Dreamhost vs Liquid Web: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Looking over DreamHost vs. Liquid Web, each hosting provider presents distinct strengths and caters to different user needs.

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  Liquid Web (Overall grade: 8.4)
  
  
  is particularly noted for its exceptional uptime, robust performance, and stellar customer service. With a 100% uptime guarantee bolstered by industry-leading SLA credits and proactive monitoring, Liquid Web ensures high availability and consistent performance. The hosting provider excels in high-traffic sites and ecommerce platforms, delivering fast performance with technologies like AMD EPYC and Intel Xeon processors, NVMe storage, and a 10 Gbps network. Managed security features including ServerSecure protection and integrated firewalls, as well as compliance solutions like HIPAA, make it a favorable choice for businesses prioritizing growth, stability, and security. However, its higher price point and focus on managed hosting might not be suitable for users needing basic, inclusive features.
  
• 
  DreamHost (Overall grade: 8.2)
  
  
  is celebrated for its user-friendly interface, affordable plans, and inclusive features. Optimized for WordPress hosting, DreamHost combines SSD storage, server-level caching, and NGINX hosting to offer swift load times. It provides flexible scalability options manually controlled by the user and offers a variety of plans with features like free domain registration, unlimited storage, and automated backups. DreamHost’s custom-built control panel and streamlined migration processes cater to both beginners and advanced users, enhancing its appeal. Despite not offering phone support and some users reporting occasional slowdowns and customer service issues, its overall value, privacy focus, and reliability make it a strong choice for those seeking straightforward, cost-effective hosting solutions.
  

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in
certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.

Detailed comparison

🏆 Winner Liquid Web: Exceptional uptime and availability with stellar customer service.

Liquid Web boasts a 100% uptime guarantee, underscored by industry-leading SLA credits for downtime. Their multi-server environments with managed replication ensure high availability. Proactive Sonar™ Monitoring and a 30-minute hardware replacement SLA further reinforce their commitment to maintaining service.

DreamHost similarly offers a 100% uptime guarantee and delivers excellent performance metrics, including fast server speeds. Performance tests highlight DreamHost’s stability, although a 99.83% uptime recorded by Tooltester over a year shows room for improvement. Both providers are reliable, but Liquid Web’s proactive measures and customer service features make it the preferred option.

🏆 Winner: DreamHost: Providing high speed and reliable hosting solutions.

When comparing the general performance of DreamHost and Liquid Web, several factors come into play. DreamHost offers high-performance cloud hosting with SSD storage, server-level caching, and NGINX hosting which ensures swift load times and efficient handling of concurrent connections. In contrast, Liquid Web uses AMD EPYC and Intel Xeon processors alongside NVMe or SSD storage for quick data access, complemented by a 10 Gbps network. Both providers guarantee 100% uptime, but DreamHost emphasizes uncapped bandwidth and RAID 1 storage for added reliability. While DreamHost offers automatic software updates and multi-factor authentication for security, Liquid Web includes ServerSecure protection and integrated firewalls. Both services offer free SSL certificates and 24/7 support, making them competitive choices.

Website speed

DreamHost’s use of SSD storage, server-level caching, and NGINX hosting delivers significant speed improvements, reducing load times and enhancing performance, especially for websites under its Managed WordPress Hosting (DreamPress). Liquid Web, leveraging AMD EPYC and Intel Xeon processors, along with NVMe storage, ensures quick data access and minimal delays. The inclusion of Object Cache Pro with its Managed WooCommerce Hosting also supports faster website operations. Both hosts aim at providing fast and reliable website experiences, but DreamHost’s built-in caching facilities give it an edge by eliminating the need for additional plugins.

Scalability

DreamHost allows easy scaling with expandable RAM and storage options, making it straightforward to upgrade your plan as your site grows. This scalability is manually controlled, requiring users to choose higher-tier plans as needed. Liquid Web also offers easy scalability with autoscaling features that adjust server resources automatically based on demand, reducing downtime and manual intervention. They provide dedicated servers with extensive configurations, although specific costs for scaling aren’t transparent. DreamHost’s VPS and cloud hosting options are more flexible in terms of price, starting at $0.0075/hour for cloud hosting, while Liquid Web’s approach is more about dynamic adjustments without extra user management.

🏆 Winner Liquid Web: Offers extensive security measures and compliance features.

Both DreamHost and Liquid Web, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

DreamHost and Liquid Web both offer SSL certificates. DreamHost includes free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt, while Liquid Web provides SSL certificates that ensure site protection. Liquid Web excels with features like hardened OS configurations and the F5 AIP Intrusion Detection System, which DreamHost does not provide. Both services support current PHP versions, including PHP 8. DreamHost offers OPcache to improve PHP performance by compiling code once and storing it in memory. Liquid Web’s data encryption at rest is another feature distinguishing it from DreamHost.

