Wix vs Dreamhost: Comprehensive comparison guide for 2024

Final verdict

Wix and Dreamhost both offer robust website building solutions, but they cater to different user needs and preferences.

• 
  Wix (Overall Grade: 8.5/10)
  
  excels in providing a user-friendly interface, extensive design functionalities, and advanced AI capabilities. It is ideal for users who prioritize ease of use, creative control, and comprehensive marketing tools. Wix’s strong performance in website speed optimization, customer support, and security makes it a reliable choice for a wide range of website needs, from personal blogs to small business sites. When comparing Wix vs Dreamhost, Wix stands out for its versatility and user-centric features.
• 
  Dreamhost (Overall Grade: 6.7/10)
  
  offers a solid website builder with a focus on reliability and customer support. It integrates seamlessly with WordPress, making it a great option for users looking to leverage more advanced features or migrate their existing sites. Dreamhost’s ecommerce capabilities, powered by WooCommerce, and its extensive range of plugins and integrations make it suitable for users who need a robust web hosting solution with flexible customization options. In the Wix vs Dreamhost comparison, Dreamhost is a strong contender for those who prioritize hosting quality and WordPress integration.

	Overall grade: 8.5	Overall grade: 6.7
Design functionalities & templates	8.6	7.6
Ease of use	9.0	8.2
Ecommerce	8.0	7.4
Website Editors	8.5	7.3
Product testing options	8.1	2.7
Price	8.7	7.8
Hosting quality	8.5	7.2
Website speed optimization	8.3	3.5
Plugins and integrations	8.2	8.8
Marketing features	8.4	8.0
Customer support	8.2	7.5
Security	8.5	8.2
AI capabilities	8.7	1.2
User Management	8.2	8.8

Best for ecommerce

8.0

7.4

Verdict

: Wix is more user-friendly and offers a comprehensive ecommerce solution, while Dreamhost leverages WooCommerce for a more customizable experience.

• 
  Wix
  
  : With a score of 8.0, Wix excels in providing an intuitive store builder, versatile payment options, and basic inventory tools. It is ideal for users who want a straightforward and easy-to-use platform for small to medium-sized online stores. However, it may require manual adjustments for mobile display and has limited options for in-depth customization using HTML or CSS.
• 
  Dreamhost
  
  : Scoring 7.4, Dreamhost offers a robust ecommerce solution through WooCommerce integration. It provides a range of customization possibilities for product pages and supports various popular payment gateways. Dreamhost is suitable for users who prefer a more customizable platform and are comfortable with WordPress integration. However, some of its advanced marketing features are available through third-party plugins.

Best for informational & business websites

8.3

7.5

• 
  Wix
  
  : With a score of 8.3, Wix excels in providing a wide range of customizable templates and an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it ideal for users who prioritize ease of use and creative control. Its platform is designed to cater to a diverse user base, offering flexibility and a variety of features to build and manage an online presence effectively. When comparing Wix vs Dreamhost, Wix stands out for its simplicity and design capabilities.
• 
  Dreamhost
  
  : Scoring 7.5, Dreamhost offers a comprehensive website builder with a focus on reliability and customer support. Its platform, Remixer, allows for easy customization through a drag-and-drop interface and integrates seamlessly with WordPress for users looking to leverage more advanced features. While Dreamhost is user-friendly, it may not be as intuitive as Wix for those without prior web development experience. Dreamhost is a solid choice for users who need a reliable hosting solution with the flexibility to transition to WordPress.

Detailed comparison

8.6

7.6

🏆

Winner: Wix.

If you’re looking for a platform that offers more creative control and a wide array of design features, Wix is the preferred choice.

Wix stands out with its wide range of highly customizable templates suitable for various website types, not just ecommerce. It offers creative freedom in design, appealing to a diverse user base. While Wix doesn’t have a premium template marketplace, it has 3-rd party theme shops that allow you to get more sophisticated design choices.

