bluehost?
✔️ Very beginner-friendly
✔️ 24/7 support
✔️ WordPress officially recommended
✔️ Smooth user experience for first-time website owners

DreamHost Hosting Plans

DreamHost pricing

Best for: Users who want more features upfront and fewer upsells
💰 Starts at $2.95/month
📅 97-Day Money-Back Guarantee (Yes — 97!)

✅ Shared Starter – $2.95/month

1 Website
Unlimited Traffic
Free Domain (1st Year)
Free SSL
AI Website Builder
Fast SSD Storage
👉 Perfect for new sites or personal blogs

✅ DreamPress – $16.95/month (Renews at $19.99)

1 WordPress Site
~100,000 Monthly Visitors
30 GB SSD Storage
Free Migrations + Backups
Priority WordPress Support
👉 Built for high-performance WordPress websites

✅ VPS (2GB Business) – $13.75/month

Unlimited Websites
60 GB SSD Storage
Unlimited Traffic
24/7 Support + AI Business Tools
👉 Ideal for growing small businesses that need more power

🟢 Why DreamHost?
✔️ No upsells or hidden fees
✔️ Free privacy protection
✔️ Free daily backups
✔️ Longest refund policy in the industry

🔍 So, Which One Should You Pick?

👉 Choose Bluehost if you’re a beginner and want a simple, well-supported hosting experience. It’s perfect for bloggers, startups, and small businesses.

👉 Choose DreamHost if you want more value for the price with extras like backups and privacy — and you’re okay with a slightly more technical setup.

Both are great — it just depends on what you need.

winner –

Ease of use

💬 Who win For ease of use:

Bluehost is the winner here when it comes to ease of use. Its guided setup, clean interface, and familiar layout make it super simple for beginners to launch a website.

DreamHost isn’t hard to use, but it takes a bit more getting used to — especially if this is your first time dealing with web hosting.

Bluehost – Smooth, Guided & Beginner-Friendly

Bluehost main dashboard copy

Best for: First-time website owners who want a stress-free experience

Bluehost has one of the easiest onboarding processes out there. The moment you log in, it walks you through setting up WordPress — no guesswork needed. You can either follow the guided wizard or skip it if you’re confident. After setup, the dashboard is neat, and the “My Sites” section helps you manage everything in one place.

What I liked:
✅ Easy-to-follow setup for beginners
✅ “My Sites” section keeps things organized
✅ Access to both a simple dashboard and classic cPanel
✅ Step-by-step flow to get your site live quickly

🟢 Why Bluehost?
✔️ Extremely beginner-friendly
✔️ Built-in guidance for each step
✔️ Great for bloggers, small business owners, and non-techies

Bluehost cPanel control panel

DreamHost – Powerful, But Takes a Bit to Learn

DreamHost control panel

Best for: Users who want more features in one place and don’t mind a short learning curve

DreamHost uses its own custom control panel instead of the standard cPanel. While everything’s accessible from one main menu, it’s not quite as intuitive — especially when you’re trying to find things like SSL, site management, or email.

Still, once you get the hang of it, it’s fast and efficient. Plus, installing WordPress is just one click.

What I liked:
✅ All tools under one dashboard
✅ Quick WordPress install
✅ Fewer upsells or distractions

🟡 What’s missing?
⚠️ No clear “My Sites” section
⚠️ Some features are buried in menus
⚠️ Less intuitive for total beginners

DreamHost initial setup in control panel

winner –

Performance

💬 Who win For Performance:

DreamHost takes the clear win here. It delivers faster load times, better uptime, and handles traffic spikes more smoothly than Bluehost. While Bluehost is decent, DreamHost gives you stronger, more consistent performance — especially if your site starts to grow.

Uptime and response time

Bluehost

Bluehost held up with 99.9% uptime during testing. That’s solid — only about 11 minutes of downtime across a month. Still good for most websites, and performance improved toward the end of testing.

Bluehost uptime and response time

Dreamhost

DreamHost uptime and response time

DreamHost really impressed here — with almost perfect uptime (99.99%+). Only one brief outage of less than a minute happened during the test period. That means your website stays online more consistently, which is key for trust and SEO.

Website Speed

Bluehost

Bluehost is good, but not the fastest. During testing, the site’s Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) was 1.8 seconds, which is under Google’s recommended 2.5s — so it’s still in the “good” zone. The Fully Loaded Time was also 1.8 seconds, but the Time to First Byte (TTFB) was about 1 second, showing there’s room for improvement on server response.

