Domain-validated SSL
A domain-validated certificate checks whether the applicant has control over the domain. These certificates can usually be issued quickly and are suitable for blogs, simple websites, landing pages or smaller projects.
Affordable SSL Certificate Providers Compared – UK 2026
The SSL certificates from providers in our comparison help businesses in the UK to clearly identify business partners and to protect transmitted data through encryption from unauthorised access by third parties.
Certificate for a single domain without sub-domains
Premium
99% Recommendation
Single Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Domain
Validation Type
Validation Type
SECTIGO
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Target Audience: Privat, Gewerbetreibender, Organisation wie GmbH, AG etc.
Encryption: 4096 Bit
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
0€ Setup
£11.95 *
yearly
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
The original currency is EUR
Price details
Yearly price
£11.95
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£11.95
Cost 2 years
£23.91
Cost 3 years
£35.86
Certificate for a digital signature via a personal email address
Premium
99% Recommendation
Single Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Domain, Email Validation
Validation Type
Validation Type
SECTIGO
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Target Audience: Privat
Encryption: 4096 Bit
S/MIME Certificate for Email Encryption (Mailbox (Klasse 1))
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
0€ Setup
£17.11 *
yearly
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
The original currency is EUR
Price details
Yearly price
£17.11
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£17.11
Cost 2 years
£34.23
Cost 3 years
£51.34
Be secure. Buy an SSL certificate.
Secures data transfers
Avoids browser warnings
Improves your Google ranking
Diamond
Single Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Domain
Validation Type
Validation Type
Sectigo SSL
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Encryption: 256 Bit
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
Provider features
DDoS protection
365 Tage Support
ISO 27001 certified
Nutzung von Ökostrom
24h Support
0€ Setup
£36.00
yearly
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
Price details
Yearly price
£36.00
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£36.00
Cost 2 years
£72.00
Cost 3 years
£108.00
Be secure. Buy an SSL certificate.
Secures data transfers
Avoids browser warnings
Improves your Google ranking
Diamond
Single Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Organization
Validation Type
Validation Type
Sectigo SSL
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Encryption: 256 Bit
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
Provider features
DDoS protection
365 Tage Support
ISO 27001 certified
Nutzung von Ökostrom
24h Support
0€ Setup
£60.00
yearly
instead of £72.00
(Offer for
1 Year
)
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
Price details
Yearly price
£72.00
Offer price
(
1 Year
)
£60.00
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£60.00
Cost 2 years
£132.00
Cost 3 years
£204.00
Be secure. Buy an SSL certificate.
Secures data transfers
Avoids browser warnings
Improves your Google ranking
Diamond
Wildcard Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Domain
Validation Type
Validation Type
Sectigo SSL
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Encryption: 256 Bit
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
Provider features
DDoS protection
365 Tage Support
ISO 27001 certified
Nutzung von Ökostrom
24h Support
0€ Setup
£78.00
yearly
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
Price details
Yearly price
£78.00
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£78.00
Cost 2 years
£156.00
Cost 3 years
£234.00
Certificate for a domain and all sub-domains
Premium
99% Recommendation
Single Domain, Wildcard Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Domain
Validation Type
Validation Type
SECTIGO
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Target Audience: Privat, Gewerbetreibender, Organisation wie GmbH, AG etc.
Encryption: 4096 Bit
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
0€ Setup
£102.34 *
yearly
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
The original currency is EUR
Price details
Yearly price
£102.34
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£102.34
Cost 2 years
£204.68
Cost 3 years
£307.02
Certificate for a single domain
with extended validation
Premium
99% Recommendation
Single Domain, Wildcard Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Domain, Extended Validation, Organization
Validation Type
Validation Type
SECTIGO
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Target Audience: Privat, Gewerbetreibender, Organisation wie GmbH, AG etc.
Encryption: 4096 Bit
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
0€ Setup
£119.54 *
yearly
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
The original currency is EUR
Price details
Yearly price
£119.54
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£119.54
Cost 2 years
£239.08
Cost 3 years
£358.62
Be secure. Buy an SSL certificate.
