InMotion Hosting vs DreamHost in 2020: One Is Better for WordPress, but Not Who You Had in Mind

DreamHost offers cheap web hosting solutions that can help you get online quickly, but there is a trade-off. To keep prices low, the provider only includes a minimal set of features in most plans.

I’ve thoroughly tested and researched InMotion Hosting vs DreamHost to find out which host offers the best features and most value for your money. InMotion Hosting’s shared hosting plans cost a bit more, but they pack much more value – that’s why I’ve declared InMotion Hosting the winner of this comparison.

From unlimited resources and additional websites to improved security features, free website migration, and a bunch of performance tools, InMotion makes a solid case to justify its higher price.

Click here to see InMotion Hosting’s best deals, or read on to see how these two hosts compare.

1. Plans and Pricing

DreamHost Is Cheaper, but InMotion Gives You More Value

If you compare InMotion and DreamHost strictly based on pricing, DreamHost is in the lead, especially when you look at the shared hosting plans, VPS (virtual private server), and dedicated servers. However, this is not the case with managed WordPress hosting.

For instance, DreamHost’s basic managed WordPress plan is significantly more expensive than InMotion’s equivalent. For the same money, you can get InMotion’s third-tier bundle for developers and businesses, and enjoy more storage space, the ability to host more websites, and a free CDN (content delivery network).

Even with shared hosting, InMotion Hosting’s pricing makes sense when you consider that all shared hosting plans come with unlimited storage, at least two websites, and unlimited free emails. DreamHost gives you none of the above on its Shared Starter plan.

It’s worth noting that InMotion’s lower-tier plans do not have billing terms shorter than one year, while DreamHost allows you to pay monthly. Beware, though: If you do choose a month-long billing cycle with DreamHost, those attractive advertised prices will almost double.

2. Features

InMotion Goes the Extra Mile, while DreamHost Keeps Things Basic

Both InMotion Hosting and DreamHost give you access to a WordPress website builder on all plans, but only InMotion will migrate an existing site for free when you opt for a shared hosting plan.

In addition, InMotion includes its best features on most shared hosting plans, while DreamHost makes you upgrade to its Shared Unlimited plan for the same benefits. For example, DreamHost doesn’t offer any free email addresses on Shared Starter, nor does it give you the possibility to build more than a single website.

3. Performance

InMotion Is Fast, while DreamHost Struggles at Best

When we turn to performance in the InMotion Hosting vs DreamHost match, InMotion wins by a landslide. Both hosts do offer SSD drives on all plans (these can be up to 20 times faster than standard HDDs), but InMotion gives you a free CDN from Jetpack on all of its WordPress bundles, while DreamHost forces you to upgrade to a more expensive tier to get a CDN.

A CDN provides faster loading speeds for your visitors, no matter where in the world they’re located. That’s particularly useful for InMotion and DreamHost since both hosts only have data centers in the US.

InMotion Hosting has a 99.9% uptime guarantee, but only customers on its Business Pro shared hosting plan get compensation for downtime. If you’re on the Launch or Power Plans, there’s no compensation for downtime. DreamHost backs its 100% uptime guarantee with one day of service for one hour of downtime.

However, DreamHost is much slower in terms of website loading speeds, according to our tests.

4. Security

DreamHost Provides the Essentials, but InMotion Does More to Keep Your Website Safe

Both DreamHost and InMotion Hosting give you a free SSL certificate on all plans, but DreamHost also provides daily backups and free domain privacy, which allows you to mask your domain registration information and, as a result, makes it less likely that you’ll be targeted by spammers.

InMotion, on the other hand, charges an extra fee for backups but offers enhanced malware and hacking protection, as well as real-time spam filtering on all plans. In this aspect, InMotion is one small step ahead.

5. Support

InMotion Is a Bit Slow, but More Helpful Than DreamHost

You can contact InMotion support by phone, live chat, ticket, and email, but you might have to wait a bit longer than expected during busy hours. Once you do get in touch with an agent, they will do everything in their power to help. It doesn’t hurt that InMotion’s support is 100% US-based.

You can only contact DreamHost through live chat or ticket support, and you might have to go through a clunky bot before you actually get in touch with a human agent.

Although both hosts have a decent knowledge base and their own discussion forums, InMotion Hosting takes the win here.

Go with InMotion Hosting for Better Features, Performance, and Support

Pricing is an important factor when you determine the best web hosting service for your needs, but to objectively compare InMotion Hosting and DreamHost, you have to take into account exactly what you get for your money.

InMotion Hosting is almost always worth the extra cost. For example, if you run an online store, InMotion ensures that your customers can navigate your website quickly and that their purchase information is kept safe.

Also, InMotion Hosting made it into our top 10 best web hosting services, while DreamHost did not.

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