Understanding the cost of SSL certificates is crucial for website owners looking to enhance their site’s security. So, how much does an SSL certificate cost? Generally, prices can range broadly from free to over a thousand dollars, depending on various factors.
This article demystifies SSL pricing by exploring key factors that may affect the price. Whether you’re securing a small blog or a large e-commerce site, our guide helps you navigate the diverse options and prices to find the SSL certificate that fits your needs and budget, offering a comprehensive look at the financial spectrum of these essential security tools.
Table of Contents
- How Is the SSL Price Determined?
- SSL Prices by Validation
- SSL Prices by Domain
- SSL Prices by Signing
- SSL Prices by Brand Image
- SSL Prices by Extra Features
- SSL Prices by SSL Warrant
- SSL Prices by the Seller
How Is the SSL Price Determined?
The cost of SSL certificates can be a tricky subject. SSL certificates have to secure the entire Web, but not all websites are identical. A regular blog has different security needs than a large e-commerce platform.
Most novices mistakenly believe that more expensive certificates provide better encryption. However, the price has nothing to do with the encryption level because the SSL industry follows the universal TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol to secure sensitive data.
So, all SSL certificates, from the cheapest to the premium, offer the same protection, which is impossible to break with current technology. Now that we’ve got this out of the way, let’s see what elements influence the cost of SSL certs.
The SSL certificate price varies depending on several factors, including:
- Validation type
- What it can secure
- Extra features like site seals and SSL warranties
- Certificate Authorities’ brand image and the seller itself
- Moreover, the same SSL product will cost more if you buy it directly from the Certificate Authority instead of a certified SSL vendor.
All these determine the SSL certificate pricing.
How Much Does a SSL Certificate Cost?
Now, let’s take a look at the exact cost of SSL certificates, considering all these influencing factors.
SSL Certificate Cost by Validation
SSL validation is the first thing to consider when choosing a certificate. It’s also one of the main factors that determines the SSL cost.
- DV (Domain Validation) SSL certificates – prices start as low as $7.66 per year.
Domain Validation verifies domain ownership only and provides essential customer trust and features. Hence, it’s the most common and cheapest option. It’s the perfect choice for blogs, online portfolios, and informational sites. - BV (Business Validation) SSL certificates – prices start at $37.33 per year.
Business Validation verifies the legal status of your company on top of the domain ownership. It provides a greater assurance that the website is safe and belongs to a genuine organization. - EV (Extended Validation) SSL certificates – prices start at $75 per year.
Extended Validation checks the physical and legal existence of the organization, in addition to DV and OV. It is the most rigorous level of validation and thus carries the highest degree of trust, credibility, and cost.
SSL Certificate Price by Domain
SSL certificates can secure anything from a single domain or subdomain to multiple websites and an unlimited number of subdomains under one installation. Of course, the more versatile the certificate is, the more it will cost. Then we also have Email SSL certificates and certs that can protect an IP address. These types have their own price ranges. Finally, digital certificates like Code Signing protect software and applications and are a must for code publishers.
- Single-Domain SSL certificates are the most affordable because they encrypt just one domain or subdomain.
- Multi-Domain SSL certificates – prices start at just $21.66 per year.
They can secure up to 250 additional SANs (Subject Alternative Names) under one certificate. Their price depends on the validation level and Certificate Authority (brand). - Wildcard certificates – prices start at $56.33 per year.
They are pricier as they encrypt unlimited subdomains along with the main domain. - Multi-Domain Wildcard certificates – prices start at $150 per year.
It is a hybrid certificate that can secure all your subdomains on multiple domains. It’s more expensive than regular Wildcard or Multi-Domain certs.
Cost of SSL Certificate by Signing
- Email SSL certificates – prices start at $23.33 per year.
Email certificates digitally sign and encrypt email messages and their attachments and have different prices for individuals, small-to-medium businesses, and enterprises. - IP Address SSL Certificates – prices start at $44.43 per year
They are available to both regular websites and officially registered organizations that must protect a public IP address. Depending on your needs, you may request a DV certificate to secure multiple SANs or a BV certificate to encrypt one IP address. - Code Signing – prices start at $219 per year.
Code signing adds a digital signature to software and applications and verifies that the included code has not been altered after it was signed.