Secures data transfers
Avoids browser warnings
Improves your Google ranking
Diamond
Single Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Extended Validation
Validation Type
Validation Type
Sectigo SSL
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Encryption: 256 Bit
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
Provider features
DDoS protection
365 Tage Support
ISO 27001 certified
Nutzung von Ökostrom
24h Support
0€ Setup
£240.00
yearly
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
Price details
Yearly price
£240.00
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£240.00
Cost 2 years
£480.00
Cost 3 years
£720.00
Be secure. Buy an SSL certificate.
Secures data transfers
Avoids browser warnings
Improves your Google ranking
Diamond
Wildcard Domain
Certification Type
Certification Type
Organization
Validation Type
Validation Type
Sectigo SSL
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authority
Encryption: 256 Bit
All features
Features
Tariff features
0€ Setup
Provider features
DDoS protection
365 Tage Support
ISO 27001 certified
Nutzung von Ökostrom
24h Support
0€ Setup
£318.00
yearly
Contract term:
1 Year
Tariff details
Price details
Yearly price
£318.00
Setup fee
Free
Contract term
1 Year
Cost 1 year
£318.00
Cost 2 years
£636.00
Cost 3 years
£954.00
* At hosttest, only a selection of providers can be found. Offers marked with an asterisk have additional conditions on the offer detail page. More information about our ranking and sorting details.
* All prices on this page are net prices and are subject to the applicable VAT.
* If you click on a recommendation with *, this supports our work. hosttest may then receive remuneration.
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SSL certificates comparison
SSL certificate providers compared
Do you want to secure your website with HTTPS, protect sensitive data and create more trust with visitors? Then an SSL certificate is indispensable today. Compare suitable SSL certificates here for domains, subdomains, online shops, company websites and professional web projects.
Simply explained
What is an SSL certificate?
An SSL certificate ensures that data between a visitor's browser and a website's server is transmitted encrypted. As a result, confidential information such as passwords, contact form data, customer data or payment information cannot be easily read by third parties.
Strictly speaking, TLS is usually used today. The older term SSL has, however, remained in everyday use. When people talk about SSL certificates, they generally mean modern TLS certificates that enable an encrypted connection over HTTPS.
Visitors recognise a secured website by the address starting with https://. Additionally, the browser displays a padlock icon or a security notice in the address bar. For professional websites, online shops and company sites, HTTPS is now standard.
🔒
SSL is essential for reputable websites
An SSL certificate not only protects sensitive data but also increases trust in your website. Without HTTPS many browsers warn about insecure connections, which can deter visitors and worsen conversion rates. Nowadays most web hosting packages with SSL are offered.
Use cases
What is an SSL certificate used for?
SSL certificates are used wherever data needs to be transmitted securely. This applies not only to online shops or banks, but to almost every modern website.
Websites & company pages
Even simple company websites should today be accessible via HTTPS. This appears more professional, protects contact forms and prevents browser warnings about insecure connections.
Online shops
For online shops, SSL is particularly important because customer data, orders, payment details and login credentials are transmitted. An encrypted connection is indispensable here.
Logins & customer areas
As soon as users log in, enter passwords or manage personal data, the connection should always be encrypted.
Contact forms
Forms often transmit names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers or messages. SSL protects this data during transmission.
Webmail & e-mail services
Also when accessing webmail, mail servers or administration interfaces, SSL or TLS ensures a secure connection.
Benefits & Uses
Why is HTTPS so important?
An SSL certificate protects the connection between a website and its visitors. At the same time, HTTPS is an important trust signal today and is part of the basic technical setup for professional web projects.
