Which web hosting should you get…
DreamHost or InMotion?
DreamHost | InMotion | |
Owner | New Dream Network (NDN) | InMotion Hosting |
Basic Plan | Shared Starter | Core |
Price | $2.59/mo | $2.99/mo |
Free Domain? | Yes | No |
Average Uptime | 99.98% (August 2023) | 99.99% (August 2023) |
Average Speed | 1,836 ms (August 2023) | 388 ms (August 2023) |
One-Click WordPress Installation? | Yes | Yes |
Free SSL? | Yes | Yes |
Number of Sites | 1 | 2 |
Free Email? | No | 10 email addresses |
Free Backup? | Automated | Automated |
Moneyback Guarantee | Yes | Yes |
Support Channels | Live chat and Email | Live chat and Phone |
Control Panel | DreamHost Panel | cPanel |
Space | 50 GB | 100 GB |
Free CDN? | No | No |
Migration Services | Yes for WordPress | Yes |
Overall Rating | ||
Get Hosting | ||
Other Plans | Managed WordPress ($16.99), VPS ($10.00) | VPS ($19.99) Dedicated ($99) |
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DreamHost is more popular and even recommended by WordPress, but does that mean it is the better option of the two? On the other hand, InMotion has more freebies in the basic package, but is it a promising web host?
A better question to ask, “which one is best for YOU?”
If you haven’t made up your mind yet, this Dreamhost vs InMotion comparison review will help you figure it out.
We already know that these two web hosts are very different, but how different are they from each other?
Let’s find out!
DreamHost vs InMotion - A Side by Side Comparison
To compare both web hosts, we’ll look at their:
- Uptime and performance
- Website building
- Migration services
- Products and features
- Security
- Pricing
- Customer Support
Let’s dive in!
Uptime and Performance
The first thing you should know about any web host is their uptime.
For DreamHost, they give a 100% uptime guarantee. This is an impressive rate and what makes it even better is that the company takes this guarantee very seriously.
If DreamHost doesn’t live up to 100% uptime, they have a free one-day service given to any one-hour downtime.
But how often can they stick to the guarantee?
DreamHost offers a decent uptime score of 99.98% (August 2023). But don’t fret, this is still pretty good compared to other hosts.
On the other hand, InMotion only follows its 99.9% uptime guarantee for those who get Pro shared hosting plans and above (VPS, dedicated, and managed WordPress hosting).
As for their average uptime, it is a bit better at 99.99% (August 2023).
Also, InMotion has high-speed performance.
InMotion has its own software and features that help increase site speed by at least 3 times!
As for DreamHost, they don’t have the fastest loading speeds, only 1,836 ms (August 2023).
WINNER: InMotion. On average InMotion offers better uptime and performance, with speeds that’ll ensure you’re users don’t click away in frustration.
Website Building
Want to have an easy drag-and-drop website builder? InMotion has the perfect software.
InMotion uses BoldGrid as its website builder. And yes, you can also make your WordPress sites here. With Softaculous, you get 400+ free plugins perfect for creating a seamless and professional website.
Unfortunately, DreamHost falls short in this category.
Even if they have a site builder, this feature is only limited to creating WordPress sites. So those who aren’t planning on using WordPress will be disappointed.
WINNER: InMotion. With great services and features for both WordPress and non-WordPress sites, InMotion caters to more people. If you’re planning to use WordPress, though, Dreamhost is a bit easier to use than InMotion.
Check out how to create a WordPress website with Dreamhost below:
Migration Services
Both DreamHost and InMotion have free migration services to new clients.
For DreamHost, they only offer free migrations for WordPress sites, while InMotion allows migrations for any kind of website.
This makes InMotion more flexible to a wider range of customers looking to transfer their sites for free.
WINNER: InMotion. With free migrations for both WordPress and non-WordPress sites, you won’t have to pay extra fees to get your site onto their platform.
Products and Features
This is probably the category you’ve been waiting for - the features comparison.
DreamHost and InMotion may offer Shared Hosting plans, but what’s inside their basic Shared plans are very different from each other.
So here’s what you should know about their basic shared hosting plan:
DreamHost | InMotion | |
---|---|---|
Domain: | Free 3 months | For an additional fee |
Email Address: | For an additional fee | 10 |
SSL Certificates: | Free | Free |
Control Panel: | DreamHost Panel | cPanel |
Storage: | 50 GB | 100 GB |
Backups: | Automated daily | Automated |
Optimized Performance
One of the things I love about InMotion is its optimized performance even with its Shared Hosting plans.
Their Core plan (which is their basic plan) already has 3 times better performance than a lot of other basic plans.
And this performance doesn’t stop at site speeds. You also get to use their Max Speed Zones feature and 100GB SSD storage.
Control Panel
The control panel is where you go if you want to access different aspects of your website. This might seem too technical for beginners or non-programmers, but it’s not.
InMotion uses traditional cPanel. It’s a user-friendly dashboard that doesn’t require you to have any technical know-how.
As for DreamHost, it has its own custom-built control panel. This is all good, but if you’ve used traditional cPanel before, you might experience a bit of a learning curve.
WINNER: InMotion. With traditional cPanel, free 10 email accounts, 100GB SSD storage, and more, InMotion offers more value on their base plan compared to Dreamhost.
Security
But what about security?
Which web host has a more secure hosting plan?
For this one, I’d say that InMotion and DreamHost are both very secure web hosts.
They each give free SSL certificates on all plans, plus they have security monitoring that checks for malware and hackers. Still, they have automated daily backups of your website.
You’re in safe hands with either one.
WINNER. Tie. Both hosts offer great security for any site.
Pricing
These two web hosts don’t just offer shared hosting plans. They have VPS and Dedicated plans, too!
If you’re curious about how much they cost, here’s a table of the prices:
DreamHost | GreenGeeks | |
---|---|---|
Shared Hosting | $2.59 - $3.59/mo | $2.99 - $13.99/mo |
WordPress Hosting | $2.59 - $3.59/mo | $6.99 - $19.99/mo |
VPS Hosting | $10 - $80/mo | $19.99 - $59.99/mo |
Dedicated Server | $149 - $279/mo | $139.99 - $539.99/mo |
In general, InMotion has more expensive hosting plans than DreamHost. However, based on the features we’ve seen in the other categories, InMotion seems to have the most value for the price.
WINNER: DreamHost. With cheaper starting plans (barring dedicated hosting) across the board, Dreamhost will offer budget-conscious site creators an affordable way to get started with their site.
Customer Support
Last but not least is customer support.
The good news is that both InMotion and DreamHost have strong customer teams that are always responsive.
Even if it’s a technical problem that you’re experiencing, they’ll be able to help you resolve it.
DreamHost does a great job with having supplementary materials through their knowledge base. This is a big help whenever you want to know how to better navigate the platform.
WINNER: DreamHost. We’d say it’s a tie. But we can’t ignore that DreamHost offers a very helpful knowledge base that you can go to for instant answers.
DreamHost vs InMotion: The Verdict
Uptime and Performance | InMotion |
Website building | InMotion |
Migration service | InMotion |
Products and features | InMotion |
Security | Tie |
Pricing | DreamHost |
Customer support | DreamHost |