The 15 Cheapest SSL Certificates Are They Worth It?

The 15 Cheapest SSL Certificates Are They Worth It?

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The 15 Cheapest SSL Certificates: Are They Worth It?

By Jennifer Kyrnin Jennifer Kyrnin Freelance Contributor University of California University of Washington Jennifer Kyrnin is a professional web developer who assists others in learning web design, HTML, CSS, and XML. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 11, 2022 Fact checked by Nikki Elmwood Fact checked by Nikki Elmwood Portland State University Nikki Elmwood is a fact-checker, editor, and proofreader. lifewire's fact checking process We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Tweet Share Email Software Apps Lifewire / Design by Amelia Manley We evaluated more than 80 of the cheapest SSL certificate services available from 15 different certificate authorities (CAs). All prices are based on one year of service, paid annually. Many CAs offer discounts (sometimes very significant ones) for multiyear purchases. The evaluations are based on: Speed to issueSeal providedWildcard SLL supportWarrantyRefund policy All but one of the CAs list encryption at 128/256-bit and claim 99 percent browser ubiquity. A note on resellers: Namecheap appears on this list several times. As a reseller of SSL certificates, the company offers cheaper prices than the originators of the certificates.

CAcert free certificate

CACert free certificate Buy on Cacert.org Price: FreeIssuance: ImmediatelySeal: NoneValidation: DomainWarranty: NoneWildcard: NoRefund: Not applicable

Recommendation Use for Testing Only

The only thing going for CAcert is the price. The company doesn't indicate what the encryption rate is for its certificates, and in fact, the browser used for testing did not accept its site as using a valid CA. This one is fine if you're just testing and don't want to use a self-signed certificate, but otherwise, avoid.

Namecheap Reseller Comodo Positive SSL

Comodo Positive SSL Buy on Namecheap.com Price: $10 for first year (renews at $12 per year)Issuance: 15 minutes or lessSeal: YesValidation: DomainWarranty: $10,000Wildcard: NoRefund: 15 days

Recommendation A Cheap Way to Get Comodo

If your company doesn't do a lot of business through the SSL server, this might be a good option.

Namecheap Reseller Comodo Positive SSL Multi-Domain

Comodo Buy on Namecheap.com Price: $25.99 for the first year (renews at $29.99 per year)Issuance: Up to two business daysSeal: YesValidation: DomainWarranty: $10,000Wildcard: NoRefund: 15 days

Recommendation Good for Multiple Domains on One Certificate

If your company doesn't do a lot of business through the SSL server, this might be a good option.

Namecheap Reseller Comodo InstantSSL

Comodo Buy on Namecheap.com Price: $24.88 for the first year (renews at $28.88 per year)Issuance: Two business days or fewerSeal: YesValidation: Domain and companyWarranty: $50,000Wildcard: NoRefund: 15 days

Recommendation Get Your Company Validated Along With the Domain

If your company doesn't do a lot of business through the SSL server, this might be a good option.

RapidSSL

RapidSSL Buy on Rapidssl.com Price: $59.00 per yearIssuance: Within minutesSeal: YesValidation: DomainWarranty: $500,000Wildcard: NoRefund: 30 days

Recommendation Fine for Low-Volume Sales

RapidSSL offers a single server certificate for a reasonable price. Be aware that RapidSSL also resells GeoTrust certificates for higher-volume sales, but for low-volume sales, this certificate is fine.

Network Solutions Xpress

Network Solutions Buy on Networksolutions.com Price: $59.99 per yearIssuance: Within minutesSeal: NoValidation: DomainWarranty: $10,000Wildcard: NoRefund: None

Recommendation Low-Volume Sales With the Network Solutions Brand

Network Solutions will verify your domain with the Network Solutions brand standing behind it—good for low-volume sales.

Reseller Comodo InstantSSL Pro

Comodo Buy on Namecheap.com Price: $38.88 for first year (renews at $44.88 per year)Issuance: Two business daysSeal: YesValidation: Domain and companyWarranty: $100,000Wildcard: NoRefund: 15 days

Recommendation A Cheap Way to Get Comodo Company Validation

If your company wants the Comodo brand, needs company validation, and doesn't do a lot of business through the SSL server, this might be a good choice.

