DreamHost | Nexcess | |
Owner | New Dream Network (NDN) | Nexcess.Net LLC |
Basic Plan | Shared Starter | Spark |
Price | $2.59/mo | $13.30/mo |
Free Domain? | Yes | No |
Average Uptime | 99.98% (August 2023) | 99.97% (August 2023) |
Average Speed | 1,836 ms (August 2023) | 444 ms (August 2023) |
One-Click WordPress Installation? | Yes | Yes |
Free SSL? | Yes | Yes |
Number of Sites | 1 | 1 |
Free Email? | No | Yes |
Free Backup? | Automated | Automatic |
Moneyback Guarantee | Yes | Yes |
Support Channels | Live chat and Email | Live chat and Phone |
Control Panel | DreamHost Panel | cPanel |
Space | 50 GB | 15 GB |
Free CDN? | No | Yes |
Migration Services | Yes for WordPress | Yes for WordPress |
Overall Rating | ||
Get Hosting | ||
Other Plans | Managed WordPress ($16.99), VPS ($10.00) | Magento Hosting($34.30), Cloud Hosting ($49) |
Cell |
This table focuses on the WordPress plans
WordPress powers millions of websites all over the world.
If you’re planning to use WordPress or if you’ve been using it already, then it makes sense to get a web host that can protect and optimize these kinds of sites.
Sure, you can always get a generic shared hosting or VPS plan, but these plans aren’t optimized for WordPress.
DreamHost and Nexcess have very competitive pricing which makes it hard to decide which one’s better. But don’t worry, we’ll be able to figure this out by the end of this DreamHost vs Nexcess comparison review.
Let’s get to it.
DreamHost vs Nexcess - A Side b Side Comparison
To determine which host is better for YOU, we’ll look at:
- Uptime and performance
- Website building
- Migration services
- Products and features
- Security
- Pricing
- Customer Support
Let’s now go into detail
Uptime and Performance
Uptime is going to be an important factor when deciding on a web host.
The best web hosts have an uptime of at least 99.9%. Most of them have uptime guarantees that give you a refund when you experience downtimes during the first month or so.
DreamHost goes beyond this. Not only do they give a 100% uptime guarantee, but it also has a 97-day money-back guarantee.
In the time that I’ve used this web host, the uptime has been consistent and there were barely any downtimes.
As of now, DreamHost has an uptime of 99.98% (August 2023).
Nexcess also performs so well here.
In fact, their average uptime is at 99.97% (August 2023)! Now that’s impressive!
As for performance, Nexcess offers CDN (content delivery network) for their Managed WordPress plans.
CDN will help increase the site speed. Nexcess also has an image compression feature that will help reduce the loading time for sites that have a lot of images.
Nexcess average speed is 444 ms (August 2023)
DreamHost doesn’t have the fastest site speed (with loading times of 1,836 ms (August 2023)), but it isn’t the slowest either. That said, there’s nothing impressive with their speeds.
WINNER: Nexcess. With an excellent uptime score and faster average load time, Nexcess will give your users a better site experience, thus lowering your bounce rate.
Website Building
Both DreamHost and Nexcess have their WordPress site builders and one-click site staging.
These builders have drag-and-drop features that will make it easy for you to create a site even without any programming experience.
And there’s something else… you get free and premium themes for WordPress!
WINNER: Tie. Both web hosts will give you an easy time building your website with WordPress.
Check out how to get your site up and running in just 9 minutes with DreamHost:
Migration Services
Already have a site that you want to transfer to DreamHost or Nexcess?
Don’t worry, you get free WordPress migration services for the WordPress plans of both DreamHost and Nexcess.
For DreamHost, it uses an automated site migration plugin that migrates for you. There’s minimal work for you to do, so it’s a convenient process.
On the other hand, Nexcess has a team that will handle the whole migration process for you.
WINNER: Tie. Both hosts offer free WordPress migrations that’ll ensure your site runs well on their platform. So it’s pretty even here.
Products and Features
Curious about what’s inside a basic Managed WordPress plan?
Here is a comparison of DreamHost and Nexcess’ basic Managed WordPress plan:
DreamHost | Nexcess | |
|---|---|---|
Domain: | Free 3 months | For an additional fee |
Email Address: | For an additional fee | 1 |
WordPress Features: | Jetpack, one-click site staging | Core and plug-in updates, one-click site staging |
SSL Certificates: | Free | Free |
Storage: | 50 GB | 15 GB |
Backups: | Automated daily | Weekly |
Note: keep in mind that we’re using DreamHost’s WordPress Starter plan instead of its Managed WordPress DreamPress plan.
Just by looking at the list of features, you already have an idea of which web host offers more in its basic WordPress plan.
What I love about DreamHost is that I get unlimited email addresses (for a small fee) and a free domain.
The free domain is such a good bonus because this has saved me at least $10 for a few months.
They also have more SSD storage and an automated daily backup.
If you want more features with Nexcess, you will have to get their higher plans.
WINNER: Dreamhost. Comparing both hosts’ WordPress plans, we have to give the win to DreamHost. This is because they have more storage space and extra freebies contributing to greater value.
Security
Protecting your website is one of the most important things you should take care of.
Both providers already have security features in place that prevent your site from malware, spam, and hackers.
For example, DreamHost has free domain privacy and on-demand backups to complement its free SSL certificate.
For Nexcess, you get iThemes Security Pro and free daily backups along with an SSL certificate.
So if you’re worried about security in these web hosts, don’t be. There’s a team and several security features that give layers of protection.
WINNER: Tie. Both providers make sure that your website is safe from malware, hackers, and more. Sure, they both offer different security measures, but the better one will depend on what you’re looking for.
Pricing
So how much does a Managed WordPress plan cost?
Let’s find out:
DreamHost | Nexcess | |
|---|---|---|
Shared Hosting | $2.59 - $3.59/mo | -- |
WordPress Hosting | $2.59 - $3.59/mo | $13.30 - $104.30/mo |
VPS Hosting | $10 - $80/mo | -- |
Dedicated Server | $149 - $279/mo | -- |
Cloud Hosting | Usage-based billing | $49 - $849/mo |
Just to clear things up, DreamHost has 2 types of WordPress plans - a basic WordPress hosting and a Managed WordPress hosting.
The basic WordPress hosting plans are more affordable starting at $2.59/mo while the Managed WordPress hosting plans start at $16.95/mo.
Both DreamHost and Nexcess offer WordPress plans billed monthly or annually.
WINNER: Dreamhost. Looking at the prices, you can see that Dreamhost beats Nexcess. DreamHost has a wide variety of plans on offer, costing less than Nexcess’s starting Managed WordPress plan.
Customer Support
Both DreamHost and Nexcess have 24/7 WordPress support via live chat.
However, DreamHost goes beyond this by offering a ticketing service and phone callbacks. They also have a knowledge base where you can go for help.
Nonetheless, Nexcess also has strong and responsive customer support that will help get your technical problems sorted.
WINNER: Tie. Both offer great customer support that you can rely on.
DreamHost vs Nexcess: The Verdict
So which is the better web hosting for YOU?
Uptime and Performance | Nexcess |
Website building | Tie |
Migration service | Tie |
Products and features | DreamHost |
Security | Tie |
Pricing | DreamHost |
Customer support | Tie |
If you’re looking for fast speeds, reliability, and Managed WordPress hosting, Nexcess might be better for you.
But if you want more hosting options, cheaper plans, and slightly better features, then DreamHost is your guy.