DreamHost vs IONOS

Not at all. Our control panel is beginner-friendly, and we offer expert support, AI tools, and even free website setup to help you get started.

We’ll help you get started quickly with a free Handcrafted Starter Website—our team will build a 4-page site for you at no cost, so you can get online fast with zero setup required. Prefer a DIY approach? Use Liftoff, our AI-powered WordPress builder, to launch a personalized site in under 60 seconds. Just choose your hosting plan and answer a few simple questions—no technical skills needed. Either way, getting your site live is fast, easy, and free to start.

Yes, we've got you covered. Every hosting plan includes one Free Handcrafted Starter Website to help you get started. Our team will handle setup, add your initial content, and customize your template all at no extra cost.

We offer 24/7 support from a dedicated, in-house team that knows WordPress inside and out. You can reach us through live chat or email anytime you need help. No outsourcing, no bots—just real experts ready to assist you.

For WordPress sites, we offer a free automatic migration tool that makes the process fast and easy with zero downtime. Just install the plugin and follow a few simple steps, no technical expertise required.For non-WordPress sites, you have two options:Manually migrate your non-WordPress site by backing up your website files and uploading them to DreamHost. You can learn more about this here.Hire our Pro Services to help migrate your site! Please note that sites built with proprietary site builders (e.g., Wix, Weebly, or Squarespace) and Windows Server-based "Active Server Pages" (ASP) websites may incur additional fees for site migration. If you have any questions, schedule a free consultation with us.

Our annual and multi-year Web Hosting, DreamPress, and VPS plans include a free 1-year domain registration. Your domain registration also includes free private registration (Domain Privacy Protection).

Totally. Web Hosting is a smart, budget-friendly starting point, and when your site needs more, whether that's traffic, content, or performance, you can upgrade to a plan with more server space, dedicated resources, advanced security, and faster speeds. Wondering when to upgrade? If you notice diminished site performance or lack necessary space or resources, it's time to consider bumping your site to the next level and choosing a better-fit hosting package. No matter the current size of your website, DreamHost offers a perfectly-matched plan. We adapt to match your needs, making upgrading easy.

We care about safety big time — and so do your site's visitors. With a Web Hosting account, you get an SSL certificate for free to add to your site. In this day and age, having an SSL for your site is a no-brainer best practice. Not only does an SSL help your visitors feel safe interacting with your site — this is particularly important if you run an e-commerce site — but it avoids penalizations you might otherwise earn from search engines without one. No website wants an “unsafe” or “insecure” label to bruise their reputation. While a SSL certificate isn't an end-all, be-all defense against internet baddies, it's certainly a great first step in the right direction to putting your site visitors at ease.

Yep! Forget about packing up virtual boxes or worrying about a forwarding address— we'll handle the transfer tasks and make moving to DreamHost E-A-S-Y. By transferring your domain registration from your old provider to DreamHost, you can easily manage all aspects of your domain from one convenient location. See our guide to get more details about moving.

Yes! All of DreamHost's web hosting plans include a free 3-month trial of Professional Email @yourdomain, with the number of mailboxes varying by plan. Learn more about business email hosting at your own domain.

Promotional pricing applies to your first term, and every DreamHost plan card shows the exact renewal rate right next to the promo price. You will never have to dig through fine print to find out what year two costs.

Absolutely. Every DreamHost web hosting plan offers monthly billing, so you can start without a long commitment. Longer terms earn bigger discounts, but the choice is always yours.

The visitor numbers on each plan describe the traffic that tier comfortably handles, not a hard cap. Bandwidth is unmetered on every plan, so a busy month never triggers overage fees. If your site consistently needs more resources, upgrading to a bigger plan takes just a few clicks.

Managed WordPress Hosting means we handle the technical heavy lifting—speed, security, updates, and backups—so you can focus on your site or business. If you want better performance and dedicated WordPressexpert support, DreamPress is the right fit.

Unlike shared hosting or basic WordPress plans, DreamPress includes advanced WordPress-specific features out of the box: on-demand backups, BunnyCDN, NGINX caching, failover protection, free professional migrations, and 24/7 expert WordPress support. It's purpose-built for performance and reliability.

With Professional Migration, our experts personally move your site—no bots or automation—ensuring zero downtime and no errors. Normally a $199 service, it's included free with every DreamPress plan (1 migration per site). If you prefer DIY, our free Automated Migration plugin helps you move your site in just a few clicks.

It's simple. Choose your plan, and WordPress is automatically installed and optimized. Want to launch even faster? Use Liftoff, our AI-powered website builder, to create a full WordPress site with content and structure in minutes.

Yes! DreamPress supports up to 20 WordPress sites, depending on your plan. You can upgrade, downgrade, or reallocate resources at any time, right from your DreamHost panel.

