HostArmada vs DreamHost
HostArmada and DreamHost compared on measured uptime, response time, pricing and features from our own tests. HostArmada scores higher overall.
By Jennifer T. · Updated
We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. Rankings come from the published methodology and sourced data, not from commissions. Disclosure.
Verdict
HostArmadaWins overall
cPanel host since 2019 with stated cores and RAM, 7 to 21 daily backups, nine locations and a 45-day refund
Independent since 1997: three shared plans with renewals printed on the card, daily backups and a 100% uptime credit
HostArmada wins 4 of the six sub-scores and comes out ahead overall (7.7 vs 7.6).
How do the scores compare?
HostArmada leads on 4 sub-scores, DreamHost on 1. Higher is better.
| HostArmada | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 8.0 (better) | 7.5 |
| Uptime | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Support | 7.5 (better) | 7.0 |
| Features | 8.0 (better) | 7.5 |
| Value | 7.0 | 8.0 (better) |
| Ease of use | 7.5 (better) | 7.0 |
Which one is faster and more reliable?
| HostArmada | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 7.7 (better) | 7.6 |
| Uptime (published)Kripesh Adwani 365 d vs WPBeginner 30 d; methods differ | 99.99% | 100.00% (better) |
| Response time (published)Kripesh Adwani vs WPBeginner; methods differ | 254 ms (better) | 658 ms |
Which one costs less?
On renewal, DreamHost is cheaper ($10.99/mo vs $11.95/mo). Intro prices need the listed term.
| HostArmada | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | Start Dock | Web Hosting Launch |
| Intro price | $2.15/mo (better) | $2.89/mo |
| Renewal price | $11.95/mo | $10.99/mo (better) |
| Required term | 12 months | 12 months |
| Websites | 1 | 25 |
| Storage | 15 GB | 25 GB |
| Money back | 45 days (better) | 30 days |
What does each include?
| HostArmada | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Free domain | No | First year, on annual and multi-year terms only |
| Free SSL | Sectigo certificates through cPanel AutoSSL for every domain | Unlimited certificates on every plan |
| Backups | Daily offsite backups, 7, 14 or 21 kept by plan; one full account copy is promised in the SLA; restores from cPanel | Daily automated backups on every plan, restored from the panel |
| Free migration | 1, 3 or 5 website transfers by plan | The product page links a migration path for existing sites; terms not read |
| Free CDN | Cloudflare is supported; no bundled CDN | No |
| Caching | Static web server cache on Start Dock and Web Warp; static and dynamic caching with Memcached, APC and OPcache on Speed Reaper | No |
| Staging | No | No |
| SSH, Git, Node.js and Python | Every plan, with Perl, WP-CLI, Drush and Composer-style PHP frameworks listed | Not stated |
| PHP versions | 5.6 to 8.3 selectable per account | Not stated |
| Resource limits | Entry processes 20 / 30 / 50, average CPU per day 40% / 60% / 90%, I/O 5 to 6 MB/s, files 250,000 / 350,000 / 500,000 | No |
| Data center choice | Nine locations on five continents, picked at checkout | Oregon, Virginia, Amsterdam and Singapore per the product page and help center; the panel shows where each service lives |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.9% per month with a credit of 10% of the monthly fee per hour of downtime, up to 100%, based on HostArmada's own records | 100% in the terms, with a credit of one day of hosting per hour of qualifying downtime, up to 10% of the next renewal, counted from the support ticket |
| Security | Network and web application firewalls, malware scanning and removal, CloudLinux with CageFS, brute-force protection, two-factor login for the client area | Not stated |
| Phone support | 24/7, a US number, with chat and tickets | No |
| Website builder | A third-party drag-and-drop builder inside cPanel | Not stated |
| Windows hosting | No | No |
| Not stated | 20, 40 or 60 mailboxes free for the first three months, then billed separately | |
| Performance scans | Not stated | Automated and on-demand performance scans on every plan |
Company facts
| HostArmada | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Control panel | cPanel with Softaculous, plus HostArmada's own client dashboard | DreamHost's own panel (no cPanel) |
| Data centers | 9 (better) | 4 |
| Support channels | chat, ticket, phone, email, knowledge-base | chat, ticket, email, knowledge-base |
| Founded | 2019 | 1997 |