DreamHost vs Kapsule
DreamHost is a US-headquartered shared host with 25+ years of history. They're a reasonable choice if you don't mind USD billing and US-time support; Kapsule wins on NZD pricing, NZ-time support, and bundled Email + Protect + Orbit.
International
DreamHost
Shared Starter
Entry price
USD$2.59/mo intro
Renewal: USD$8.99/mo
3-year cost: ~$385 over 3 years (NZD)
Kapsule Cloud
Web Hosting Start
Match for DreamHost
Entry price
NZ$5/mo
Renewal: NZ$5/mo (locked, clause 7.5)
3-year cost: ~NZ$180
Read the breakdown
The cost math
What you actually pay, year by year.
All bars normalised to NZD so length reflects real spend. USD prices show the NZD-equivalent in brackets.
Year 1
DreamHost
USD$3/mo
Kapsule
Year 2
DreamHost
USD$9/mo
Kapsule
Year 3
DreamHost
USD$9/mo
Kapsule
DreamHost 3-year cost
~NZ$416
~$385 over 3 years (NZD)
Kapsule 3-year cost
~NZ$180
Locked at signup, never increases
You save with Kapsule
~NZ$236 (57%) over 3 years
NZD totals calculated at 1 USD ≈ 1.65 NZD. DreamHost pricing snapshot 2026-06-07; check their current rate before signup. Kapsule renewal price guaranteed at signup price in Terms of Service clause 7.5.
Scorecard
Where Kapsule wins vs DreamHost.
NZD-billed, GST included
Invoiced in NZD with GST broken out. No USD-to-NZD surprise, no separate tax line.
NZ-based support
Every ticket lands with an NZ-based engineer. No outsourced overflow desk on the other side of the world.
Locked at signup price
Clause 7.5 of our Terms: your renewal price is locked to whatever you signed up at. Forever. Not a marketing claim, a contract clause.
Mailboxes bundled with hosting
Web Hosting plans include mailboxes (5 on Start, 25 on Pro) with 10 GB each, calendar, mobile apps. DreamHost charges USD$1.99/mailbox/mo as a separate plan.
Free white-glove migration
Our team migrates your site, database, email, and DNS for you. Zero downtime, scheduled with you. Free.
Spec sheet
Feature by feature.
Honest note
Where DreamHost legitimately wins.
25+ years operating
DreamHost since 1997. Brand maturity matters for some buyers, particularly procurement processes that require an established vendor history.
B-corp certified
One of the few B-corp-certified hosting companies. If certified social/environmental performance matters to your purchase, that's a legitimate differentiator.
Established US/global infrastructure
DreamHost has datacentres in the US with a long-running fleet. Our edge is global; our NZ origin tier ships Q3 2026.
When to pick DreamHost
If brand longevity AND B-corp certification both matter to your purchase, and you're comfortable with USD billing and US-time support, DreamHost is a reasonable 25-year-old choice.
Moving over
Free migration from DreamHost.
Free white-glove migration from DreamHost. We work from a DreamPress backup or direct SSH access, mirror to Kapsule, cut DNS outside business hours.
Q + A
What buyers ask us about DreamHost.
Why move from a 25-year-old company to a 2026 startup?
Honest reasons: NZ-time support if you're NZ-based, NZD billing without FX surprises, renewal-price-locked-in-TOS. If those don't matter, DreamHost is fine.
Can I keep DreamPress workflow on Kapsule?
KPanel covers the same workflows: 1-click WordPress, staging, auto-update gates, backup restore. The UI is different but every DreamPress feature has a KPanel equivalent.
What about the B-corp values angle?
We're not a certified B-corp. We're a small NZ company with a public Terms-of-Service commitment to honest renewal pricing, no upsells, and NZ-data-residency once Q3 Auckland origin ships. Different framing of the same kind of commitment.
Ready?
Start on Web Hosting Start.
NZ$5/mo, locked at signup. Free migration from DreamHost. Cancel any time.