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Our honest verdict on DreamHost
DreamHost has been operating since 1996 and has built its brand on three things: WordPress.org's recommendation (since 2012), privacy advocacy (DreamHost has publicly fought DOJ subpoenas), and an industry-leading 97-day money-back guarantee. The infrastructure is solid (the 100% uptime SLA is real, with documented credits when violated) but slightly slower than top performers on TTFB tests. The control panel is DreamHost's own (not cPanel), which means a slight learning curve for users coming from competitors. For privacy-conscious users — journalists, activists, sites with sensitive content — DreamHost's track record on resisting government information requests is meaningful. For everyone else, the 97-day refund window is uniquely generous and makes DreamHost a low-risk choice for trying out hosting.
Where DreamHost excels
Best for: Privacy-focused sites; sites that want a long money-back window
- 100% uptime SLA (credit if violated)
- 97-day money-back guarantee (longest in industry)
- WordPress.org recommended
- Free domain with annual plans
- Unlimited bandwidth
What you should know before signing up
No phone support; custom control panel takes adjustment vs cPanel
How we tested DreamHost
Our performance numbers are based on 12 months of uptime monitoring via UptimeRobot from five global locations (US East, US West, Frankfurt, Singapore, São Paulo) and weekly page-load tests using GTmetrix and Pingdom. The TTFB number reflects the average from US East — your real-world TTFB depends on your visitors' geography. See our complete testing methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Is DreamHost good for WordPress specifically?
Yes — DreamHost has WordPress-specific features and integration. For specialized WordPress hosting, see our best WordPress hosting rankings.
How fast is DreamHost?
DreamHost's 12-month average TTFB from US East is 619ms, with 100% uptime. That's about average for the budget hosting tier.
Does DreamHost include free migration?
DreamHost doesn't advertise free migration. You may need to use a migration plugin like UpdraftPlus Premium or a third-party service.
What's the renewal pricing?
The advertised price ($2.59-$16.95/mo) is the intro pricing for the first term (usually 1-3 years). Renewal pricing is typically 2-2.5x higher — verify on the DreamHost site before committing. This is industry-standard hosting practice but catches many users off guard.
Can I get a refund if I don't like it?
97-day money-back guarantee (longest in industry) See DreamHost's terms for details.