Standard vs Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificates
Table of Contents
In this article we’ll use the term standard as described in our TLS/SSL certificate page.
Comparison Let’s Encrypt vs Standard SSL certificates
The table below summarizes the most important DNSimple offering differences between Let’s Encrypt and Standard SSL certificates. These differences may help you to decide which certificate you need.
The table only reflects the status of the current DNSimple offering. Some features may be available at the Certificate Authority, but currently not supported by DNSimple.
| Let’s Encrypt | Standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate Expiration | 90 days | 1 year |
| Single names | Supported | Supported |
| Custom names | Supported (on certain plans) | Supported |
| Wildcard names | Supported (on certain plans) | Supported |
| Same-domain multi-names (SAN) | Supported (on certain plans) | Not Supported |
| Multi-domains (SAN) | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Validation type | DV via DNS only | DV via email only |
| Cost | Free | $20-$100 |
| Custom CSR | Not Supported | Supported |
What is the right certificate for me?
The following list of questions may help you to determine what is the best certificate for you. The answer is based on possible limitations of a specific certificate to fulfill the requirement. This also means that if you combine two or more questions (requirement), the results may conflict each other.
| Requirement | Answer |
|---|---|
| You want to secure a domain name. | Let’s Encrypt or Standard |
| You want to provide a custom CSR | Standard |
| You want to use a custom private key. | Standard |
| You want to use a wildcard name. | Let’s Encrypt or Standard |
| You want a longer expiration. | Standard |
| You want to fully automate SSL certificate orders without manual intervention. | Let’s Encrypt |
| Your domain is resolving exclusively with DNSimple. | Let’s Encrypt or Standard |
| Your domain is resolving with both DNSimple and Secondary DNS. | Standard |
| Your domain is NOT resolving with DNSimple. | Standard |
| Your domain is NOT registered but resolving with DNSimple. | Let’s Encrypt or Standard |
| Your domain is NOT registered ant NOT resolving with DNSimple. | Standard |