FastComet is the winner of the DreamHost vs FastComet. My thorough research, alongside testing of website performance and customer support, shows FastComet is the best option for people who want the best service. DreamHost is the cheaper provider but it does not measure up in many other areas. Read the article to get the full information.
DreamHost is a well-known web hosting provider that offers so many hosting solutions and related services. These include shared hosting, VPS hosting, Managed WordPress hosting, dedicated server hosting, and Cloud hosting. It also offers a specialized web hosting plan, known as DreamPress, for WordPress users. Other services include WordPress website builder, custom design services, domain registration, professional business emails, Google Workplace, marketing services, website management services, and design services.
FastComet is a web hosting provider that boasts fast loading speeds. In addition, the web host offers many web hosting solutions, such as shared web hosting, Cloud VPS hosting, dedicated CPU hosting, and WordPress hosting. Other services include domain registration, DDOS protection, and SSL certificates. The web host caters to a wide range of users, from individuals with personal websites to large enterprises. Customers patronize FastComet because of its high performance, reliable uptime, and simple plan pricing system.
DreamHost’s basic features that cut across all hosting plans are unlimited bandwidth, automated WordPress migration, SSD storage, SSL certificates, and website builder. The entry-level plan allows hosting for one website and email services starting from as low as $1.67 per month. The other plan offers unlimited storage, email addresses, privacy protection and automated backups. Both plans come with a free domain for the first year, 100% uptime guarantee, optimized servers, and round-the-clock customer support via ticket support, live chat, and phone support.
Advanced users can benefit from development features like unlimited MySQL databases, DreamHost’s in-house control panel, SFTP support, and compatibility with the latest PHP versions. DreamHost is recommended by WordPress.org. As such, it is no surprise that its WordPress hosting plans are fully optimized for performance and functionality.
FastComet Features
FastComet offers varying features across its plans. But the features you can get regardless of your plan are NVMe storage, free SSL, Cloudflare CDN, DDOS protection, FTP access, free backups, cPanel, and a one-click Softaculous installer. These features are decent for a small website. If you want more features, you should look at the PLUS and ESSENTIAL plans. These plans offer free restores, malware scanners, restore managers, Node.js support, and performance boosts (2x on the PLUS plan).
The top-tier plan offers unlimited email accounts, unlimited databases, three free website transfers, WordPress LS, cPanel, LiteSpeed Enterprise, and development tools. If you are a developer or need advanced hosting tools, then the top-tier plan is your best bet. All the plans are optimized for WordPress, but you get better WordPress-specific features with the specialized WordPress hosting plans.
And the winner is FastComet!
DreamHost uses an all-take-it-or-leave-it approach. There are just two plans; one offers barely enough while the other offers unlimited everything. If you want options with features that you need without feeling like you are paying extra, FastComet is your best bet.
DreamHost offers just two plans: the Shared Starter and the Shared Unlimited. The Shared Starter starts at $2.59 per month and renews at $5.99 monthly. On the other hand, the Shared Unlimited starts at $3.95 per month and renews at $10.99 monthly.
In contrast, FastComet offers 4 hosting plans. The Entry Plan begins at $1.79 and renews at $8.95 monthly. The Essential and Plus plans start at $2.39 and $3.59, respectively, renewing at $11.95 and $17.95 monthly. The most expensive plan called the Extra Plan starts at $4.99 monthly and renews at $24.95 monthly.
When compared for pricing, DreamHost offers the cheapest shared hosting plans.
For VPS hosting, DreamHost’s VPS plans start at $10 per month and go up to $80 per month. There are two mid-tier plans: the VPS Business Plan, starting at $20 per month and the VPS Professional Plan, at $40 per month. FastComet’s VPS plans start at $46.16 per month and max out at $107.76 per month. In between, there is the Cloud 2 plan starting at $53.86 per month and the Cloud 3 plan starting at $69.26 per month.
