Which web host is faster? Dreamhost or Hostgator?

PowerUp said:

I'm comparing the following attributes between these 2 hosts. Dreamhost and Hostgator.

1. Which host is faster in terms of page loading?
2. Which host comes with software that can replace Google Analytics features? If I can take out Google Analytics script, then my page will load faster.

3. Which host is more stable in terms of uptime?

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They're both equal in terms of speed. If your site is noticeably slow, 99% of the time it's your site itself.

Host urchin.js locally and eliminate the fetch from G for the client.

I believe DH has better uptime from what I've read.

Personally, I like dreamhost because of all the features, excellent support and reliability (they have been in the hosting business for a long time) they provide.

Actually the speed depends on your location.
For me US servers are very slow as I am in India.
But servers in Singapore and Hong Kong are extremely fast.

Agree with post above. You shouldn't concentrate ot just 2 companies. I think that you must increase number of webhosting companies on your check list. My suggestions are: bluehost.com, ahosting.biz and dreamhost.com

Neither...

What's the pricing policy of Dreamhost and Hostgator? Is the price you pay today locked forever? Or do you have to pay the new price assuming there's a price increase when you want to renew.

How come dreamhost can offer so much bandwidth and storage? Isn't this overselling?

PowerUp said:

What's the pricing policy of Dreamhost and Hostgator? Is the price you pay today locked forever? Or do you have to pay the new price assuming there's a price increase when you want to renew.

How come dreamhost can offer so much bandwidth and storage? Isn't this overselling?

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I've been hosted on dreamhost for some time now, but I haven't seen an increase in price.

Dreamhost has been in the hosting business for a long time, and I think they can afford the risk in overselling.

I am not too sure as I have not used dreamhost before cause they have $49.95 setup fees for month to month payment.

I am happy with hostgator. No setup fees. You might wanna check my Pink sig

i think the answer would be hostgator..
but it really depends on where your country is located and where your visitors come from

Hostgator is 100% faster... When I started, I used only Hostgator and GoDaddy...

I agree Hostgator is faster but Dreamhost offers better features.

I am using DreamHost right now.
Not an active site, but from time to time I visit the site, at first it was good speed and nice. But lately there has been a lot of slowness for me. Even though I barely use the site. Just it always seem to take longer than before to load the site.
But the uptime is really good.

hostgator is great hosting for big business... if u want to start usual web-site, then u can use dreamhost too...

CreatorKit.com said:

hostgator is great hosting for big business... if u want to start usual web-site, then u can use dreamhost too...

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Have you used any of these companies personally?

Hostgator is good if you use their dedicated servers. But their prices can be expensive starting at $170+ a month!

I would have to diagree that 99% of the time slow loading is the result of the site itself. All of my sites load perfectly well amd speedily when the hosts servers are performing correctly, but with my current host I am experiencing slow load times on many varied sites quite frequently (not graphically intensive sites etc incidentally)

When I check server status invariably there are server load, cpu load, db issues, pop issues being flagged up with warning signs. As result I am undoubtedly losing may potential visitors who understanably dont want to wait around for many seconds for a site to load. This damages the credibility of the site and can lose you many visitors for ever (today is one such example with very slow load times and when checked, the warning flags were present for cpu load)

As a result I'm currently looking at all alternatives. Finding a host that is helpful is a task in itself (and mine has been helpful), but finding one that is reliable seems to be a tall order. It would be nice to not have to constantly worry and check that all's well and sites are up, running and loading properly.

Via threads like this we can hopefully find our ideal solution

Great site for info on hosting company uptimes:

http://www.netcraft.com

Fitz said:

Great site for info on hosting company uptimes:

http://www.netcraft.com

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Thanks for a useful link.

bbalegere said:

Actually the speed depends on your location.
For me US servers are very slow as I am in India.
But servers in Singapore and Hong Kong are extremely fast.

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Did I get you right: Dreamhost or Hostgator has servers in Singapore?

novelty said:

bbalegere said:

Actually the speed depends on your location.
For me US servers are very slow as I am in India.
But servers in Singapore and Hong Kong are extremely fast.

Click to expand...

Did I get you right: Dreamhost or Hostgator has servers in Singapore?

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No, I think he means those are countries that suit his website speed. I'm aware icdsoft.com has a datacenter at HK, and it is apparently a good company. Choosing a datacenter near your target location of visitors is a great idea, though prices will significantly be more expensive in many cases.

I host with both - Dreamhost for a few years, Hostgator for about a year

Actually, I currently host with BlueHost, DreamHost, ANHosting, HostGator, PixelGate(don't ask), Lypha, and GoDaddy. HostGator has all the others beat. I'm slowly migrating my sites over to them.

Dreamhost was recommended to me by the teacher of a design class I was taking a few years back. I agree with a previous post that said Dreamhost is good for smaller sites, but HostGator is better for business. Here's why:

I (and my clients) had serious problems broadcasting perfectly legit email lists because Dreamhost was contantly being blocked by AOL, MSN, and other major email providers for violations of spam policies eminating from their servers. This can be very detrimental to anyone trying to run a business - not so much if you're just emailing your family and friends.

I also had some serious downtime issues with them for about a year. At one point, I mentioned to one of their support techs that I was transitioning to HostGator and they simply said "Honestly, I don't blame you".

I've had good experiences with the support offered by Dreamhost, but in all honesty, HostGator has them beat hands down.

As for speed, I had several clients comment on a noticable increase speed when I moved their sites from DH to HG.

My vote goes to HostGator. Best host I've ever used.