Bluehost page load speed

Dreamhost

DreamHost came out ahead with an LCP of just 1.4 seconds, which means pages started loading faster. The Fully Loaded Time was 1.6 seconds, and most importantly, the TTFB was much lower — meaning the server responded quicker to every visitor.

✅ Faster response times
✅ Better performance out of the box
✅ Great for user experience and SEO

Stress Testing

Bluehost:

Under a stress test with 50 virtual users, Bluehost started slowing down around 15 users and struggled to stay responsive. That suggests it might not be ideal for sites expecting traffic spikes or higher visitor volumes.

Bluehost stress testing results ,

DreamHost:

DreamHost handled all 50 bots without breaking a sweat. It remained fast and responsive, with only slight dips in speed. That shows DreamHost is ready for growth and handles busy periods way better.

✅ Excellent under pressure
✅ Stable during high traffic
✅ Great for growing websites or small businesses

DreamHost stress testing

Website security

💬 Who win For Security:

DreamHost takes the lead in built-in security. While Bluehost does offer some essential protections, many of its best security features are only available on higher-tier plans or as paid add-ons. DreamHost, on the other hand, includes more robust protections right from the start — without any upsells.

🔒 SSL Certificates

Both Bluehost and DreamHost offer free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates on all plans. This means your website’s traffic is encrypted and secure from day one — great for user trust and SEO.

🏆 Winner: Tie (Both offer free SSL on all plans)

🔄 Backups

DreamHost includes automated daily backups for free on all shared hosting plans. That’s a huge plus — your data is always safe and easily restorable if something goes wrong.

Bluehost only offers automated backups on Choice Plus and Pro plans. If you’re on the Basic or Plus plan, you’ll need to pay extra or handle backups manually.

🏆 Winner: DreamHost (Daily backups included at no extra cost)

🛡️ Malware Protection

DreamHost has built-in malware scanning, server monitoring, and intrusion detection on all plans. They monitor their servers 24/7 to prevent and respond to threats automatically.

Bluehost offers malware scanning through SiteLock, but it’s a paid add-on unless you’re on a higher-tier plan.

🏆 Winner: DreamHost (More built-in protection without needing to upgrade)

🔥 Firewall & DDoS Protection

DreamHost uses a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter harmful traffic and defend against attacks like SQL injection. It also includes DDoS protection by default.

Bluehost includes DDoS protection via Cloudflare, but doesn’t provide a native firewall on shared hosting. You’ll need to rely on third-party plugins like Wordfence.

🏆 Winner: DreamHost (Firewall and DDoS defense built in from the start)

🔍 Security Extras

DreamHost includes domain privacy protection for free with every domain — keeping your personal contact info safe from public WHOIS databases. It also offers 2FA (two-factor authentication) and secure access controls.

Bluehost also supports 2FA, but domain privacy is only free for one year on higher-tier plans. On Basic plans, you’ll need to pay extra for privacy and some additional tools.

🏆 Winner: DreamHost (More extras included without extra charges)

🏁 Final Thoughts:

👉 Pick DreamHost if you want strong security that’s built in from the start. With free daily backups, malware protection, a firewall, and privacy features — all included — it’s the safer choice without hidden costs.

👉 Go with Bluehost if you’re okay with fewer protections on the entry-level plans and plan to upgrade later or use third-party security plugins.

Winner –

Customer support

💬 Who wins for customer support:

Bluehost takes the win for customer support thanks to its 24/7 live chat and phone support. While DreamHost offers solid support, its limited live chat hours and slower response times make Bluehost the better option if you need help anytime, day or night.

Bluehost Customer Support – Fast, Friendly, and Always Available

✅ 24/7 Live Chat & Phone Support: Bluehost’s support is available around the clock. I connected with an agent almost instantly, and they were friendly, professional, and quick to address my issue.

✅ Helpful Knowledge Base: Bluehost has an extensive knowledge base that covers everything from basic setup to advanced technical guides. The search bar makes it easy to find exactly what you need.

⚠️ Occasionally Guarded Responses: While the agents are generally helpful, they sometimes hesitate to give a full answer — especially when it comes to details like the “unlimited” aspects of hosting plans. But overall, I found them to be quite efficient.

👉 Verdict: Bluehost’s 24/7 support and quick response times make it a standout. While there are occasional issues with overly cautious answers, they’re fast, friendly, and available at all hours, which is a big plus.

