DreamHost includes IMAP and POP3 mailboxes, webmail, and forwarding with every DreamPress (managed WordPress) plan at no extra cost. On shared hosting, email is bundled free for the first three months, then charged at $1.99 per mailbox per month. WordPress sends mail through PHP’s mail() function by default, which means outbound messages leave unsigned: no DKIM (the cryptographic signature that receiving mail servers use to confirm a message came from the expected domain) unless the operator explicitly routes mail through DreamHost’s authenticated SMTP server via a plugin. Port 25 is blocked on shared hosting; port 587 is open and the one DreamHost recommends. The documented sending ceiling is 100 recipients per hour per email address — with every recipient on TO, CC, and BCC counting against the quota — which is the lowest published limit among the major shared WordPress hosts.
Shared hosting renews at $10.99/month; DreamPress at $19.99/month. DreamHost is independently owned (New Dream Network, LLC), not part of Newfold Digital or EIG, which matters in a category where most major brands trace back to one of two conglomerates.
Email on DreamHost
How wp_mail works by default
A fresh WordPress install on DreamHost shared hosting sends mail through PHP’s mail() function, which hands off to the server’s local sendmail configuration. That path does not route through DreamHost’s authenticated relay, so outbound mail carries no DKIM signature and fails SPF (the DNS record that authorises which mail servers can send on behalf of a domain) alignment. The practical result: password resets, order confirmations, and contact-form notifications leave via a shared server IP, unsigned, and with no authentication proof the receiving mail server can verify.
DreamHost’s documented fix is the WP Mail SMTP plugin, 
configured for smtp.dreamhost.com on port 587. Mail sent through that path routes via MailChannels (the relay infrastructure that handles outbound mail for a large share of shared hosting providers) and picks up the same DKIM signature DreamHost applies to its own email accounts.
The gap matters: the default PHP mail() path is unsigned and operates from a shared IP. For any site where inbox placement matters, the plugin configuration is the first action, not a later optimisation.
Outbound SMTP port status
| Port | Status | Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Blocked | SMTP (legacy) — blocked on shared hosting; open on VPS and Dedicated |
| 465 | Not documented | SMTPS (implicit TLS) — not addressed in DreamHost documentation |
| 587 | Open | SMTP with STARTTLS (an upgrade command that encrypts the connection after the initial handshake) — recommended for relay connections |
| 2525 | Not documented | SMTP alternate — not addressed in DreamHost documentation |
| 993 | Open | IMAPS (incoming, bundled mailboxes) |
| 995 | Open | POP3S (incoming, bundled mailboxes) |
Port 25 is blocked on shared hosting and confirmed open on VPS and Dedicated plans. Port 587 is the port DreamHost documents across its SMTP and plugin guides. Ports 465 and 2525 are not addressed in DreamHost’s published documentation for shared hosting; operators choosing a relay plugin should configure it for port 587.
Sending limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Recipients per hour, per email address | 100 |
The quota counts recipients, not messages. One email to five recipients counts as five against the hourly limit. TO, CC, and BCC recipients all count, and so do bounces, forwarded mail, auto-responders, and mail sent by cron jobs. Exceeding the limit triggers an immediate block; DreamHost’s relay returns “Policy Rejection – Quota Exceeded”, and the block does not lift until a full hour has elapsed with zero send attempts.
100 recipients/hour is the tightest published ceiling among the named shared WordPress hosts: SiteGround documents 400/hour on its entry plans; Bluehost documents 500/hour per domain. For a site with a WooCommerce store processing dozens of orders an hour, or a membership plugin sending notifications on sign-up, this limit is reachable in ordinary operation.
Mailboxes, forwarding, DNS
DreamPress plans include unlimited email accounts at no extra cost. Each mailbox gets 25 GB of storage and supports IMAP, POP3, and SMTP access, plus webmail. On shared hosting (Web Hosting), email is bundled free for the first three months, then requires the Paid Email add-on at $1.99 per mailbox per month ($1.67/month on annual billing). This is a middle ground: more generous than Kinsta and WP Engine, which provide no mailbox hosting, but more expensive long-term than SiteGround and Bluehost, which include email on all shared plans without a paid add-on. Forwarding rules are set up through DreamHost’s panel alongside the mailbox configuration.