SSL Pricing by Brand Image
Every SSL brand targets specific users and niches per its business model. No one illustrates it better than Sectigo and DigiCert, the CAs with the highest market share in the industry.
- Sectigo‘s (formerly Comodo) most affordable Sectigo PositiveSSL certificate costs $7.66 per year, while the most expensive Sectigo OV SSL Wildcard certificate is $416.66 per year.
They offer a wide range of SSL products for every need and budget. No one matches their affordable prices, and they even have budget EV and Multi-Domain Wildcard products. - DigiCert‘s most affordable DigiCert Standard SSL certificate costs $216.66 per year, while the most expensive DigiCert Secure Site PRO Wildcard is $3,333.33 per year.
DigiCert focuses on high-assurance markets, providing BV and EV solutions for larger organizations and enterprises.
The difference in price between Sectigo and Digicert certificates is enormous, but both companies thrive.
Cost of SSL by Extra Features
Commercial SSL certificates come with extra features like site seals and SSL warranties. An SSL site seal is a visual indicator that lets visitors know your company values online security and privacy.
- Site seals can be static or dynamic; you can place them anywhere on your site, including the checkout pages, sidebars, and footer area. The more popular the brand is, the more effective the site seal will be. Certificates with dynamic site seals cost more than similar products with static seals.
For instance, Sectigo Essential SSL ($16.66 per year) and Thawte SSL 123 ($36.66 per year) are DV certificates. But the latter is twice the price of the first one because of its dynamic site seal and brand reputation. - SSL warranty protects users against potential data breaches. While it’s highly unlikely that an attacker will break the SSL encryption, a CA can fraudulently or mistakenly issue an SSL certificate to the wrong recipient.
Entry-level certificates usually have smaller warranties than premium ones. SSL warranty can range from $10.000 to $2.000.000 depending on the validation type and Certificate Authority.
When two SSL certificates offer similar options, often the level of SSL warranty determines the price. Certificates with higher SSL warranties are usually more expensive.
That’s the case with Comodo Instant SSL ($37.33 per year) and GeoTrust True Business ID ($91.66 per year). Both are Business Validation certs, but the latter’s warranty is $1.250.000 compared to the first’s $50.000.
SSL Certificate Price by the Seller
You can buy an SSL certificate from different places, but the cheapest is a specialized SSL vendor like SSL Dragon. Also called an SSL reseller, a company like ours has platinum partnerships with the leading CAs that allow us to buy certificates in bulk at highly discounted prices. We then pass the savings onto our customers and offer regular deals, to keep their spending to a minimum.
Unlike SSL resellers, hosting companies, for example, sell SSL certificates as an upsell to their main product. They offer a competitive price for the first year, but the SSL renewal is way more expensive. Buying directly from the CA is also not a good idea as the price is steep.
Thawte Web Server EV is just $170 per year at SSL Dragon. The same certificate costs $398 per year on Thawte’s official website.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, many factors determine the SSL certificate price. Moreover, the same cert can sell for less or more depending on where you buy it. To choose the right certificate for your website, set your budget, then decide on the validation type, brand, and extra features you may need. As long as you buy and renew it from an SSL reseller, you will get the best price, no matter what type you purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not all SSL certificates cost money. Some public Certificate Authorities issue free SSL certificates destined for entry-level sites and static content. A free SSL certificate verifies domain ownership only and can’t protect multiple websites under a single SSL installation. It isn’t suitable for officially registered businesses, e-commerce platforms, non-profit organizations, and financial institutions.
On the other hand, paid SSL certificates offer all three validation levels and secure anything from a basic website to public IPs and multi-network sites.
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SSL certificates cost money because they are issued by trusted third-party organizations called Certificate Authorities. These entities verify the website’s owner identity and maintain strict security standards and infrastructure to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the SSL certs they issue. On top of that, CAs keep track of certificate revocations and offer robust customer support. All these processes require financial and human resources, which are ultimately reflected in the price.
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The SSL certificate cost varies depending on the validation type and the Certificate Authority (CA) that issues it. Generally, a Domain Validation (DV) SSL certificate can cost as low as $10-15 per year, while a more advanced Extended Validation (EV) SSL one can cost several hundred dollars. SSL cert costs roughly $60 per year, but you shouldn’t worry about the average. We offer affordable SSL certificates for any budget and needs.
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