What a certificate actually buys
The encryption is the same
A free certificate and a paid one protect the connection identically. The difference is what the certificate authority verified before issuing it, and the service the seller wraps around it.
DV — domain validation
The authority checks only that you control the domain. Enough for most sites, issued in minutes — and the only kind Let’s Encrypt issues, free of charge.
OV — organisation validation
The authority also checks that the organisation behind the domain exists, and its name is written into the certificate — so a visitor who opens the certificate sees who runs the site.
EV — extended validation
The strictest organisation check, under the CA/Browser Forum’s EV Guidelines. Since Chrome 77 (2019) browsers no longer show the company name in the address bar; it sits in the certificate details.
Wildcard — *.example.com
One certificate for the names one level below your domain, such as shop. and app. Let’s Encrypt issues wildcards too, but only through the DNS-01 challenge — automating it means your DNS host must let a script add records.
No certificate lasts a year now
Since 15 March 2026 the CA/Browser Forum caps a public certificate at 200 days — 100 days from March 2027, 47 from March 2029. A “one-year SSL” is a subscription with reissues in it, so renewal automation matters more than the price.
You may not need to buy one
Shared hosting plans →24 companies in the DohoHub catalogue say on their own pages that a certificate is included with their hosting. Each row quotes what they say, links the page it is from and shows the date we read it — and next to it, the cheapest live plan in that line.
| Provider | Applies to | What they say | Hosting from | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web hosting |
SSL certificate on all plans Source: site.eu · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$0.56/mo
Web Hosting Basic
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
SSL certificate stays part of the plan at renewal Source: turbify.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$0.99/mo
Web Hosting Professional
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Wildcard SSL included Source: ionos.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$1.00/mo
Plus
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free SSL for the life of every plan Source: hostersale.com · checked Oct 7, 2026
|
$1.25/mo
Cheap Hosting Starter
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free SSL on cPanel hosting Source: servarica.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$1.33/mo
SSD Starter
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Let's Encrypt, no renewal fee Source: spaceship.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$1.66/mo
Web Hosting Essential
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free SSL Source: one.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$1.84/mo
Email Essential
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Let's Encrypt Source: chemicloud.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$1.95/mo
Starter
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Unlimited free SSL certificates Source: dreamhost.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$1.99/mo
Web Hosting Launch
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Let's Encrypt with automatic renewal Source: hosting.com · checked Sep 28, 2026
|
$1.99/mo
cPanel Starter
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Unlimited free, auto-renewed certificates Source: gandi.net · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$2.00/mo
Web Hosting Essential
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free SSL certificates Source: 123-reg.co.uk · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$2.64/mo
Economy
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free SSL on all plans Source: whc.ca · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$2.74/mo
Go
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Let's Encrypt Source: greengeeks.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$2.95/mo
Lite
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free SSL on every plan Source: hostpapa.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$2.95/mo
Essentials
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Installed automatically Source: hostinger.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$2.99/mo
Premium
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Let's Encrypt on all plans Source: websavers.ca · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$3.23/mo
Carbon
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Let's Encrypt on all plans Source: timeweb.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$3.77/mo
Year
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Let's Encrypt Source: bluehost.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$3.99/mo
Starter
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free, auto-renewed SSL Source: world.siteground.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$3.99/mo
StartUp
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free AutoSSL certificate Source: atlanticadigital.net · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$4.00/mo
Mini
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free SSL on all hosting tiers Source: dotmoose.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$4.22/mo
Starter
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
Free SSL with auto-renewal Source: xcloud.host · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$5.00/mo
Newcomer
|
Visit | |
| Web hosting |
SSL included on all packages Source: easyspace.com · checked Sep 27, 2026
|
$7.39/mo
Essential Hosting
|
Visit |
“Included” is the company’s statement, not our test; where it names the issuer, the quote says so. The price is the cheapest live plan in that line, not necessarily the tier the company is talking about. If you need an organisation- or extended-validation certificate, look at the paid ones below.
Cheapest paid certificate at each level
For each level of checking, the cheapest certificate a provider in our catalogue sells right now. The level is read from the product’s own name: a certificate whose name says neither DV, OV nor EV stays off this ladder and appears in the full list below, because placing it would be our guess about someone else’s product.
