AWS Private Certificate Authority vs Let's Encrypt
AWS Private Certificate Authority
aws.amazon.comLet's Encrypt
letsencrypt.orgSide by side
| Figure | AWS Private Certificate Authority | Let's Encrypt |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $50/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 3 |
| Spec score · Public Key Infrastructure Software | 8.3 (#6) | 8.6 (#3) |
| Automation | Certificate and CA management can be automated using APIs, AWS CLI commands, SDKs, and CloudFormation templates. | The ACME protocol verifies control of a domain and is used to issue certificates; clients can automate certificate management and renewal. |
| Integrations | The SCEP connector can work with mobile device management solutions such as Microsoft Intune and Jamf Pro. | Hosting providers can obtain and manage certificates for customers through their own ACME clients. |
Plans
AWS Private Certificate Authority
- 30-day CA operation trialFree
- Short-lived private certificates$0.06, paid once
- General-purpose private certificates$0.75, paid once
- Short-lived certificate mode CA operation$50 a month
- General-purpose mode CA operation$400 a month
Let's Encrypt
- Let's Encrypt certificatesFree
- Let's Encrypt certificatesFree
- Short-lived certificatesFree
In their own words
AWS Private Certificate Authority
AWS Private Certificate Authority has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Let's Encrypt
Let’s Encrypt is a global Certificate Authority that provides SSL/TLS certificates for HTTPS connections. The ACME protocol verifies control of a domain, and compatible clients can automate issuance, management, and renewal. Its client directory includes Apache HTTP Server, Caddy, nginx, Kubernetes, Docker, and Windows/IIS environments. Certificates are Domain Validation only; Let’s Encrypt says it does not plan to issue Organization Validation or Extended Validation certificates. Wildcard certificates are available through the DNS-01 challenge. Standard certificates last 90 days, with an optional six-day lifetime; these periods cannot be adjusted. Subscribers generate and manage private keys on their own servers. Issued and revoked certificates are publicly recorded, and the service says its certificates are trusted by most browsers and operating systems. Certificates cost nothing. A registered domain can receive up to 50 certificates every seven days under published rate limits. Direct subscriber support is not offered.