Advantages of SSL certificates
- encrypted data transmission between the browser and the server
- protection for contact forms, logins and customer data
- greater trust through HTTPS and the padlock icon in the browser
- avoidance of browser warnings on insecure websites
- important for online shops, customer areas and payment processes
- conveys a professional impression to visitors and customers
- technical foundation for many modern web features
- depending on the certificate, additional validation of the domain or the organisation
What to watch out for
- not every certificate offers the same level of validation
- wildcard and multi-domain certificates usually cost more
- free certificates are not ideal for every use case
- proper installation and automatic renewal are important
- expired certificates cause browser warnings
- SSL does not replace general website and server security
Certificate types
What types of SSL certificates are there?
SSL certificates mainly differ by the type of validation and their technical area of use. Which option is sensible depends on whether you only want to secure a simple website or operate a professional business project.
Organisation-validated SSL
An organisation-validated certificate also verifies the organisation behind the website. This can be useful for companies, larger websites, portals and business projects where trust plays a greater role.
Extended Validation SSL
Extended Validation certificates require a particularly extensive verification of the company. They are especially suitable for organisations with high trust requirements, such as banks, large platforms or heavily regulated sectors.
Single-Domain SSL
A single-domain certificate protects a single domain, for example deine-domain.de. It is the right choice if only one website or a single project needs securing.
Wildcard SSL
A wildcard certificate protects a primary domain and any number of subdomains at the same level, for example shop.deine-domain.de, login.deine-domain.de or mail.deine-domain.de.
Multi-Domain SSL
Multi-domain certificates secure several different domains with a single certificate. This is practical if you want to manage multiple brands, country domains or projects centrally.
Terms explained
Important SSL terms explained simply
When comparing SSL certificates many technical terms appear. The most important ones can, however, be quickly classified.
SSL
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. The term is still commonly used, even though modern certificates technically rely on TLS.
TLS
TLS stands for Transport Layer Security and is the modern successor to SSL. It provides encrypted data transmission across the internet.
HTTPS
HTTPS is the encrypted version of HTTP. Websites using HTTPS transmit data securely between browser and server.
Certificate Authority
A certificate authority is a certificate authority that issues SSL certificates and verifies the respective domain or organisation.
Domain Validation
Domain validation checks whether the applicant controls the domain. It is the simplest and quickest form of validation.
Wildcard
Wildcard certificates protect multiple subdomains of a domain. They are particularly useful for projects with many sub-areas.
Site Seal
A site seal is a badge from the certificate provider that can be embedded on the website to make the SSL protection visible.
Certificate Validity Period
SSL certificates have a limited validity period and must be renewed promptly or set to renew automatically to avoid browser warnings.
Selection guide
Which SSL certificate is right for which project?
Not every project needs the same certificate. For simple websites a Domain-validated certificate is often sufficient. For companies, shops or platforms, stronger validation may be advisable.
For simple websites
- Domain-validated SSL is usually sufficient
- ideal for blogs, landing pages and smaller websites
- rapid issuance
- often low-cost or available for free
- important to avoid browser warnings
For business websites
- Organisation-validated SSL may be appropriate
- additional verification of the organisation
- increases trust for business websites
- suitable for service providers, agencies and company websites
- conveys a more professional image to customers
For online shops
- SSL is essential for shops
- protects logins, orders and customer data
- OV or EV certificates can strengthen trust
- a wildcard certificate is useful for multiple shop subdomains
- proper installation and renewal are especially important
For multiple domains
- Multi-domain SSL for several distinct domains
- wildcard SSL for numerous subdomains of a domain
- practical for agencies, brands and international projects
- simplifies central certificate management
- often cheaper than many individual certificates
Security
SSL protects the connection, but not the entire website
An SSL certificate is an important security component, but it does not replace complete website security. Even with HTTPS, the website, server, software and access credentials must still be protected.
Encryption
Data transfer
SSL or TLS encrypts the data transmission between browser and server. This means data cannot easily be read while in transit.
Trust
Identity & verification
Depending on the certificate, only the domain or also the organisation is verified. This can help visitors better judge the trustworthiness of a website.