Wix Themes

Compared to Wix, Dreamhost’s website builder, offers a user-friendly interface that allows for a high degree of customization flexibility. Users can edit various elements including text, images, backgrounds, and layout structures to match their preferences. The platform also provides a wide range of themes and templates that can be further customized to ensure the final website aligns with the user’s brand identity. Additionally, Dreamhost supports integration with other tools and services, enhancing the functionality and adaptability of websites created with its builder.

Dreamhost Themes

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9.0

8.2

🏆 Winner: Wix

. With an ease of use score of 9.0, Wix outperforms Dreamhost, which scored 8.2. Wix’s user-friendly interface, intuitive drag-and-drop features, and Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) tool make it a top choice for beginners and non-technical users. Dreamhost, while also user-friendly, may not be as intuitive for those without prior web development experience.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Tie

. Both Wix and Dreamhost offer extensive learning resources, making it easier for users to navigate their platforms. Wix provides a large collection of articles, video tutorials, and live chat support, while Dreamhost offers detailed guides on using their website builder and optimizing sites for performance.

8.0

7.4

Wix and Dreamhost both offer ecommerce capabilities, but they cater to different user needs and preferences. Wix provides a more comprehensive and intuitive ecommerce solution, while Dreamhost leverages the power of WooCommerce for its ecommerce offerings.

Ecommerce themes and templates	7.5	7.0
Product page customization	7.3	7.8
Payment processing and commissions	8.7	7.5
POS capabilities	6.0	7.0
Payment gateways	8.2	7.7
Product numbers	8.0	6.5
Additional ecommerce features	7.8	7.2

Wix ecommerce features:

• Intuitive store builder
• Wix Payments and various gateways
• Basic inventory tools
• Multi-channel sales options
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Basic analytics and SEO tools

Dreamhost ecommerce features:

• WooCommerce-Ready Themes
• Magento integration
• Shopify integration

Ecommerce themes & templates

Wix provides around 120 free templates for ecommerce. However, these templates are not fully responsive and may need manual adjustments for mobile display. Wix allows for flexible website design but has limited options for in-depth customization using HTML or CSS. For advanced users, Wix Velo offers more detailed customization possibilities.

DreamHost facilitates eCommerce site creation mainly through WooCommerce, offering a powerful, open-source platform with plans designed to cater to varying levels of eCommerce activity. Additionally, DreamHost’s WP Website Builder, equipped with BoldGrid, provides a range of mobile-friendly themes for easy site customization without coding knowledge.

Product page customization

Wix permits the inclusion of six options per item with a total of 1000 unique variations for products. However, the potential complexity of having customers choose six attributes for a single item is acknowledged, and it is recommended to consider splitting products with extensive options into different listings for a more user friendly experience. Wix stands out for its ease of customization, allowing users to add features like ribbons, size charts, wishlists, and more. While Wix supports product videos in its themes, incorporating 3D models on Wix requires coding.

Through the integration of WooCommerce, DreamHost’s website builder offers a range of customization possibilities for e-commerce product pages to enhance the shopping experience. These possibilities include layout adjustments like modifying the single product page layout and adding custom tabs, introducing custom fields and sections for additional product information and FAQs, implementing dynamic content like personalized recommendations, and enabling product variations with swatches and custom product builders.

Payment processing

Wix provides versatile payment options, generally around 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, without additional commission fees. This makes Wix an attractive option for businesses using diverse payment processors. Wix Payments allows Wix users to manage transactions directly on their site, also supporting various payment methods and currencies.

DreamHost supports a variety of popular payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.Net, Amazon Pay, and Square, each with its own fee structure but no additional charges from DreamHost. These gateways offer features like POS capabilities, fraud detection, and international currency support, making DreamHost a versatile choice for website builders focusing on WordPress integration.

8.5

7.3

🏆

Winner: Wix

. Wix, with a score of 8.5, offers multiple editors catering to different user needs. Its standard editor is renowned for its drag-and-drop simplicity, allowing for extensive customization without needing to code. Additionally, Wix provides the ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) editor, which creates a personalized website based on user responses to a few questions, and the Corvid by Wix editor, which allows for advanced web development with JavaScript and Wix APIs.

