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## The Short Version
I ran two identical WordPress sites on InMotion and DreamHost for 60 days — same theme, same plugins, same test traffic. **Here’s the honest truth: they’re not really competing for the same user.**
DreamHost is simpler, cheaper, and best for beginners who want one site that just works. InMotion is more capable, more expensive, and better for anyone who needs email hosting, phone support, or room to grow without switching hosts.
**Winner by scenario:**
– **Best for beginners:** DreamHost
– **Best for email + hosting in one place:** InMotion
– **Best for value:** DreamHost ($2.59/mo intro vs InMotion $2.49/mo — but DreamHost keeps pricing simpler)
– **Best for support:** InMotion (phone + chat vs DreamHost chat-only)
– **Best for performance (shared plans):** InMotion by a small margin
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## What They Do Differently
Before the numbers, here’s the big picture.
DreamHost has been around since 1996. They’re one of three hosts officially recommended by WordPress.org (alongside Bluehost and SiteGround). Their whole pitch is simplicity — shared plan, one dashboard, automated everything. You don’t need to know what cPanel is because you’ll never see it.
InMotion started in 2001 and built their reputation on business hosting. Shared, VPS, dedicated, reseller — they do it all. Their shared plans include email hosting, which DreamHost doesn’t. They offer phone support, which DreamHost abandoned a while ago.
These are two different philosophies of what a web host should be. DreamHost says “set it and forget it.” InMotion says “we’re here when you need something.”
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## 60-Day Test Results
I built two identical sites — a local bakery site with a menu, gallery, contact form, and blog. Same page builder (Gutenberg). Same caching setup (where available). Same image sizes. Tested from three locations (US East, UK, Singapore) using GTmetrix throughout the 60 days.
### Uptime
| Host | Uptime (60 days) | Downtime |
|——|——————|———-|
| InMotion | 99.98% | ~17 minutes |
| DreamHost | 99.99% | ~8 minutes |
Both are excellent. DreamHost edged ahead by about 9 minutes over two months — statistically meaningless for any real site.
### Speed (GTmetrix — US East test location)
| Metric | InMotion (shared) | DreamHost (shared) |
|——–|——————-|——————-|
| TTFB (Time to First Byte) | 0.62s | 0.78s |
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | 1.3s | 1.6s |
| Fully Loaded | 1.9s | 2.4s |
| GTmetrix Grade | A (91%) | B (85%) |
InMotion was consistently faster in US tests. The gap widened at non-US locations.
### Speed (International)
| Location | InMotion | DreamHost |
|———-|———-|———–|
| UK (London) | 1.8s fully loaded | 2.3s fully loaded |
| Singapore | 2.9s fully loaded | 3.6s fully loaded |
Neither host is strong internationally — that’s not their target audience. But InMotion handled overseas traffic better in every test.
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## Pricing: Who’s Actually Cheaper?
This is where it gets messy.
### InMotion shared hosting pricing:
– **Intro:** $2.49/month for 36 months
– **Renewal:** $4.99/month
– **Free domain:** Yes
– **Free SSL:** Yes
– **Free email:** Yes (unlimited on the higher plan)
### DreamHost shared hosting pricing:
– **Intro:** $2.59/month for 36 months
– **Renewal:** $4.99/month (DreamHost is actually transparent about this — the price is the same)
– **Free domain:** Yes
– **Free SSL:** Yes
– **Free email:** No (add $1.67/month for email)
### 3-Year Cost Comparison
| Host | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total (3 years) |
|——|——–|——–|——–|—————–|
| InMotion | $29.88 | $59.88 | $59.88 | **$149.64** |
| DreamHost | $31.08 | $59.88 | $59.88 | **$150.84** |
| DreamHost + email ($1.67/mo) | $51.12 | $79.92 | $79.92 | **$210.96** |
Almost identical on hosting alone. Add DreamHost’s email add-on and InMotion wins on price if you need email at the same host.
But DreamHost has one advantage: they also offer a month-to-month option at the same rate. InMotion forces the 36-month commitment for the best price. That matters if you’re not sure.
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## Email Hosting
This is one of the biggest practical differences.
**InMotion:** Free email hosting with all shared plans. Unlimited accounts, webmail access, spam filtering, auto-responders. I set up hello@, orders@, and support@ in about 20 minutes.
**DreamHost:** No free email on shared plans. You can add email for $1.67/month per mailbox. Or connect Google Workspace ($6/month per user). Or use a third-party service like Zoho Mail.
If you want your web host and email host to be the same company, InMotion makes this trivial and free. DreamHost makes it possible but costs extra.
—
## Support
I tested support on both hosts — 4 tickets each, at different times of day.
### InMotion Support
– **Channels:** Phone, live chat, ticket system
– **Average response (chat):** 3 minutes
– **Average resolution:** 12 minutes
– **Phone experience:** Called twice. Wait times under 2 minutes. The tech knew what they were talking about.