DreamHost manages DNS for domains registered or pointed at DreamHost nameservers. SPF and DKIM records are documented in DreamHost’s DNS reference for domains using DreamHost email. Operators moving DNS to an external provider such as Cloudflare take responsibility for maintaining those records at the new DNS host.
Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
DreamHost auto-creates SPF and DKIM records for domains using DreamHost email. The SPF record includes both DreamHost’s own mail server ranges and MailChannels:
v=spf1 mx include:netblocks.dreamhost.com include:relay.mailchannels.net -all(record as documented June 2026; verify against the live DNS zone before use.)
DKIM is auto-generated for domains and subdomains using DreamHost email, but applies only to mail routed through DreamHost’s SMTP servers, not to mail sent via PHP mail(). This is the reason the plugin configuration matters: mail sent through the default PHP path does not pick up the DKIM signature even though DreamHost has published the record.
DMARC (the policy record that tells receiving mail servers what to do when SPF and DKIM checks both fail) is not created automatically. Operators who want a DMARC record add a _dmarc TXT record manually. A p=none policy with a rua= reporting address is a reasonable starting point: it collects authentication reports without rejecting mail while the operator establishes a baseline.
What DreamHost does not provide
- High sending throughput. The 100 recipients/hour cap is the lowest documented limit among the major shared WordPress hosts. Sites generating significant transactional volume (WooCommerce stores, membership sites, form-intensive operations) need a dedicated relay.
- Free email on shared hosting (permanently). The three-month free period ends; $1.99/mailbox/month adds up across a multi-site operation. Factor it into the total plan cost.
- DKIM on the default mail path. Authentication only applies to mail sent through DreamHost’s SMTP servers. PHP mail() goes unsigned regardless of whether the DKIM record is published.
- Delivery monitoring. No bounce tracking, suppression lists, or per-message delivery events from the DreamHost panel. Postmark, SMTP2GO, and Mailgun publish per-message logs.
- Dedicated sending IP. Outbound mail shares infrastructure with other DreamHost customers. A neighbour’s spam reputation affects delivery rates on the shared path.
When a third-party relay is needed
For a DreamPress site whose WordPress email volume stays comfortably under 100 recipients per hour and whose operator has configured the WP Mail SMTP plugin to route through smtp.dreamhost.com:587, the bundled setup is workable. A membership site with a few hundred active users, a small WooCommerce store processing dozens of orders a day, a contact-form-only site: all of these are within range.
A dedicated relay becomes the right answer when:
- The 100-recipient-per-hour limit constrains the site. Any flow that approaches or exceeds the cap in normal operation needs to move off the DreamHost stack. Mailgun scales well at higher volumes; SMTP2GO has a free tier for low-volume sites that have outgrown the bundled limit.
- A missed email has a business cost. For any site where a failed password reset or missed order confirmation means a churned customer or a support ticket, the shared-IP path carries more risk than the business can absorb. Postmark is built around transactional deliverability; its bounce handling is automatic and its reputation among inbox providers is strong.
- Delivery visibility is required. The DreamHost panel provides no record of whether a specific email arrived. Operators who need per-message delivery confirmation, bounce rates, or spam-complaint data need one of the relay services: Postmark, SMTP2GO, and Mailgun all publish per-message logs and aggregate dashboards.
Port 25 is blocked on DreamHost shared hosting, so plugin integrations must use port 587. Any standard SMTP plugin — WP Mail SMTP, FluentSMTP, Post SMTP — works when configured for 587. API-based integrations work equally well for services that support them.
For the full WordPress email setup walkthrough, see how to configure WordPress email. For the no-SMTP-plugin slice of the WordPress without the plugin minimum-stack pattern, DreamHost’s local sendmail handler is what makes that path viable here without adding any plugin.
Verdict
DreamHost’s independent ownership and DreamPress email bundle are the headline differentiators in a category dominated by conglomerates. The limits to hold in mind are the 100-recipient-per-hour ceiling and the unsigned PHP mail() default: together they mean most sites beyond the simplest contact-form use case need either the SMTP plugin pointed at smtp.dreamhost.com or a dedicated relay. For sites where volume or deliverability makes that trade-off unacceptable, Postmark handles the transactional case and Mailgun the higher-volume one; port 25 being blocked means any plugin integration uses port 587, but that is a configuration detail, not an obstacle.