Cheap SSL Certificates: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

SSL Certificates are very important when we talk about Internet security. Nowadays, as the use of Internet is increasing, we need a safer method by which we can share our data securely over the Internet. People all around the world are connected together online and a tremendous amount of data is being shared on a daily bases over the Internet, which increases the chances of data being hacked or misused. To ensure security, SSL certificate plays a major role and gives confidence to users to share data over the Internet without being worried about data being hacked or misused. There are certain points that should be kept in mind before going for SSL certificate. Whether you should opt for free SSL certificate or proper SSL certificate, it is important to know the difference between the two.

• If you are looking for SSL certificate, either you can buy one from CA (Certification Authority) or you can get it on a trial basis for free. The good part of using a free version of SSL certificate is that you can use it while testing your website at an initial stage or even if you want to test your e-mail system. As soon as your website is ready to use, it is advisable to install a proper SSL certificate.
  
• Free version is available for time period less than one year or a maximum of one year, whereas proper Comodo SSL certificate is available for a time span of 1-3 years.
  
• When using a free SSL certificate for e-mail system, the main hassle you have to go through is to change it every single month, which is very inconvenient. Whereas, if you install proper SSL certificate, once the setup is done, you can use it as long as you have opted for.
  
• Free SSL certificate only provides basic security, with no extra features; on the other hand proper SSL certificate provides various levels of security, depending upon your requirements. In simple words, you cannot get green bar with free SSL certificate.

As we have compared both free SSL certificate and proper SSL certificate, in case you want to choose Free SSL Certificate for initial stage of our website, there are two options available:

• Comodo Trial SSL
  
• Rapid SSL trial

What’s good, what’s bad?

• Good thing about trial SSL Certificate is that it is absolutely free of cost. Along with being free, it works exactly like normal SSL certificates.
  
• Of course it provides encrypted link, which is essential for internet security, but authentication form is very low. It means that your site is not 100% secure.
  
• Free SSL certificate is also not recommended for emails as email may contain highly sensitive data, which can fall into wrong hands.
  
• Free SSL certificate has advantage over proper SSL Certificate in terms of time taken in issuing the certificate. Free SSL Certificate take few minutes where as proper SSL Certificate might take a day.
  
• Proper SSL certificate comes with a warranty, but it is not the same case with Free SSL Certificate. Neither it has a green address bar i.e. no trust seal. So, before going for either of it, understand your requirements and choose accordingly.