Let's Encrypt vs SSL.com Certificate Lifecycle Management
Let's Encrypt
letsencrypt.orgSSL.com Certificate Lifecycle Management
ssl.comSide by side
| Figure | Let's Encrypt | SSL.com Certificate Lifecycle Management |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 0 |
| Spec score · Certificate Management Software | 8.6 (#5) | 6.7 (#26) |
| Automation | The ACME protocol verifies control of a domain and is used to issue certificates; clients can automate certificate management and renewal. | SSL.com supports automated certificate issuance and renewal through ACME. |
| Headquarters | LinkedIn lists San Francisco, California as ISRG headquarters. | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Intended users | The service is available to people and organizations worldwide that need certificates for domain-named servers, including web, mail, and FTP servers. | The page recommends native notifications and ACME for smaller fleets, and integrations with Venafi or Keyfactor for organizations already using those CLM platforms or needing broader fleet capabilities. |
| Trust | Let’s Encrypt says its certificates are trusted by most browsers and operating systems. | SSL.com says it maintains WebTrust audit compliance and participates as a full voting member of the CA/Browser Forum. |
Plans
Let's Encrypt
- Let's Encrypt certificatesFree
- Let's Encrypt certificatesFree
- Short-lived certificatesFree
SSL.com Certificate Lifecycle Management
No plans published.
In their own words
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.
SSL.com Certificate Lifecycle Management
SSL.com Certificate Lifecycle Management supplies SSL.com certificates for use inside an existing certificate-lifecycle platform or a custom workflow. It acts as the Certificate Authority rather than a complete CLM system. An SSL.com account lists certificates issued through that account, supports downloading, renewal, reissue, and individual or bulk revocation, and sends email alerts before expiry. ACME can automate issuance and renewal. Venafi TPP users can connect through the Adaptable Driver for SSL/TLS, client-authentication, S/MIME, and code-signing certificates. The AnyCA Gateway REST plugin connects with Keyfactor Command 12.3 and later for issuing, revoking, and synchronizing certificates. Two REST/JSON APIs are available, with the Developer Portal API recommended for new integrations. Native network-wide discovery, multi-CA inventory, approval workflows, custom request forms, and fleet-wide RBAC are not provided. The service runs in the cloud and supports certificate profiles, SCEP, EST, HSM integration, cloud signing, trusted timestamping, and CI/CD signing.