DreamHost Customer Support – Solid, But Limited Hours

✅ 24/7 Email Support & Ticketing System: DreamHost provides excellent support via a ticketing system that’s available 24/7, but live chat is only available during business hours. So if you run into an issue after hours, you’ll have to wait for a response.

✅ Comprehensive Knowledge Base: DreamHost also has a thorough knowledge base with a wide variety of helpful articles and tutorials. However, they tend to direct you to it first, which can feel like you’re on your own for basic issues.

⚠️ Slower Response Times: I had to wait longer than expected for an agent during working hours. While the agent eventually helped, they didn’t provide the most direct or clear answer at first. Some issues felt like they weren’t resolved immediately.

👉 Verdict: DreamHost has solid support, but the limited live chat hours and slower response times can be frustrating. It’s great for non-urgent issues, but if you need quick help at any hour, it might not be the best fit.

Live chat with DreamHost

winner –

Bluehost vs DreamHost – Which Is Better?

✅ Winner: DreamHost (Best performance, backups, and WordPress features)

After using both Bluehost and DreamHost for my own websites over the past two months, it’s clear that DreamHost stands out, especially if you’re looking for stronger performance and more reliable backup options.

Why DreamHost Wins:

💻 Stronger Performance – DreamHost offers faster loading times and better uptime, especially if you’re running a WordPress site. Their infrastructure is built for higher performance, making it a great choice for growing websites.

🔐 Automatic Daily Backups – DreamHost automatically backs up your site every day and keeps backups for a longer period, giving you peace of mind in case anything goes wrong.

📦 Better Features for WordPress – DreamHost is optimized for WordPress with features like one-click installs, automatic updates, and easy scaling as your site grows.

When Bluehost Might Work:

You’re just starting out or have a small website.
You need something simple and budget-friendly with easy setup.
You prefer a more hands-off approach with 24/7 support availability.

👉 Final Verdict:

If you’re a beginner or small business looking for simplicity, ease of use, and affordability, Bluehost is a great choice. Their user-friendly interface and excellent customer support make it an easy pick for those just starting out.

However, if you’re seeking better performance, automatic backups, and a more robust set of features — especially for WordPress users — DreamHost is the way to go. Their reliable uptime, daily backups, and faster speeds make it a more long-term solution.

Ultimately, your decision will depend on what matters most: Bluehost for ease of use and affordability, or DreamHost for performance and security.

Feature	Bluehost	DreamHost	Verdict
Pricing	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	DreamHost is cheaper starting at $2.59/month compared to Bluehost’s $1.99/month.
Ease of use	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	Bluehost offers a more sophisticated interface and tools, while DreamHost is generally easy to use with some UX limitations.
Performance	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	DreamHost consistently showed better reliability, speed, and server performance compared to Bluehost.
Security	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Bluehost provides basic security features, while DreamHost includes extras like daily backups and domain privacy.
Support	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	Bluehost offers 24/7 live chat support, superior to DreamHost’s limited working hours for live chat. Both have strong support teams overall.

Alternatives to Bluehost vs Dreamhost

A2 hosting

A2 Hosting Reviews October 2024 - Features, Pricing, Speed, Value

A2 Hosting is built for speed and performance, offering Turbo Servers that make your site load up to 20x faster. It’s ideal for users who want fast, reliable hosting with strong customer support and flexible refund options.

Key Features

🚀 Turbo Servers – Up to 20x faster load times
💾 SSD & NVMe Storage – Faster file access and website speed
🔐 Free SSL, HackScan & DDoS Protection – Strong built-in security
📦 Free Site Migration – Easy website transfers
🔁 Anytime Money-Back Guarantee – Risk-free hosting
📞 24/7/365 Guru Crew Support – Live chat, phone & email
🌐 Optimized for WordPress – Better speed and performance

💸 Plans

Startup – $2.99/month
🔹 1 Website, 100GB SSD
🔹 Free SSL & Site Migration
Drive – $5.99/month
🔹 Unlimited Websites & SSD
🔹 Daily Backups, 2x Resources
Turbo Boost – $6.99/month
🔹 Turbo Servers (20x faster)
🔹 NVMe Storage, More Traffic Handling
Turbo Max – $14.99/month
🔹 5x Resources
🔹 Best for high-traffic websites

👍 Pros

✅ Super-fast speeds with Turbo Servers
✅ Free security tools: SSL, HackScan, DDoS protection
✅ User-friendly cPanel interface
✅ Free Cloudflare CDN & site migration
✅ Anytime refund guarantee

❌ Cons

❌ Turbo Servers only on higher-tier plans
❌ Entry plan limited to 1 website

✅ Verdict

A2 Hosting is a top choice if speed is your priority. It outperforms Hostinger and GoDaddy with faster servers, more flexible refunds, and better support. Perfect for beginners, businesses, and developers who want performance without the hassle.

