DreamHost Review for WordPress Managed Hosting on a Budget

When you’re picking out a hosting company, you’ll want to make the decision carefully. Your web host will have a powerful impact on your WordPress site’s long-term success. It’s smart to do some research beforehand – which is why we created this DreamHost  review for WordPress to help you out.While DreamHost does offer some general-purpose hosting plans, its WordPress-specific options are where this provider really shines. In fact, DreamHost is one of WordPress’ official recommendations, thanks to its thorough optimization for the platform. That fact alone makes it worth checking out.In our DreamHost review for WordPress, we’ll explore what this provider has to offer. Along the way, we’ll talk about features, performance, support, and much more. Let’s get started! DreamPress includes a variety of features specifically designed for WordPress users. For instance:WordPress comes pre-installed and ready to go.You get a free subscription to the premium version of Jetpack.Your website is automatically kept up to date.For extra security, your site will be set up with dual WordPress-optimized Web Application Firewalls (WAF).All in all, DreamHost boasts a very comprehensive feature set, especially if you’re looking for something created with WordPress in mind.Support optionsWith managed hosting, you typically get lots of access to dedicated support. DreamPress doesn’t disappoint in that area. You can get help through the website or your control panel, by submitting a ticket, requesting a callback, and even chatting with a live support agent.We tried out the live chat ourselves, and asked a few questions:The support staff were friendly and knowledgeable, both about their own services (obviously) and WordPress itself. DreamHost claims to employ experienced tech support, and that does seem to be the case. For even more assistance, you can peruse the comprehensive knowledge base, or check out the dedicated forums.PerformanceNow, lets check out what DreamHost does to ensure your sites performance. It provides a number of noteworthy features, including:Integrated caching functionality via multiple solutions, including a DreamHost-designed plugin called Varnish HTTP Purge.Solid State Drive (SSD) storage.Flexible resource scaling.A video and image Content Delivery Network (CDN), on the higher-tiered plans.This is an impressive set of features, and its notable that DreamHost designs quite a bit of its own technology, rather than settling for existing solutions.DreamHost also offers several different datacenters, with four locations in the US:Los AngelesIrvinePortlandVirginiaPublic information on this is difficult to find, but it appears that DreamHost doesnt run any datacenters outside the United States. This isnt necessarily a problem for international WordPress users, thanks to CDNs and similar technologies, but its still worth bearing in mind.Page speed tests with PingdomTo s ee how this hosting service performs in a real-world setting, we conducted a few performance tests ourselves as part of our DreamHost review for WordPress. First, we used Pingdom to measure our test websites loading times from various locations around the world, and got the following results:Stockholm: 1.66  secondsMelbourne: 1.32  secondsNew York: 0.21  secondsSan Jose: 0.49  secondsThese are some pretty impressive times. The last two are under half a second, and all the tests fall below that golden two-second mark.Page speed tests with Load ImpactFor an even clearer picture of DreamHosts capabilities, we also conducted a stress test through Load Impact. This simulates multiple users accessing your site at once, and records the results. Here they are:Load Generator: Sao Paulo, BRTest Server: Brea, United StatesMinimum Response Time: 0.26 secondsMaximum Response Time: 1.26 secondsThese numbers are similarly encouraging. As you can see from the graph, with the exception of a single spike, the loading times (green line) stayed under half a second for almost the entire test, even as the number of active visitors (blue line)  increased. Your mileage may vary, but based on our testing DreamHost offers very solid performance.PricingDreamPress comes in three tiers, and includes everything we’ve discussed above. However, there are some key distinctions between the plans as well.The three tiers are as follows:Basic ($16.95 per month): With the standard DreamPress plan, you get one site that handles up to 10,000 monthly visitors. You’ll also get 5 GB of SSD storage, and some basic backup options.Plus ($24.95 per month): This plan increases your site’s potential load to 30,000 monthly visitors, and provides extra storage. Plus, you’ll get access to a dedicated offsite backup solution, a catalog of premium themes, and a number of other features.Advanced ($35.95 per month): In terms of features, this plan is identical to the last. Howe ver, it bumps your resources and monthly visitor load up even further. What’s more, you now get two sites, plus an extra staging site.Unlike some hosting plans, the number of sites supported doesn’t go up dramatically along