SSL Pricing
Free vs Paid: Which SSL Certificate Is Actually the Cheapest Fit?
Free auto-renewing SSL covers most sites at zero extra cost — here's exactly when a paid OV, EV or wildcard certificate earns its keep instead.
Free
Auto-renewing SSL included on every plan
Same
Encryption strength as any paid certificate
24/7
Human support for SSL and HTTPS setup
30-day
Money-back guarantee on hosting
In short
The cheapest SSL certificate for most websites is free: domain-validated SSL that auto-renews and encrypts traffic identically to a paid certificate in the browser padlock. A paid certificate becomes worth its cost mainly for organization-validation (OV) or extended-validation (EV) trust signals on financial or high-value ecommerce sites, or for a wildcard certificate covering many subdomains under one purchase instead of issuing free certificates individually.
Encryption strength is identical between free and paid certificates — what a paid certificate actually buys is a verified business identity in the certificate itself and, for wildcard coverage, one certificate instead of managing several. Hosting Cheap includes free auto-renewing SSL on every plan, with paid options available for sites that specifically need OV, EV or wildcard coverage.
SSL used to be a paid add-on nearly every site needed just to avoid a 'not secure' browser warning, but that changed once free, automatically issued domain-validated certificates became standard across the hosting industry. Today the cheapest SSL certificate for the overwhelming majority of blogs, brochure sites, small stores and portfolios is simply the free one that comes bundled with hosting and renews itself without any manual reissuing.
Paid certificates still exist for good reason, though the reason has shifted from 'basic encryption' to 'verified trust signal.' An organization-validation or extended-validation certificate shows a verified business name tied to the domain, which matters more for banks, large ecommerce checkouts and anything handling sensitive financial data than for a typical small business site. A wildcard certificate solves a different problem entirely — covering many subdomains (blog.example.com, shop.example.com, mail.example.com) under one certificate rather than issuing and renewing a separate one for each.
What free auto-renewing SSL actually covers
Free SSL issued through hosting is domain-validated, meaning it confirms you control the domain and encrypts every connection between a visitor's browser and the server exactly as strongly as a paid certificate does. It auto-renews on its own schedule, which removes the single most common cause of SSL problems: a certificate quietly expiring because nobody remembered to reissue it.
For the large majority of websites — blogs, informational sites, small stores, portfolios, service-business sites — that's the entire SSL requirement met at no extra cost. The padlock looks the same to a visitor, the encryption is the same under the hood, and there's nothing further to configure or pay for.
When an OV or EV certificate is worth paying for
Organization-validation and extended-validation certificates go through an identity check that confirms a real registered business sits behind the domain, and some browsers or checkout integrations surface that verified identity to a visitor. That extra layer of verified trust matters most for banks, larger ecommerce checkouts, and any site handling especially sensitive financial data, where a visitor's confidence in who they're paying is part of the sale itself.
For a typical small business, blog or service site, that identity verification adds cost without changing what a visitor actually experiences in the browser, since the padlock and connection security look identical either way. The decision to pay for OV or EV should come down to whether verified business identity is a real trust factor for your specific customers, not a default assumption.
Wildcard certificates: one certificate, many subdomains
A wildcard certificate secures a domain and every subdomain under it — blog, shop, mail, staff portal — with a single certificate instead of issuing and renewing a separate free certificate for each one individually. That consolidation matters most for a business running several active subdomains, where managing multiple free certificates becomes more overhead than one paid wildcard certificate covering all of them.
For a site with just one or two subdomains, free certificates issued individually usually cost less overall and are simpler to manage, since each one renews automatically without any manual tracking. Wildcard coverage earns its cost once the number of subdomains grows large enough that managing them individually becomes the more time-consuming option.
Matching SSL choice to what your site actually needs
The cheapest SSL certificate is the one that matches what a site actually needs rather than the one with the most trust badges attached, and for most sites that's free auto-renewing SSL included with hosting at no extra charge. Hosting Cheap includes that free SSL on every plan by default, so it's active from the moment a site goes live.
For sites that specifically need OV or EV identity verification, or wildcard coverage across many subdomains, paid certificate options are available and 24/7 human support can help confirm which type actually fits, rather than defaulting to whichever certificate sounds most secure on paper.
Free SSL covers most sites — here's when paid earns its cost
Free, auto-renewing SSL encrypts a connection exactly as strongly as a paid certificate, which covers the majority of websites at no extra cost.
Paid OV, EV and wildcard certificates exist for specific trust and subdomain-management needs — Hosting Cheap helps match the certificate to the actual requirement.
- Free auto-renewing SSL included on every hosting plan
- Same encryption strength as any paid certificate
- Paid OV, EV and wildcard options available where they're actually needed
- 24/7 human support to help pick the right certificate type
Why Hosting Cheap
What you get
Free SSL by default
Every plan includes free, auto-renewing SSL active from the moment your site goes live.
No manual renewals
Certificates renew automatically, removing the most common cause of SSL expiring unnoticed.
Equal encryption strength
Free certificates encrypt traffic exactly as strongly as any paid certificate.
Paid options when needed
OV, EV and wildcard certificates are available for sites that specifically need verified identity or subdomain coverage.
24/7 human support
Real support is available to help decide between free and paid SSL for your specific site.
30-day money-back guarantee
Try hosting with free SSL included, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
How It Works
Get set up in a few steps
Start with free auto-renewing SSL
Every hosting plan includes it by default, active as soon as your site is live.
Assess whether you need OV, EV or wildcard
Consider verified business identity needs or the number of active subdomains you manage.
Add a paid certificate only where it fits
Upgrade to a paid certificate type only for the specific pages or subdomains that need it.
Included
Everything you need, on every plan
- Confirm free auto-renewing SSL is active on your domain
- Check whether your checkout or payment flow benefits from OV or EV identity verification
- Count how many active subdomains you're actually running
- Compare wildcard cost against managing several free certificates individually
- Verify certificates renew automatically without manual reissuing
- Avoid paying for a trust signal your customers won't notice
- Confirm SSL setup support is available if something looks wrong
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is free SSL as secure as a paid certificate?
Yes, encryption strength is identical between free domain-validated SSL and paid certificates. Paid certificates add verified business identity checks (OV/EV) or wildcard subdomain coverage, not stronger encryption.
When is a paid SSL certificate actually worth it?
Mainly for sites needing OV or EV identity verification — banks, larger ecommerce checkouts, financial services — or wildcard coverage across many active subdomains under one certificate.
Does Hosting Cheap include SSL for free?
Yes, free auto-renewing SSL is included on every hosting plan by default, active as soon as your site goes live, with no manual renewal required.
What does a wildcard SSL certificate actually cover?
One wildcard certificate secures a domain and all its subdomains, which is useful once you're managing several active subdomains rather than just one or two.
Will my SSL certificate ever expire without warning?
No, auto-renewing SSL renews on its own schedule automatically, which removes the most common cause of certificates lapsing unnoticed.
Can support help me choose between free and paid SSL?
Yes, 24/7 human support can help assess whether your site's checkout, subdomains or trust requirements call for a paid certificate.
Get the right SSL, not just any SSL
Free auto-renewing SSL on every plan, with paid options and 24/7 support when you need more.
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