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Comodo Positive SSL vs. Let’s Encrypt

Comodo Positive SSL vs. Let’s Encrypt

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Comodo vs Let’s Encrypt…a side-by-side comparison of two the internet’s most popular SSL certificates

Comodo Positive SSL certificates and Let’s Encrypt certificates are two of the most popular SSL certificates being deployed on the internet today. But which one of these two certificates is best for you and your website? Is free really better than paid? Is it better to have a certificate that expires in two years or just three months? Let’s compare Comodo SSL vs. Let’s Encrypt SSL and find out.

Similarities Between Comodo SSL certificates and Let’s Encrypt

Let’s start our Let’s Encrypt vs Comodo comparison with what the two certificates share in common, which is quite a bit. Both certificates offer:

Validation of the registered domain
2,048-bit RSA Signature Key
Up to 256-bit Encryption strength
HTTPS connections
Removes the “Not Secure” browser warning

From a technical standpoint, the encryption from both products works exactly the same. Both certificates can be installed on your site and will allow you to migrate to HTTPS and secure your connections with encryption. The comodo ssl vs letsencrypt ssl encryption strength doesn’t vary, either.

But there are still some very important differences.

Differences Between Comodo Positive SSL vs Let’s Encrypt

Key features that Comodo premium SSL certs offer that Let’s Encrypt doesn’t:

Technical support
Warranties
Certificates valid for 1-2 years
Certificate management tools
Secure site seal

Comodo is a commercial Certificate Authority. That means that it makes money, and then re-invests some of it in fancy things like customer support and certificate management tools. Let’s Encrypt, by contrast, is a free CA, that relies on the generosity of corporate and private benefactors. As such, it can’t afford to offer you support, or a warranty or tools to help you manage your certificates. You are entirely on your own.

If you choose Let’s Encrypt, get ready to go sifting through old forum posts for crowdsourced support that may or may not actually help you. Let’s Encrypt free ssl certificates are typically installed via web hosts – if your hosting company doesn’t support Let’s Encrypt, it can be difficult to get it installed.

So in many ways, especially with a certificate as inexpensive as the Positive, you’re not really paying for the certificate itself– you’re paying to have the product supported. When you purchase from ComodoSSLstore.com, you can call or live chat with an SSL specialist 24/7, throughout the lifespan of your certificate. It’s nice knowing you have someone in your corner if anything strange happens.

And while we’re on certificate lifespan, that’s another major difference between Comodo Positives and Let’s Encrypt certificates. You can get your Comodo Positive SSL certificate issued for upwards of two years worth of validity. By contrast, Let’s Encrypt certificates expire every 90 days. That’s potentially 8 times as many installations if you go the free route. Again, you have to ask yourself, is this worth saving 8 dollars? And for many people the answer is no: it’s much more convenient to pay 8 dollars and not have to install a piece of software 8 separate times without anyone to call for backup if things go sideways.