On pricing alone, DreamHost has the advantage. But when you look at specifications, you will see FastComet offers better value for money. For instance, its highest plan, renewing at $153.95 monthly, offers 16GB RAM and 320GB SSD space, whereas DreamHost’s VPS plan, renewing at $160 monthly, offers just 8GB RAM and 240GB SSD.
For dedicated hosting, DreamHost offers 9 dedicated server plans starting at $165 and maxing out at $625 monthly. The highest plan offers 12 cores/24 threads CPU, 128GB RAM, and 1,920GB SSD. On the other hand, FastComet’s dedicated hosting starts at $107.06/mo, with the most expensive plan costing $268.76 monthly.
FastComet’s top plan ($268.76/mo) offers 62GB RAM and 640GB SSD space. DreamHost’s plan at a similar starting price ($289.00/mo) offers 64GB RAM and 480GB SSD. So FastComet is the better option.
And the winner is FastComet!
FastComet typically offers more features than DreamHost when plans with similar pricing are compared.
I got an error while trying to run the GTMetrix test on the DreamHost website. Using PageSpeed Insight, I got a loading speed of 2.6s. While this does not warrant rolling out the carpet, it is still faster than the 3.0s loading speed benchmark that all websites must adhere to. Also note that a fully optimized website with less content will load at a faster speed.
FastComet Uptime & Speed Test
According to GTMetrix, FastComet has a loading speed of 443ms. To explain better, the website loads in less than half of a second. This is truly impressive. PageSpeed Insights by Google scales the loading speed down to 1.9s. This score is also quite good, as it is almost one of the fastest loading speeds we have seen using PageSpeed Insight.
4. Customer Support Comparison: Who’s Got Your Back?
DreamHost offers email and live chat support. Clients can also access ticket support from its control panel. I tested the live chat support to see what kind of assistance was available. After clicking on the chat button on the home page, I was prompted to answer some questions in the pop-up chat window. The questions were administered by a bot. I answered the questions and received some recommendations. However, since I wanted to speak with a human agent, I requested more assistance. It turned out that there were no human agents available to speak with me at the time. However, I was prompted to enter my name and contact details so a human agent could contact me at a future time. I checked the website and saw that non-customers can only chat with a customer representative between 8-4 PM PST.
FastComet Customer Support
FastComet offers direct customer support via email, live chat, ticket system, and phone. I tested the live chat support and got connected by a support agent named Dimitar in seconds. The agent answered my question directly. They were also quite friendly and helpful. It was a relief to find a customer support system that did not rely primarily on bots. Most users would prefer speaking with a human than answering preset questions and getting preset answers. (There was a brief session with a bot that lasted less than 2 seconds).
Aside from direct communication lines, FastComet also offers a vast knowledge base that covers all aspects of web hosting and related services. While the live chat support is very fast, it doesn’t hurt to look around the guides and resources to see if there are answers to your queries.
And the winner is FastComet!
DreamHost offers reliable support for customers but didn’t do well for sales support. Contrarily, FastComet extends its 24/7 support to prospective customers. This extra feature gives FastComet the edge.
DreamHost makes web hosting easy. The company offers its custom control panel that you can use to manage your web hosting environment and other services such as email accounts and domain names. There is also a tool suite for advanced users who want to tweak their hosting environment to their specifications.
New users can transfer their existing website or set up a new one with ease. Those with VPS or dedicated server plans have a number of options when it comes to OS installs.
If users run into issues, they can connect with support agents for help via the control panel.
WordPress website owners who do not want the hassle of managing their hosting environment can choose the managed WordPress plans. This plan offers fully managed service. This means the web host handles all technical issues, leaving you to focus on providing content for your website.
FastComet Ease Of Use
FastComet provides a Client Area dashboard that works on both desktops, smartphones, and tablets. From the Client Area, customers can manage services, monitor processes, and activate or deactivate products with a few clicks. The dashboard also makes billing and other aspects easy.
