As the saying goes, “old doesn’t mean bad, and new doesn’t always equate to good.”

Dreamhost might be an old cat in the game, but they’re still one of the best hosting companies on the planet. 

With a diverse portfolio spanning over 100 countries and seven continents, their customer loyalty is unquestioned.  

However, does a company with such vintage experience prove valuable against a modern behemoth like Bluehost?

Let’s find out.

1. Plans: Features & Pricing

Bluehost

• Basic Plan: Starts at $1.99/month (renews at $7.99/month) for one website and essential features.
• Plus Plan: Starts at $3.99/month (renews at $10.99/month) for unlimited websites and additional resources.
• Choice Plus Plan: Starts at $3.99/month (renews at $14.99/month) with domain privacy and enhanced features.
• Pro Plan: Starts at $9.99/month (renews at $23.99/month) for advanced tools like a dedicated IP.

Dreamhost

Dreamhost offers streamlined pricing and plans. These are:

• Shared

Starts at $4.95/month (with 63% savings on annual plans). Features include:

• 1 Website 
• A .com (at additional $8.99)
• Unlimited traffic
• WordPress Installer
• Free automated migration
• Integrated WordPress builder
• Superfast SSD Storage
• Free SSL
• Email (additional $1.67)

• DreamPress:

 Starts at $19.95/month (with 29% saving on yearly plans). Features include everything on Shared Plan plus:

• 1 WordPress site
• Unmetered bandwidth
• Unlimited email
• Priority site migration
• NGINX Hosting
• 1 click staging 

• VPS: 

Starts at $15/month (8% saving on annual plans). Features include everything in DreamPress plus:

• Unlimited websites
• Unlimited email
• 24/7 Support

Comparison:

• Bluehost offers more affordable options, with prices starting at $1.99/month.
• In contrast, DreamHost’s prices start at $4.95/month, and Some DreamHost features are charged outside the current plan, making it a more expensive option. Want to explore better pricing Bluehost alternatives? Consider Bluehost and SiteGround, which offer more flexible plans with features like unlimited websites and free domain privacy, making them better value for money.

2. Flexibility

Bluehost 

• Compared to Dreamhost, it is the best for small businesses.
• Several billing options.
• A more elaborate pricing catalogue. 

Dreamhost

• They offer a compact and streamlined solution.
• Offer out-of-the-box solutions to users.
• Dreamhost offers flexible billing. 

Comparison:

• Dreamhost’s flexible billing options make it ideal.
• Bluehost offers a more elaborate pricing catalogue.

3. Storage

Bluehost

• Basic Plan: Up to 50GB of SSD
• Plus Plan: Unlimited Storage 
• Choice Plus Plan: Unlimited SSD storage with extra features like domain privacy.
• Pro Plan: Unlimited SSD storage and advanced tools.

Dreamhost

• Unlimited storage on all plans. 

Comparison:

• Bluehost provides more options for storage.
• Dreamhost offers better storage options (unlimited)

4. Bandwidth

Bluehost

• Unlimited Bandwidth on all plans

Dreamhost

• Unlimited Bandwidth on all plans.

5. Uptime

Bluehost

• 99.9% uptime across all plans.

Dreamhost

• 100% uptime across all plans. 

6. Security

Bluehost

Basic Plan

• SSL Certificate: Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate for encrypted data transmission between the website and visitors’ browsers.
• Domain Privacy Protection: Masking personal information in domain registration to prevent identity theft and spam.
• SiteLock Lite: Basic security scanning for malware detection and removal.

Plus Plan

• All Basic Plan Features: Includes SSL certificate, domain privacy protection, and SiteLock Lite.
• CodeGuard Basic: Automatic daily backups with one-click restores to protect against data loss.
• SpamExperts: Advanced spam filtering to protect email accounts from unwanted emails and phishing attempts.

Choice Plus Plan

• All Plus Plan Features
• Domain Privacy + Protection: Enhanced domain privacy protection with added security features.
• SiteLock Security: More comprehensive website security scanning for malware detection and removal.

Pro Plan

• All Choice Plus Plan Features
• Dedicated IP: Exclusive IP address for improved website performance and security.

Dreamhost

Their security features vary only slightly from plan to plan, while some require additional fees to unlock. 

Here’s a breakdown of basic and advanced security features across all plans.  

