DreamHost vs Wix (Web Hosting vs Website Builder 2025)

DreamHost and Wix represent fundamentally different approaches to building websites: DreamHost offers traditional web hosting with full control and flexibility, while Wix provides an all-in-one website builder with simplicity and ease of use. This comprehensive 2025 comparison helps you choose between these very different platforms based on your needs, budget, and technical comfort level.

Understanding the Fundamental Difference

DreamHost: Traditional Web Hosting

What it is: Infrastructure provider for hosting websites you build Best for: Custom websites, WordPress, developers, advanced users Flexibility: Complete control over your website Technical knowledge: Some required (moderate)

Wix: All-in-One Website Builder

What it is: Complete website building and hosting platform Best for: Beginners, small businesses, quick launches Flexibility: Limited to Wix's ecosystem Technical knowledge: None required (beginner-friendly)

Key insight: These aren't direct competitors—they serve different user needs. This comparison helps you determine which approach fits your goals.

Quick Comparison

Winner: Depends entirely on your needs and technical comfort

Pricing Comparison

Website Costs

DreamHost Web Hostingg](/go/dreamhost-web-hosting):

• Starter: $2.59/mo → $4.95/mo renewal
• Unlimited: $4.95/mo → $10.95/mo renewal
• Plus WordPress: Free (self-installed)
• Plus Theme: $0-$60 (one-time)

Wix Website Builder:

• Combo: $17/mo ($14/mo annual)
• Unlimited: $25/mo ($18/mo annual)
• Pro: $29/mo ($23/mo annual)
• VIP: $45/mo ($39/mo annual)
• Includes: Hosting, builder, templates

3-Year Cost Comparison

DreamHost (Web Hosting Starter + WordPress + free theme):

• Year 1: $31.08
• Years 2-3: $4.95/mo × 24 = $118.80
• Total: $149.88

Wix (Combo plan, annual billing):

• Year 1: $168 ($14/mo × 12)
• Years 2-3: $336 ($14/mo × 24)
• Total: $504

DreamHost savings: $354.12 over 3 years

E-commerce Costs

DreamHost + WooCommerce:

• Hosting: $4.95/mo renewal
• WooCommerce: Free
• Payment processing: Stripe/PayPal fees (~2.9% + $0.30)
• Total: $4.95/mo + transaction fees

Wix E-commerce:

• Business Basic: $27/mo ($23/mo annual)
• Business Unlimited: $32/mo ($27/mo annual)
• Business VIP: $49/mo ($45/mo annual)
• Payment processing: Built-in (3% fee) or Stripe/PayPal
• Total: $23-45/mo + transaction fees

DreamHost much cheaper for e-commerce long-term

Ease of Use Comparison

Getting Started

DreamHost:

1. Sign up for hosting
2. Install WordPress (one-click)
3. Choose theme
4. Install plugins
5. Build content Time: 1-2 hours for basic site Learning curve: Moderate

Wix:

1. Sign up
2. Choose template
3. Drag-and-drop editing
4. Publish immediately Time: 30 minutes - 1 hour Learning curve: Minimal

Winner: Wix – Much easier for complete beginners

Website Building

DreamHost (WordPress):

• Block editor (Gutenberg) or page builders
• Thousands of free themes
• 60,000+ plugins for any feature
• Full code access for customization
• Learning required for advanced features

Wix:

• Drag-and-drop editor
• 800+ professional templates
• Built-in features (no plugins needed)
• No code access (closed platform)
• Very intuitive interface

Winner: Wix – Easier building experience, but less flexible

Content Management

DreamHost (WordPress):

• Powerful WordPress dashboard
• Blog-focused originally, now all-purpose
• Media library management
• User roles and permissions
• Scheduling and drafts

Wix:

• Integrated content manager
• Simple blog functionality
• Media management
• Basic user permissions
• Scheduling available

Winner: DreamHost (WordPress) – More powerful content management

Features and Flexibility

Design Customization

DreamHost:

• Unlimited themes available
• Full CSS/HTML/PHP access
• Page builders available (Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder)
• Complete design control
• Mobile responsive (theme-dependent)

Wix:

• 800+ templates
• Drag-and-drop customization
• No code access
• Wix editor limitations
• Fully mobile responsive
• Cannot change templates after going live (major limitation)

Winner: DreamHost – Far more design flexibility, but requires more skill

Functionality and Features

DreamHost:

• 60,000+ WordPress plugins
• Any feature imaginable available
• Custom development possible
• Third-party integrations unlimited
• Complete control

Wix:

• Built-in features for most needs
• Wix App Market (limited compared to WordPress)
• Integrated tools (forms, booking, etc.)
• Wix ecosystem only
• Limited third-party integrations

Winner: DreamHost – Unlimited functionality via WordPress plugins

Blogging Capabilities

DreamHost (WordPress):

• WordPress is blogging platform originally
• Advanced blog features
• Categories, tags, custom taxonomies
• Multiple authors, roles
• RSS feeds, comments, etc.

