DreamHost vs Liquid Web – Which Managed WordPress Hosting is Better?

DreamHost and Liquid Web offers Managed WordPress hosting for your site, but you can’t have two web hosts now, can you?

You only get to choose one of the two, so who is it going to be?

If you’re not sure about who to get, you’re in the right place. 

We’ll be comparing DreamHost vs Liquid Web to see which one is better for YOU.  

And to make it easier to compare the two, we’ll be looking at these factors:

• Uptime and performance
• Website building
• Migration services
• Products and features
• Security
• Pricing
• Customer Support

We’ll be diving into these factors to see who offers the best value for their prices. 

Ready? Let’s begin

DreamHost vs Liquid Web: Uptime and Performance

Both DreamHost and Liquid Web have a 100% uptime guarantee. This is saying a lot about their trust in their services. 

Of course, both providers don’t always fulfill this promise as 100% uptime is hard to reach. However, DreamHost’s uptime rates are less consistent than that of Liquid Web. 

With that said, DreamHost’s uptime might not be the best choice for those who are building an e-commerce store since they might undergo a few hours of downtime every once in a while. 

As of now, DreamHost’s average uptime is 99.98% (August 2023).

If you experience any downtime, DreamHost gives you a refund as long as it’s during their 97-day money-back guarantee. 

Unfortunately for Liquid Web, there is no refund for their annual plans regardless of having a guarantee on their uptime. 

That said, Liquid Web is able to stay as close as possible to its guarantee, averaging an uptime of 99.00% (August 2023). 

What about performance? 

Liquid Web has a better website speed compared to DreamHost thanks to its use of cloud servers. Compared to physical servers, cloud servers are able to give consistent fast speed regardless of where you are in the globe.  

DreamHost vs Liquid Web: Website Building

Since we’re talking about Managed WordPress plans here, DreamHost and Liquid Web are both equipped to have one-click installations for WordPress. 

To add to that, they have their own suite of themes and site builders. 

For DreamHost, it uses its own WordPress site builder and Jetpack plug-in for free themes and designs. 

Did you know that DreamHost is officially endorsed by WordPress? 

Yep, this web hosting provider is equipped with a lot of WordPress tools, making it one of three providers that are endorsed by WordPress themselves. 

Check out this video on how to create a WordPress site with DreamHost: 

Now, the basic WordPress hosting plan only has free themes, but if you choose higher plans, such as DreamPress Plus or DreamPress Pro, you also get premium and professional themes. 

As for Liquid Web, it uses Beaver Builder Lite for its site builder and themes. And, though they have one-click WordPress installation, too, they’re not one of the three hosting providers endorsed by WordPress.  

DreamHost vs Liquid Web: Migration Services

Already have a WordPress site?

Great news! You don’t have to pay any migration fee with either DreamHost or Liquid Web. 

These web hosting services offer free migrations that can be done in just a few minutes! 

Yep, it’s a hassle-free setup that doesn’t require you to do it yourself. 

DreamHost vs Liquid Web: Products and Features

What’s inside a basic Managed WordPress plan? 

Let’s take a look at this comparison chart:

Based on the comparison chart, DreamHost and Liquid Web have a close fight in terms of features, but there’s 2 features that make the former a point higher. 

Yes, it’s the storage space. 

For their basic WordPress plans, DreamHost offers 50GB already, while Liquid Web only offers 15GB. 

Another difference is the domain. 

DreamHost has a free 1-year domain that you get when you sign up for their plan. 

The catch is that you should register your domain within the first 3 months of your subscription. Also, it’s only free if you do an annual subscription.

As for Liquid Web, they only offer a domain through Enom, found in their dashboard. 

DreamHost vs Liquid Web: Security

Ever heard of SSL certificates? 

If you haven’t created a website before, then this might be a new word for you. 

So what are these certificates? 

SSL certificates are codes placed on your website that ensure the safety of your site’s communications with your audience. It enables an encrypted network which means that your communications on your site are private from anyone on the internet. 

Both DreamHost and Liquid Web have free SSL certificates included in their Managed WordPress plans. 

Both providers also offer added layers of security. 

DreamHost improves security by implementing a free domain privacy feature that further protects your website. What’s more, it has a daily backup, protecting your site when data loss occurs. 

Liquid Web has an automated backup and 24/7 security monitoring. With these, you can be sure that it will protect your site from data loss, hackers, and viruses. 

DreamHost vs Liquid Web: Pricing

Even if we’ve been focusing on Managed WordPress plans for most of this post, know that DreamHost and Liquid Web have other hosting plans available to their users. 

Here are the prices of those plans:

Before you react to how affordable DreamHost plans are, know that the $2.59 plan is just basic WordPress hosting. This means that you’ll be managing the site on your own. 

If you want the Managed WordPress plan, prepare to pay at least $12 a month, depending on the plan you’re getting.  

DreamHost vs Liquid Web: Customer Support

When it comes to response times, Liquid Web outperforms DreamHost. 

Liquid Web has 24/7 support accessible through phone, live chat, and email. It’s so easy to reach anyone whenever you encounter a technical issue. 

On the other hand, DreamHost offers 24/7 support via live chat only. Phone and email support are only available during office hours.  

DreamHost vs Liquid Web: The Verdict

So which web host offers the best Managed WordPress plan?

It all depends on what you’re looking for.

If you want cheaper prices, a great website builder, as well as a free domain for a year, DreamHost satisfies these concerns. 

But if your priority is uptime, speed, and accessibility of customer service, Liquid Web proves to be a better choice.