DreamHost is a website hosting service with features such as managed VPS hosting, public cloud computing, and dedicated servers. Managed options include WordPress with the DreamPress upgraded service with staging and coaching, WooCommerce hosting, as well as dedicated server hosting.
$3.95
per month
Rackspace Email
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Rackspace Email presents what the vendor describes as a reliable, cost-effective solution for small business email hosting. Hosting services start at 25GB, and services include email migration, spam and virus protection built-in, an upgrade to include archiving, and 24x7x365 support.
Dreamhost was previously a great web host with reliable service and top-notch features, but I can no longer recommend them. If you're looking for web hosting on a Linux platform (such as running PHP or platforms like Wordpress, Jooma, or Drupal), with simple pricing services, then this is the great service for you. One big downside is lack of phone customer support. This is especially frustrating because of their many issues the last few weeks, which aren't easily resolved or addressed by their team.
If you need a trusted email hosting platform, Rackspace is definitely the way to go. Not only is it simple to use, but the help they're willing to provide is also outstanding. Whether you're upgrading (or even downgrading) a service, or have concerns over any use cases, they're great at providing assistance and being diligent to understand your needs. If you only require a simple email for only a few people, it may not be the way to go, but it's hard to beat the price they offer (and the clarity on that pricing as well).
Ticket system - For the most part, it's fine, but you have to log in to see the ticket/case messages. The email notification only lets you know you have a message.
Login speed - It takes a bit longer than what most users would like to login to the admin panel.
Clicks to control panel - The default screen is the ticket screen. I would prefer the home page immediately include a method to get to my admin tools beyond ticket creation.
We have every intention of staying with Dreamhost, but we are a tad concerned with the company's recent involvement in high profile litigation and controversial topics. While we don't take a position one way or another on what type of content they should host, one concern we have is that repeated attacks on their infrastructure have caused significant downtime during business hours for us, and that's something we'll have to take into consideration going forward.
Whether we're calling in on the phone, live chatting or emailing, we get immediate high-quality, native English-speaking support. This cannot be overstated when it comes to hosting, because support tickets are usually time sensitive and high stress. I've always had great experiences with the limited times we've needed to use DreamHost support. We've dealt with support for many other providers and no one comes close to DreamHost.
Honestly, if it wasn't for the way in which ticket updates are shared, it would be a ten. They provide excellent support, from sales to technical to even migration services. I've always gotten my questions answered clearly, by someone who is human. If answers were displayed via email as well, rather than just a notice that I needed to login to see a message, it would be even better.
We've tried a few other WordPress-specific hosts, as well as other shared hosting providers (Rackspace, WPEngine, and others). We have found that DreamHost gives the best balance of cost, performance, and features, for our needs. All vendors have their own pitfalls and shortcomings, and DreamHost isn't without its own, but it works for us.
The service can really be a positive value with its very solid performance and lack of downtime issues found with other services.
For those with limited hosting or web development knowledge, the service can be a challenge to fully utilize. Sometimes this may mean additional training.
The service also provides a number of expansion opportunities for growing with greater functionalities.