Wix:

• Basic blogging features
• Simple post editor
• Categories and tags
• Comments available
• Less advanced than WordPress

Winner: DreamHost (WordPress) – Superior blogging platform

E-commerce Features

DreamHost + WooCommerce:

• Unlimited products
• No transaction fees (beyond payment processor)
• Thousands of extensions
• Complete customization
• Any payment gateway
• More complex to set up

Wix E-commerce:

• Product limits based on plan
• 3% transaction fee (Wix Payments) OR external processor
• Built-in features
• Limited customization
• Wix Payments or limited alternatives
• Very easy to set up

Winner: Tie – DreamHost for large stores (cheaper, more flexible); Wix for simple stores (easier)

Performance and Technical

Speed and Performance

DreamHost:

• Load time: 3.94s average (Web Hosting)
• Can be optimized with caching, CDN
• DreamPress (managed WordPress): Much faster
• Full control over optimization

Wix:

• Load time: 4.8s average
• Wix controls optimization
• Cloudflare CDN included
• Limited optimization options

Winner: DreamHost – Faster baseline and more optimization control

Uptime

DreamHost:

• 99.91% uptime
• 100% guarantee (with credits)

Wix:

• 99.98% uptime
• Strong infrastructure

Winner: Wix – Slightly better uptime

SEO Capabilities

DreamHost (WordPress):

• Full SEO control
• Yoast SEO or Rank Math plugins
• Complete meta tag control
• Clean URLs customizable
• Schema markup via plugins
• Superior SEO potential

Wix:

• Built-in SEO tools
• Meta tags editable
• Some SEO limitations (historically)
• Improved significantly recently
• Good but not as flexible as WordPress

Winner: DreamHost (WordPress) – Better SEO control and capabilities

Mobile Experience

DreamHost:

• Depends on WordPress theme chosen
• Most modern themes fully responsive
• Mobile optimization plugins available

Wix:

• Fully responsive templates
• Mobile editor for fine-tuning
• Excellent mobile experience out-of-box

Winner: Wix – Guaranteed mobile responsiveness, easier optimization

Ownership and Control

Data Ownership

DreamHost:

• You own everything
• Full access to files and database
• Easy to export and move
• Complete control

Wix:

• Wix owns platform
• Cannot export site to another platform
• Vendor lock-in completely
• Limited data portability

Winner: DreamHost – Complete ownership and control

Platform Lock-in

DreamHost:

• No lock-in
• Move to any host anytime
• Export WordPress site easily
• Full portability

Wix:

• Complete lock-in
• Cannot move Wix site to another platform
• Must rebuild from scratch if leaving
• Major disadvantage

Winner: DreamHost – Freedom to move anytime

Scalability

DreamHost:

• Infinitely scalable
• Start shared, upgrade to VPS, then dedicated
• Add resources as needed
• No platform limitations

Wix:

• Limited to Wix's plans
• Bandwidth/storage limits on all plans
• Product limits on e-commerce
• Scaling possible but within Wix ecosystem only

Winner: DreamHost – Far more scalable long-term

Support and Help

Customer Support

DreamHost:

• 24/7 live chat and tickets
• Callback phone support
• Excellent knowledge base
• Community forums

Wix:

• 24/7 support (higher plans)
• Email/ticket support
• Extensive help center
• Wix community

Winner: Tie – Both offer good support

Learning Resources

DreamHost:

• Comprehensive documentation
• WordPress has massive community
• Millions of tutorials available
• WPBeginner, WPForms, countless resources

Wix:

• Wix University
• Video tutorials
• Help articles
• Smaller community than WordPress

Winner: DreamHost (WordPress) – Much larger community and resources

Use Case Recommendations

Choose DreamHost If:

✅ You want full control over your website ✅ You're building a WordPress blog or content site ✅ You need unlimited scalability ✅ You want to avoid vendor lock-in ✅ Long-term savings matter ($354 cheaper over 3 years) ✅ You need advanced e-commerce (large product catalog) ✅ You want best SEO capabilities ✅ You're comfortable with moderate learning curve ✅ You may want to switch hosts later ✅ You need custom functionality via plugins ✅ You're budget-conscious long-term

Choose Wix If:

✅ You're a complete beginner with no technical skills ✅ You need a website up in 30 minutes ✅ You want all-in-one simplicity ✅ Ease of use is top priority ✅ You're building a simple business site or portfolio ✅ You prefer drag-and-drop visual editing ✅ You need guaranteed mobile responsiveness ✅ You want built-in features without plugins ✅ You run a small e-commerce store (<100 products) ✅ You don't care about vendor lock-in ✅ Speed to launch matters more than cost

