Secure your base domain and unlimited first-level subdomains with one cheap wildcard SSL certificate, from $56.33 per year. Buy DV or OV wildcards from seven brands: Sectigo, Comodo, DigiCert, GeoTrust, Thawte, GoGetSSL, and RapidSSL. Each wildcard certificate uses a single asterisk pattern (*.yourdomain.com) to cover every subdomain on the same level, so you buy and install one certificate instead of a separate one for each subdomain. Every order comes with a 25-day money-back guarantee.
What Every Wildcard SSL Certificate Includes
Every wildcard SSL certificate on SSL Dragon comes with:
- Unlimited server licenses, with no per-server fees or server count limit
- Unlimited free reissues for the whole subscription term
- A warranty, with the amount for each brand in the table below
- A free site seal, static or dynamic depending on the product
- Trust in all major web and mobile browsers
- A 25-day money-back guarantee on every wildcard order
- Dedicated support from the SSL Dragon team for your order
What Is a Wildcard SSL Certificate?
A wildcard SSL certificate is an SSL/TLS certificate that secures a base domain and unlimited first-level subdomains. It’s issued for a name that starts with an asterisk, such as *.example.com, and the asterisk matches any subdomain at that level. You can add new subdomains anytime without reissuing it.
Order a certificate for *.example.com and it automatically covers www.example.com, mail.example.com, shop.example.com, app.example.com, and any other subdomain at that level. It doesn’t cover:
- nested subdomains such as inbox.mail.example.com, because the asterisk only matches one level deep
- other domains, such as example.net
- internal names such as server.local, which no public CA may issue
The certificate also lists the base domain, example.com, as an extra name. For nested subdomains or several base domains, choose multi-domain wildcard certificates instead.
Wildcard SSL Certificate Prices
Cheap wildcard SSL certificates start at $56.33 per year on a 3-year plan. The cheapest wildcard SSL certificate is the Sectigo PositiveSSL Wildcard, and the cheapest OV option is the Sectigo PremiumSSL Wildcard at $120 per year. Both have Comodo equivalents at the same price.
On 3-year plans, DV wildcards cost $56.33 to $246.66 per year and OV wildcards $120 to $3,333.33. Wildcard SSL certificate prices depend on the validation level, the brand and its warranty, and the term. The Sectigo PositiveSSL Wildcard costs $69 for 1 year, $119 for 2 years, or $169 for 3 years, which works out to $56.33 per year. Multi-year subscriptions lower the per-year cost.
The cheapest wildcard also costs less than separate certificates once you have about eight subdomains. Eight single-domain certificates at $7.66 per year on the same plan cost more than one wildcard, and you manage one subscription instead of eight.
DV vs OV Wildcard Certificates
Wildcard certificates come in two validation levels. Validation level affects who is verified, not how strong the encryption is. At any price, you can use RSA keys of 2048 bits or more, or ECC keys.
- Domain Validated (DV) wildcards issue in about 5 minutes after you prove control of the domain. From $56.33 per year on a 3-year plan, they suit blogs, small business sites, and dev environments.
- Organization Validated (OV) wildcards take 1 to 3 business days because the certificate authority verifies your business registration, address, and a callback phone number. From $120 per year on the same plan, they show your verified company name in the certificate details, which ecommerce, financial services, and healthcare buyers often want.
DNS-based validation with a CNAME or TXT record is the fastest method and the easiest to automate. File-based validation doesn’t work for wildcard names. Email validation still works, but the CA/Browser Forum has discouraged it since March 2026 and bans it from March 15, 2028.
Extended Validation (EV) wildcard certificates do not exist, because EV rules don’t allow wildcard names. OV is the highest validation level available on a wildcard.
Wildcard SSL Brands Compared
Compare wildcard SSL brands by price per year (3-year plan), validation level, and warranty.
| Brand | DV from | OV from | Warranty from | Best wildcard SSL certificate for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sectigo | $56.33 | $120 | $10,000 | the lowest DV and OV prices, plus enterprise OV |
| Comodo | $56.33 | $120 | $10,000 | Sectigo certificates under the Comodo name (Comodo CA was renamed Sectigo in 2018) |
| DigiCert | Not offered | $666.66 | $1,250,000 | banks, regulated industries, and government agencies |
| GeoTrust | $190 | $350 | $500,000 | established businesses without enterprise budgets |
| Thawte | $246.66 | $350 | $500,000 | OV at GeoTrust’s price |
| GoGetSSL | $80 | $206.66 | $50,000 | budget DV and OV for SaaS platforms and publishers |
| RapidSSL | $88.33 | Not offered | $10,000 | mid-budget DV for developer environments and customer dashboards |
DigiCert is the premium tier and only offers wildcards at OV level, up to $3,333.33 per year for Secure Site Pro Wildcard. GeoTrust, Thawte, and RapidSSL are DigiCert brands. For Sectigo’s two cheapest DV lines, see the PositiveSSL Wildcard vs EssentialSSL Wildcard comparison.
