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Digicert VS Let's Encrypt

Compare Digicert VS Let's Encrypt and see what are their differences

Digicert logo Digicert

Encryption & Authentication

Let's Encrypt logo Let's Encrypt

Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open certificate authority brought to you by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).
  • Digicert Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-13
  • Let's Encrypt Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-12

Digicert features and specs

  • Reputation
    DigiCert is a well-established and trusted Certificate Authority (CA) known for its reliability and high standards in providing SSL/TLS certificates.
  • Wide Range of Certificates
    DigiCert offers a diverse suite of SSL/TLS certificates including standard, wildcard, and extended validation (EV) options, ensuring that businesses can find the right level of security for their needs.
  • Fast Issuance
    DigiCert is known for its quick certificate issuance times, often able to provide certificates within minutes, which is beneficial for businesses needing rapid deployment.
  • Excellent Support
    DigiCert provides high-quality 24/7 customer support, helping users to resolve their issues quickly and efficiently.
  • Advanced Features
    Advanced security features and tools like certificate management platforms and vulnerability assessment services enhance overall online security and simplify management.
  • High Compatibility
    DigiCert certificates are widely recognized and compatible across various platforms, browsers, and devices, ensuring a seamless user experience.
  • Strong Encryption
    DigiCert SSL/TLS certificates offer strong encryption standards, which secure data transmission and protect sensitive information from interception and tampering.

Possible disadvantages of Digicert

  • Cost
    DigiCert certificates tend to be more expensive compared to other Certificate Authorities, which might be prohibitive for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    The array of options and features might be overwhelming for users who are not familiar with SSL/TLS certificates, creating a potential learning curve for new users.
  • Renewal Process
    Some users have reported that the renewal process can be cumbersome and slow, leading to potential downtime if not managed proactively.

Let's Encrypt features and specs

  • Free of Charge
    Let's Encrypt provides SSL/TLS certificates at no cost, making it an economical choice for individuals and businesses.
  • Automated Certificate Issuance and Renewal
    The process of obtaining and renewing certificates can be automated using the ACME protocol, reducing manual intervention and administrative overhead.
  • Ease of Use
    Let's Encrypt simplifies the process of enabling HTTPS for websites, even for users with limited technical expertise.
  • Security
    Let's Encrypt certificates provide strong encryption, improving the security of data transmitted between clients and servers.
  • Widely Recognized
    Certificates issued by Let's Encrypt are trusted by all major web browsers and operating systems.
  • Promotes Secure Web Practices
    By making SSL/TLS certificates freely available, Let's Encrypt encourages more websites to adopt HTTPS, contributing to a more secure internet.

Possible disadvantages of Let's Encrypt

  • Short Duration of Certificates
    Let's Encrypt certificates are valid for only 90 days, requiring more frequent renewals compared to traditional certificate authorities.
  • Limited Support Options
    Let's Encrypt relies on community support and documentation, and does not offer dedicated customer support for troubleshooting and assistance.
  • No Extended Validation (EV) Certificates
    Let's Encrypt does not issue Extended Validation (EV) certificates, which provide additional verification and a higher level of trust for business websites.
  • Potential for Misuse
    Since certificates are issued for free and with minimal validation, there is a risk that cybercriminals might use them for phishing or other malicious activities.
  • No Wildcard Certificates for Multi-Level Subdomains
    While Let's Encrypt supports wildcard certificates for single-level subdomains, it doesn't support them for nested subdomains (e.g., *.sub.example.com).
  • Reliance on Third-Party Tools for Automation
    Users may need to rely on third-party tools or scripts for automation, which could introduce additional complexity or security risks.

Digicert videos

DigiCert CertCentral

More videos:

  • Review - To Authenticate or Validate, That is The Question - Avesta Hojjati, DigiCert Inc
  • Review - Mike Ahmadi, DigiCert - Paul's Security Weekly #576

Let's Encrypt videos

No Let's Encrypt videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Digicert and Let's Encrypt)
Security & Privacy
35 35%
65% 65
Domain Name Registrar
39 39%
61% 61
Identity And Access Management
SSL Certificates
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Let's Encrypt seems to be a lot more popular than Digicert. While we know about 331 links to Let's Encrypt, we've tracked only 1 mention of Digicert. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Digicert mentions (1)

  • Is this common on the unifi network app for Mac?
    To add to what others have said while trying and failing to be technical about it. This is normal. The web browser is saying this because it has no way to tell if the site you are trying to go to is the real site or has been faked in some way. So this warning just means you need to make sure on your own that what you are connecting to is what you think you are connecting to. When going to a site out on the... Source: almost 2 years ago

Let's Encrypt mentions (331)

  • What Isn't A PaaS
    SSL is a table stakes feature. It has been for a long, long time. With today’s tooling, it’s easy to automate, and one need look no further than Let’s Encrypt to find a free certificate authority. And any HTTP-based app must support TLS/SSL in order to gain acceptance. Unencrypted HTTP is just for testing. - Source: dev.to / 1 day ago
  • My Journey Deploying an API: From Novice to Docker Enthusiast
    This felt like the ultimate test. I discovered Certbot, an open-source tool for setting up Let's Encrypt certificates, and dived into its documentation. After configuring Certbot, the application crashed entirely. My first thought was to wait 24 hours for the DNS to propagate, but the next day, the domain was still unresponsive. Debugging this issue without GUI tools was grueling. Docker logs were empty, PM2... - Source: dev.to / 4 days ago
  • AirTags on Android, Sorta
    Website doesn't support SSL? Have you looked into Lets Encrypt? https://letsencrypt.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 17 days ago
  • A checklist on how I approach technical SEO
    If you haven't switched yet, it's time. You can use Let's Encrypt to get a free SSL certificate or you can proxy your site through Cloudflare to get HTTPS handled for you. - Source: dev.to / 22 days ago
  • Securing Applications Using Keycloak's Helm Chart
    Cert manager: You'll need the Let's Encrypt certificate manager installed and configured to provide secrets for TLS configurations. - Source: dev.to / 29 days ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Digicert and Let's Encrypt, you can also consider the following products

COMODO SSL - Buy your Comodo SSL certificates directly from the No.1 Certificate Authority powered by Sectigo (formerly Comodo CA). Fast service with 24/7 support. Over 20 years of SSL Certificate Authority!

OpenSSL - OpenSSL is a free and open source software cryptography library that implements both the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols, which are primarily used to provide secure communications between web browsers and …

SSL For Free - Free SSL Certificate issued in less than a minute.

AWS Certificate Manager - AWS Certificate Manager from Amazon Web Services (AWS)

GlobalSign - GlobalSign offers a range of SSL Certificates with the strongest 2048 bit encryption and value add features to ensure your website is protected.

Ensighten - Ensighten provides enterprise tag management solutions that enable businesses manage their websites more effectively.