Comodo SSL

Comodo Buy on Comodo.com Price: $99 per yearIssuance: Within minutesSeal: NoneValidation: Domain and companyWarranty: $500,000Wildcard: NoRefund: 30 days

Recommendation Get the Comodo Brand Without Using a Reseller

Comodo offers a cheaper option with a decent warranty and both domain and company verification. This certificate is great for a small e-commerce business or a site that sells just one or two services. The warranty is not the best in the industry, but it's great for the price.

GoDaddy Protect One Website

GoDaddy Buy on Godaddy.com Price: $63.99 per yearIssuance: Up to 10 minutesSeal: YesValidation: DomainWarranty: NoWildcard: YesRefund: None

Recommendation Good Add-On

If you already have a GoDaddy hosting or DNS account, then adding SSL is easy. The company offers only domain validation, so it's not as good of an assurance provider as others on this list. If you want to keep all your things in one place, however, GoDaddy makes this easy. The company eliminated its warranty at a time when other CAs are increasing them.

Reseller Comodo PremiumSSL

Comodo Buy on Namecheap.com Price: $52.88 for first year (renews at $59.88 per year)Issuance: Two to five business daysSeal: YesValidation: Domain and companyWarranty: $250,000Wildcard: NoRefund: 15 days

Recommendation A Cheap Way to Get Comodo PremiumSSL

If your company doesn't do a lot of business through the SSL server, this might be a good option.

Thawte SSL Web Server

Thawte SSL Web Server Buy on Thawte.com Price: $238 per yearIssuance: UnknownSeal: YesValidation: Domain and companyWarranty: $1,250,000Wildcard: NoRefund: 30 days

Recommendation Very Good Warranty

If your company needs a strong warranty, this is the best available for the price.

Comodo Multi-Domain SSL

Comodo Multi-Domain SSL Buy on Comodosslstore.com Price: $149 per yearIssuance: One to three business daysSeal: YesValidation: DomainWarranty: $250,000Wildcard: YesRefund: 30 days

Recommendation Good for Multisites

If your company has many domains, this might be a good choice.

Comodo Positive SSL Wildcard

Comodo Positive SSL Wildcard Buy on Comodosslstore.com Price: $89 per yearIssuance: Within minutesSeal: YesValidation: DomainWarranty: $50,000Wildcard: YesRefund: 30 days

Recommendation Cheapest Wildcard

This is the cheapest we found that includes Wildcard SSL.

GeoTrust True BusinessID

GeoTrust True BusinessID Buy on Geotrust.com Price: $238 per yearIssuance: One business daySeal: YesValidation: Domain and companyWarranty: $1,250,000Wildcard: NoRefund: None

Recommendation A Good Choice for Businesses

If your business wants the GeoTrust name and needs business verification as well as domain, this is a good choice.

Network Solutions Basic

Network Solutions Basic Buy on Networksolutions.com Price: $124.50 per yearIssuance: As little as one business daySeal: YesValidation: DomainWarranty: $50,000Wildcard: NoRefund: None

Recommendation Get the Network Solutions Name

This is one of the more expensive certificates on this list, but it carries with it the trusted Network Solutions brand. The warranty is OK for a small e-commerce site. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What Is a Top-Level Domain? (TLD Definition) The 7 Best Ecommerce Platforms of 2022 How to Fix a Privacy Error In Chrome Is This Site Safe? How to Fix a ‘Your Connection Is Not Secure’ Error How to Fix a Connection-Is-Not Private Error How to Send Email From a PHP Script Using SMTP Authentication How to Renew the Apple Developer's Certificates 21 Best Cloud Backup Services Reviewed (October 2022) Definition of FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) How to Get a Great Deal on the iPod touch Backblaze Review (Updated for October 2022) Windows 10 Home vs. Windows 10 Pro The 9 Best Internet Service Providers of 2022 How to Replace a Dead iPad Battery The 8 Best Commercial Backup Software Programs of 2022 How to Unlock a Phone From Any Carrier Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies
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