Sectigo SSL

Overview

Sectigo SSL is the SSL certificate product line of Sectigo (formerly Comodo CA, rebranded in 2018). Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey, USA, Sectigo is the world's largest commercial certificate authority with over 100 million certificates issued across 150+ countries. The Sectigo SSL product line comprises the company's core SSL/TLS certificate business, covering everything from personal to enterprise needs through the PositiveSSL, InstantSSL, and PremiumSSL product ranges.

Unlike the Sectigo main brand page, which covers IoT, PKI, code signing, and the company's full business scope, this page focuses specifically on Sectigo SSL certificate product SKUs, pricing, and selection guidance. Sectigo SSL's SSL certificates are typically priced at 1/3 to 1/2 of DigiCert, making them the most cost-effective commercial CA option on the market.

Key Strengths

• PositiveSSL Entry-Level DV at Just $10.99/year: The PositiveSSL series is one of the cheapest commercially trusted DV SSL certificates available. At $10.99/year, it offers the lowest entry barrier to upgrade from free certificates (like Let's Encrypt) to a browser-trusted commercial CA. Issuance is fully automated, with 90%+ of certificates delivered within 3-5 minutes.
• InstantSSL / PremiumSSL for OV/EV Validation: InstantSSL provides Organization Validation (OV) certificates at $50-$120/year, displaying company identity in certificate details — ideal for business websites. PremiumSSL offers Extended Validation (EV) at $100-$250/year, showing the green address bar with organization name in browsers, significantly boosting trust for e-commerce and financial platforms.
• Flexible Wildcard and Multi-Domain Coverage: Wildcard SSL protects unlimited subdomains under *.example.com with a single certificate deployment. Multi-domain SAN certificates support up to 250 independent domains, suitable for enterprises managing diverse domain portfolios.
• Ultra-Fast Automated Issuance: DV certificates are fully automated with an average 3-5 minute issuance time. Through Sectigo's ACME interface or API, developers can fully automate certificate enrollment and renewal for zero-touch HTTPS lifecycle management.

Product Ecosystem

PositiveSSL

Sectigo SSL's entry-level DV certificate, starting at $10.99/year. Available in single-domain and wildcard variants, auto-issued via ACME protocol. Suitable for personal blogs, test environments, and light commercial sites. Note: PositiveSSL does not include a commercial SLA — best for non-critical use cases.

InstantSSL

Sectigo SSL's OV certificate line with organization identity verification, $50-$120/year. Displays company name in certificate details — ideal for corporate websites, B2B platforms, and sites needing organizational credentials. OV validation takes 1-3 business days.

PremiumSSL

Sectigo SSL's EV certificate line offering the highest validation level and trust display, $100-$250/year. Shows the green address bar with organization name — perfect for e-commerce platforms, SaaS services, finance, and healthcare scenarios requiring maximum user trust.

Code Signing Certificates

Sectigo SSL offers standard and EV code signing certificates. EV code signing requires hardware token-protected private keys and immediately establishes Microsoft SmartScreen reputation, reducing SmartScreen filter warnings during Windows app distribution. Supports Authenticode, Java JAR, and Adobe AIR signing.

Limitations

• Brand Page Content Overlap: Sectigo SSL product information overlaps with the Sectigo main brand page. Use this page as a product selection guide, and refer to the main page for Sectigo's full business ecosystem including IoT certificates and enterprise PKI.
• Moderate EV Verification Speed: EV certificate organization validation takes 1-3 business days — slower than DigiCert's 1-day turnaround. For time-sensitive e-commerce campaigns requiring EV, plan ahead for the validation window.
• Simplified Control Panel: The Sectigo SSL management panel is basic compared to DigiCert CertCentral's advanced automation capabilities. Bulk certificate management requires the separate SCM (Sectigo Certificate Manager) platform, adding an extra navigation step.
• No SLA on Budget Tier: PositiveSSL entry-level certificates do not include a commercial Service Level Agreement. Free technical support response may be slow for compatibility issues or revocation needs. Enterprise users should upgrade to OV+ tiers for paid support.

Use Cases

Pricing

Prices shown are Sectigo SSL's official MSRP. Actual prices vary by reseller and promotions. Contact authorized vendors for bulk pricing.

FAQ

What is the relationship between Sectigo SSL and the Sectigo brand?
Sectigo SSL is the SSL/TLS certificate product line brand within the Sectigo group. The Sectigo main brand page (sectigo.md) covers the full business scope including IoT certificates, enterprise PKI, and code signing. This page focuses specifically on SSL certificate product SKUs and selection guidance.

What's the difference between PositiveSSL and InstantSSL?
PositiveSSL is DV-level (domain validation only), from $10.99/year — suitable for personal sites. InstantSSL is OV-level (organization identity verification), from $49.99/year — needed for commercial websites displaying company credentials.

Does Sectigo SSL support ACME auto-renewal?
Yes. Sectigo SSL DV certificates (PositiveSSL) support ACME-based automated enrollment and renewal, compatible with Certbot, acme.sh, and other ACME clients. OV and EV certificates require manual validation and do not support fully automated renewal.

Sectigo SSL vs Let's Encrypt — which should I choose?
Let's Encrypt is completely free but DV only. Sectigo SSL PositiveSSL at $10.99/year offers the same DV validation with commercial CA trust chain benefits. For free users, Let's Encrypt suffices; for commercial support and organizational identity display, Sectigo SSL is the most cost-effective paid option.