| Provider | Plan | Price | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sectigo PositiveSSL Starter DV
cheapest single-name DV
|
$1.47/mo
≈ $17.59 per year
|
Visit | |
|
PositiveSSL Wildcard
cheapest wildcard · level not named
|
$5.21/mo
≈ $62.52 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Sectigo PremiumSSL eCommerce OV
cheapest single-name OV
|
$3.52/mo
≈ $42.28 per year
|
Visit | |
|
PositiveSSL EV
cheapest EV
|
$7.00/mo
≈ $84.00 per year
|
Visit |
Every certificate we track
| Provider | Plan | Price | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
PositiveSSL
Validation level not named
|
$0.68/mo
≈ $8.16 per year
|
Visit | |
|
RapidSSL
Validation level not named
|
$1.16/mo
≈ $13.92 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Sectigo PositiveSSL Starter DV
Domain validation (DV)
|
$1.47/mo
≈ $17.59 per year
|
Visit | |
|
SSL Certificate Standard
Validation level not named
|
$2.08/mo
≈ $24.96 per year
|
Visit | |
|
PositiveSSL Multi-Domain
Validation level not named · multi-domain
|
$2.11/mo
≈ $25.32 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Premium SSL (DV)
Domain validation (DV)
|
$2.93/mo
≈ $35.18 per year
|
Visit | |
|
SSL Certificate
Validation level not named
|
$3.25/mo
≈ $39.00 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Single Domain SSL (DV)
Domain validation (DV)
|
$3.33/mo
≈ $39.96 per year
renews at $7.49
|
Visit | |
|
Sectigo PremiumSSL eCommerce OV
Organisation validation (OV)
|
$3.52/mo
≈ $42.28 per year
|
Visit | |
|
SSL Certificate Pro
Validation level not named
|
$3.75/mo
≈ $45.00 per year
|
Visit | |
|
RapidSSL Certificate
Validation level not named
|
$3.98/mo
≈ $47.74 per year
renews at $4.76
|
Visit | |
|
PositiveSSL Wildcard
Validation level not named · wildcard
|
$5.21/mo
≈ $62.52 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Positive SSL Single Domain (DV)
Domain validation (DV)
|
$6.58/mo
≈ $78.96 per year
|
Visit | |
|
PositiveSSL EV
Extended validation (EV)
|
$7.00/mo
≈ $84.00 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Sectigo PositiveSSL Wildcard DV
Domain validation (DV) · wildcard
|
$8.22/mo
≈ $98.68 per year
|
Visit | |
|
SSL Wildcard Certificate
Validation level not named · wildcard
|
$8.25/mo
≈ $99.00 per year
|
Visit | |
|
GeoTrust QuickSSL
Validation level not named
|
$8.33/mo
≈ $99.96 per year
|
Visit | |
|
RapidSSL Wildcard
Validation level not named · wildcard
|
$9.16/mo
≈ $109.92 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Wildcard SSL
Validation level not named · wildcard
|
$9.69/mo
≈ $116.27 per year
|
Visit | |
|
GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Certificate
Validation level not named
|
$11.05/mo
≈ $132.56 per year
renews at $12.90
|
Visit | |
|
Sectigo EssentialSSL eCommerce DV
Domain validation (DV)
|
$11.15/mo
≈ $133.85 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Premium SSL (OV)
Organisation validation (OV)
|
$12.42/mo
≈ $149.04 per year
|
Visit | |
|
GeoTrust OV SSL Certificate
Organisation validation (OV)
|
$12.47/mo
≈ $149.64 per year
|
Visit | |
|
True BusinessID SSL Certificate
Validation level not named
|
$13.26/mo
≈ $159.14 per year
renews at $15.44
|
Visit | |
|
Wildcard SSL (DV)
Domain validation (DV) · wildcard
|
$16.58/mo
≈ $198.96 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Enterprise EV SSL
Extended validation (EV)
|
$18.20/mo
≈ $218.41 per year
|
Visit | |
|
GeoTrust EV SSL Certificate
Extended validation (EV)
|
$19.13/mo
≈ $229.56 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Extended Validation SSL
Extended validation (EV)
|
$19.99/mo
≈ $239.88 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Wildcard DV SSL
Domain validation (DV) · wildcard
|
$19.99/mo
≈ $239.88 per year
|
Visit | |
|
SSL Certificate Business EV
Extended validation (EV)
|
$20.83/mo
≈ $249.96 per year
|
Visit | |
|
True BusinessID with EV SSL Certificate
Extended validation (EV)
|
$25.42/mo
≈ $305.07 per year
renews at $29.41
|
Visit | |
|
Wildcard Premium SSL (OV)
Organisation validation (OV) · wildcard
|
$31.58/mo
≈ $378.96 per year
|
Visit | |
|
Positive EV SSL
Extended validation (EV)
|
$33.25/mo
≈ $399.00 per year
|
Visit | |
|
True BusinessID Wildcard SSL Certificate
Validation level not named · wildcard
|
$49.73/mo
≈ $596.78 per year
renews at $57.38
|
Visit |
Prices are per month, as our catalogue stores them. Certificates are usually paid for a year or more at once, so the yearly figure under each price is an approximation — check the term and the total on the seller’s checkout. Where a renewal costs more than the first term, it is printed under the price.
Certificate sorted? Now the DNS behind it
A wildcard certificate and every automated renewal lean on your DNS host. See what each registrar includes — DNSSEC, anycast, your own nameservers.
DNS hosting by registrar →