DreamHost Launch costs $1.99 a month on a 48-month term and renews at $7.99 a month, a 302% increase. Growth goes from $3.49 to $8.99, and Scale from $7.99 to $19.99.
Those are the prices we checked on 7 October 2026. Below is every DreamHost plan, what it renews at, and what you actually pay over three years. DreamHost's shared hosting has some of the biggest percentage jumps we track, but also one of the lowest 3-year costs, because its 48-month term keeps the intro price for four years.
DreamHost renewal prices, plan by plan
The intro price in this table is for each plan's cheapest term: 48 months for shared hosting, 36 months for DreamPress and Managed VPS, and 24 months for the self-managed VPS. The 3-year cost is what you pay for the first 36 months on that term.
| Plan | Intro price | Term | Renews at | Jump | 3-year cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch (Web or WordPress) | $1.99/mo | 48 months | $7.99/mo | +302% | $71.64 |
| Growth (Web or WordPress) | $3.49/mo | 48 months | $8.99/mo | +158% | $125.64 |
| Scale (Web or WordPress) | $7.99/mo | 48 months | $19.99/mo | +150% | $287.64 |
| DreamPress 1 | $11.99/mo | 36 months | $16.99/mo | +42% | $431.64 |
| DreamPress 2 | $14.99/mo | 36 months | $21.99/mo | +47% | $539.64 |
| DreamPress 3 | $16.99/mo | 36 months | $25.99/mo | +53% | $611.64 |
| Managed VPS Business | $10.00/mo | 36 months | $24.99/mo | +150% | $360.00 |
| Managed VPS Professional | $20.00/mo | 36 months | $46.99/mo | +135% | $720.00 |
| VPS Stack 4 | $5.99/mo | 24 months | $10.99/mo | +83% | $275.64 |
| VPS Stack 8 | $9.49/mo | 24 months | $14.99/mo | +58% | $407.64 |
The WordPress versions of Launch, Growth and Scale cost exactly the same as the web hosting versions, at every term and on renewal. The VPS Stack 3-year cost includes 12 months at the renewal price, because the 24-month term ends inside the three years.
When the renewal hits
On the 48-month term, the shared plans keep their intro price through month 48, so the 3-year cost above contains no renewal at all. When the term ends, DreamHost renews you for the same term at the regular rate.
For Launch, that's one bill of $383.52 (48 × $7.99) at the start of year five. Growth would be $431.52, and Scale $959.52. On the 36-month DreamPress 1 term, the renewal is $611.64 (36 × $16.99) at the start of year four.
Those are the numbers to put in your calendar, not the $1.99.
The term you pick changes the renewal
DreamHost sells shared hosting on 1-, 12-, 24- and 48-month terms. Unusually, the renewal price also depends on the term: the longer the term, the lower the renewal. Here is Launch:
| Term | Intro price | Renews at | Jump | Paid up front | 3-year cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $4.99/mo for 3 months | $11.99/mo | +140% | $4.99 | $410.64 |
| 12 months | $2.89/mo | $10.99/mo | +280% | $34.68 | $298.44 |
| 24 months | $2.49/mo | $8.99/mo | +261% | $59.76 | $167.64 |
| 48 months | $1.99/mo | $7.99/mo | +302% | $95.52 | $71.64 |
The 48-month term wins on every count except the percentage: it has the lowest intro, the lowest renewal and the lowest 3-year cost by far. The 12-month term costs four times as much over three years, because you pay the $10.99 renewal for two of them.
The monthly term's intro price lasts only the first three months, then jumps to $11.99.
Growth follows the same pattern: $359.64 over three years on the 12-month term, $206.04 on the 24-month term and $125.64 on the 48-month term.
DreamPress and VPS: smaller jumps
DreamPress, DreamHost's managed WordPress, has much smaller increases than its shared hosting: 42% to 54% on the 36-month term, and 25% on the monthly term. DreamPress 10 runs from $38.99 to $59.99 and DreamPress 20 from $63.99 to $97.99.
The self-managed VPS Stack plans rise by 29% to 83% on the 24-month term, and the bigger the plan, the smaller the jump. Stack 32, with 8 vCPUs and 32 GB, goes from $30.99 to $39.99. These plans are US-only; our US VPS comparison shows how Stack 4 compares with other American servers.
Managed VPS is the exception, with jumps of 92% to 150%. Business renews at $24.99 after a 36-month term at $10.00, and its monthly intro lasts only the first month.
Dedicated servers split in two. The Standard servers are on sale, with the intro lasting the first year on a yearly term: the 480 GB model is $119.99 a month and renews at $165.00. The Enhanced servers have no promo at all.
What else changes after the intro
Email is the cost people miss. DreamHost's shared and WordPress plans include Professional Email only as a 3-month free trial. After that it's $1.67 per mailbox per month billed yearly, or $1.99 monthly. DreamPress, Managed VPS and dedicated servers include email at no extra cost.
The free domain also has a limit: it's included only for the first year, and only on annual and multi-year terms.
How DreamHost compares
DreamHost Launch costs $71.64 over three years on the 48-month term, less than Hostinger Premium's $107.64 on the same term length, and it renews lower, at $7.99 against $10.99. Namecheap's Stellar renews lower still, at $4.29, but its longest term is 24 months, so the renewal arrives sooner. Our Namecheap renewal guide and Hostinger renewal guide have the full figures, and our DreamHost vs Hostinger comparison puts the two side by side.
How to pay less at DreamHost
- Pick the 48-month term if you're sure. Launch costs $71.64 over three years on it, against $298.44 on the 12-month term, and it renews lower too.
- Budget for email. If you need a mailbox at your domain, add $1.67 a month per mailbox after the trial, or use email from elsewhere.
- Put the renewal date in your calendar. About a month before, compare the renewal bill with other hosts' intro prices.
- Skip the monthly term unless you're testing. The $4.99 intro lasts three months; after that you pay $11.99, the highest Launch price on any term.
The bottom line
DreamHost's shared hosting renews at two and a half to four times the intro price, but on the 48-month term the intro lasts four years and the renewal is lower than on shorter terms. Launch costs $71.64 for the first three years, one of the lowest 3-year costs of any big host. Just plan for the $383.52 bill when it renews, and for email after the trial.
For the renewal prices of every host we track, see our guide to hosting renewal prices, or see what each type of hosting typically costs in our hosting price guide.