A self-managed VPS gives you a full virtual server with root access. You install what you need, configure your stack, and run whatever applications you want. It's designed for developers, technical builders, and self-hosters who need flexibility beyond traditional shared hosting. If you're running Node, Python, Docker, or anything your AI tools help you build, you're in the right place.If you're looking for a more hands-off experience, you can explore our managed VPS options here.If you're looking to run a WordPress site, DreamPress managed hosting is a better fit.

It means you manage your applications and software stack — not that we disappear. DreamHost guarantees the underlying infrastructure: hardware, network, and uptime. Our support team is available 24/7.

Anything that runs on Linux. Node.js, Python services, Docker containers, AI-powered APIs, automation platforms, analytics tools, self-hosted productivity suites, custom databases, game servers — you have complete freedom over the software stack. You can install any OS, runtime, framework, or service you need. If it runs on a Linux server, it runs here.

No. All plans include unmetered bandwidth — no transfer caps, no overage fees, no surprises when traffic spikes. You pay the same flat monthly rate whether your app gets 10 visitors or 10,000.

Yes. You can move between Stack plans as your resource requirements grow — from Stack 4 to Stack 32 is straightforward, and your environment moves with you. Scaling down to a smaller Stack is not currently supported.

DreamHost support is available 24/7 — hardware, network, and connectivity are all supported by our team. You can also reach us via live chat or email through the panel at any time.

Think of a dedicated web server as a storage unit for your website or web applications. It keeps documents, videos, images and other computer files online. Web hosting companies rent space to you. All you’ve got to do is upload files or a website onto the server.

Dedicated servers are fully-managed, business class servers. They are perfect for resource-heavy apps and giant websites. With a dedicated server, you have full control over how to configure your hosting environment making it perfect for major hosting needs.

A dedicated server is the ultimate in power, security, and control. With a dedicated server, you won’t have to share resources with anyone. Here are some of the top reasons that people choose a dedicated server over other hosting options:Security is a top priorityYou expect consistently high levels of trafficPage load times need to be lightning fastYou need custom programming optionsYou’re anticipating major growth Learn More

VPS: A Virtual Private Server, still involves hosting several websites on the same server, but there's a hypervisor that ensures that one website doesn't start causing trouble for the other sites on the server. With Managed VPS Hosting, you're allocated a certain amount of RAM and server space, with unmetered bandwidth. Dedicated: You're able to choose the equipment, including the amount and type of RAM, the size and type of hard drive and the processor, used in the server. Further, 100 percent of the server's resources are allocated to your site and they aren't shared with any others.

Whether a large or small business, an institution or as individual user, anyone planning on creating an online presence will require the appropriate storage space for their future website. This is where web hosting services come into play, i.e. for the provision of storage space for a website by a hosting provider (also known as a provider).This storage space is referred to as disk space. The provision of disk space on a server (a computer designed for this purpose), as well as providing the nec

This depends on your requirements. If you are planning a simple website, consisting mostly of static HTML pages and minimal multimedia content with manageable data traffic, then our starter package is the ideal option for you. We also offer more advanced packages that are suitable for dynamic web projects and high traffic.With our most powerful web hosting packages, you can comfortably manage resource-intensive, multimedia-based websites as well as extensive online stores and shops. Compare the

A domain is an internet address that leads to a web server. This server stores the respective content, services and offers that you publish on your domain, i.e., the content that makes up your entire website. If you enter an internet address in the search bar of your web browser, you can retrieve the data that has been provided on the respective server. Providing adequate storage space on a web server is called hosting. Your domain is your business card on the web. It should be as simple and as

No, other very popular types of web hosting include:VPSVPS stands for virtual private server, where a server is divided into individual virtual servers. The advantage of VPS is that each website can technically be hosted on its own server, and even though hardware is still shared with other websites, the computing resources are your own.DedicatedWith a dedicated server, you are 100% in control of your resources. This makes the website particularly stable and reliable, and you avoid issues that a

Choosing the right web hosting provider comes down to your goals, your budget, and how much flexibility you need.Start with experience and reliability. Look for a provider with a proven track record and infrastructure you can count on. You want a solution that fits your specific web project, not a one-size-fits-all package. Flexible plans are also important, so you can scale resources up or down as your needs change.Security should be a top priority. Your data should be hosted in secure data cen

Powerful IT resources and advanced security measures come at a cost. To keep your website secure and performing at its best, infrastructure, hardware, and software must stay up to date. Continuous investment is essential to reliably protect your data and technical environment.If you’re considering “free” web hosting, it’s important to look closely. Check for hidden fees and limitations. Many free providers display ads on customer websites or restrict important features. While the basic offer may

If you wish, we can provide you with web hosting without a minimum term, i.e. with monthly billing and a cancellation period in the corresponding packages of only one month.IONOS web hosting is ideal for running WordPress; there is a complete plan available especially for this.If you have any questions: Our support is available 24/7. In addition, your personal consultant will also be at your side – completely free of charge.All our web hosting plans include an SSL certificate.Discover these spec

