DreamHost is a website hosting service with features such as managed VPS hosting, public cloud computing, and dedicated servers. Managed options include WordPress with the DreamPress upgraded service with staging and coaching, WooCommerce hosting, as well as dedicated server hosting.
$3.95
per month
iPage
Score 5.0 out of 10
N/A
iPage is a modular website hosting service with features such as bandwith, email, and 24/7 support. iPage offers the following additional modules: security suite, marketing suite, design suite, and support suite.
$1.99
per month
Pricing
DreamHost
iPage
Editions & Modules
Shared
$3.95
per month
DreamPress
$16.95
per month
Introductory Price - 36 month term
$1.99
per month
Introductory Price - 24 month term
$2.49
per month
Introductory Price - 12 month term
$2.99
per month
Renewal Price - 36 month term
$7.99
per month
Renewal Price - 24 month term
$8.99
per month
Renewal Price - 12 month term
$9.99
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DreamHost
iPage
Free Trial
No
No
Free/Freemium Version
No
No
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
No
No
Entry-level Setup Fee
No setup fee
No setup fee
Additional Details
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If you register a free domain through us and wish to cancel your monthly account, there is a non-refundable $15 domain fee if you would like to keep your domain.
If you're not too technical, don't want to spend time managing a server and want something quality while sticking to a budget, DreamHost is the best it can get. We may be able to save money by switching to something like AWS, but for our usage it doesn't totally make sense even with potential cost-savings and improved speeds. The support and ease of use cannot be overstated here.
iPage is well suited for any small business owner or entrepreneur to host their domain and perhaps use the built-in Weebly drag-and-drop feature to build their site in iPage - that's what I did when I built my first ever website. I had no experience and was able to put a website together in a couple of hours. It's good for people who don't have a huge budget but still need domain hosting.
There was one instance where DreamHost support caused unnecessary downtime because they misread my request. Unfortunately I don't have access to that account anymore (it was an old employer) so I don't remember the details. To avoid this, make it very clear whether you're just asking a question or want support to handle it (they can be quite eager to fix the problem even when you've just asked a question), and be VERY clear what you need when doing the wrong thing may cause serious problems.
We have every intention of staying with Dreamhost, but we are a tad concerned with the company's recent involvement in high profile litigation and controversial topics. While we don't take a position one way or another on what type of content they should host, one concern we have is that repeated attacks on their infrastructure have caused significant downtime during business hours for us, and that's something we'll have to take into consideration going forward.
Whether we're calling in on the phone, live chatting or emailing, we get immediate high-quality, native English-speaking support. This cannot be overstated when it comes to hosting, because support tickets are usually time sensitive and high stress. I've always had great experiences with the limited times we've needed to use DreamHost support. We've dealt with support for many other providers and no one comes close to DreamHost.
We've tried a few other WordPress-specific hosts, as well as other shared hosting providers (Rackspace, WPEngine, and others). We have found that DreamHost gives the best balance of cost, performance, and features, for our needs. All vendors have their own pitfalls and shortcomings, and DreamHost isn't without its own, but it works for us.
iPage is on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of pricing and also features. The lack of a cPanel makes it a less attractive option than almost any other company offering the same services. Also customer service and technical support are extremely frustrating and slow. I continue to use iPage only because clients have selected it for themselves and not because I chose it myself.