Difference between Comodo PositiveSSL Wildcard vs. EssentialSSL Wildcard Certificate

The difference between two of Comodo’s most popular Wildcard products

Comodo, which was founded in 1998, has grown into the largest Certificate Authority in the world. One recent study of the SSL industry pegged Comodo’s market share at 40%—with a considerable margin separating the company from its closest competitor.

One of the ways Comodo has earned such a robust market share is by dominating the Domain Validation SSL market. Comodo offers a wide range of DV products with varied features. To the untrained eye it could look like they’re just offering a bunch of the same thing, but the differences between these products – when coupled with a salesman that understands his or her customer’s needs – is what makes this strategy so effective for the CA: there is a perfect fit for everyone.

Whether you’re a big company or a small one, an organization or a sole proprietor—Comodo has a product to fit your needs. Want a big warranty? Comodo has the right fit. Want a small warranty? Comodo has the right fit. Want a different site seal? Comodo has that too.

Despite what it may look like at first glance, no two Comodo products are exactly the same. That’s especially true of the Comodo PositiveSSL Wildcard and the Comodo EssentialSSL Wildcard certificates.

While at first blush these may look the same, when you flesh them out you’ll see there are some stark differences that separate the two.

Comparison – Comodo Positive SSL Wildcard vs. Essential SSL Wildcard Certificate

To make things easier for you, we’ll start by providing a side-by-side comparison of the two products and their features before giving a little more description about their differences.

Comodo SSL Brands	PositiveSSL Wildcard	EssentialSSL Wildcard
Product Technical Features
SSL Type	2048-Bit Standard SSL	2048-Bit Standard SSL
Encryption Strength	256-Bit	256-Bit
Issuance Time	Within Minutes	Within Minutes
Validation Type	Domain Validated	Domain Validated
Documents Required	Email Based Validation	Email Based Validation
SAN Support
Wildcard Support	Yes (Unlimited Sub-domains – Level 1)	Yes (Unlimited Sub-domains – Level 1)
Browser Compatibility	99.90% Web and Mobile	99.90% Web and Mobile
Server license	Unlimited	Unlimited
SSL Reissuance	Anytime till Expiration	Anytime till Expiration
Site Seal	Static Positive Site Seal	Static Comodo Site Seal
PCI scanning	Not Available	YES
Warranty	$10,000	$10,000
Refund Policy	30 Days	30 Days
Pricing
1 Year	$89.00/Yr	$95.00/Yr
2 Years	$77.88/Yr	$83.13/Yr
3 Years	$74.17/Yr	$79.17/Yr
4 Years	$72.31/Yr	$77.19/Yr
	Read More	Read More
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Key Differences Between PositiveSSL Wildcard and EssentialSSL Wildcard

As you’ll notice, there are two major differences between the products: PCI Compliance and the price. Let’s go a little more in-depth on all two:

PCI Scanning

PCI Scanning is a feature that makes sure your website is staying compliant with data security standards set by the Payment Card Industry. Obviously, if you are running a website for a company or organization that needs to be PCI compliant, getting this tossed in as a freebie – which it is on the EssentialSSL Wildcard – would be a big deal. If you’re not running a site where PCI compliance matters, it’s not likely to mean much at all. The EssentialSSL Wildcard also comes with Free Daily Website Scanning to help look for other vulnerabilities in your site’s code. The PositiveSSL Wildcard includes none of those features.

Price

And here’s where the PositiveSSL makes up ground it lost by not including “freebies” like PCI and Website Scanning—its price is lower. Granted, the difference is somewhat marginal, but the PositiveSSL is still cheaper. Keep in mind, SSL Certificates all offer the same protection. Encryption strength is industry-standard no matter what kind of certificate you go with. The difference lies in the features. With the EssentialSSL, you’re paying a little bit more and getting a couple of bonuses tossed in with it. With the PositiveSSL you’re paying a bit less for the same protection you’d be getting with the Essential.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, each product has its strengths. If all you’re concerned with is encrypting a domain and all of its sub-domains, the PositiveSSL allows you to do that for a lower price. If you’d like a slightly more recognizable site seal and a couple of scanners bundled in, you can pay a few dollars more and get the Essential.

Both are great products, but each fits a slightly different set of needs.