🏆 Best for: Speed-focused users who want flexible, secure, and scalable hosting.

BUY A2 HOSTING

ChemiCloud

Meet the New ChemiCloud – Fresh Look, Updated Plans, and More

ChemiCloud

ChemiCloud offers a range of top-tier hosting features that provide excellent performance, fast load times, and solid support. With a user-friendly interface, strong security, and a generous set of freebies, it offers better overall value than many competitors, including Bluehost.

🛠️ Key Features

🌐 Free Domain Name – Get a free domain with your plan
🔄 Automated Backups – Free daily backups across all plans
🔐 Free SSL Certification – Secure your site with HTTPS
📧 Reliable Email Service – Manage emails with ease
⚙️ One-Click App Installs – Easily install apps with one click
🌍 Free CDN – Improve your website’s speed and security
💾 Fast SSD Storage – For quick loading times
🔄 Free Website Migration – Hassle-free migration to ChemiCloud

💸 Plans

Starter – $2.95/month
🔹 1 Website, 20 GB NVME disk space
🔹 Unlimited bandwidth, 10 days free backup
🔹 1 core CPU, 1 GB RAM
Pro – $3.95/month
🔹 Unlimited Websites, 30 GB NVME disk space
🔹 Unlimited bandwidth, 20 days free backup
🔹 2 core CPU, 2 GB RAM
Turbo – $4.95/month
🔹 Unlimited Websites, 40 GB NVME disk space
🔹 Unlimited bandwidth, 30 days free backup
🔹 3 core CPU, 3 GB RAM

👍 Pros

✅ Free Domain Registration – Get started with no extra cost
✅ Multiple Global Data Centers – For better performance and reliability
✅ 99.99% Uptime Guarantee – Excellent site uptime
✅ Complimentary SSL Encryption – Secure your site with ease
✅ Generous 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee – Test risk-free

❌ Cons

❌ Limited SSD Storage – Available across all plans

✅ Why Choose ChemiCloud over Bluehost

Performance and Speed:
ChemiCloud excels in speed with SSD storage, LiteSpeed web servers, and a global CDN, which ensures faster load times for your website. These factors contribute to better user experience and improved SEO.

Free Daily Backups:
Unlike Bluehost, which offers free backups only for the first year, ChemiCloud provides free daily backups across all its plans. This ensures your data is consistently protected, with easy restoration if necessary.

Responsive Customer Support:
ChemiCloud offers robust customer support through live chat, tickets, and an in-depth knowledge base. Their quick response times ensure that issues are resolved without unnecessary delays.

Get Chemicloud

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Contents

0.1 Plan and Pricing
- 0.1.1 Bluehost Plans

1 🔍 So, Which One Should You Pick?
2 Ease of use
3 Website security
4 🏁 Final Thoughts:
5 Customer support
6 Bluehost vs DreamHost – Which Is Better?
7 Alternatives to Bluehost vs Dreamhost
8 ChemiCloud

Plan and Pricing

Bluehost Plans

🔍 So, Which One Should You Pick?

Ease of use

Bluehost – Smooth, Guided & Beginner-Friendly

DreamHost – Powerful, But Takes a Bit to Learn

Uptime and response time

Bluehost

Dreamhost

Website Speed

Bluehost

Dreamhost

Stress Testing

Website security

🔒 SSL Certificates

🔄 Backups

🛡️ Malware Protection

🔥 Firewall & DDoS Protection

🔍 Security Extras

🏁 Final Thoughts:

Customer support

Bluehost Customer Support – Fast, Friendly, and Always Available

DreamHost Customer Support – Solid, But Limited Hours

Bluehost vs DreamHost – Which Is Better?

Why DreamHost Wins:

When Bluehost Might Work:

👉 Final Verdict:

Alternatives to Bluehost vs Dreamhost

Key Features

💸 Plans

👍 Pros

❌ Cons

✅ Verdict

ChemiCloud

🛠️ Key Features

💸 Plans

👍 Pros

❌ Cons

✅ Why Choose ChemiCloud over Bluehost

Other Dreamhost comparisons

Other Bluehost comparisons

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