A wildcard certificate is an exceptional choice if you have a single website with multiple sub-domains under it. It will help you secure all of them and there is more! Keep reading to know!
If you are a business owner and have a website, then the acronym HTTPS would not be odd for you. Since Google has made efforts to make the older HTTP insecure, businesses across the world have rushed towards securing their sites with SSL certificates. Though there are various types of SSL certificates, firms are primarily running after multi-domain certificates. Why?
Well, a multi-domain certificate is an excellent pick if you have a website with multiple sub-domains or you have multiple websites. As almost every website has multiple pages, it is advantageous to get a single SSL certificate for all of them. It is cost-effective and obviously secures all the domains and subdomains.
The next question that arises is, should you go for a paid wildcard certificate or a free wildcard certificate? By the way, a wildcard certificate is one that can secure an unlimited number of subdomains under just one domain. You will get to know more about it in the article, along with if you should get a free one or a paid one.
What is a Wildcard SSL Certificate?
Let’s break the ice!
A wildcard SSL certificate is a Single SSL certificate that secures one website and a countless number of sub-domains under it. Unlike its other counterparts, it does not secure multiple websites. Moreover, it only secures sub-domains at a specific level. For example, if your website is www.hammerhead.com, it will secure the following subdomains.
- Blog.hammerhead.com
- Shop.hammerhead.com
- Contact.hammerhead.com
- Products.hammerhead.com
And many others! However, if you want to secure another level subdomain, such as product1.products.hammerhead.com, it is not possible unless you add a SAN for that.
Another cool thing about the wildcard SSL certificate is that you don’t have to declare all the sub-domains at the time of purchase. You can add a sub-domain at any time after your purchase and secure it automatically.
A major drawback of the wildcard SSL certificate is that it is only available for DV and OV levels of validation. It is not available for EV-level validation due to security reasons.
Paid Wildcard SSL Certificate vs Free Wildcard SSL Certificate
If you are up for securing your website against cyberattacks by encrypting the communication data, it is best if you invest in an SSL certificate. Go for a wildcard certificate if your website has multiple domains.
However, when you buy, you may feel this confusion about whether you should go for a Free wildcard SSL certificate or the paid one. Well, no would like to go for a paid wildcard certificate if there is a free version. And why is there a paid version when one can get a free wildcard cert. Here are some primary differences between the free wildcard SSL cert and the paid one.
Validation
The validation level of the certificate is the number one difference. Every SSL certificate has some sort of validation, and this is done by the certification authority. The wildcard certificate can have only OV and DV validation from the CA.
When it comes to OV or organization validation, a free wildcard certificate does not offer that. It only provides domain validation or DV. And the domain validation certificate is also provided by an automated system than humans. Moreover, the name of your business will not be on the certificate.
However, if you go for a paid wildcard certificate, OV or DV, both are validated by a human. The OV-validated cheap wildcard SSL will also have the name of your business on it, which will help in building user trust.
Coverage
The coverage aspect of the paid and free wildcard SSL certificate is the same. It means that no matter if you get a free wildcard SSL certificate or a paid one, both will secure your domain as well as an unlimited number of sub-domains under it.
Time period
If you want to make a cost-effective choice, it is best to go for a paid SSL wildcard certificate. On the one hand, the free wildcard SSL certificate has a validity of 90 days. Hence, you have to renew it every three months.
On the other hand, the paid wildcard certificate has a validity of up to two years, offering you security for an extended period.
Site seal
A site seal can be a static or dynamic image that is attached to the website as an indication to the users that it is secure. With a paid wildcard SSL certificate, you get a site seal, whereas, with a free wildcard SSL certificate, you will not get a site seal.
Warranty
Though it is highly unlikely that something bad will happen at the CA’s end, if it does, the warranty offered by the CA can compensate for your damage, if any. Some of the certificate authorities offer around $1 million as a warranty. However, this is only in the case of paid wildcard certificates, not in the free versions.
Why do you need a Wildcard SSL Certificate?
The need for a wildcard certificate is indispensable. Why? Here are some of those reasons!
- Security: The wildcard SSL certificate secures both the main domain and the subdomains of your website.
- Cost-effective: With no need to buy a separate certificate for each sub-domain, the wildcard SSL certificate saves a lump sum of money for you.
- Builds trust: With a site seal on your website, you can attract more users to your business by building trust. The OV wildcard certificate provides this site seal.
- Saves time: Rather than getting multiple certificates validated by the CA, you can just get one wildcard certificate validated, saving time for you.
Which Certificate Should You Choose?
Well, if you want a verdict from our end, there is a clear winner for you. The paid wildcard SSL certificate is better than the free wildcard SSL certificate.
Though both certificates secure the main domain and sub-domains, which is the primary motive, there are some added benefits of the paid certificate.
- You get the site seal for your website.
- The paid certificate has an extended time period of up to 2 years.
- With a paid OV certificate, you get the name of your business on it.
- The wildcard certificate comes with a warranty if anything goes sideways.
- It comes in both domain validation and organization validation.
Here are some other features of the paid wildcard SSL certificate!
- 256-bit encryption strength
- 100% browser compatibility
- Unlimited server licenses
How much do Wildcard Certificates Cost?
If you want to get a paid wildcard SSL certificate, you need to make your choice carefully. As there are a lot of certificate authorities that provide you with various types of wildcard certificates, the prices can vary.
However, it is always advised to buy from a reputed certificate authority like Sectigo, or COMODO. The typical price range of a wildcard SSL certificate is $60 to around $1300, based on the type of certificate.
There are various types of wildcard certificates, such as
- Positive SSL wildcard certificate
- Essential SSL wildcard certificate
- Instant SSL Premium wildcard
- Enterprise SSL Pro wildcard
- OV SSL wildcard certificate
The cheapest version among them is the Positive SSL wildcard certificate, and the costliest one is the Enterprise SSL Pro wildcard certificate.
Conclusion
In an abstract, we can say that the paid version of the SSL certificate is the best for you. It offers superb security for your entire site. On top of that, there are many other pros like site seal, warranty, etc. The free version is also helpful for you only if you want to take a trial and see how the certificate can help you safeguard data.
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