Operational security measures:

DreamHost offers a range of operational security measures, including multi-factor authentication, secure shell access, SFTP, and RAID 1 storage. Liquid Web takes it further by offering firewalls, VPNs, a web application firewall, and on-site support 24/7/365. DreamHost provides DDoS protection and malware scanning with its DreamShield service, while Liquid Web also ensures real-time monitoring to mitigate sudden attacks, offering more comprehensive coverage in these areas.

Compliance and certifications:

Both hosts meet the GDPR requirements, but Liquid Web also provides HIPAA compliant hosting solutions, which DreamHost lacks. DreamHost is PCI compliant for its own sites but requires customers to obtain their own PCI certification. Liquid Web offers fully managed PCI compliance solutions, including scans and remedial services. Liquid Web holds several key certifications, including SSAE-22, ensuring high standards of security.

🏆 Winner DreamHost: DreamHost offers robust features with various plans, including free domain registration and email hosting, making it ideal for many users.

DreamHost’s hosting packages cater to diverse user needs, from beginners to advanced developers. They offer a simple website builder with their plans, which suits individuals looking for user-friendly, straightforward setups. DreamHost includes a free domain, privacy protection, automated backups, and a 100% uptime guarantee with many hosting plans. Notably, DreamHost provides unlimited storage and SSDs on all plans, which enhances performance and reliability. Customers also benefit from free SSL certificates, quick WordPress setup, and professional email addresses. These offerings, alongside being employee-owned and their open-source commitment, make DreamHost a strong contender for those valuing inclusive services with a focus on privacy and security.

Liquid Web, in contrast, specializes in fully managed hosting tailored to performance-intensive applications. The platform doesn’t specifically feature a website builder, focusing instead on backend robustness, such as VMware Private Cloud and HIPAA-compliant solutions. Liquid Web stands out with its managed WooCommerce hosting and customizable Windows hosting. They provide a 59-second initial response guarantee and extensive support, ensuring continual management and security updates. While they offer root access indicating FTP/SFTP and SSH capabilities, some services like free domain registration aren’t explicitly highlighted. This makes Liquid Web suitable for businesses needing high availability and compliance-driven environments, although it might not be the best fit for those needing basic, inclusive features like a website builder.

Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both DreamHost and Liquid Web offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.

Email services:

Email services at DreamHost includes professional email addresses with their plans, providing comprehensive email hosting. Liquid Web, while offering email hosting, emphasizes transactional email capabilities and does not explicitly include free email services. Users may need to integrate third-party email solutions with Liquid Web, making DreamHost the more attractive option for straightforward, inclusive email hosting.

🏆 Winner
DreamHost: DreamHost scores slightly higher overall, mainly due to the robust features included in their plans and the transparency of what’s included.

Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

DreamHost provides competitive pricing for various hosting services like shared hosting, VPS, and managed WordPress hosting. Their shared starter plan starts at $2.59 per month, making it a budget-friendly option with features such as unlimited storage and free SSL certificates. In contrast, Liquid Web’s plans for managed WordPress hosting begin at $21 per month for the Spark plan, which offers 15GB of storage and 2TB of bandwidth. DreamHost’s DreamPress starts at $16.95 per month and includes 30GB SSD storage and unmetered bandwidth. Both providers offer cloud hosting packages, with DreamHost’s DreamCompute priced at $0.0075 per hour or $10 per month, featuring scalable cloud computing. Liquid Web’s options are more expensive yet come with enhanced security features and higher storage capacities.

Enterprise plans

DreamHost offers several dedicated hosting options such as the Enhanced 32 plan at $299.00/month with a 12-Core CPU, 32GB RAM, and 480GB SSD storage, all with 24/7 support and a 100% uptime guarantee. Liquid Web provides robust cloud dedicated servers starting at $159/month for Intel Xeon E-2356G with 16GB RAM and 480GB SSD RAID-1 storage, plus additional features like DDoS protection and CloudFlare CDN. DreamHost’s enterprise plans emphasize resource availability and comprehensive support, while Liquid Web aims for high performance and extensive security measures.

🏆 Winner DreamHost: A user-friendly hosting provider known for its extensive support resources and ease of setup.

DreamHost offers a custom-built control panel designed for ease of use, catering to both technical and non-technical users. This panel provides comprehensive administrative tools like SFTP, Shell Access, and WP-CLI, all accessible from a centralized dashboard. One-click installations and pre-installed WordPress options simplify the initial setup, making it straightforward for beginners and efficient for experienced users. The control panel also supports account management, domain registration, and backup management, all with an intuitive interface that ensures minimal learning curve.

