Are you a web developer or business owner looking to find out just how much you will be paying for SSL certificates? Right off the bat, it is impossible to give an exact price because the SSL Certificate cost varies according to several different factors. For example, how many sites are you developing with SSL? How many different types of websites are you developing? What type of budget are you working with?
The bottom line on what is the price of SSL Certificates? It is dependent upon what you need the certificate for. If you have just one site and you don’t plan to offer any services or applications that require SSL security, then you should not pay for a yearlong SSL certificate. These types of certificates are free for most websites that only accept visitors who enter their details via text messages or secure connection and password systems such as PayPal and Java.
However, if you have multiple websites and you are developing for business or personal reasons, then you will need an SSL certificate for every one of your sites. This is why the price of an SSL certificate cost goes up. However, not all certificates are created equal, and neither do all certificates cost the same. Let me break down the different types of certificates, and what they are used for, so you can get an idea of what is the price of an SSL Certificate. For simplicity’s sake, we will use EV and IP Secrets as examples throughout this article and explain their characteristics.
Table of Contents
Which Type of SSL Certificate is More Suitable For Your Website?
Picking an SSL certificate for your website is based on the type of site you have, in addition to the amount of protection that you need. Generally, there are 3 categories of SSL certificates and you can choose one as per your business requirements.
Extended Validation Service (EV)
This is also known as Extended Validation Service, which is the most recommended type of certificate authority. This is the highest level of certification and the best SSL certificate. This certification verifies the authenticity of websites and protects them from hackers by blocking their access to websites. Every major browser in the world, including Google Chrome, Safari, and Firefox supports EV.
Organization Validation Service (OV)
This is the next highest level of validation type which costs much less than EV. To obtain this certification, the company must perform two sets of validation, which are: Onsite and Offsite. This validation process verifies the authenticity of the website against the guidelines set by EV standards. This SSL certificate cost will fluctuate depending on the number of levels of validation.
Domain Validation Service (DVS)
This is the best SSL certificate which is also called a Domain Validation Service or DVS. The validation process of this service is to verify the authenticity and validity of different types of information regarding the domain name and the server. The two different types of EV certificates are On-Site and Off-Site. Off-site is considered the cheaper option as it does not involve any additional validation process.
Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL Certificate
This is a very common method for getting an affordable EV SSL Certificate. It enables a company to validate more websites with the same cost than previously. To get the cheapest EV SSL Certificate, you can purchase all of them at once. This is the cheapest and fastest way to get an affordable SSL certificate cost.
Getting your certificate today is easy and cheap. There are many ways to obtain them at discounted prices over the Internet. Many companies offer affordable SSL digital certificates over the net. You just have to be resourceful enough to find them.
SSL Certificate Benefits
SSL Protects Your Customers’ Data
The main feature of an SSL certificate is to protect the communication between the server and the client. If you are using a valid SSL certificate, then every bit of information will be encrypted. In layman’s terms, the data is locked and not accessible to any unauthorized person; it can only be unlocked by the intended recipient (client-browser or server). With the increasing trend of online payments, it is mandatory for those websites receiving sensitive data such as IDs, passwords, credit card numbers, etc.,
SSL Sustains Your Identity
Another important feature of an SSL certificate is to provide authentication to a website and verify the identity. Whenever you want to install an SSL certificate, you should go through a validation process by an independent third party called a Certificate Authority (CA) who will verify the identity of you and your organization so that your website visitors see the trust indicators and know who they’re talking to.
Do you think why this verification is necessary? It makes sure that no imposter creates a fake website pretending to be yours because SSL helps users drive to your real website. If I explained this concept in technical terms, then it is called Phishing attacks.
Improved Search Engine Ranking
In 2014, Google made changes to its algorithm and decided to give the upper hand to HTTPS-enabled websites. In simple words, Google made it compulsory to enable HTTPS for all websites. If you didn’t use the SSL certificate, then your website is HTTP. If you want to get more knowledge about HTTP and HTTPS then is a complete HTTP Vs HTTPS guide. According to Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko shows a strong correlation between HTTPS and higher search engine rankings.
