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Loading...How Much Does an SSL Certificate Cost You for HTTPS?
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Browse a detail breakout on SSL Certificate Cost by types, features, and benefits
Once you have decided to purchase an SSL certificate for your website, the next question pops up, how much is an SSL certificate for? Well, the SSL certificate cost primarily depends upon the type of SSL certificate you are buying.
For most people, the SSL certificate price can be a deciding factor on which SSL certificate to buy. Hence, let us first understand through this blog what is an SSL certificate, its type, SSL cost, and where to buy it. Let us get started!
How Does an SSL Certificate Work?
The sole purpose of the SSL is to protect the data being transferred between the websites and the users. Therefore, the protocol leverages a certain set of algorithms to scramble data and transfer it in an encrypted form for higher security. The data may include extremely sensitive information such as users’ names, addresses, and bank details.
Process
- A server or browser attempts to connect to a website protected by an SSL certificate.
- The web server identifies the browser request.
- The web server further sends the browser a copy of its SSL certificate.
- The browser analyzes the server’s SSL certificate and decides if the website is safe.
- If the browser finds the website trustworthy, it signals it to the web server.
- The web server, in return, sends a digitally signed acknowledgment and begins an SSL encrypted session.
- The data is then shared between the browser and the server.
Though the process may seem lengthy, it happens within milliseconds. The process is known as an SSL handshake. A website with an SSL certificate will appear with the acronym HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) in your browser’s URL bar. Conversely, websites without SSL protection will show only HTTP without the S in the URL bar.
You Details You Need to Obtain an SSL Certificate
Following are the things you will find in an SSL certificate:
- The domain name for which the certificate was issued.
- Issuing Certificate Authority Name.
- The Certificate Authority’s digital signature.
- Name of the organization.
- Issue date of the certificate.
- The expiry date of the certificate.
- Associated subdomains.
- The public key
Why You Need an SSL certificate?
The answer is fairly simple. The websites require SSL certificates to verify the ownership of the website, keep their user data secure, and prevent hackers from stealing any information by creating an encrypted tunnel to share information between a server and a browser.
When dealing with the financial details of your accounts, it is best to avail of the services from trustworthy websites. SSL certificates keep online interaction private and ensure the website is authentic and trustworthy to share the data.
An SSL certificate helps safeguard crucial information such as:
- Login details
- Bank details and cards information
- Proprietary information
- Medical records
- Legal documents and contracts
What are the Types of SSL Certificates?
There are six types of SSL certificates available online:
1. Extended Validation Certificates (EV SSL)
Generally, these are the most expensive types of SSL certificates. They are purposefully designed with the best security measures. The certificate is mostly used for websites that collect data and involve online payments.
On installation of this certificate, you will find HTTPS mentioned in the URL bar along with the company name within the secure padlock.
The owners must undergo a rigorous identity verification process to obtain an EV SSL certificate. It helps them confirm their authenticity and distinguish their site from malicious sites.
| Product Name | Type of Validation | Issuance Time | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive EV SSL | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $59.99/yr |
| Sectigo Positive EV SSL | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $59.99/yr |
| COMODO EV SSL | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $69.99/yr |
| SECTIGO EV SSL | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $89.99/yr |
| Sectigo Positive EV Multi-Domain | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $109.00/yr |
| Positive EV Multi-Domain | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $109.99/yr |
| SECTIGO EV Multi-Domain (MDC) SSL | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $163.99/yr |
| COMODO EV Multi-Domain (MDC) SSL | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $199.99/yr |
| SectigoSSL Enterprise SSL EV Multi-Domain | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $260.00/yr |
| Enterprise SSL Pro with EV Multi-Domain | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $699.99/yr |
| Enterprise SSL Pro with EV | Organization Validation | 1 to 5 Days | $799.00/yr |
2. Organization Validated Certificates (OV SSL)
OV SSL certificate is much similar to EV SSL and is generally used by medium to high-profile websites. The website owner must undergo a substantial validation process to obtain this certificate. This certificate aims to encrypt the user’s sensitive information during transactions.
Websites with OV SSL Certificate display HTTP acronym and the website owner’s information in the certificate information. This type of certificate is suitable for commercial or public-facing websites.
| Product Name | Type of Validation | Issuance Time | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instant SSL Certificate | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $21.99/yr |
| Instant SSL Pro | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $23.99/yr |
| Premium SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $38.99/yr |
| Sectigo OV SSL Certificate | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $39.99/yr |
| Enterprise SSL Certificate | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $149.99/yr |
| Enterprise SSL Pro | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $179.99/yr |
3. Domain Validated Certificates (DV SSL)
This type of certificate is mostly used for blogging or informational websites. It has the easiest validation process and can be obtained very quickly. The validation process only needs the website owners to prove domain ownership.
This can be done by email verification, file-based verification or through domain registrar’s information. In DV SSL certificate, only HTTPS is displayed over the URL bar. However, the security of this SSL certificate is minimal as there is no sensitive information present on such websites.
| Product Name | Type of Validation | Issuance Time | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certera SSL Certificate | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $2.99/yr |
| Positive SSL Certificate | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $4.99/yr |
| Sectigo Positive SSL | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $4.99/yr |
| Essential SSL Certificate | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $9.99/yr |
| SECTIGO SSL Certificate | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $34.99/yr |
| COMODO SSL Certificate | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $35.99/yr |
| Comodo AMT Certificate (DV) | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $66.33/yr |
4. Wildcard SSL Certificates
This certificate enables you to secure a base domain and multiple sub-domains on a single SSL certificate. It’s generally used if you have several sub-domains, as you need to buy only a single certificate instead of individual certificates for all of them. Wildcard certificate has an asterisk * sign marked over its name that denotes any valid sub-domains with the same base domain.
