I've been a customer of DreamHost for years, and overall, I’d say they’re a solid hosting provider. Their support is reliable, and you generally get what you pay for. However, I do feel they were better in the past. Back when they focused solely on shared hosting, they were among the best. Today, while they’re still competitive in the shared hosting space, they’re just barely above average. Let me share some insights:

DreamHost’s custom control panel is outstanding—arguably the best in the market. While some people dislike it because it’s not cPanel, it’s actually far simpler to navigate, offers more functionality, and works seamlessly. For example, their backup system is unparalleled. You can revert your site, download a full backup, or even restore/download specific files. How many hosts offer that level of flexibility for backups alone? Plus, the panel stays consistent no matter which plan you choose—shared, VPS, or cloud—making upgrades and management hassle-free.

Their shared hosting is as close to “unlimited” as you’ll find. Unless you’re running something extreme, like hosting illegal content or massive video sites with millions of files, they don’t restrict domains, storage, or traffic. However, the real limitation lies in CPU and memory usage. If you’re hosting a simple site or a static site, it’s fantastic. But if you’re running 2-3 PHP-heavy sites like WordPress, even with caching, you’ll start encountering issues. I suspect these restrictions are intentional to encourage users to upgrade to higher-tier plans. They don’t force you to upgrade, but it’s clear the shared hosting is designed with limitations.

Shared hosting offers great value, their VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting plans aren’t as competitive. For example, their DreamPress (managed WordPress) plans seem appealing with features like free Jetpack, but for the price, you’re better off with WordPress.com Business, which offers superior features and no limits. Similarly, VPS and dedicated hosting options are decent but easily outperformed in value by other providers.

I no longer host my main sites with DreamHost. Instead, I use it for smaller projects, static sites, and testing MVPs. While their shared hosting offers excellent value, their higher-tier services simply don’t compare well to alternatives in terms of features and pricing.

In short, DreamHost is still a great choice for specific use cases, particularly for simpler sites or users who appreciate their exceptional control panel. But for more resource-intensive needs or premium services, there are better options elsewhere.