SSL Certificates, Free or Paid, What Is The Difference

Find the Perfect SSL Solution for Enhanced Encryption and Trust

Deciding Which SSL Certificates Best Suits
Your Needs and Website Requirements

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What is an SSL certificate?

SSL Certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, it activates the padlock and the HTTPS protocol and allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. Typically, SSL is used to secure credit card transactions, data transfer and logins, and more recently is becoming the norm when securing browsing of social media sites.

If you're serious about doing business online, you need SSL. It's the best way to protect user data and defend against identity theft. Many customers will refuse to do business with a website that doesn't have an SSL certificate. Displaying your SSL Site Seal tells customers they can shop with confidence, knowing they're protected. SSL Frequently Asked Questions.

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RSH Web Hosting

Free SSL Certificates

With RSH Web Services Best Website Hosting Accounts, a free SSL cert is available. Making it easier to build a secure Internet. We are excited to deliver these new features, and we hope that they advance both the business of web hosting and the security of online communications. These certs are already set up and install to your hosting account and ready to go, just type in the "HTTPS" before your domain name.

Free SSL

Paid Certificates

Normally, paid certs are stronger and more widely accepted by all browsers
If you need multiple, wild-card or green bar certs then Paid is the way to go.

Single Domain Certificate

Single-domain SSL certificates provide security for a single fully qualified domain name. The straightforward nature of Single Domain SSL Certificates is an ideal solution for any small, medium, and large sized website. Ensure your visitors and customers that they are quite safe on your website. The validation process is normally performed via email or DNS. The owner is requested to prove admin right by receiving and confirming an email sent to an administrative email for the domain, or by configuring some specific DNS records for the domain.

Single Domain

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Wildcard Certificate

Wildcard SSL certificates secures your website URL and an unlimited number of its subdomains. For example, a single Wildcard certificate can secure www.coolexample.com, blog.coolexample.com, and store.coolexample.com. Extending a single certificate to subdomains rather than purchasing separate certificates can save money and make administration easier. The disadvantage, however, is that if a certificate has to be revoked on one subdomain, it has to be revoked on all the others as well. If a subdomain like payment.domain.com is compromised, for example, so are the mail and all subdomains.

Wildcard SSL

Multiple Domain Certificates

A Unified Communications Certificate (UCC) is an SSL certificate that secures multiple domain names and multiple host names within a domain name. A UCC lets you secure a primary domain name and up to 99 additional Subject Alternative Names (SANs) in a single certificate. Please note that any secondary hosting accounts will be listed in the certificate as well, so if you do not want sites to appear 'connected' to each other, you should not use this type of certificate.

Multiple Domains

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RSH Web Hosting

Green Bar EV SSL Certificates

As the highest class of SSL available, Extended Validation SSL Certificates (EV SSL) activate both the padlock and the green address bar in all major browsers. EV SSL Certificates provide the strongest encryption level available and enable the organization behind a website to present its own verified identity to website visitors. EV SSL Certificates offer a stronger guarantee that the owner of the website passed a thorough, and globally standardized, identity verification process defined within the EV guidelines.

EV SSL