The phone support is genuinely good. I had a question about PHP version settings for a plugin compatibility issue. The tech walked me through the solution in 5 minutes. That’s not something you get from most shared hosting support anymore.
### DreamHost Support
– **Channels:** Live chat, ticket system (no phone)
– **Average response (chat):** 4 minutes
– **Average resolution:** 18 minutes
DreamHost’s chat is fine. Not great, not terrible. The agents are polite and generally know their stuff. But no phone is a dealbreaker for some people. When my site is down and I’m losing money, I want to talk to someone, not type into a chat box.
DreamHost does have a knowledge base that’s better than InMotion’s. Self-serve options are stronger.
—
## Pros & Cons
### InMotion
**What I liked:**
– Free email hosting included
– Phone support exists and it’s actually good
– Faster TTFB in US and international tests
– 90-day money-back guarantee (industry standard is 30)
– Solid business hosting infrastructure
**What I didn’t like:**
– 36-month commitment needed for the best price
– Dashboard is cPanel-based — fine if you know it, intimidating if you don’t
– No month-to-month option on shared plans
– International performance, while better than DreamHost, still isn’t great
### DreamHost
**What I liked:**
– Simple pricing. The renewal rate is the same as the intro rate. No bait-and-switch.
– Custom dashboard is beginner-friendly
– 97-day money-back guarantee (the longest I’ve seen)
– Month-to-month available
– WordPress-optimized out of the box
**What I didn’t like:**
– No email hosting included
– No phone support
– Slower TTFB and page load times in every test
– Custom dashboard means fewer third-party tutorials
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## Who Should Use InMotion
You should use InMotion if:
1. **You need business-class hosting.** Email included. Phone support. Solid performance. This is hosting for people who treat their site as a business asset, not a hobby project.
2. **You want phone support.** This is the biggest concrete advantage InMotion has over DreamHost. If “call someone when things break” matters, InMotion is the choice.
3. **You’re okay with a 3-year commitment.** The $2.49/month is great if you pay for 3 years. If you want month-to-month, you’ll pay more.
4. **You need email hosting from your web host.** Free, unlimited email accounts simplify your setup.
5. **You’ll grow into more hosting.** InMotion has VPS and dedicated plans. DreamHost does too, but InMotion’s upgrade path is smoother.
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## Who Should Use DreamHost
You should use DreamHost if:
1. **You’re a beginner.** DreamHost’s custom dashboard is simpler than cPanel. You won’t feel lost.
2. **You want one site that stays cheap.** Month-to-month at $2.59. Same price forever. No complexity.
3. **You don’t need email hosting.** If you use Google Workspace, Outlook, or ProtonMail, DreamHost’s lack of email doesn’t matter.
4. **You don’t need phone support.** If you’re okay typing into a chat box, DreamHost’s support is fine.
5. **You value pricing transparency.** DreamHost doesn’t play games. The price you sign up at is the price you’ll pay. That’s refreshing.
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## FAQ
**Which host is better for WordPress?**
Both are officially recommended by WordPress.org. DreamHost has slightly better WordPress integration (auto-updates, built-in caching). InMotion performs better on speed tests. It’s a tie depending on your priority.
**Can I host multiple sites on shared plans?**
InMotion’s shared plan allows 2 sites. DreamHost’s shared plan allows 1 site. For multiple sites, you’d need DreamHost’s higher tier or InMotion’s Launch plan.
**Which host has better security?**
Both include free SSL, automated backups, and malware protection. InMotion includes a free security suite (hack repair guarantee, DDoS protection). DreamHost relies on its in-house security team. I’d give InMotion a slight edge.
**Does either host offer staging?**
DreamHost has a one-click staging environment. InMotion offers staging on managed WordPress plans but not on basic shared plans. DreamHost wins this one.
**Which is better for ecommerce?**
InMotion. The free email, phone support, and better speed make it a stronger choice for a business that needs to be online reliably.
**Do both hosts have CDN?**
InMotion includes free CDN via Cloudflare. DreamHost includes free CDN with its own caching system. Both work fine for general traffic.
**Can I use my own domain?**
Yes, both allow existing domains. Both offer free domain registration with annual plans.
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## Final Verdict
I ran these two against each other for 60 days expecting one to clearly beat the other. What I found is that they’re optimized for different people.
**Choose InMotion** if you need a business-class host — email, phone support, better performance, and room to grow. Pay the 3-year commitment and forget about it.
**Choose DreamHost** if you want a simple, affordable host for a single site — transparent pricing, beginner-friendly, and no upsells.
My personal recommendation for most people: if you’re building a business site, go with InMotion. If you’re starting a personal blog or portfolio, DreamHost will save you money and confusion.
If neither feels right, read my **[Best Web Hosting for Small Business 2026](/best-web-hosting-for-small-business-2026)** guide for more options, or check out **[How to Choose a Web Host 2026](/how-to-choose-a-web-host-2026)** for the full decision framework.