with the tiers. This isn’t a service intended for developers, but for WordPress users who want to run one or two fully-optimized and managed sites. If that’s what you’re looking for, you do get a lot of value for the cost involved. You can also contact DreamHost to get a customized plan set up.Overall pros and consAt this point in our DreamHost review for WordPress, were ready to summarize the key advantages and drawbacks of this service, particularly with respect to DreamPress.ProsExcellent performance across the board.Lots of WordPress-specific features.Plenty of customized tools and solutions for optimizing your site.Knowledgeable support.ConsNo server locations outside the United States.Not the cheapest option, although Drea mPress is well priced for managed hosting, and offers a lot of value for your money.ConclusionOverall, the results of our DreamHost review for WordPress are very promising. This service is well optimized for WordPress, provides a ton of key features, and offers solid performance. Whats more, as  a managed plan  it takes much of the responsibility for your sites maintenance and security off your hands. If a DreamPress plan fits into your budget, its an option well worth considering.Of course, its still important to do your research and see what else is out there. To get started, you can check out some of our previous hosting reviews:HostGator WordPress Hosting Review: A Surprise TurnaroundA2 Hosting Review for WordPress: Fastest Hosting Youve Heard Of?Flywheel Review for WordPress: A Reliable Managed Hosting Option?Do you concur with the findings of our DreamHost review for WordPress? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Check out this @DreamHost review for #WordPress. It has real performance and load tests DreamHost (DreamPress) $16.95 9.2 USER RATING 8.6/10 RELIABILITY 9.0/10 PERFORMANCE 9.7/10 SUPPORT 9.5/10 ProsExcellent performanceLots of WordPress-specific featuresCustomized tools and solutionsKnowledgeable support ConsWont fit into every budgetServer locations in the U.S. only Go to DreamHost {"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Product","name":"DreamHost (DreamPress)","image":"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:auto\/https:\/\/s15165.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/dreamhost1-150x150.jpg","description":"When you\u2019re picking out a hosting company, you\u2019ll want to make the decision carefully. Your web host will have a powerful impact on your WordPress site\u2019s long-term success. It\u2019s smart to do some research beforehand \u2013 which is why we created this DreamHost\u00a0review for WordPress to help you out. While DreamHost does offer some general-purpose...","offers": {"@type":"Offer","price":"16.95","priceCurrency":"USD","seller":{"@type":"Person","name":"John Hughes"}},"review":{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","bestRating":"10","worstRating":"0","ratingValue":"9.20"},"name":"DreamHost (DreamPress)","reviewBody":"When you\u2019re picking out a hosting company, you\u2019ll want to make the decision carefully. Your web host will have a powerful impact on your WordPress site\u2019s long-term success. It\u2019s smart to do some research beforehand \u2013 which is why we created this DreamHost\u00a0review for WordPress to help you out.\r\n\r\nWhile DreamHost does offer some general-purpose hosting plans, its WordPress-specific options are where this provider really shines. In fact, DreamHost is one of WordPress\u2019 official recommendations, thanks to its thorough optimization for the platform. That fact alone makes it worth checking out.\r\n\r\n\r\nDreamHost review for WordPress \u2013 specific features\r\n\r\n\r\nDreamPress inclu des a variety of features specifically designed for WordPress users. For instance:\r\n\r\n \tWordPress comes pre-installed and ready to go.\r\n \tYou get a free subscription to the premium version of Jetpack.\r\n \tYour website is automatically kept up to date.\r\n \tFor extra security, your site will be set up with dual WordPress-optimized Web Application Firewalls (WAF).\r\n\r\nAll in all, DreamHost boasts a very comprehensive feature set, especially if you\u2019re looking for something created with WordPress in mind.\r\nSupport options\r\nWith managed hosting, you typically get lots of access to dedicated support. DreamPress doesn\u2019t disappoint in that area. You can get help through the website or your control panel, by submitting a ticket, requesting a callback, and even chatting with a live support agent.\r\n\r\nWe tried out the live chat ourselves, and asked a few questions:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe support staff were friendly and knowledgeable, both about their own services (ob viously) and WordPress itself. DreamHost claims to employ experienced tech support, and that does seem to be the case. For even more assistance, you can peruse the comprehensive knowledge base, or check out the dedicated forums.\r\nPerformance\r\nNow, let's check out what DreamHost does to ensure your site's performance. It provides a number of noteworthy features, including:\r\n\r\n \tIntegrated caching functionality via multiple solutions, including a DreamHost-designed plugin called Varnish HTTP Purge.