Dreamhost’s website builder, scoring 7.3, utilizes BoldGrid, providing a user-friendly interface for creating and customizing WordPress websites, employing a drag-and-drop editor that eliminates the need for coding skills. It offers a selection of mobile-friendly themes to accommodate various website needs, along with essential tools like backups to safeguard user data. The builder streamlines the website creation process, from theme selection and layout customization to the final installation, enabling users to easily adjust their site’s appearance and functionality.

Mobile editor/app

9.2

5.5

🏆

Winner: Wix

. Wix offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface in its mobile app, excelling in general website editing. The app is particularly beginner-friendly, making it easy for users with no prior website building experience. Wix receives a higher rating for its versatility in general website editing and a more beginner-friendly interface.

Dreamhost, on the other hand, does not have a dedicated mobile editor app. However, you can modify your website using a mobile browser, though this comes with certain restrictions.

In summary, Wix is the clear winner in this category.

8.1

2.7

Overall Result

:

Wix Wins

. Wix scores 8.1 in product testing options, significantly higher than Dreamhost’s 2.7. Wix offers a free plan with basic features for an unlimited duration and occasionally offers opportunities to test premium features through promotions or limited-time trials. Dreamhost, on the other hand, does not offer a free or trial version, but allows testing of premium features during the 30-day refundable period.

Free Plan	Yes (Basic features, indefinitely)	No
Trial Duration	Unlimited (Free plan)	No
Testing Premium Features	Limited, occasionally through promotions	Possible during the 30-day refundable period

8.7

7.8

Wix offers a more comprehensive range of pricing options, while Dreamhost focuses more on hosting services.

	Offerings	Offerings
$0-$10	No offering at this amount.	Shared Starter ($7.99/month): Shared Hosting with unmetered bandwidth but low SSD storage, Free SSL certificate, automated daily backups. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for price: 6.5
$10-$20	No offering at this amount.	Shared Unlimited ($13.99/month): Shared Hosting with unlimited websites, unmetered bandwidth, but low SSD storage, pre-installed Free SSL certificate, automated daily backups. Value for price: 7.5
$20-$30	Core Plan ($27/month): Unlimited physical products, ~2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, Digital products, Free custom domain for a year, Abandoned cart recovery, Gift cards (via app), Recurring payments, No staff account limit. Value for Price: 8.5	DreamPress ($23.99/month): Isolated Cloud hosting with unmetered bandwidth, 30GB SSD storage, staging website, fast NGINX pre-installed Free SSL certificate, Free WordPress migrations, automated daily backups and on-demand 1-click restore, specialized WordPress support. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for Price: 8.0
$30-$40	Business ($32/month): Advanced ecommerce features, Same transaction fees, Free domain for a year, Subscription payments, Automated international sales tax, Label printing, Dropshipping, Product reviews, No staff account limit. Value for Price: 8.7	DreamPress Plus ($34.99/month): Isolated Cloud hosting with unmetered bandwidth, 60GB SSD storage, staging website, unlimited CDN, fast NGINX pre-installed Free SSL certificate, Free WordPress migrations, automated daily backups and on-demand 1-click restore, specialized WordPress support, 3-phone support callbacks. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for Price: 8.5
$80+	Business Elite ($159/month): All ecommerce features, Automated sales tax for up to 500 transactions/month, Custom reports, Loyalty program, Priority support, No staff account limit. Value for Price: 9.0	DreamPress Pro ($89.99/month): Isolated Cloud hosting with unmetered bandwidth, 120GB SSD storage, staging website, unlimited CDN, fast NGINX pre-installed Free SSL certificate, Free WordPress migrations, automated daily backups and on-demand 1-click restore, specialized WordPress support, 5-phone support callbacks and priority support. This plan allows to manage only 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for Price: 9.0

8.5

7.2

🏆

Winner: Wix

Wix offers a more robust hosting service with a multi-cloud infrastructure and a wider global presence with 10 data centers. Although Dreamhost provides a 100% uptime guarantee, its uptime of 99.93% is slightly lower than Wix’s 99.95%. Additionally, Dreamhost’s hosting is limited to shared and cloud hosting with only two data centers in the US.