Important
Not a complete solution
SSL does not automatically protect against malware, insecure passwords, outdated software, poorly configured servers or application-level attacks.
Practice
Regular renewal
Certificates expire after a certain period. Automatic renewal or timely renewal prevents outages and browser warnings.
Technical
Proper installation
For HTTPS to work properly, the certificate, intermediate certificates, redirects and server configuration must be correctly set up.
SEO & UX
User experience
HTTPS avoids browser warnings and provides a more professional user experience. Visitors see a secure website as noticeably more trustworthy.
Selection criteria
What should you look for when comparing SSL certificates?
When comparison of SSL certificates is made, it's not just about the price. Important factors are certificate type, validation level, term, compatibility, support and the specific use case.
Validation level
Check whether a Domain Validated (DV), Organisation Validated (OV) or Extended Validation (EV) certificate is required. DV is often sufficient for simple websites, while businesses and shops can benefit from OV or EV.
Number of domains
A single-domain certificate is sufficient for a single website. For multiple domains or subdomains, multi-domain or wildcard certificates may be more appropriate.
Wildcard support
If you use many subdomains, a wildcard certificate can significantly simplify management. It protects multiple subdomains of the same domain with a single certificate.
Browser compatibility
Good SSL certificates should be reliably recognised by common browsers, operating systems and mobile devices. This is especially important for professional websites and shops.
Installation & Support
Depending on the provider, the certificate may be set up automatically or must be installed manually. Especially for servers, Virtual Private Servers (VPS) or more complex setups, good support is helpful.
Costs & term
Compare not only the annual price, but also renewal costs, additional domains, wildcard features, support services and any setup fees.
Recommendation
How to find the right SSL certificate
The right SSL certificate depends on your website. For simple projects, a Domain Validated certificate is often sufficient. For online shops, businesses and larger platforms, a certificate with additional organisation validation can be advisable.
For simple websites:
look for Domain Validated SSL, easy setup and automatic renewal.
For businesses:
check Organisation Validated SSL, provider quality, support and trust features.
For multiple projects:
compare wildcard and multi-domain certificates for easier management.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about SSL certificates
What is an SSL certificate?
An SSL certificate enables an encrypted connection between the browser and the server. This protects data in transit and allows the website to be accessed via HTTPS.
What is the difference between SSL and TLS?
SSL is the older term; TLS is the modern successor. In practice people still often refer to SSL certificates, even though TLS is usually used technically.
Why do I need an SSL certificate?
An SSL certificate protects data transmission, prevents browser warnings and strengthens trust in your website. It is especially important for forms, logins, online shops and customer data.
What types of SSL certificates are there?
There are, among others, Domain Validated, Organisation Validated and Extended Validation certificates. You can also distinguish Single-domain, Wildcard and Multi-domain certificates.
What is a Wildcard certificate?
A Wildcard certificate protects a main domain and multiple subdomains at the same level. It is suitable, for example, for shop.your-domain.de, login.your-domain.de or mail.your-domain.de.
What is a Multi-domain certificate?
A Multi-domain certificate can secure several different domains within a single certificate. This is practical for businesses, agencies or operators of multiple projects.
Is a free SSL certificate sufficient?
For many simple websites a free Domain Validated certificate is sufficient. For businesses, shops or projects with higher trust requirements a paid OV (Organisation Validated) or EV (Extended Validation) certificate can be advisable.
What happens if an SSL certificate expires?
If a certificate expires, browsers display a security warning. This can deter visitors. Therefore, timely or automatic renewal is important.
Does SSL fully protect my website?
No. SSL protects data transmission, but does not replace a secure website configuration, regular updates, strong passwords, backups or protection against attacks on the application.
Which SSL certificate is suitable for online shops?
HTTPS is essential for online shops. Depending on size and trust requirements, an Organisation Validated or Extended Validation certificate can be appropriate. For multiple subdomains a Wildcard certificate can also be useful.
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