Hostinger and DreamHost both sell entry-level shared hosting with a free domain, free SSL and a refund promise, but they are built differently. Hostinger's cheapest price needs a 48-month prepayment and covers three sites. DreamHost's entry plan is billed yearly, covers 25 sites and includes daily backups, but it renews at $10.99 a month.
This comparison puts the plans side by side, works out the cost over one, two, four and five years and covers speed, backups, limits and refunds. For the single reviews, read our Hostinger review and DreamHost review; for the wider market see 11 shared hosts compared.
The short version: Hostinger is cheaper if you will keep the site for about two years or more and want the faster independent result. DreamHost is cheaper for the first year, gives you 25 sites on its entry plan and backs up daily, but tested slower and held up less well under load.
Check the term and the renewal in each cart before you pay
☑️ See Hostinger plans ☑️ See DreamHost plans
🏆 Quick comparison: Hostinger vs DreamHost
| What matters | Hostinger Premium | DreamHost Launch | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $2.99/mo on 48 months ($143.52) | $2.89/mo for the first year ($34.68) | DreamHost up front |
| Renewal | $10.99/mo | $10.99/mo | Tie |
| Cost over 4 years | $143.52 | $430.32 | Hostinger |
| Websites | 3 (Unlimited plan: unlimited) | 25 | DreamHost |
| Storage | 20GB SSD (Unlimited: 50GB NVMe) | 25GB NVMe SSD | DreamHost on the entry plan |
| Backups | Weekly (Unlimited: daily) | Daily, automated | DreamHost on the entry plan |
| Free domain | First year | First year on annual terms, with privacy | Tie |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.9% with a 5% credit | 100% (read the terms) | Read both |
| Refund | 30 days | 30 days in its terms; 97 days on its signup page | DreamHost if the 97 days is confirmed |
| Panel | hPanel (own) | Custom panel (own) | Preference |
| Independent speed test (WPBeginner, July 2026) | LCP 659 ms, 227 ms average, 21 ms P95, score 88 | LCP 986 ms, 658 ms average, 245 ms P95, score 64 | Hostinger |
Hostinger figures: plans page October 12 and 18, 2026. DreamHost figures: its hosting page, October 12, 2026. The uptime guarantee and the refund terms are the companies' own statements, and a guarantee is a promise with a credit, not a measurement. Hostinger's 99.9% figure is from an October 8 reading.
🧮 What each costs over one, two, four and five years
| Period | Hostinger Premium | DreamHost Launch (yearly term) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| First year | $143.52 (you must prepay 48 months) | $34.68 | DreamHost $108.84 less up front |
| Two years | $143.52 (already covers the period) | $166.56 | Hostinger $23.04 less |
| Four years | $143.52 | $430.32 | Hostinger $286.80 less |
| Five years | $275.40 ($143.52 + 12 x $10.99) | $562.20 ($34.68 + 4 x $131.88) | Hostinger $286.80 less |
Arithmetic from the displayed prices: DreamHost $2.89 x 12 = $34.68 for year one and $10.99 x 12 = $131.88 for each renewal year; Hostinger $143.52 for 48 months and $131.88 for a renewal year. WPBeginner reports a longer DreamHost term at $1.99 a month renewing at $7.99, which we did not confirm on DreamHost's page, so check the term selector at checkout. Taxes and add-ons are extra.
The break-even is just under two years: by the end of year two DreamHost's yearly term has cost $166.56 against Hostinger's $143.52 prepaid. If you may leave within a year, DreamHost is the cheaper bet; if you plan to stay, Hostinger is.
⚙️ Limits, backups and support
Hostinger
- Premium: 1 core, 2GB of RAM, 400,000 inodes, 40 PHP workers and 10 databases; Unlimited ($3.99 on 48 months) adds unlimited sites, 50GB NVMe, daily backups and double the CPU (Hostinger's limits page).
- Support is 24/7 chat and email, with no phone line.
- Refunds: 30 days from the transaction date; a new domain is refundable only within 96 hours and crypto payments are not refunded.
DreamHost
- Launch: 25 websites, 40,000 visits a month and 25GB of NVMe SSD with unmetered bandwidth and daily automated backups.
- A free handcrafted starter site or the Liftoff AI builder, free SSL and a free WordPress migration plugin.
- Support is 24/7 chat and email with no standard phone line. Refunds are 30 days in DreamHost's terms, while its signup page advertises 97 days: get the window in writing.
🚀 Speed and uptime in WPBeginner's July 2026 test
WPBeginner tested both with the same protocol: an identical WordPress site with a default theme, GTmetrix for speed, k6 with 50 virtual users for load, response time from six regions and 30 days of UptimeRobot monitoring.
| Test (WPBeginner, July 2026) | Hostinger | DreamHost |
|---|---|---|
| Largest Contentful Paint | 659 ms | 986 ms |
| Average response time, 6 regions | 227 ms | 658 ms |
| P95 response with 50 users | 21 ms | 245 ms |
| Uptime over 30 days | 100% | 100% |
| WPBeginner score | 88 / 100 | 64 / 100 |
Both stayed up. Hostinger was clearly faster and handled the load better; WPBeginner calls DreamHost "not the host for traffic-spike businesses". It is one test site over one month, so test your own site during the refund window.
🎯 Which should you choose?
| You are | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping the site two years or more | Hostinger | The 48-month prepay costs less by the end of year two |
| Running many small sites | DreamHost | 25 sites on the entry plan |
| Needing daily backups on the cheapest plan | DreamHost | Hostinger Premium backs up weekly (Unlimited daily) |
| Wanting the faster independent result | Hostinger | 659 ms against 986 ms LCP |
| Unsure you will stay a year | DreamHost | $34.68 for the first year, with a refund window to confirm |
Hostinger wins on long-term cost and tested speed; DreamHost wins on sites, daily backups and a small first-year bill. Pick by how long you will stay and how many sites you run, and read the renewal line in each cart.
❓ Hostinger vs DreamHost FAQ
❓ Which is cheaper: Hostinger or DreamHost?
❓ Which is faster?
❓ Which gives more websites?
❓ Which has better backups?
❓ Which has the better refund policy?
❓ Do both have phone support?
❓ Do both include a free domain?
❓ Can I pay month to month?
Which one are you using? Tell us your plan and renewal price in the comments.
Related Articles
⭐ Hostinger review
Plans, limits and a speed test. Read the review
⭐ DreamHost review
25 sites and daily backups. Read the review
⚖️ DreamHost vs Bluehost
Prices and renewals compared. Read the comparison
🏆 Best web hosting compared
Eleven shared hosts. See the comparison
🔄 Hostinger alternatives
Seven hosts compared. Read the guide