Do they offer hosting?	Yes, included in all paid plans	Yes, included in all their plans
Data Centers:	10 globally: USA (Ashburn, Virginia; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida), Germany (Frankfurt), Israel (Tel Aviv), India (Mumbai), Brazil (São Paulo), Singapore, South Korea (Seoul), and Taiwan (Taipei)	2 data centers in US: Ashburn, Virginia and Hillsboro, Oregon
Type of hosting:	Multi-Cloud Infrastructure (AWS, GCP, own data centers)	Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting
Uptime:	99.95%	99.93%
Uptime Guarantee:	No	Yes, 100%

8.3

3.5

🏆 Winner: Wix

Wix outperforms Dreamhost in website speed optimization due to its comprehensive strategies and significant improvements in Core Web Vitals.

Focus	Site Speed dashboard, Core Web Vitals	Built-in Caching, Code minification
Performance Tools	Google PageSpeed Insights Integration	No specific tools disclosed
Key Strategies	Media optimization, CDN, Mobile-first	Built-in Caching on higher plans, Code minification, Image optimization
Load Times	0.8s to 3.5s (Average: 1.6s)	1.75-3 seconds average
Page Speed Scores Range	34/100 to 98/100 (Average: 81.9/100)	No data available
Core Web Vitals Improvement	25% increase in good CWV scores over a year	No information disclosed

Wix has significantly focused on enhancing website performance and page speed, integrating tools like the Site Speed dashboard with Google PageSpeed Insights to provide a holistic view of website performance metrics. Emphasizing media optimization, code simplification, content distribution networks, lazy load techniques, and mobile-first designs, Wix’s infrastructure includes globally distributed CDNs, improving content delivery. Successfully improving Core Web Vitals (CWV) scores, Wix saw a 25% increase in sites with good CWV scores over a year. Real-world performance analysis of 909 Wix websites showed a wide range of page speed scores from 34/100 to 98/100, averaging 81.9/100, with the Largest Contentful Paint an important metric for website loading, ranged from 0.8 seconds to 3.5 seconds, with an average of 1.6 seconds.

Dreamhost, on the other hand, offers built-in caching on higher plans, code minification, and image optimization as their key strategies for speed optimization. However, they do not disclose any specific performance tools or information on their Core Web Vitals improvements. The average load times for Dreamhost range from 1.75 to 3 seconds, but no data is available for their PageSpeed scores range.

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8.2

8.8

🏆 Winner: Dreamhost.

Dreamhost scores 8.8, slightly ahead of Wix’s 8.2. Dreamhost’s strength lies in its seamless integration with WordPress, offering a wide range of plugins to enhance website functionality. This includes popular plugins like WooCommerce for e-commerce, Yoast SEO for search engine optimization, Jetpack for security and performance, and Elementor Page Builder for drag-and-drop page design.

Wix, on the other hand, offers over 500 apps in its App Market, covering a variety of functionalities to enhance website features. However, Dreamhost’s integration with WordPress and the extensive range of plugins it offers gives it the edge in this comparison.

Wix Applications

Dreamhost Applications

8.4

8.0

🏆

Overall Winner: Wix

. Wix stands out for its comprehensive and advanced marketing tools, especially in SEO, email marketing, and ad campaign management. Dreamhost also offers a range of marketing features, although some of them are available through third-party plugins.

SEO Tools
Email Marketing
Blogging
Social Media Integration	Advanced integration for selling directly on social platforms	Integration through plugins
Analytics and Reporting	Detailed analytics for in-depth insights	Basic analytics through Google Analytics integration
Ads and Promotions	Google Ads integration; sophisticated ad campaign management	Available through third-party plugins

8.2

7.5

🏆 Winner: Wix

. In the Wix vs Dreamhost comparison, Wix takes the lead with a customer support score of 8.2. Wix offers a comprehensive support system, including 24/7 live chat in multiple languages, phone support during business hours, and a large community forum. This ensures that users have access to assistance whenever they need it.