Helps To Fulfill PCI/DSS Requirements
If you want to accept online payments, you must follow the PCI/DSS requirements. There are a total of 12 primary requirements of PCI (Payment Card Industry), and an SSL Certificate is one of the key requirements.
Improves Customer Trust
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is also known as TTL (Trust Transmitting Layer) which is compulsory for encryption and authentication, but it is also necessary from a customer point of view. If you have installed an OV or EV SSL, they can see your organization’s details and like to do business with you.
Popular SSL Certificate Vendors
Some websites offer free SSL certificates as an added service to their existing services. If you choose to take this option, make sure that you will also get other benefits. Other companies may also offer free SSL certificates if you buy a certain amount of additional space from them for hosting your site. Such as TEMOK is offering free SSL Certificates with shared hosting plans so that business startups get the lowest-priced hosting package. All these are affordable options for your business, and they can help you in achieving your goals and objectives.
EV SSL Certificates are not only beneficial for small businesses but for medium and large corporations as well. The advantage of availing of these certificates is that you will be able to secure all your website addresses with wildcards. Your site will be fully secured when you make use of these certificates, and you will have the luxury of designing websites that are unique and that have three levels of security. You will be able to achieve this through the use of EV SSL certificates.
Free EV SSL certificates can be purchased directly from EV SSL, and you can also get them from other third-party vendors. There are certain rules and regulations that you need to follow while you purchase such certificates. Before you start the process, make sure that you contact an EV SSL provider so that you can be provided with instructions on the proper process of ordering a certificate. Once you have availed the certificate and implemented the encryption procedure, you will be able to enjoy all the benefits that the certificate has to offer.
Symantec SSL Certificates
| PRODUCTS | PRICE | VALIDATION | SITE SEAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symantec Secure Site | 299$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Symantec Secure Site Pro | 789$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Symantec Code Signing Individual | 455$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Symantec Secure Site with EV | 759$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Symantec Secure Site Pro with EV | 1099$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Symantec Code Signing | 455$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
GeoTrust Certificates
| PRODUCTS | PRICE | VALIDATION | SITE SEAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Certificate | 66.96$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Multi Domain Certificate | 118.80$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| GeoTrust True BusinessID Certificate | 87.48$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| GeoTrust True BusinessID with Multi-Domain | 233.28$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| GeoTrust True BusinessID with EV | 171.72$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Geo Trust True Business ID With EV Multi-Domain | 355.32$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| GeoTrust True BusinessID Wildcard Certificate | 387.72$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
RapidSSL Certificates
| PRODUCTS | PRICE | VALIDATION | SITE SEAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RapidSSL Certificate | 12.91$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| RapidSSL Wildcard Certificate | 128.52$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
Comodo Certificates
| PRODUCTS | PRICE | VALIDATION | SITE SEAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comodo PositiveSSL Certificate | 8.10$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo PositiveSSL Wildcard Certificate | 89.64$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| PositiveSSL Multi-Domain Certificate (DV) | 19.44$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| PositiveSSL Multi-Domain Wildcard Certificate (DV) | 194.40$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo Essential SSL Certificate | 16$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo EssentialSSL Wildcard Certificate | 86$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo InstantSSL Certificate | 34$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo InstantSSL Pro Certificate | 47$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo Code Signing Certificate | 79$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo EV SSL Certificate | 167$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo EV Multi-Domain SSL Certificate | 465$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo HackerGuardian PCI Scan Control Center | 92$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo PCI Scanning Enterprise Edition | 318$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo HackerProof Trust Mark including Daily Vulnerability Scan | 720$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo Premium SSL Certificate | 64$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo PremiumSSL Wildcard Certificate | 160$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo SSL Certificate | 55$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo Wildcard SSL Certificate | 179$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo Multi-Domain SSL Certificate | 106$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Comodo Multi-Domain Wildcard SSL Certificate | 286$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |
| Domain Validated UCC SSL | 106$ | Domain | Static | Order Now! |