Loading...Web security is a big concern for website owners. It requires many tools and software to protect a website. One of them is an SSL certificate. But if you’re wondering “how much does an SSL certificate cost?” wonder no more! We’ll answer this question for you — but first, why is an SSL certificate so important?
An SSL certificate is an absolute must for a website’s security because it:
- Removes the” not secure” warning from the web address bar.
- Displays a padlock sign in front of the domain.
- Encrypts the data in transit with the strong 256-bit hashing algorithm.
- Prevents man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks.
- Improves SEO efforts and helps to get better search ranking on Google.
- Helps to gain website visitors’ trust.
- Comes with a warranty that can be used in the rare case of encryption failure.
Now that you know the benefits of an SSL certificate and its importance for website security, the million-dollar question is, how much does an SSL certificate cost?
Let’s Break Down How Much an SSL Certificate Costs and Why
There is no uniform price for an SSL certificate because SSL certificates come in different shapes and sizes! Well, not literally. But they do vary in cost based on a variety of information including:
- brand,
- utility (what a certificate covers),
- validation level,
- warranty,
- extra domain and/or subdomain inclusion, and
- site seals.
Here, we have compared SSL certificates’ types, costs, and other important features so that you don’t have to do the same by browsing each certificate’s pages manually.
How Much Does an SSL Cost Per Year?: Single Domain
| PositiveSSL Certificate | EssentialSSL Certificate | InstantSSL Certificate | PositiveSSL EV Certificate | |
| Lowest Available Price | $9.98/year | $25.95/year | $33.69/year | $88.00/year |
| Warranty | $50,000 | $10,000 | $50,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Validation Level | Domain Validation | Domain Validation | Organization Validation | Extended Validation |
| What the Certificate Includes | www and non-www versions of the website | www and non-www versions of the website | www and non-www versions of the website | www and without-www versions of the website |
| Browser Security Indicators | It enables a padlock icon to appear in the web address bar. | It enables a padlock icon to appear in the web address bar. | Enables a padlock icon to appear in the web address bar and your organization’s name to be listed in the certificate information. | It enables a padlock icon to appear in the web address bar and your organization’s name to display more prominently in the browser. |
| Eligibility | Any website that doesn’t collect or handle users’ personal information. Most suitable for freelancers, bloggers, startups, and small businesses. | Any website that doesn’t collect or handle users’ personal information. Most suitable for freelancers, bloggers, startups, and small businesses. | Only legally registered organizations with a physical address. | Only legally registered organizations with a physical address and a minimum of 3 year in operation (also must be in good standing). |
| How many extra domains can be included? | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of subdomains included | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cost to add additional domain and subdomain | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Type of site seal | Dynamic | Dynamic | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Support | 24/7 Live | 24/7 Live | 24/7 Live | 24/7 Live |
| Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
How Much Does a Wildcard SSL Certificate Cost?
If you have multiple subdomains, a wildcard SSL certificate will be the most suitable security certificate for your website. All of the wildcard SSL certificates available on SectigoStore.com allow you to include an UNLIMITED number of first-level subdomains of your primary domain. Plus, when all the subdomains are secured under one SSL umbrella, you just need to go through certificate signing request (CSR) generation, validation, installation, and renewal process only once to get your SSL certificate. Imagine how easy the task of certificate management will be! Of course, you are saving lots of money, too!
Low Cost Wildcard SSL Certificate: Comparison
| PositiveSSL Wildcard | EssentialSSL Wildcard | InstantSSL Premium Wildcard | |
| Lowest available price | $85.66/year | $87.33/year | $133.78/year |
| warranty | $50,000 | $10,000 | $250,000 |
| Validation Lever | Domain Validation | Domain Validation | Organization Validation |
| Includes | With www and non-www version of website + unlimited subdomains | With www and non-www version of website + unlimited subdomains | With www and non-www version of website + unlimited subdomains |
| Eligibility | Most suitable for freelancers, bloggers, startups, and small businesses. Any website that doesn’t collect or handle users’ personal information. | Any website. Any business. Recommended for startups and small businesses and SMBs. | Only legally registered business organizations with a physical address. |
| Number of subdomains included | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| How many extra domains can be added? | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cost to add additional domain and subdomain | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Type of site seal | Dynamic | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Support | 24/7 Live | 24/7 Live | 24/7 Live |
| Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
How Much Does a Multi-Domain SSL Certificate Cost?
If you’re not sure whether you need a wildcard SSL certificate or a multi domain certificate, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you own multiple websites and domain names?
- Do you own the same domain with different TLDs (i.e. .in, .org, .net, .in, .ca, etc.)?
- Do you own the second level of subdomains (for example, billing.products.mysite.com, test.dev.mysite.com, and payment.vendor.mysite.com)?
If any of the above questions answer is yes, then you should get a multi-domain SSL.
A multi-domain SSL certificate secures multiple domain names under the same certificate roof. It saves money and makes certificate management super easy.
Multi-domain wildcard: A combine benefit of a wildcard and multi-domain SSL certificate. It secures multiple domain names and an unlimited number of multi-level subdomains under a single SSL certificate.
Multi-Domain SSL Cost Comparison
| PositiveSSL Multi-Domain | Sectigo OV UCC SSL Certificate | PositiveSSL Multi-Domain Wildcard | |
| Lowest available price | $29.00/year | $149/year | $174.13/year |
| warranty | $50,000 | $1,000,000 | $50,000 |
| Validation Lever | Domain Validation | Organization Validation | Domain Validation |
| Includes | 1 main domain FQDN+ 2 different SANs with the option of purchasing additional coverage for up to 2,000 additional SANs. | 1 main domain FQDN + 4 different SANs with the option of purchasing additional coverage for up to a total of 250 domains. | 1 main domain FQDN + 2 different SANs with the option of purchasing additional coverage for up to a total of 250 domains + unlimited subdomains |
| Browser Security Indicators | It enables a padlock icon to appear in the web address bar. | Enables a padlock icon to appear in the web address bar and your organization’s name to be listed in the certificate information. | Enables a padlock icon to appear in the web address bar and your organization’s name to be listed in the certificate information. |
| Eligibility | Any website that doesn’t collect or handle users’ personal information. Most suitable for freelancers, bloggers, startups, and small businesses. | Only legally registered organizations with a physical address | Any website that doesn’t collect or handle users’ personal information. Most suitable for freelancers, bloggers, startups, and small businesses. |
| Subdomains included? | Subdomains can be added if they are specified as SANs. | Subdomains can be added if they are specified as SANs. | Unlimited |
| Cost to include additional domain and subdomain | $8.66/year | $34/year | $86/year |
| Type of site seal | Dynamic | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Support | 24/7 Live | 24/7 Live | 24/7 Live |
| Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |