There’s no time to be blue, and no time for daydreaming – we’re talking hardcore uptime and serious hosting here! With over a million clients each, Bluehost and Dreamhost both belong to the first echelons of the web hosting industry. Given such scale and quality requirements, it is no use trying to find a clear winner over the other – yet there are still certain differences which could help you make your choice.
Bluehost and Dreamhost in Brief
A peculiar fact – both Bluehost and Dreamhost were founded in the same year (1996) as small start-ups working on a handful of machines with modest performance. Since then, they’ve leaned towards the strategy of organic growth (i.e. using internal resources rather than acquisitions of other businesses) for business development.
Bluehost has over 2 million websites on their servers and can be described by a business model which is somewhat similar to what Apple does in the field of consumer electronics: close attention to the smallest details and priority for in-house development. This is manifested e.g. by the fact that Bluehost only uses web servers built by its own specialists; the company creates its own data servers and support centers which employ local staff rather than outsourcing to overseas subcontractors.
Dreamhost offers shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated hosting, as well as application hosting and cloud computing services. Dreamhost likes to speak of itself as “one big family”, and some facts do hint that it may be not too far off: the company completely compensates for its CO2 output by conserving resources and buying carbon offsets; it is fully owned by its employees; and the shareholders direct a substantial part of their dividends to charitable causes. Dreamhost employs over 100 specialists and takes pride in its focus on 360-degree customer experience. The company claims to have the best uptime in the hosting industry, which is very close to 100%.
The table below summarizes the most important comparison points:
| Criterion | Dreamhost | Bluehost |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting Plan(s) | 1 | 1 |
| Free Domain |  |
|
| Domains per account | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Monthly price (1 yr subscription) | $8.95 | $6.95 |
| Disc Space | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| 24×7 Support | Knowledgebase, Chat, Email | Phone, Chat, Email |
| Money back | 97-Day | 30-Day |
| Uptime | 100.00% | 99.90% |
| Bonuses | $100 Google AdWords offer | $100 Google AdWords offer |
| PHP | |
|
| CGI/Perl | |
|
| Ruby on Rails | |
|
| SSI | |
|
| ASP.Net |  |
|
| MySQL | |
|
| PostgreSQL | |
|
| Microsoft SQL | |
|
| Cron Tasks | |
|
| Control Panel(s) | Proprietary | cPanel / WHM |
| Click to visit official website |  |
 |
Subtle Differences
Looking at the above data, it becomes clear why Dreamhost and Bluehost are close competitors. Each of the hosting providers offers a single shared hosting plan with “unlimited everything”, a free domain as a cherry on top, close to 100% uptime, and free $100 Google AdWords coupons with every hosting plan order. The most notable differences include the following:
- Most importantly, Dreamhost’s plan is 2 dollars more expensive than Bluehost’s
- Dreamhost promises a three times longer money-back guarantee period
- Dreamhost has a large and detailed wiki yet does not offer 24/7 phone support
- Dreamhost built its own hosting management panel for its clients.
- Dreamhost fully offsets its carbon dioxide emissions.
Choose Wisely
Summing up, Bluehost can be recommended for price-sensitive website owners who need a hassle-free “all-included” hosting offering; while those who value flexibility and have an environmentally conscious mindset should definitely consider Dreamhost as one of their primary alternatives.
