Free vs Paid SSL Certificate: Which One to Choose?

Are you looking to safeguard your website with an SSL certificate but uncertain of the contrast between the free vs paid SSL Certificate option? Let’s take a look at what each type of certificate offers and compare them.

Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates are becoming increasingly popular for small business owners, web developers, and web agencies due to their cost-effectiveness; however, Paid SSL Certificates to offer additional benefits that may be worth considering.

We’ll review both choices to help you decide which is most suitable for your website.

What is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL Certificate secures sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal details. An SSL certificate also helps to ensure the authenticity of a website by verifying its ownership.

The main benefit of an SSL certificate is that it provides encryption for data transmitted over the internet, making it more difficult for malicious actors to intercept or access this information. This ensures that any data sent from your visitors’ computers to your web server remains private and secure. SSL certificates can also foster confidence in customers by indicating that your website takes their safety seriously.

The question “Why should I care about HTTPS?” is easy to answer: Because Google says so. According to Google – HTTPS is now a ranking signal among other factors.

• Data security is a top priority when it comes to e-commerce transactions and even logging into websites. To ensure the safety of this information, no plain text is ever passed – instead, all data is encrypted and kept secure.
• Google has officially said that HTTPS is a ranking factor.
• The green padlock bar helps build trust and credibility for your visitors.
• Avoid the warning in web browsers that mark HTTP pages that collect sensitive information as non-secure.

SSL Certificates are necessary for website safety, offering encryption and validation to secure the data that flows through your site. Moving on from this introduction, let’s take a closer look at Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates in the next section.

Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates

Let’s Encrypt SSL certs are a free, open-source method to protect your website with encryption between server and browser, warding off malicious activities and maintaining data privacy. These certificates encrypt data between the web server and browser, helping protect users from malicious attacks. They also help ensure that any information sent over the internet is kept private. Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates can be easily installed on most web servers.

While Let’s Encrypt certificates are only valid for 90 days (paid SSL Certificates generally expire after one or two years), auto-renewal is available to ensure that a website won’t be left without HTTPS.

ChemiCloud customers can use ChemiCloud’s Let’s Encrypt integration with all our hosting plans, including automatic and free SSL certificates for all your sites. Best of all, our free Let’s Encrypt SSLs even support wildcard domains. 

Paid SSL Certificates

Paid SSL Certificates provide a digital barrier that scrambles and safeguards data transferred between your site and visitors. Certificate Authorities (CAs) such as DigiCert, Comodo, Symantec, and GlobalSign issue Paid SSL Certificates to enhance encryption levels and additional features. Paid certificates offer enhanced encryption levels over free options such as Let’s Encrypt and provide additional features such as extended validation (EV), wildcard support, and site seals to prove authenticity.

Comparing Free vs Paid SSL Certificates

Regarding securing your website, you have two main options: free and paid SSL certificates. Pros and cons exist for each choice, depending on what is required. To assist in selecting the best option for you, let us analyze both free and paid SSL certificates’ cost-effectiveness and security features.

Given that Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates are free, why would anyone opt to pay for one? In terms of the encryption process, there is no distinction between a certificate from Let’s Encrypt and one from a commercial provider.

However, there are various reasons why Let’s Encrypt can’t compete with a paid SSL Certificate:

Validation Levels

There are three basic types of SSL Certificates available from commercial CAs: domain validation (DV), organization validation (OV), and extended validation (EV).

• Domain Validation SSL Certificates (DV): For those seeking an affordable and speedy way to secure their website, a DV SSL Certificate is the perfect solution. This type of certificate verifies ownership of the specified web address but does not require any additional validation at an organizational level.
• Organization Validated SSL Certificates (OV) provide instant identity confirmation and strong SSL protection for your website and business.
• EV SSL Certificates are the gold standard of website security today. They provide greater trust and credibility than any other type of SSL Certificate, such as organization or domain-validated certificates.

Let’s Encrypt is limited to providing Domain Validation (DV) certificates, which may suffice for some websites. However, those seeking a higher level of verification and the associated trust should consider purchasing a premium SSL Certificate.

Warranty

Regarding SSL Certificates, a warranty is provided as an insurance policy against any potential issues. This includes certificate failure, fraudulent transactions, and financial losses for end-users. The value of the warranty can range from USD $10,000 up to USD $1,500,000, depending on the type of certificate purchased. However, those who opt for Let this form of warranty protection will not cover’s Encrypt certificates.

Trust Site Seal

Compared to Let’s Encrypt certificates, those purchased come with a trust seal that can be displayed on the website. This has been demonstrated to boost visitor assurance and increase customer conversions.

After considering the cost and security of free vs paid SSL certificates, it is clear that both options have their advantages. Let’s assess our ultimate decision and what is the most suitable for your situation.

FAQs in Relation to Free vs Paid SSL Certificate

Should you go for a free SSL certificate or a paid one?

The response to this query relies upon the requirements of your website . Free SSL certificates are generally suitable for personal websites or small businesses with low traffic, as they offer basic encryption and authentication features. For larger businesses requiring enhanced security, a paid certificate is the better option as it offers increased levels of protection and trustworthiness along with additional benefits. Paid certificates also provide additional benefits such as warranty coverage, extended validation (EV) status, and improved customer confidence.

Are paid SSL certificates better?

Yes, paid SSL certificates are generally better than free ones. Paid certificates offer more robust encryption and authentication protocols that help protect your website from malicious actors. They also provide higher levels of trustworthiness to visitors, which can improve customer confidence in your site. 

Are free SSL certificates safe?

Yes, free SSL certificates are safe. Free SSL certificates provide basic encryption to protect data in transit between your website and visitors’ browsers.

Conclusion & Recommendations

Let’s Encrypt is an ideal place to start for those who are just beginning to explore the world of HTTPS. Google and other prominent web browsers have encouraged all websites to switch to HTTPS, making this service especially helpful for smaller personal sites and blogs.

When it comes to web hosting plans, we’ve got you covered with Let’s Encrypt integration. We’ll provide automatic and free SSL certificates for all your sites – and the best part is that our free Let’s Encrypt SSLs even offer wildcard domains.

Regarding sites that handle sensitive information, the advantages of a top-tier SSL Certificate can’t be denied. For any e-commerce platform or business that processes online payments, safeguarding customer data is critical – and you’ll always want to ensure the highest level of security for this purpose. Premium SSL Certificates provide a more reliable level of protection than Let’s Encrypt. This is because they offer comprehensive coverage that goes beyond the scope of what Let’s Encrypt can do.

Regarding online security, ChemiCloud is the place to go for premium SSL Certificates from some of the most reputable brands. We offer competitive prices starting as low as $19.95 annually.

For those who already possess an SSL Certificate from another web host, we are pleased to offer a complimentary extension of up to 12 months on the remaining validity. To learn more about this benefit, please contact our Support team!