Wildcard vs Single-Domain vs Multi-Domain (SAN) Certificates
Choose by how your hostnames are laid out.
- A single-domain SSL certificate, the standard SSL certificate, secures one hostname, usually with its www version. It’s the cheapest option but won’t cover other subdomains.
- Wildcard SSL certificates secure one base domain and every first-level subdomain under it, the right choice when all your subdomains share that base domain.
- A multi-domain SAN certificate secures several unrelated domains, like example.com and example.net, each listed by name up to the certificate’s limit. Multi-domain wildcards combine both: multiple base domains plus every subdomain on each. Reach for that variant when your subdomains span different roots or run more than one level deep.
For more on coverage and cost, read the SAN vs wildcard comparison.
Wildcard Certificate Validity and Renewals
Today’s 200-day limit falls twice more; see the certificate lifetime timeline. Each reissued certificate must be installed on every server.
| Issued from | Maximum validity | Certificates a year |
|---|---|---|
| March 15, 2026 | 200 days | about 2 |
| March 15, 2027 | 100 days | about 4 |
| March 15, 2029 | 47 days | about 8 |
A 1-year plan ordered before March 15, 2027 needs at least 3 certificates, a 2-year plan 7, and a 3-year plan 12. Every plan covers its reissues, and multi-year plans lock in the price. Domain validation repeats at least every 200 days (100 from March 15, 2027; 10 from 2029); OV details are rechecked about once a year.
For hands-off renewals, choose a Sectigo DV ACME automation subscription with wildcard slots or an AutoInstall SSL bundle for RapidSSL or GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium wildcards. Both include their own certificates and need DNS access.
How to Buy a Wildcard SSL Certificate
Ordering and installing a wildcard certificate takes five steps.
- Choose DV or OV and a 1-, 2-, or 3-year term, then order from the product page.
- Generate a CSR in the CSR generator with *.example.com as the Common Name; the base domain is added for you.
- Prove control of the domain with a DNS CNAME or TXT record. If your domain has a CAA record, it must list the issuing CA.
- For OV, submit your company details and take the verification call so the certificate authority can confirm your business.
- Install the certificate, private key, and intermediate chain on every server, using the same files on each.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Wildcard SSL Certificate Cost?
A wildcard SSL certificate costs $56.33 to $246.66 per year for DV and $120 to $3,333.33 per year for OV, on a 3-year plan. Brand and warranty set the price within each range; shorter terms cost more per year. The cheapest wildcard costs $69 for 1 year.
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What is the cheapest wildcard SSL certificate?
The Sectigo PositiveSSL Wildcard and its Comodo equivalent, at $56.33 per year on a 3-year plan or $69 for 1 year. Both are domain-validated (DV) and issue in about 5 minutes after you confirm control of the domain over DNS.
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What Does a Wildcard SSL Certificate Not Cover?
Nested subdomains and other domains. A certificate for *.example.com covers mail.example.com but not inbox.mail.example.com or example.net. For nested coverage or multiple base domains, choose a multi-domain wildcard, the only product type that handles both at once.
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Does a Wildcard Certificate Cover the Bare Domain (example.com)?
Yes, on SSL Dragon’s wildcard certificates. The asterisk in *.example.com doesn’t match example.com on its own, so the base domain is added to the certificate as a second name. One wildcard certificate then secures example.com, www.example.com, and every other first-level subdomain.
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Is There an EV Wildcard SSL Certificate?
No. Extended Validation requires every domain on the certificate to be verified individually, which rules out wildcard scope. If you want EV trust on your main site plus wildcard coverage for subdomains, pair an EV single-domain certificate with an OV wildcard.
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Are Wildcard Certificates Deprecated or Going Away?
No. Wildcard certificates are still defined and issued under the CA/Browser Forum’s Baseline Requirements. What’s changing is how you manage them: shorter maximum validity, more frequent domain validation, and the end of email validation on March 15, 2028, which leaves DNS validation for wildcards.
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Are Wildcard SSL Certificates Less Secure?
Not in their encryption, which is the same as any other certificate’s. The risk is the shared private key: every server that uses the certificate holds it, so a leak on one server affects every subdomain it covers. Install it on as few servers as you need and protect each copy.
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How Fast Is a Wildcard SSL Certificate Issued?
DV wildcards issue in about 5 minutes once domain control validation is done, and a DNS record is the quickest way to do it. OV wildcards take 1 to 3 business days because the certificate authority also verifies your business.
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Can I Install a Wildcard SSL Certificate on Multiple Servers?
Yes, with no per-server fees. Export the certificate, private key, and intermediate chain from the first installation and import them on each additional host. SSL Dragon imposes no server count limit on any wildcard product, but protect every copy of the private key.
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Will the 47-Day Certificate Lifespan Affect Wildcard Renewals?
Yes, and the change has already started. Certificates now last up to 200 days, 100 days from March 15, 2027, and 47 days from March 15, 2029. Your plan covers each reissue. For automatic installation, choose an ACME subscription or an AutoInstall SSL bundle.
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