SSL Certificates: Free vs Paid

Since 2017, HTTPS has become the standard for websites. But do you need an expensive SSL certificate? Or is a free Let's Encrypt certificate sufficient?

What is SSL/HTTPS?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts the traffic between your visitor and your website. This prevents malicious parties from intercepting data.

Free SSL: Let's Encrypt

Let's Encrypt is a non-profit organization that issues free SSL certificates. Most hosting providers offer this as standard:

• TransIP - ✓ Free Let's Encrypt
• Vimexx - ✓ Free Let's Encrypt
• Antagonist - ✓ Free Let's Encrypt

The encryption is identical to paid certificates!

When to Use Paid SSL?

Paid certificates offer extra features:

1. Extended Validation (EV) - Green company name in the browser
2. Warranty - Up to €1.5 million for data breaches
3. Wildcard - One certificate for all subdomains

For most websites, free SSL is more than sufficient. Only webshops with many transactions sometimes consider EV certificates for trust.

Conclusion

Start with free Let's Encrypt. All modern hosting providers support this. Only upgrade if you have specific business reasons.