Yes, our shared hosting plan includes over 70 applications that can be installed with just a few clicks. Thanks to the quick and easy installation process, you can enjoy this wide variety of apps instantly and without any hassle. The IONOS web hosting plan provides 100% compatibility with apps such as the following, plus a whole lot more.MediaWikiThe Wiki hosting app MediaWiki is one of the many applications included in the hosting plan. The software is open source, written in PHP, and allows us

Here are the essentials you'll need for your siteTraffic: Traffic means how much data is used on a website. If you have lots of visitors, you are getting a lot of traffic.Web space: Web space is the storage available on the web server. It is also called storage or disk space.Domain: The domain is the name of your website. If you need to run more than one website under different names, then you may need more than one.Subdomains: Some websites will have lots of different parts and sections. A subd

A server, or web server, is part of the web hosting infrastructure. They are powerful computers on which both configuration files and the data of the hosted websites are stored, i.e., websites and all website content. A root-access server is a server with root access to the configuration data of a server.The IONOS web hosting service does not offer root access as we take care of all the necessary configurations for you. If you choose a dedicated server, a virtual private server or a cloud server

One of the most obvious risks to site security is lack of encryption. If you have SSL for your site, your website is more secure against hacking and other threats.The different types of DDoS attacks target the different aspects of web hosting through volumetric attacks, application layer attacks and TCP state exhaustion attacks. Having DDoS protection is an important security precaution.Backups are not only helpful in the cases of hacked sites, it could happen that you delete important files, or

WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system. Around 30% of all websites are built with WordPress, giving it more than 60% market share in the CMS space. These numbers highlight just how widely trusted and used the platform is.A key reason for its success is ease of use. WordPress makes it simple to create, manage, and publish content, even without technical experience. At the same time, it offers extensive customization options. Because WordPress is Open Source, a global comm

WordPress makes it easy to design, manage, and publish blog posts or website content. When you choose professional hosting for WordPress from an experienced provider like IONOS, you combine that ease of use with reliable technical performance.Instead of investing in your own server infrastructure, you rent an environment optimized for WordPress. That means you can focus on creating content while we handle maintenance, updates, and security. We keep the technical infrastructure up to date so your

WordPress is flexible, easy to customize, and suitable for a wide range of users, including:BloggersBusinessesAgenciesOnline stores (e-commerce)Bloggers are the classic target group for WordPress, as the content management system was originally developed with them in mind. It is one of the most popular platforms in the blogging world. Small and large businesses, as well as agencies, also benefit from its flexibility. It allows you to create everything from professional portfolios and business we

Hosting plans from IONOS optimized for WordPress offer several key advantages:IONOS handles all technical and server-related tasksStep-by-step instructions guide you through the setup processEssential plugins come pre-installedThe Assistant from IONOS for WordPress helps you choose from a wide range of free themesOur 24/7 support team is available to help with technical questionsAn SSL certificate is includedProfessional email is includedUsing WordPress, you can create websites, online stores, a

No. The version of WordPress offered by IONOS does not differ from the version that can be found on the official WordPress site.By choosing IONOS as your provider, you will automatically start with the newest version of the software, and your WordPress site will receive automatic updates to ensure it is up to date at all times. There are no differences between the two when it comes to functionality. IONOS customers benefit from a comprehensive service including round-the-clock support for any qu

The answer to both questions is: yes! The Gutenberg editor is available as a plugin and can be installed at any time with just a few clicks. All of the themes for WordPress offered by IONOS are compatible with the Gutenberg editor.Try it out and enjoy managing your WordPress site even more easily and comfortably than before. Create posts and pages or build a whole new website, shaping your online presence to your needs and requirements. Should the Gutenberg editor not satisfy you, you can switch

Once your server is up and running, you can jump into your cloud panel and take charge:https://login.ionos.com/. Quick-start guide: Discover easy-to-follow guides and practicaltips to streamline your setup and maximize your server’s potential:https://www.ionos.com/help/server-cloud-infrastructure/.  Comprehensive support every step of the way: Your server’s performance and yourpeace of mind are our top priorities. From hardware reliability to software essentials, we’rehere for you. Explore our S

If you decide on one of our VPS+ hosting plans, you will have access to an operating environment that is tailored to support your application or software needs. You'll be able to install any apps yourself in no time, via root access. Typical use cases might be as:Web serversEmail serversShop serversDevelopment serversCustomers can use the product for both non-commercial and commercial purposes.

When it comes to choosing an operating system for your web server, personal preference plays a key role. For those who value an intuitive user interface, Windows server operating system may be the ideal choice, thanks to its familiar design that makes setting up a server easy for beginners.Alternatively, if cost is a concern, a virtual server plan with Linux could be a great option. This open-source operating system doesn't have licensing fees and is known for its security and small attack surfa