Dreamhost, with a customer support score of 7.5, provides 24/7 live chat and email support, aiming for quick response times. While Dreamhost’s support is reliable and efficient, it lacks the extensive community and additional resources that Wix offers, making Wix the better option for users seeking robust customer support.

8.5

8.2

🏆

Winner: Wix

. Wix and Dreamhost both prioritize data privacy and security, offering features such as encryption, compliance with privacy regulations, and two-factor authentication. However, Wix edges out Dreamhost in terms of security score.

Wix’s security measures include secure servers, encryption, strict access controls, regular security audits, and two-factor authentication. They also communicate transparently through clear privacy policies, practice data minimization, and empower user control over their data. Wix’s website security features include built-in SSL certificates for encryption and authentication, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to defend against common web attacks, and infrastructure that handles DDoS protection.

Dreamhost also offers comprehensive security measures, including free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, domain privacy, multi-factor authentication, anti-spam filters, daily backups, and DDoS protection. They also offer advanced security features such as DreamShield for malware removal and mod_security and lua-resty-waf as web application firewalls. However, despite these robust security protocols, Dreamhost has experienced breaches, highlighting the importance of continuous vigilance and the implementation of personal security practices alongside provider measures.

8.7

1.2

AI Builder	Wix ADI for personalized website design
AI Ecommerce features	Personalized marketing, dynamic product recommendations, optimized social media advertising, AI-driven chatbots, and analytics for sales forecasting and SEO optimization
AI Content Generation	ADI suggesting captions, Blog Content Assistant, Social Media Post Ideas, Landing Page Content Optimization	AI business name generator
Additional AI features	Automated Code Generation, Accessibility Optimization, Content Creation and Optimization, Automated Image Enhancement, Social Media Content Scheduling, Translation Services, Analytics and Business Insights, AI-powered Marketing Reports, Website A/B Testing

🏆 Winner: Wix

. With a score of 8.7, Wix’s AI capabilities are far superior to Dreamhost’s. Wix’s AI features are comprehensive and user-friendly, covering various aspects of website building and management. On the other hand, Dreamhost, with a score of 1.2, offers very limited AI capabilities, with only an AI business name generator mentioned.

8.2

8.8

🏆 Winner: Dreamhost

. Both Wix and Dreamhost offer robust user management capabilities, but Dreamhost edges out with a slightly higher score.

• Wix allows unlimited editors regardless of the plan, but caution is needed with 50+ editors to avoid potential
  backend performance issues. It excels for large, collaborative teams.
• DreamHost’s website builder primarily uses WordPress, which allows for multiple users to edit a website. While DreamHost doesn’t specify a limit on the number of users, WordPress enables the addition of numerous users with various roles such as Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, and Subscriber. Each role has its own set of permissions and capabilities, allowing for flexible and controlled access for different users.

Wix User Roles and Access Levels:

Dreamhost User Roles and Access Levels:

Additional Features

SSL Certificate
Custom Domain
Free Custom Domain Included
International Domains
Mobile Responsive
Page Speed
Website Builder Mobile App
Convert a Website To An App
Website Analytics
Multilingual Sites
Multiple Users

User Feedback

Wix

1641 reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

Dreamhost

20 reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars

Wix, though well-regarded, caters to a diverse set of website requirements beyond just ecommerce. This inclusive strategy attracts a broad user audience but might not align as closely with individuals prioritizing advanced ecommerce features. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface and range of templates, making it a popular choice for those looking to build and manage their online presence with ease.

Dreamhost’s website builder, Remixer, is praised for its ease of use, broad template selection, and integrated hosting solutions. Users highlight its utility in building and managing websites efficiently, especially for those without coding knowledge. However, some users suggest improvements in areas such as image editing capabilities, customer support, and software optimization to enhance speed and functionality. While many find it a cost-effective and user-friendly option, others express concerns over occasional software bugs and slow website performance.

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