What Are Differences Between Free and Paid SSL Certificates
All SSL certificates can be used to create an encrypted channel for visitors to access websites through HTTPS. If a website is secured with an SSL certificate, a security padlock will be displayed on the browser when visitors access the website.
This topic describes the differences between free and paid SSL certificates.
| Item | Free Certificate | Paid Certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Security Level | General | High |
| Compatibility with the certificate running environment | General | High |
| SSL certificate warranties from CAs | Not supported | Supported |
| Restrictions on certificate quantity | A maximum of 20 certificates for each calendar year | Unlimited |
| Types of website domain names that can be associated with | One single domain | Single domain, multiple domains, and wildcard domains |
| Associating a certificate with an IP address | Not supported | Supported by OV certificates issued by GlobalSign |
| Supported certificate types | DV | DV, OV, and EV |
| Technical support | Not supported | Supported |
Generally, free certificates are used only for personal websites or testing purposes. It is not recommended that you use free certificates for enterprise websites with mature services.
For enterprise websites, paid certificates are recommended. For governments, financial institutions, e-commerce platforms, and healthcare agencies, OV or EV certificates are recommended. These certificates make your website more trust while better protecting website data and identity authentication. For more details about paid certificate selection, see How Do I Select an SSL Certificate?
Did this article solve your problem?
Thank you for your score！Your feedback would help us improve the website.