Free SSL vs Paid SSL

Free SSL vs Paid SSL Certificate in 2023 – Which One is better for Website?

Free SSL vs Paid SSL Certificate in 2023 – Which One is better for Website? – Just like devices, websites also need a security system that is useful for preventing data leaks caused by hackers or malware. Usually to overcome this problem, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is used.

This certainly has an important role to maintain website security. Especially now if you want to use a website, it means you have to include an SSL certificate in it. If you look at the type, you can use SSL for free and also paid or paid . Of course, these two types have significant differences that affect blogs or websites.

Find out some of the differences between free and paid SSL below!

What is SSL?

Secure Socket Layer or SSL is a security system that can be added to the website. SSL is an important component that must exist on the website. This of course aims to ensure that data exchange through the internet network that is currently happening on the website is more secure. After this SSL is installed the website will change to HTTPS . 

Based on the type, SSL is divided into two, namely free SSL and paid SSL. In short, free SSL means you can use it without being charged. But on the other hand, you can use paid or paid SSL if you pay in advance.

The difference between Free SSL vs Paid SSL

After knowing the definition of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and its types briefly. Find out more about the differences between free SSL and paid SSL below!

1. Free SSL

Free SSL or free SSL is an SSL certificate that you can have for free. With this free SSL you can also change access from HTTP to HTTPS on all website pages. There are several differences if you want to use this type of free SSL, namely:

  • Type of certificate , firstly, when viewed from the type of certificate, this free SSL only provides Domain Validation or DV certificates. And does not provide other types of certificates.
  • Website size , in terms of size on a free SSL website, it is suitable for use on small websites such as blogs, journal websites, portfolio websites, online shops and other small websites.
  • Website verification , then from the website verification side. This free SSL only verifies domain ownership, not all of the content on the website.
  • Compatibility , then on browser compatibility Free SSL only provides browsers that are old or not popular. 
  • Validity period , if you use free SSL, the validity period is very short, only 90 days. So you have to do a reissue again.
  • Guarantee , if you use free SSL, it means that you also cannot get an SSL guarantee when there are problems with verification.
  • Customization , followed by customization where you can only get one domain if you use a free SSL. 
  • Support, on free SSL you will also not get support or support in terms of the services they have such as chat services, email or others.
  • The security system , the guarantee level of security on free SSL cannot be relied upon because it is not very clear what type of encryption they use.
  • URL status, free SSL doesn’t come with Green Address Bar .
  • Publishing process , finally the difference between free SSL compared to paid in terms of the publishing process. Free SSL tends to take longer, around 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Read Also: How to Check and Verify SSL Certificate

2. Paid SSL

Paid SSL or paid SSL is an SSL certificate that you can use after making a payment. Of course with this paid SSL you will get a more premium service compared to the free one. There are several important points that you need to know if you want to use this type of paid SSL, namely:

  • Type of certificate , firstly when viewed from the type of certificate, paid SSL provides a more complete certificate starting from Domain Validation, Organization Validation and Extend Validation .
  • Website size , in terms of size on a paid SSL website, it is suitable for use on websites in a large and growing scope. The goal is to gain the trust of users on your website.
  • Website verification , paid SSL will verify all contents on the website without exception.
  • Compatibility , then compatibility with paid SSL is more complete for browsers around 99.99%. So it is very unlikely to find a browser error. 
  • Validity period , if using a paid SSL then the validity period is longer than the free one, which is around 1 to 2 years. So you don’t need to reissue every 90 days.
  • Guarantee , if you use a paid SSL it means you can get an SSL guarantee. This is useful when there are problems with verification.
  • Customization , followed by customization on more free paid SSL. Where you can freely add subdomains to certain types of SSL. In addition, you can move the SSL certificate to another domain.
  • Support, on paid SSL you will get full support or support in terms of the services they have. And also more complete services such as chat, chat, email and call services 24 hours a day.
  • Security system , the guaranteed level of security on paid SSL is very high. This is supported by the encryption used, which is the highest encryption of 256 bits. So it is safer from hacker or malware attacks.
  • URL status , in this paid SSL the URL is equipped with a Green Address Bar.
  • Publishing process , finally the difference between paid SSL compared to free in terms of the publishing process. This Paid SSL only takes a short time, around 5 to 10 minutes to issue for DV SSL. 

Free SSL vs Paid SSL : Which One to Choose in 2023?

There are many differences between free or paid SSL. Actually which one is better to use on the website? When viewed from the priority of using the website in a small scope, for example for a web portfolio you can still use free SSL. Because based on its activities it doesn’t really require a lot of components to run a website. 

Conversely, if using a website in a large scope such as a business website , it would be more advisable to use a paid SSL. Because in terms of security and certificates and other components are more secure and more complete. So that these two types of SSL are good to use depending on the scope of the website.

Closing

We recommend that if you want to have an important website to support the use of SSL. You can also adjust this to the scope of the website that you have. If you have a website in a small scope such as a blog or an online store, you can use a free SSL to be safe. 

Meanwhile, if you have a large and important website such as a business website, e-commerce or something else, you can use a paid SSL like CloudFlare to make it more secure. 

If you want your website to be safe, especially for beginners, you don’t need to be confused about using an SSL that is suitable for your website.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *