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Google Cloud Certificate Manager vs Let's Encrypt

Google Cloud Certificate Manager

docs.cloud.google.com

Let's Encrypt

letsencrypt.org

Side by side

FigureGoogle Cloud Certificate ManagerLet's Encrypt
Price from—Free
Free plan—Yes
Free trial——
Open source—Yes
WebYesYes
Windows—Yes
macOS—Yes
Linux—Yes
APIYesYes
Self-hosted—Yes
Plans published13
Spec score · Certificate Management Software7.0 (#24)8.6 (#5)
Domain validationDomain ownership can be verified using DNS-based or load balancer-based authorization.Applicants prove domain control through challenges such as DNS records or HTTP resources.

Plans

Google Cloud Certificate Manager

  • Certificate ManagerPrice not published

Google Cloud Certificate Manager pricing →

Let's Encrypt

  • Let's Encrypt certificatesFree
  • Let's Encrypt certificatesFree
  • Short-lived certificatesFree

Let's Encrypt pricing →

In their own words

Google Cloud Certificate Manager

Google Cloud Certificate Manager has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.

Visit docs.cloud.google.com

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.

Visit letsencrypt.org