SiteGround vs DreamHost
SiteGround and DreamHost compared on measured uptime, response time, pricing and features from our own tests. SiteGround 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
SiteGroundWins overall
Managed-feel shared hosting on Google Cloud with daily backups and staging; the renewals are the price
Independent since 1997: three shared plans with renewals printed on the card, daily backups and a 100% uptime credit
SiteGround wins 5 of the six sub-scores and comes out ahead overall (8.0 vs 7.6).
How do the scores compare?
SiteGround leads on 5 sub-scores, DreamHost on 1. Higher is better.
| SiteGround | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | 8.0 (better) | 7.5 |
| Uptime | 8.5 (better) | 8.0 |
| Support | 8.5 (better) | 7.0 |
| Features | 8.5 (better) | 7.5 |
| Value | 6.5 | 8.0 (better) |
| Ease of use | 8.0 (better) | 7.0 |
Which one is faster and more reliable?
| SiteGround | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.0 (better) | 7.6 |
| Uptime (published)HostingStep 243 d vs WPBeginner 30 d; methods differ | 99.97% | 100.00% (better) |
| Response time (published)HostingStep vs WPBeginner; methods differ | 745 ms | 658 ms (better) |
Which one costs less?
On renewal, DreamHost is cheaper ($10.99/mo vs $17.99/mo). Intro prices need the listed term.
| SiteGround | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | StartUp | Web Hosting Launch |
| Intro price | $2.99/mo | $2.89/mo (better) |
| Renewal price | $17.99/mo | $10.99/mo (better) |
| Required term | 12 months | 12 months |
| Websites | 1 | 25 |
| Storage | 10 GB | 25 GB |
| Money back | 30 days | 30 days |
What does each include?
| SiteGround | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Free domain | First year only; regular renewal fee after that | First year, on annual and multi-year terms only |
| Free SSL | Yes | Unlimited certificates on every plan |
| Daily backups | Kept for 30 days; on-demand backups on GrowBig and GoGeek | Not stated |
| CDN | SiteGround CDN on Google Cloud, 170+ edge locations | Not stated |
| Email hosting | Unlimited accounts with webmail and spam protection | Not stated |
| Staging | GrowBig and GoGeek; GoGeek adds Git | No |
| Free migration | Automatic WordPress migrator on every plan; expert transfer by staff | The product page links a migration path for existing sites; terms not read |
| Caching | Multilevel caching with the Speed Optimizer plugin | No |
| WP-CLI and SSH | Yes | Not stated |
| Fair-use limits | CPU seconds per hour 1,000 / 2,000 / 4,000; inodes 200k / 400k / 600k; 768 MB RAM per process; databases up to 1 GB | Not stated |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.9% per month; 5% of that month's fee as a service-extension credit | 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 |
| Choice of data center | 11 locations on Google Cloud, chosen at signup | Not stated |
| Phone support | No | No |
| Windows hosting | No | No |
| Backups | Not stated | Daily automated backups on every plan, restored from the panel |
| Free CDN | Not stated | No |
| Not stated | 20, 40 or 60 mailboxes free for the first three months, then billed separately | |
| Resource limits | Not stated | No |
| Data center choice | Not stated | Oregon, Virginia, Amsterdam and Singapore per the product page and help center; the panel shows where each service lives |
| Performance scans | Not stated | Automated and on-demand performance scans on every plan |
Company facts
| SiteGround | DreamHost | |
|---|---|---|
| Control panel | Site Tools (SiteGround's own panel) | DreamHost's own panel (no cPanel) |
| Data centers | 11 (better) | 4 |
| Support channels | chat, ticket, knowledge-base | chat, ticket, email, knowledge-base |
| Founded | 2004 | 1997 |