DreamHost is one of the oldest and most respected hosting providers in the industry, founded in 1996 by four computer science students at Harvey Mudd College. Unlike many competitors that have been acquired by large conglomerates, DreamHost remains independently owned and operated — a distinction they wear proudly. They host over 1.5 million websites and manage over 750,000 WordPress installations. DreamHost is one of only three hosting providers officially recommended by WordPress.org, alongside Bluehost and SiteGround. What truly sets DreamHost apart is their commitment to privacy and open-source values. They were one of the first hosts to fight government surveillance requests in court, and they offer free domain privacy (WHOIS protection) on all plans — a feature many competitors charge extra for. Their custom-built control panel replaces the industry-standard cPanel with a cleaner, more modern interface. The 97-day money-back guarantee is the most generous in the hosting industry, giving you over three months to evaluate the service risk-free. DreamHost also offers a 100% uptime guarantee backed by service credits. Their hosting lineup includes shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud (DreamCompute), and managed WordPress (DreamPress) hosting. DreamPress plans include built-in caching, staging, and Jetpack Free for enhanced WordPress performance.
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The longest money-back guarantee in the hosting industry — over 3 months to evaluate the service completely risk-free.
One of the few hosts to offer a 100% uptime SLA backed by service credits for any downtime experienced.
Free WHOIS privacy on all plans, a history of fighting government surveillance, and transparent privacy policies.
One of only three hosting providers officially recommended by WordPress.org for WordPress hosting.
Not part of a large hosting conglomerate — decisions are made with customers in mind, not shareholder returns.
DreamHost does not offer phone support — only live chat and email/ticket. Callback service is available on some plans.
Uses a custom panel instead of cPanel, which means a learning curve if you're used to the industry standard.
The Shared Starter plan does not include email hosting — you need the Unlimited plan or must pay $1.67/mo extra.
Email support can take 24+ hours during peak periods, and live chat isn't always immediately available.