A single cheap Wildcard SSL certificate can be leveraged to secure:
- login.yourdomain.com
- payments.yourdomain.com
- anything.yourdomain.com
- mail.yourdomain.com
- download.yourdomain.com
| Product Name | Type of Validation | Issuance Time | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certera SSL Wildcard Certificate | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $29.99/yr |
| Positive SSL Wildcard | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $33.99/yr |
| Sectigo Positive SSL Wildcard | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $33.99/yr |
| Essential SSL Wildcard | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $49.99/yr |
| Comodo AMT Wildcard SSL (DV) | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $70.00/yr |
| Comodo PositiveSSL OV Wildcard | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $80.00/yr |
| COMODO Wildcard SSL | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $90.99/yr |
| Premium Wildcard SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $98.99/yr |
| SECTIGO Wildcard SSL | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $149.99/yr |
| Sectigo OV Wildcard SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $169.99/yr |
5. Multi-Domain SSL certificates (MDC)
Like the Wildcard certificate, a multi-domain SSL certificate is also used to protect many domains or sub-domain names. However, in this certificate type, you can have a combination of completely unique domains and sub-domains.
Common examples of MDC-supported websites are:
- example.org
- www.example.com
- mail.this-domain.net
- secure.example.org
- example.anything.com.au
- checkout.example.com
| Product Name | Type of Validation | Issuance Time | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certera Multi Domain SSL Certificate | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $10.99/yr |
| Certera Multi Domain Wildcard (FLEX) | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $10.99/yr |
| Comodo Multi Domain SSL Wildcard (FLEX) | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $12.99/yr |
| Sectigo Multi Domain SSL Wildcard (FLEX) | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $12.99/yr |
| Positive Multi-Domain SSL | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $14.99/yr |
| Sectigo Positive Multi-Domain SSL | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $14.99/yr |
| Certera Multi Domain Wildcard SSL Certificate | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $40.99/yr |
| Comodo PositiveSSL OV Multi-Domain | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $50.00/yr |
| SECTIGO MDC SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $59.99/yr |
| COMODO MDC SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $69.99/yr |
| Positive Multi-Domain Wildcard | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $99.99/yr |
| Sectigo Positive Multi-Domain Wildcard | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $99.99/yr |
| SECTIGO Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $179.99/yr |
| COMODO Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $179.99/yr |
6. Unified Communications Certificates (UCC)
UCC certificate is similar to a multi-domain SSL certificate. Initially, UCC was designed to secure Live Communications servers and Microsoft Exchange. However, any website owner can now leverage this certificate to enable multiple domain names to be protected under a single certificate.
This is a fairly low-priced certificate. This certificate is organizationally validated and displays HTTPS on the URL address bar.
| Product Name | Type of Validation | Issuance Time | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMODO UCC SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $53.99/yr |
| COMODO Domain Validated (DV) UCC SSL | Domain Validated | In Minutes | $69.99/yr |
| SECTIGO OV UCC SSL | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $69.99/yr |
| COMODO UCC Wildcard Certificate | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $179.99/yr |
| SECTIGO UCC Wildcard Certificate | Organization Validated | 1 to 3 Days | $179.99/yr |
Benefits of Purchasing an SSL Certificate
There are many significant benefits of using an SSL certificate for your website, such as:
1. It Protects Users’ Sensitive Data
This is the most significant benefit of using an SSL certificate. It ensures that your data is transferred through a safe protocol using encryption so that it can not be breached. In case someone tries to hack the data, the algorithm ensures the data being intercepted can not be decoded back to its original form by the hackers.
2. It Diminishes the Risk of Cyber Attacks
Cyber attacks like phishing (building a duplicate website in coherence to the original one to steal information) have become highly common today. Fortunately, an SSL certificate ensures that the website is safe to use and is not involved in any fraudulent activities.
3. It Provides Users a Trust in the Website
Though repeated several times, an SSL certificate is important because it assures the users that the website is safe for use. If the site you are trying to visit does not have an SSL certificate, the browser will automatically give you a warning message before you proceed.
4. It is Beneficial for Search Engine Rankings
Google, in 2014, officially announced that SSL and HTTPS are essential SEO factors when they rank a website. However, amidst the huge competition for SEO rankings, having a website without an SSL certificate is extremely hard to rank on search engines.
Prerequisites Before Buying an SSL Certificate
Here are some documents that you may need before buying an SSL certificate:
- A unique IP address
- Documents to verify your business’s identity
- A CSR (certificate signing request)
- An accurate and updated WHOIS record
What is the Cost of SSL Certificate and Where to Purchase It?
The average cost for different types of SSL certificates has already been mentioned. There are various SSL certificate vendors that you can choose for your purchase of an SSL certificate.
CheapSSLWeb – The Cheapest SSL Certificate Provider
- Wildcard SSL Certificate starts at $29.99/Year
- EV SSL Certificate starts at $59.99/Year
- OV SSL Certificate starts at $21.99/Year
- DV SSL Certificate starts at $2.99/Year
- Multi-Domain SSL Certificate starts at $10.99/Year
- Cheap Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL starts at $12.99/Year
- UCC SSL Certificate starts at $53.99/Year
- Code Signing Certificate starts at $49.99/Year
- EV Code Signing Certificate starts at $199.99/Year
Conclusion
Now that you know how much is an SSL certificate price and how crucial it is for your website, so must get one for your website protection. It will make your website safer to use and help more people show trust in it.
