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DreamHost review: $2.89 for year one, $10.99 after, with daily backups
Updated Oct 6, 2026 · scored under rubric v1
DreamHost Web Hosting Launch suits a small site that wants daily backups on a one-year start: $2.89 a month for the first year, then $10.99. The catches: no staging site, email is only a 3-month trial, and there is no phone support.
DreamHost Web Hosting Launch costs $2.89 a month for the first year of a 1-year term paid upfront, then renews at $10.99 a month. Month to month it is $4.99 for 3 months, then $11.99. It includes daily automated backups, free SSL, a free first-year domain on annual plans and 25 websites. Staging isn't included, email is a 3-month trial, and support is 24/7 chat and email.
What it does well
- Daily automated backups and unlimited free SSL on the entry plan
- 25 websites allowed on Launch
- Monthly billing available: $4.99 for 3 months, then $11.99
- Renewal prices printed on each plan card
Where it falls short
- Renews at $10.99 a month after the first year, nearly four times the intro price
- No staging site on Launch
- Email is a 3-month free trial, then billed separately
- No phone support: 24/7 chat and email
What DreamHost costs
| Plan | First-term price | Then | Term | The limit that matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web Hosting Launch | $2.89/mo | $10.99/mo | 1 year, paid upfront | 25 websites, 25 GB NVMe |
| Web Hosting Launch | $2.49/mo | $8.99/mo | 2 years, paid upfront | Same |
| Web Hosting Launch | $1.99/mo | $7.99/mo | 4 years, paid upfront | Same |
| Web Hosting Launch | $4.99/mo for 3 months | $11.99/mo | Month to month | No free domain |
| Web Hosting Growth | $3.99/mo | $12.99/mo | 1 year | 50 websites |
| Web Hosting Scale | $9.99/mo | $25.99/mo | 1 year | 100 websites |
| DreamPress 1 (managed WordPress) | $14.99/mo | $19.99/mo | 1 year | 1 website, staging |
Prices from its web hosting page and its DreamPress page, read Sep 25, 2026. The page opens on the 1-year term; the monthly, 2-year and 4-year prices appear only after changing the "Length of Subscription" menu.
On the 1-year term, Launch costs $34.68 for the first year and $131.88 for the second.
Over time
Total = monthly price × 12 × years, or yearly price × years, or a one-time price once. Only current plan prices; fees are listed separately. Taxes, add-ons and promotional prices are not included.
Current prices
| Plan | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Web Hosting Launch (renewal, 48-month term) Rate after the first 4 years on the 4-year term. | $7.99 per month | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Web Hosting Launch (renewal, 24-month term) Rate after the first 2 years on the 2-year term. | $8.99 per month | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Web Hosting Launch (renewal, 12-month term) Rate after the first year on the 1-year term. | $10.99 per month | Oct 9, 2026 |
| Web Hosting Launch (renewal, monthly) Month-to-month rate after the first 3 months ('Monthly' option in the Length of Subscription menu). | $11.99 per month | Sep 25, 2026 |
| Web Hosting Growth (renewal, 12-month term) Rate after the first year on the 1-year term. | $12.99 per month | Oct 9, 2026 |
| DreamPress 1 (renewal, 12-month term) Rate after the first year on the 1-year term. | $19.99 per month | Oct 9, 2026 |
| Web Hosting Scale (renewal, 12-month term) Rate after the first year on the 1-year term. | $25.99 per month | Oct 9, 2026 |
| DreamPress 5 (renewal, 12-month term) Rate after the first year on the 1-year term ('Agency' tab). | $40.99 per month | Sep 26, 2026 |
| DreamPress 10 (renewal, 12-month term) Rate after the first year on the 1-year term ('Agency' tab). | $65.99 per month | Sep 26, 2026 |
What you get on Web Hosting Launch
- 25 websites, 40k monthly visits, 25 GB of NVMe storage and unmetered bandwidth.
- Daily automated backups and unlimited free SSL certificates.
- A free domain for the first year "with an annual or multi-year plan. Monthly plans exclude this offer."
- No staging site: the Launch feature list has none, and its pricing page places staging with DreamPress.
- Email: "Launch, Growth, and Scale include a three-month trial with 20, 40, or 60 mailboxes, then separate billing."
Catches and fine print
- The whole term is charged upfront. "The full term plus taxes are charged at checkout." The terms of service say plans renew "at the then-current, non-promotional rate for the original contract length".
- Longer terms lower the renewal. A 4-year start renews at $7.99 a month, against $10.99 after a 1-year start. You prepay four years to get it.
- Monthly billing has its own intro. The monthly rate is $4.99 for the first 3 months only, then $11.99.
- Refunds. "Request a refund of your hosting within 30 days if it isn't right for you." Per its terms, the refund is for card and PayPal payments; domain registrations, including the value of a used free-domain credit, are not refundable.
- No WooCommerce plan. Its online store page says you can add WooCommerce through the WordPress installer, and that WooCommerce "typically needs a premium hosting plan like DreamPress". We don't count that as a WooCommerce plan, so DreamHost is not on our WooCommerce list.
Support
"Chat and email support are available 24/7." (source) Chat may start with an AI assistant; you can ask for a person. The hosting pages offer no phone line.
Who it suits
DreamHost Launch suits a small business or personal site, or a handful of them, that wants daily backups without paying for an add-on and is happy with chat support. For agencies, DreamPress 10 holds 10 sites with staging and daily backups at $47.99 a month for the first year, then $65.99, which puts DreamHost on our agencies list.
Look elsewhere if you need a staging site on a cheap plan, included mailboxes, or a phone line.
See the full web hosting ranking, renewal prices side by side and how we score hosts.
Alternatives in Web hosting
| Alternative | Score | Best for | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| IONOS | 8.0/10Very goodOur score | Shared hosting with 24/7 phone support and unlimited websites, renewing at $8 a month No affiliate relationship | Visit IONOSOn ionos.com |
| Namecheap | 7.7/10GoodOur score | Shared hosting that starts with a 30-day free trial and renews at $4.66 a month No affiliate relationship | Visit NamecheapOn namecheap.com |
| Liquid Web | 7.3/10GoodOur score | One managed WordPress site at $9 a month, the same price at renewal No affiliate relationship | Visit Liquid WebOn liquidweb.com |