Loading...What’s the difference between PositiveSSL and PositiveSSL Wildcard Certificates?
Both Positive SSL and Positive SSL Wildcard are SSL certificates offered by Comodo CA (now Sectigo). The mission of the Positive SSL line is to provide affordable access to industry-standard encryption for all businesses. These two digital certificates are staying true to this mission: They’re cost-efficient and yet offer many of the features that an expensive SSL certificate has. These are the most popular SSL certificates among small businesses, bloggers, personal website owners and startups (non-eCommerce).
Key similarities between Positive SSL and Positive SSL Wildcard
Both of these SSL certificates are offered by the same certificate authority, Comodo. Comodo CA has recently rebranded itself as Sectigo. They both:
- Are domain validated (DV) SSL certificates that
don’t require any paperwork and can be issued in minutes. - Offer a generous $50,000 warranty.
- Include a 30-day money back guarantee.
- Come with 2048-bit
signature key and up to 256-bit
encryption - Have 99.9% mobile
support and browser support.
Difference between Positive SSL and Positive SSL Wildcard
There is one major difference between Positive SSL and Positive SSL Wildcard: Positive SSL is a single domain SSL certificate that covers just one primary domain (www and non-www version), while Positive SSL Wildcard secures one primary domain and all its first level subdomains.
| Positive SSL | Positive SSL Wildcard |
| mysite.com www.mysite.com | mysite.com www.mysite.com login.mysite.com blog.mysite.com mail.mysite.com and more: unlimited subdomains! |
Positive SSL starts from $8.61/year and Positive SSL Wildcard from $85.66/year.
Positive SSL and Positive SSL Wildcard: Which one to choose?
If you don’t have any subdomains and are not planning to have them in the future, you can get a Positive SSL certificate. If you have or are planning to have subdomains for your website, you need to choose a Positive SSL Wildcard.
PositiveSSL Wildcard SSL Certificate
PositiveSSL Wildcard certificates are inexpensive wildcard certificates from Sectigo (before Comodo CA). Sectigo offers affordable certificates that can secure a primary domain and all the registered first-level subdomains under a single certificate. PositiveSSL wildcard certificate saves cost and administrative work required for managing multiple certificates.
Why HTTPS is important for subdomains
If you have subdomains, securing all of them with an SSL certificate is essential:
- Google Chrome shows “NOT SECURE” before the
website name in the address bar for all HTTP pages. If your subdomains are
showing an eye-catching “Not Secure” label, your website visitors may not be
able to trust your webpages and may abandon your site. So, this will increase
the bounce rate and reduce conversion rates. - Google also ranks HTTPS pages higher than HTTP
pages. So, if your primary domain is secured and is on https, but other pages
(subdomains) are on HTTP, it will affect your overall SEO ranking. - If your subdomains such as login.mysite.com,
mail.mysite.com, etc. are dealing with any sensitive details such as passwords,
emails to/from key vendors and customers, etc., encrypting those pages with an
SSL certificate becomes crucial.
With Sectigo Positive SSL Wildcard, you don’t need to buy separate SSL certificates for your subdomains and go through a separate application, installation, and renewal process. You can secure your main domain and all its accompanying first level of subdomains with a Positive SSL Wildcard.
Comodo Positive SSL Vs. Positive SSL Wildcard
| Sectigo SSL | Sectigo PositiveSSL Certificate | Sectigo Positive SSL Wildcard |
|---|---|---|
| Product Technical Features |  |
|
| Domains Included | 1 primary domain (both www and non-www versions) | 1 primary domain + all first level subdomains |
| Server License | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Suitable for | Personal Websites, blogs, informative websites | Personal Websites, blogs, informative websites |
| Validation Level | Domain Validation (DV) | Domain Validation (DV) |
| Issuance Time | In minutes | In minutes |
| Paperwork | No | No |
| Mobile Capability | Yes, 99.9% | Yes. 99.9% |
| Money back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Warranty | $50,000.00 | $50,000.00 |
| Browser Support | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Reissues | Free, unlimited | Free, unlimited |
| Key Length | 2048-bit signature key | 2048-bit signature key |
| Encryption | up to 256-bit | up to 256-bit |
| Multi-domain Capabilities | No | No |
| Green Bar | No | No |
| Price for 1 year | $12.95/year | $97.90/year |
| Price for 2 years | $11.95/year | $85.66/year |
| Site Seal |  |
|
| Buy Today | Add to cart | Add to cart |
FAQ
1. Are there any hidden charges for adding an additional subdomain with Positive SSL Wildcard certificate?
No. You can secure unlimited subdomains with Positive SSL Wildcard without paying anything extra for additional subdomains. There are no hidden charges.
Are Positive SSL Wildcard certificates multi-server too? How much does it cost to add an extra server?
Yes. All Positive SSL Wildcard certificates are multi-server certificates. You don’t need to pay anything extra for adding an additional server. An unlimited server license is included with Positive SSL Wildcard.
Can I add multiple domains in Positive SSL Wildcard by paying extra for those domains?
No. Positive SSL Wildcard doesn’t support additional SAN. For additional domains, you need to buy a multidomain wildcard certificate.
How much does it cost to upgrade from Positive SSL to Positive SSL EV?
You would need to cancel the Positive SSL and buy a new SSL certificate, i.e. Positive SSL EV. Because the authentication process is very different, Positive SSL EV will be considered a totally new certificate. Note: You will not get the money back for canceled Positive SSL, unless you cancel it within the 30-day money back guarantee period.
Is it possible to upgrade from Positive SSL to Positive SSL Wildcard?
No. Positive SSL is considered a totally new SSL certificate due to different technicalities involved. You need to cancel your Positive SSL and buy a new Positive SSL Wildcard certificate. Note: You will not get money back for the canceled Positive SSL on a pro-rata basis, unless it’s within the 30 day guarantee period. So, it is essential to plan for the long term and get Positive SSL Wildcard from the beginning if you are planning to have subdomains in the future.
Can I secure .com, .net and .ca version of my website with a Positive SSL Wildcard certificate?
Domain names with a different extension (TLD) are considered a different domain name. You can’t secure domain names with different TLDs with a Positive SSL Wildcard. You need to buy a Positive Multi-domain SSL certificate ($25.60/year) or Positive multi-domain wildcard SSL certificate ($159.20/year).
Can I secure my second layer of subdomains with a Positive SSL Wildcard? Domain.com, mail.domain.com, and login.mail.domain.com with the same Positive SSL Wildcard?
For securing the second level of subdomains, you need to buy a separate Positive SSL Wildcard for your subdomain.
For example, to secure login.mail.domain.com, you need to buy a separate Positive SSL Wildcard, where *.mail.domain.com will be your primary domain.
In other words, a Positive SSL Wildcard can’t cover Domain.com, mail.domain.com, and login.mail.domain.com under the same certificate. You either need to buy another wildcard SSL for your subdomain or buy a Positive Multi-domain Wildcard.