Real-World Scenarios

Small Business Website

DreamHost (WordPress):

• More affordable long-term
• Better SEO
• More flexible
• Requires learning or hiring developer

Wix:

• Faster to launch
• Easier to manage yourself
• More expensive long-term
• Professional results quickly

Verdict: Wix for immediate launch with no technical knowledge; DreamHost for long-term savings and SEO

Blog/Content Site

DreamHost (WordPress):

• Superior blogging platform
• Better content management
• More SEO tools
• Unlimited posts and categories

Wix:

• Easier to start
• Basic blogging features
• Good enough for simple blogs
• Simpler interface

Verdict: DreamHost (WordPress) – Far better for serious blogging

E-commerce Store

DreamHost + WooCommerce:

• No product limits
• No transaction fees
• More payment gateways
• Requires technical setup

Wix E-commerce:

• Very easy setup
• 3% transaction fee (or external processor)
• Product limits by plan
• Great for small stores

Verdict: Wix for <50 products (ease); DreamHost for >100 products (cost, flexibility)

Portfolio Site

DreamHost:

• Beautiful WordPress portfolio themes
• Full customization
• More complex setup

Wix:

• Stunning portfolio templates
• Drag-and-drop gallery creation
• Very fast setup

Verdict: Wix – Perfect for portfolios (ease, beautiful templates)

Migration and Portability

Leaving Wix for DreamHost

Challenge: Cannot export Wix site Process: Must rebuild from scratch on WordPress Effort: High – Complete website recreation required

What transfers:

• Content (manually copy)
• Images (download and re-upload)

What doesn't transfer:

• Design (rebuild required)
• Functionality (reconfigure)

Leaving DreamHost for Wix

Process: Same challenge—rebuild from scratch Wix doesn't import WordPress sites

Leaving DreamHost for Another Host

Process: Very easy

• Export WordPress site
• Move to any host running WordPress
• Full portability

Winner: DreamHost – Complete portability vs Wix lock-in

Domain Management

DreamHost Domains:

• $15.99/year .com renewal
• Free privacy
• Full DNS control

Wix Domains:

• $14.95/year .com renewal (via Wix)
• Free privacy
• Limited DNS control

Better option: Register domain separately via Namr comparison (Porkbun $10.14/year, Namecheap $13.98/year)

Final Verdict

There's no single winner – The right choice depends entirely on your priorities.

DreamHost Wins For:

• Long-term cost savings
• Full control and flexibility
• WordPress content management
• Advanced functionality
• SEO capabilities
• Scalability and growth
• No vendor lock-in
• Custom development

Total cost savings: $354+ over 3 years

Wix Wins For:

• Ease of use and speed
• Complete beginners
• Quick website launch
• All-in-one simplicity
• Guaranteed mobile responsiveness
• Beautiful templates out-of-box
• No technical knowledge needed

Total cost premium: $354+ over 3 years

Our Recommendation by User Type

Complete beginner, non-technical: Wix Budget-conscious blogger: DreamHost Small business (quick launch): Wix Small business (long-term): DreamHost E-commerce (<50 products): Wix E-commerce (>100 products): DreamHost + WooCommerce Portfolio/creative: Wix Content-heavy site: DreamHost (WordPress) Developer/advanced user: DreamHost Want to avoid lock-in: DreamHost

The Hybrid Approach

Is there a middle ground? Yes!

Best of both worlds:

1. Use Namr to register domain at best price (Porkbun, Namecheap)
2. Start with Wix for quick launch if you need speed
3. If you outgrow Wix, migrate to DreamHost (WordPress) later
   • Note: Requires rebuilding site (Wix lock-in)
4. OR: Use WordPress with page builder (Elementor, Divi) on DreamHost for Wix-like editing with WordPress flexibility

Page builders on DreamHost:

• Elementor (drag-and-drop, Wix-like)
• Divi (visual builder)
• Beaver Builder (beginner-friendly)

This gives you Wix-style editing with WordPress power and portability.

Bottom Line

Choose Wix if:

• You need a website TODAY
• You have ZERO technical skills
• You value EASE over everything else
• Cost difference doesn't matter

Choose DreamHost if:

• You want LONG-TERM value ($354+ savings)
• You need FULL CONTROL and flexibility
• You're building a WORDPRESS blog/content site
• You want NO VENDOR LOCK-IN
• You can handle a MODERATE learning curve

Can't decide?

• Try Wix first (30-day guarantee)
• If too expensive or limiting, switch to DreamHost (97-day guarantee)
• Use Namr to get the best domain price regardless

Both are excellent for their intended audiences. Choose based on your technical comfort, budget, and long-term goals!