SSL certificates
The encryption is the same on a free certificate and on a €160 one. What differs is how much the issuer verifies about your company. We explain the difference so you do not buy what you do not need.
In short
In most cases, no. LowPings hosting plans include a free Let's Encrypt certificate that renews automatically and encrypts traffic exactly like a paid one. A commercial certificate only makes sense for a wildcard covering unlimited subdomains, or for organisation validation, where your company appears verified in the certificate.
Every hosting plan includes free Let's Encrypt SSL with automatic renewal. The encryption is identical to any commercial certificate, and your visitor sees no difference: the same padlock, the same HTTPS.
A paid certificate makes sense in two situations: you want your company details to appear in the certificate, or you need the issuer's financial warranty. Otherwise, the money is better spent elsewhere.
Commercial certificates
Prices are per year. The warranties listed are the certificate issuer's, not ours.
RapidSSL
Business websites, blogs, personal projects.
€7.99/ year
RapidSSL Wildcard
When you run shop., blog., api. on the same domain.
€79.99/ year
GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium Wildcard
Companies and shops that process payments.
€159.99/ year
Validation types
The question almost no provider answers, because the honest answer reduces the sale.
The issuer sends an email or asks for a file on the server. It does not check who you are, only that you have access to the domain. The encryption is identical to the other types — the only difference is how much is verified about you.
The issuer checks the company in public registers and, sometimes, with a phone call. The company details go into the certificate, so a visitor who looks at the certificate details sees who they are dealing with.
The most rigorous level. Modern browsers no longer show the green bar that once justified the price difference, so for most websites the practical benefit over OV has shrunk considerably.
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not answered here, message us on WhatsApp — we reply the same day.
In most cases, no. Every hosting plan includes free Let's Encrypt SSL with automatic renewal. The encryption it provides is identical to that of paid certificates — a visitor sees no difference. A commercial certificate makes sense in two situations: if you want organisation validation, so your company details appear in the certificate, or if you need the issuer's financial warranty.
A wildcard certificate covers the domain and all first-level subdomains: shop.example.com, blog.example.com, api.example.com, with a single certificate. The alternative is to issue one for each subdomain and renew them separately.
The encryption is identical for all three — the only difference is how much the issuer verifies about you. DV only confirms that you control the domain and is issued in minutes. OV verifies the company's legal existence and puts its details in the certificate, within 1–3 days. EV is the most rigorous, but modern browsers no longer show the green bar that justified the price difference, so the practical benefit over OV has shrunk a lot.
If you host with us, we install it in cPanel once it is issued. If you use it elsewhere, you receive the certificate files and install them wherever you need, or you write to us and we guide you through it.
We notify you before it expires. The Let's Encrypt certificates included with hosting renew automatically, with nothing for you to do. Commercial ones are renewed manually, the same way as at first issuance.
The warranty is provided by the issuer, not by us, and covers losses suffered by an end user in the event of a certificate mis-issuance. The amounts are large on paper, but the situations in which they apply are rare. On its own, it is not a sufficient reason to buy a commercial certificate.
Other services
We would rather sell you what actually fits. If something else here suits you better, tell us and we will confirm.
Most of the time the answer is no, and the free SSL in your hosting plan is enough. We will tell you so even if it means one sale fewer.