\r\n \tSolid State Drive (SSD) storage.\r\n \tFlexible resource scaling.\r\n \tA video and image Content Delivery Network (CDN), on the higher-tiered plans.\r\n\r\nThis is an impressive set of features, and it's notable that DreamHost designs quite a bit of its own technology, rather than settling for existing solutions.\r\n\r\nDreamHost also offers several different datacenters, with four locations in the US:\r\n\r\n \tLos Angeles\r\n \tIrvine\r\n \tPortland\r\n \tVirginia\r\n\r\nP ublic information on this is difficult to find, but it appears that DreamHost doesn't run any datacenters outside the United States. This isn't necessarily a problem for international WordPress users, thanks to CDNs and similar technologies, but it's still worth bearing in mind.\r\nPage speed tests with Pingdom\r\nTo see how this hosting service performs in a real-world setting, we conducted a few performance tests ourselves as part of our DreamHost review for WordPress. First, we used Pingdom to measure our test website's loading times from various locations around the world, and got the following results:\r\n\r\n \tStockholm: 1.66\u00a0seconds\r\n \tMelbourne: 1.32\u00a0seconds\r\n \tNew York: 0.21\u00a0seconds\r\n \tSan Jose: 0.49\u00a0seconds\r\n\r\nThese are some pretty impressive times. The last two are under half a second, and all the tests fall below that golden two-second mark.\r\nPage speed tests with Load Impact\r\nFor an even clearer picture of DreamHost's capabilities, we also conducted a stress test through Load Impact. This simulates multiple users accessing your site at once, and records the results. Here they are:\r\n\r\n \tLoad Generator: Sao Paulo, BR\r\n \tTest Server: Brea, United States\r\n \tMinimum Response Time: 0.26 seconds\r\n \tMaximum Response Time: 1.26 seconds\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThese numbers are similarly encouraging. As you can see from the graph, with the exception of a single spike, the loading times (green line) stayed under half a second for almost the entire test, even as the number of active visitors (blue line)\u00a0increased. Your mileage may vary, but based on our testing DreamHost offers very solid performance.\r\nPricing\r\nDreamPress comes in three tiers, and includes everything we\u2019ve discussed above. However, there are some key distinctions between the plans as well.\r\n\r\nThe three tiers are as follows:\r\n\r\n \tBasic ($16.95 per month): With the standard DreamPress plan, you get one site that handles up to 10, 000 monthly visitors. You\u2019ll also get 5 GB of SSD storage, and some basic backup options.\r\n \tPlus ($24.95 per month): This plan increases your site\u2019s potential load to 30,000 monthly visitors, and provides extra storage. Plus, you\u2019ll get access to a dedicated offsite backup solution, a catalog of premium themes, and a number of other features.\r\n \tAdvanced ($35.95 per month): In terms of features, this plan is identical to the last. However, it bumps your resources and monthly visitor load up even further. What\u2019s more, you now get two sites, plus an extra staging site.\r\n\r\nUnlike some hosting plans, the number of sites supported doesn\u2019t go up dramatically along with the tiers. This isn\u2019t a service intended for developers, but for WordPress users who want to run one or two fully-optimized and managed sites. If that\u2019s what you\u2019re looking for, you do get a lot of value for the cost involved. You can also contact DreamHost to get a customi zed plan set up.\r\nOverall pros and cons\r\nAt this point in our DreamHost review for WordPress, we're ready to summarize the key advantages and drawbacks of this service, particularly with respect to DreamPress.\r\nPros\r\n\r\n \tExcellent performance across the board.\r\n \tLots of WordPress-specific features.\r\n \tPlenty of customized tools and solutions for optimizing your site.\r\n \tKnowledgeable support.\r\n\r\nCons\r\n\r\n \tNo server locations outside the United States.\r\n \tNot the cheapest option, although DreamPress is well priced for managed hosting, and offers a lot of value for your money.\r\n\r\nConclusion\r\nOverall, the results of our DreamHost review for WordPress are very promising. This service is well optimized for WordPress, provides a ton of key features, and offers solid performance. What's more, as\u00a0a managed plan\u00a0it takes much of the responsibility for your site's maintenance and security off your hands. If a DreamPress plan fits into your budg et, it's an option well worth considering.\r\n\r\nOf course, it's still important to do your research and see what else is out there. To get started, you can check out some of our previous hosting reviews:\r\n\r\n \tHostGator WordPress Hosting Review: A Surprise Turnaround\r\n \tA2 Hosting Review for WordPress: Fastest Hosting You've Heard Of?\r\n \tFlywheel Review for WordPress: A Reliable Managed Hosting Option?","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"John Hughes"},"datePublished":"2018-05-11"}}