cert-manager vs DigiCert Private CA
cert-manager
cert-manager.io
DigiCert Private CA
digicert.comSide by side
| Figure | cert-manager | DigiCert Private CA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Public Key Infrastructure Software | 8.0 (#10) | 7.4 (#15) |
| Integrations | Satellite projects include istio-csr, approver-policy, Kubernetes CSI drivers, csi-driver-spiffe, and trust-manager. | Private CA integrates with existing PKI tools and infrastructure, REST API workflows, and DigiCert Trust Lifecycle Manager. |
| Purpose | cert-manager obtains X.509 certificates from public and private issuers, keeps them valid and up to date, and attempts renewal before expiry. | DigiCert Private CA builds and operates privately trusted PKI for an organization’s users, devices, applications, and digital assets across on-premises and cloud environments. |
| Support | Palo Alto Networks offers commercial support and FIPS builds as part of its Long Term Support offering. | DigiCert provides PKI specialists for installation, migration, and other support, with support documents and Monday-Friday 24/7 specialist availability. |
Plans
In their own words
cert-manager
cert-manager is a free, open-source tool for obtaining and managing X.509 certificates on Kubernetes and OpenShift. It requests certificates from public or private issuers, keeps them valid, and attempts renewal before expiration. The project automates TLS certificate issuance for Kubernetes Ingress and supports private-PKI certificates for pod-to-pod mutual TLS. Documented authority options include Let’s Encrypt, HashiCorp Vault, CyberArk Certificate Manager, and private PKI. Installation can use kubectl-applied manifests, Helm, Flux, or Argo CD. Related projects include istio-csr, approver-policy, Kubernetes CSI drivers, csi-driver-spiffe, and trust-manager; trust-manager distributes X.509 trust bundles and can run independently. cert-manager publishes threat-model and hardening guidance covering secrets, RBAC, networking, and Kubernetes configuration. Its default Helm values prioritize installation ease and backward compatibility over hardened production security. The project has no LTS releases, though each release is supported until the second subsequent version.
DigiCert Private CA
DigiCert Private CA has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.