--- title: "DreamHost vs KnownHost: which is better in 2026?" url: "https://hostidea.com/compare/dreamhost-vs-knownhost" canonical: "https://hostidea.com/compare/dreamhost-vs-knownhost" author: "Jennifer T." generated: "2026-10-15" note: "Markdown twin generated at build time from the same content as the HTML page. The HTML page is canonical." --- # DreamHost vs KnownHost DreamHost and KnownHost compared on measured uptime, response time, pricing and features from our own tests. DreamHost scores higher overall. By [Jennifer T.](https://hostidea.com/authors/jennifer-t) ยท Updated Oct 14, 2026 We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. Rankings come from the published methodology and sourced data, not from commissions. [Disclosure](https://hostidea.com/disclosure). ## Verdict [7.6 out of 10](https://hostidea.com/methodology#scoring) [DreamHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/dreamhost)Wins overall Independent since 1997: three shared plans with renewals printed on the card, daily backups and a 100% uptime credit [7.4 out of 10](https://hostidea.com/methodology#scoring) [KnownHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/knownhost) Managed cPanel hosting since 2006 on LiteSpeed and NVMe with stated cores and RAM, daily backups and three locations DreamHost wins 2 of the six sub-scores and comes out ahead overall (7.6 vs 7.4). ## How do the scores compare? DreamHost leads on 2 sub-scores, KnownHost on 3. Higher is better. | | [DreamHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/dreamhost) | [KnownHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/knownhost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Performance | 7.5 | 7.5 | | Uptime | 8.0 | 7.0 | | Support | 7.0 | 7.5 | | Features | 7.5 | 8.0 | | Value | 8.0 | 7.0 | | Ease of use | 7.0 | 7.5 | ## Which one is faster and more reliable? | | [DreamHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/dreamhost) | [KnownHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/knownhost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 7.6 | 7.4 | | Uptime (published)WPBeginner 30 d vs TechRadar 30 d; methods differ | 100.00% | 100.00% | ## Which one costs less? On renewal, KnownHost is cheaper ($7.16/mo vs $10.99/mo). Intro prices need the listed term. Prices verified Oct 14, 2026 (DreamHost) and Oct 14, 2026 (KnownHost). USD. | | [DreamHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/dreamhost) | [KnownHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/knownhost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Cheapest plan | Web Hosting Launch | Basic | | Intro price | $2.89/mo | $3.47/mo | | Renewal price | $10.99/mo | $7.16/mo | | Required term | 12 months | 36 months | | Websites | 25 | 1 | | Storage | 25 GB | 10 GB | | Money back | 30 days | 30 days | ## What does each include? | | [DreamHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/dreamhost) | [KnownHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/knownhost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Free domain | First year, on annual and multi-year terms only | No | | Free SSL | Unlimited certificates on every plan | Every plan, every domain | | Backups | Daily automated backups on every plan, restored from the panel | Daily JetBackup with 2-day and 1-week retention on every plan; extended retention sold as an add-on | | Free migration | The product page links a migration path for existing sites; terms not read | Migration team copies files, databases and email and tests the site | | Free CDN | No | No | | Caching | No | LiteSpeed Web Server with LSCache on every plan; Redis and Memcached optional | | Staging | No | No | | Email | 20, 40 or 60 mailboxes free for the first three months, then billed separately | 5, 25 or unlimited mailboxes by plan, with webmail | | Resource limits | No | CloudLinux isolation with 1, 2, 4 and 6 cores and 1, 2, 4 and 6 GB memory limits by plan | | Data center choice | Oregon, Virginia, Amsterdam and Singapore per the product page and help center; the panel shows where each service lives | Atlanta, Seattle or Amsterdam at checkout | | Uptime guarantee | 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 | The network page claims a 99.999% availability SLA and 99.99+% uptimes; the terms of service contain no uptime clause or credit schedule | | Performance scans | Automated and on-demand performance scans on every plan | Not stated | | Phone support | No | A US toll-free number on every page, with 24/7 ticket support | | Windows hosting | No | No | | SSH, Git and cron | Not stated | Every plan, with current PHP versions | | Security | Not stated | Imunify360 with real-time malware scanning and a web application firewall; Patchman optional on Basic and Standard, included above | ## Company facts | | [DreamHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/dreamhost) | [KnownHost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/knownhost) | | --- | --- | --- | | Control panel | DreamHost's own panel (no cPanel) | cPanel with Softaculous | | Data centers | 4 | 3 | | Support channels | chat, ticket, email, knowledge-base | ticket, phone, knowledge-base | | Founded | 1997 | 2006 | Visit DreamHost (affiliate link: /go/dreamhost)Visit KnownHost (affiliate link: /go/knownhost)