For actual site maintenance, there is the evergreen cPanel, which is in 29 languages. From the cPanel, users can install various CMS, apps, and also functionalities on their website for free. The installations are pretty straightforward, with easy-to-understand prompts. Email creation and management are also a breeze thanks to the fully-featured webmail platform. The same applies to file management due to the built-in file manager.
Lastly, the dashboard gives a one-glance view of how your website, server, and other resources are performing. It will also show you optimization tips to improve website performance and reduce costs.
And the winner is DreamHost!
It is actually a tie here. DreamHost wins this round because of its WordPress optimized DreamPass hosting plans.
DreamHost offers a range of privacy and security features on its two shared hosting plans. These include SSL certificates, automatic WordPress updates, daily backups, and free domain privacy. Other security measures include shell access, Cloudflare, DDoS protection, and malware scans. DreamHost supports a web application firewall (WAF) but does not offer SiteLock security. Clients using VPS or dedicated server plans have more tools and flexibility to harden their server defense.
FastComet Privacy and Security
FastComet’s key security tools include malware scanning, restore manager, free backups, DDoS protection, Cloudflare CDN, spam protection, and SSL certificates. However, these features are not available across plans. For example, the entry-level plan does not have free restores, restore manager, on-demand backups, and SSH access. Other security features like web application firewall (WAF), IP reputation guard, malware protection, and account isolation are available to users regardless of their chosen plans.
And the winner is DreamHost!
Both DreamHost and FastComet offer strong privacy and security features. DreamHosts takes the lead here because it offers more security features on the lowest tier plan than FastComet
DreamHost servers are located primarily in the United States, with data centers in Ashburn, Virginia, and Hillsboro, Oregon. The web host uses Cloudflare CDN to deliver reliable loading speed to users worldwide.
FastComet Server Location
FastComet’s data centers are strategically located across the globe. The company has three data centers in North America. This includes two in the United States (Dallas, Texas and Newark, New Jersey) and one in Canada (Toronto). There are also three data centers in Europe – London, United Kingdom; Frankfurt, Germany; and Milan, Italy. Those in the Asia corridor can use the data centers in Singapore, Tokyo (Japan), and Mumbai (India). Other data center locations include South America (São Paulo) and Australia (Sydney).
And the winner is FastComet!
FastComet offers data centers in ten countries, while DreamHost data centers are located exclusively in the United States. Locations for FastComet data centers include North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia continents.
Dreamhost is a reliable hosting company amid a sea of them. With unmatched service since 1996, they ensure your website has top-tier functionality and reliable performance. Explore Dreamhost and maximize your online presence.
Data center locations outside of the United States
Fast website loading speeds
Round-the-clock customer support
More features per plan than DreamHost
FastComet
FastComet offers tailored hosting experiences for every user, from novices to established businesses, showcasing their premier shared and cloud hosting packages for streamlined website operations.
FastComet wins over DreamHost because of its faster loading speeds, multiple data center locations, enhanced security features, and reliable customer support. However, the plans may seem pricey to those on a budget. In such instances, DreamHost can be a better alternative. (Note that you should consider renewal prices and costs of any necessary feature when comparing a plan from one provider to a similarly priced plan from another provider.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FastComet better than DreamHost?
Yes. FastComet offers more data center locations, faster loading speeds, and more comprehensive customer support.
Is DreamHost good for beginners?
Yes. DreamHost is a good starting point for beginners starting a new WordPress blog on a budget. But when it comes to value for money and having more hosting options, FastComet is the better option.
Is DreamHost ‘Starter Unlimited’ really unlimited?
Yes. The plan offers unlimited domain hosting. The web host also advertises unlimited storage and bandwidth. But note that there are terms and conditions to ensure you do not pull too many resources from the servers. Read the fine print or contact the support team to learn more.
Is FastComet domain free for life?
Yes. Certain domains like .store, .tech, .online, and .site are free for life. However, you can only get these offers if you sign up for specific hosting plans. Furthermore, there are terms surrounding the transfer of these domains to another domain registrar.
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