Liquid Web, on the other hand, also offers a user-friendly admin panel but is more tailored towards experienced users managing complex hosting environments. It facilitates full server and OS management, making it suitable for those requiring more advanced options. The user interface is equally accessible and offers various management tools. However, Liquid Web emphasizes full management services, making it an ideal choice for users needing proactive and comprehensive hosting solutions beyond basic site administration.

When comparing migration tools, DreamHost provides a comprehensive Migration Dashboard that offers automated site migration options. The process is straightforward, guiding users through each step with clear instructions. Once the migration is complete, users can easily point their DNS to DreamHost. This service is available at no extra cost for most plans. Liquid Web also offers migration assistance, with a focus on ensuring a seamless transition for complex environments. These services are also free, making it accessible for businesses looking to migrate larger, more intricate sites.

Regarding help center resources, DreamHost and Liquid Web both excel in providing extensive knowledge bases. DreamHost’s help center is a searchable archive comprising WordPress guides, FAQs, and tutorials, backed by 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone. Similarly, Liquid Web’s knowledge base features articles, tutorials, and specialized resources, updated regularly to cover a wide range of topics from security to common fixes. Both providers ensure that users have access to expert help around the clock.

🏆 Winner LiquidWeb: LiquidWeb excels in user management with detailed control and customizability through its user roles.

DreamHost provides flexibility in user roles by offering unlimited SFTP users and comprehensive SSH access. This allows multiple users to securely access the server and perform command-line operations. LiquidWeb, using Plesk, provides more granular user roles such as Administrator, Webmaster, Application User, and Accountant. These predefined roles simplify the process of managing permissions and access levels, making it easier to grant specific rights without needing to micromanage each user’s capabilities.

DreamHost offers a custom-built control panel designed for ease of use, where users can manage domains, email accounts, FTP, and mailing functions. This panel includes features like the Subversion repository and Cron job scheduling, catering to more advanced users. LiquidWeb, through Plesk, provides a User Accounts Page and tools for creating, editing, and removing user roles. The Plesk interface is intuitive, allowing for straightforward user management, which can be especially useful for businesses with diverse user needs.

Both DreamHost and LiquidWeb offer robust access control measures, but DreamHost includes advanced features like password protection for directories and access to raw log files, boosting security for sensitive content. While DreamHost provides a solid basis for access control and user management, LiquidWeb scales effectively by allowing administrators to create detailed roles and permissions, ensuring efficient handling of a growing number of users.

DreamHost User Roles Table:

LiquidWeb User Roles Table:

🏆 Winner
Liquid Web: Liquid Web provides quicker response times and a broader range of support options.

DreamHost and Liquid Web both offer 24/7/365 support, but the options and guarantees differ. DreamHost provides support primarily through chat, email, and a ticket system, with callbacks available at an additional fee for certain plans. Its multilingual support in English and Spanish, coupled with a comprehensive knowledge base, ensures users have substantial resources to tap into. However, the lack of direct phone support may be a limitation for some users.

Liquid Web distinguishes itself with a robust set of contact methods, including direct phone support with a 59-second initial response guarantee for both phone and chat. They also offer a 59-minute response guarantee for helpdesk queries. Liquid Web’s additional support services like proactive monitoring, complimentary migration assistance, and dedicated account management for enterprise clients contribute to a more extensive support framework. This, along with their high customer satisfaction scores, positions Liquid Web as a strong choice for comprehensive, quickly accessible customer service.

User feedback

DreamHost is a well-regarded hosting provider praised for its reliability, affordable pricing, user-friendly interface, and excellent performance. Users especially appreciate the responsive customer support, the easy navigation of the web portal, and a variety of hosting options suitable for different needs. However, common criticisms include the lack of phone support, occasional slow response times from customer service, and some challenges related to advanced functionalities and site migrations. While the majority of users report positive experiences, a few have faced significant issues with downtime and customer service, impacting their overall satisfaction.

Customer feedback for this hosting provider is mixed, with significant polarization in user experiences. While some have praised the company for its reliable uptime, exceptional support, and proactive monitoring, others have experienced severe dissatisfaction due to frequent downtimes, unresponsive customer service, and unethical billing practices. Long-term customers, in particular, have noted a sharp decline in service quality and support efficiency, attributing it to recent management changes. Despite positive reviews highlighting excellent technical support and overall reliability, a growing number of users advise against using this provider due to these negative aspects.

FAQ