HostGator and DreamHost are two well-respected web hosting companies ranked highly on our list of the best web hosts. These services are comparable in price, features and compatibility so it may be hard to make a choice between the two.
Both HostGator and DreamHost offer a variety of services, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated server hosting, and more. Both companies have pros and cons, so it’s important to compare them side-by-side to see which one is the best fit for you.
Which web hosting solution should you go with? Let this HostGator vs. DreamHost face-off help you make the best choice for your needs.
Starts at $2.75 per month
- Shared
- WordPress
- VPS
- Dedicated
- Reseller
Basic Plan Features
- 1 website
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate
- Free domain
Best for: Great for anyone, ranging from beginners to large businesses
Starts at $2.95 per month
- Shared
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- VPS
- Cloud
- Dedicated
Basic Plan Features
- 1 website
- SSD storage
- Unlimited traffic
- Free domain for 1 year
- Free SSL certificate
Best for: Small businesses to large e-commerce websites
Our bottom line: In a match up that’s almost too close to call, HostGator just barely beats out DreamHost for the win thanks to unmatched uptime and overall lower prices.
Learn how we evaluated HostGator vs. Dreamhost, and check out our top-rated web hosting services below:
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For new WordPress sites
Starts at $2.95 per month
- Guided onboarding
- Recommended by WordPress
- 24/7 support
Best security and scalability
Starts at $3.75 per month
- All types of hosting
- Enhanced security tools
- Affordable as you grow
The easiest option
Starts at $2.75 per month
- Great for absolute beginners
- Drag-and-drop website builder
- 150+ free templates
Plans & Pricing
HostGator and DreamHost are pretty similar in terms of pricing structure. DreamHost offers discounts for longer-term contracts and often runs special promotions. Similarly, HostGator also offers lower rates if you pay upfront for multiple years of service.
With that in mind, HostGator ends up being the least expensive option over the long term — though not by much. If saving money is your only metric, HostGator is the host to choose.
Winner: Despite a similar pricing structure, HostGator is cheaper overall and wins the category.
Features
When it comes to features, both HostGator and DreamHost offer a wide range of options, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated server hosting, and more. However, HostGator includes more features in its basic plans, while DreamHost offers more advanced features in its higher-tier plans. This makes assigning a winner in this case difficult and really more a matter of preference.
In the end, it was DreamHost’s control panel that won the day for me, personally. I found it easy to use, with layouts and options in the cPanel, which made getting admin access and making small tweaks to my website as effortless as possible. A free domain was just icing on top of an already appealing cake.
Winner: DreamHost wins thanks to a great cPanel implementation and a free domain for your first year.
Performance and Uptime
Strictly in terms of guarantee, DreamHost’s is better by a small margin of .1%. However, our testing found that DreamHost couldn’t meet that target. According to my results, DreamHost servers had an average uptime of 99.8% over the past year. DreamHost’s all-time uptime is 99.76%, less than its competitors.
Meanwhile, HostGator exceeds its guarantee, with its long-term uptime being over 99.99%, which is exceptional for any hosting service. Response times are also solid, pushing into another win for performance.
Winner: HostGator wins thanks to its stellar uptime and snappy response times.
Security
While DreamHost and HostGator have solid track records for security, they both go about securing your website a little differently. HostGator’s main security measures are giving users a free SSL certificate as well as upkeep a server-level firewall. Which is great, if not particularly exciting.
DreamHost goes the extra mile by utilizing SSL certificates in conjunction with a web application firewall, daily backups, and domain privacy protection offered by default. It’s the daily backups that really push DreamHost over the edge here — this is a pretty common add-on service which is being made available to all customers at no additional cost.
Winner: DreamHost goes the extra mile to make sure that your website is safe from online attacks.
Support
Both hosting providers have a good reputation for customer support. HostGator provides 24/7 support via phone, live chat, and email. They also have a large knowledge base and a community forum where you can find answers to common questions.
Meanwhile, DreamHost offers limited live support hours and does not have a phone number listed on its site. What they do have is the ability to request a support call – for a price. However, they do have an extensive knowledge base with step-by-step tutorials which are pretty handy to have.
In the end, HostGator definitely has the better customer support experience, with actual 24/7 support when you need it.
Winner: HostGator win thanks to its excellent, around the clock support through a wide number of channels.
Recent Improvements
Both DreamHost and HostGator work hard to continue to provide updates and upgrades to the services that they offer. HostGator has a few recent improvements under its belt, like improving its website builder and integrating Cloudfire into its backup routine.
However, DreamHost has offered much more over the past few years, including translating its entire website into Spanish. This alone shows a commitment to reach more people and have them feel served, but that’s not the only thing it’s done lately. Servers have been upgraded, new tutorials have been posted to the site, and website management has been made more streamlined, in addition to a host of minor patches.
It’s clear that DreamHos puts in the extra work and takes home the win.
Winner: DreamHost goes the extra mile to offer more services to more people.
Final Thoughts
Truly this was a battle for the ages. Neither HostGator or DreamHost is a bad option and I truly think that you’d get your money’s worth out of either service. Choosing which service to go with is going to be a matter of preference and what things are more important to you as a customer.
HostGator is the better option if you’re looking for a web hosting provider with great performance, pricing, and customer support. However, DreamHost is a good choice if you want more security, features, and control over your website.
One of the main differences between the two companies is pricing. DreamHost is generally more expensive than HostGator. However, it does offer discounts for longer-term contracts and often runs special promotions. On the other hand, HostGator has a unique pricing model that allows you to save money by paying upfront for multiple years of service.
When all is said and done, I prefer HostGator. But really, you can’t go wrong with either of them.
How We Evaluated HostGator vs. Dreamhost
I test web hosts based on the following factors:
Learn more about our review methodology.