Basic Security Features

• SSL: Every DreamHost plan comes with a free Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate.
• Free Domain Privacy: DreamHost hides your personal information from the public WHOIS database.
• Multi-Factor Authentication: Multi-factor authentication with either the Google Authenticator app or Yubikey. 
• Anti-Spam Filters: DreamHost’s spam filters protect your site from unwanted and potentially harmful email messages.
• Daily Backups: DreamHost does nightly backups of your website. 
• DDoS Protection: Integrated DDoS detection and mitigation powered by Arbor’s Peakflow SP. 

Advanced Security Features

• DreamShield (Malware Remover): DreamHost’s malware remover. Costs $3/ month on top of your hosting plan.
• mod_security: Mod_security is DreamHost’s “Extra Web Security” option. 
• Lua-resty-waf: Lua-resty-waf is an open-source project combining Nginx services, Lua interpreter, and JIT compiler. 

Comparison:

• Dreamhost requires additional fees to access certain security features.
• Dreamhost’s unique security features make it more robust.
• Bluehost is more straightforward in pricing security features. 

7. Troubleshooting & Customer Support 

Bluehost

• Basic Plan: 24/7 live chat and ticket support for technical assistance.
• Plus Plan: Additional phone support for quicker issue resolution.
• Choice Plus Plan: Enhanced support with priority access and dedicated account managers.
• Pro Plan: Premium support with priority response and expert assistance.

Dreamhost

• Shared: Email support, live chat and access to their knowledge base, 
• DreamPress: Basic email support, live chat, phone support and access to their knowledge base.
• VPS: Priority email, live chat, phone support 24/7 and access to extensive self-help resources and articles

Comparison:

• Both Bluehost and Dreamhost offer robust customer service options, making them strong contenders for the best affiliate program. However, both platforms lack call support as a service option.

Conclusion

To conclude, your business’s structure, budget, and specific needs will eventually be the determining factor here. 

While Dreamhost’s reliability is undeniable, Bluehost presents compelling features and pricing that may align better with certain businesses. 

It’s crucial to weigh the differences to determine the optimal fit for your requirements. 

Understanding these nuances ensures you make the right decision.

Happy hosting!

FAQ

Is it difficult to host my website without third-party hosting?

While it can be challenging for beginners, individuals with experience in server administration and web development may find it manageable.

What hardware do I need to host my website?

You’ll need a computer or server with sufficient power, memory, and storage space to host your website files and handle incoming web traffic. 

Do I need a domain name to host my website?

Yes, you’ll need a domain name to make your website visible to potential visitors. 

You can register a domain name through either Bluehost or Dreamhost.

How do I ensure the security of my self-hosted website?

Monitor your server’s security status regularly and follow best practices for securing web applications and databases.

Bonus Section: Not satisfied? Host Your Site!

Here’s how you can host your website independently:

Hardware Requirements

To host your website independently, you’ll need suitable hardware, such as a computer or server.

Your chosen device must possess sufficient processing power, memory, and storage space to accommodate your website.

Software Setup

Install server software such as Apache, Nginx, or Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) on your hardware. 

These server software options will allow you to serve web pages and handle HTTP requests from visitors’ browsers.

Static vs. Dynamic Content

Determine whether your website will primarily feature static content (HTML, CSS, JavaScript files).

Or dynamic content (generated on the fly by server-side scripting languages like PHP, Python, or Node.js). 

The choice of content will influence the server software and configuration you’ll need.

Domain Name Configuration

Register a domain name for your website through a domain registrar. 

Configure the domain’s DNS settings to point to the IP address of your self-hosted server.

This step ensures access to your website via domain name.

Security Measures

Implement security measures to protect your self-hosted server from potential threats, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, regular software updates, and secure authentication methods. Security should be a top priority to safeguard your website and visitors’ data.

Bandwidth and Connectivity

Ensure that your internet plan meets the bandwidth requirement to handle incoming web traffic. 

Consider factors like upload speed, network stability, and other limitations imposed by your internet provider (ISP).

Backup and Redundancy

Set up backups of your files, databases, and server configuration to prevent data loss.

These backups are in case of hardware failure, cyberattacks, or other unforeseen events. 

Consider implementing redundancy measures, such as RAID storage or off-site backups, for added reliability.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Monitor your server’s performance, uptime, and security status regularly using monitoring tools and logging utilities. 

Perform maintenance tasks, such as security patches, software updates, and performance optimisations.

This will keep your server running smoothly.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Familiarise yourself with legal and regulatory requirements related to hosting your website.

These include data protection laws, copyright regulations, and terms of service agreements.

Scaling and Growth

Plan for scalability and growth by designing your hosting infrastructure to accommodate increasing web traffic and resource demands over time. 

Consider scaling options like adding hardware resources, optimising server configurations, or migrating to cloud hosting.