SSL Certificates - Free Vs Memset Paid

You have no doubt read about the SSL certificates that Let's Encrypt are offering for free and thought to yourself, "If I can get an SSL certificate for free, why should I pay for one from Memset?".

The answer is that Memset paid SSL certificates offer significant benefits that make them worth the money.

Let's take a look at the benefits that paying for a Memset SSL certificate gets you.

Installation, Support and Management

An SSL certificate is only any use if it is loaded onto your server and correctly configured. Free certificates require complicated, manual command line installation and configuration to get them working and keep them working. You must be comfortable performing technical operations on your live production website to get the SSL certificate installed without any downtime.

When you choose to buy a Memset SSL certificate it comes with managed support and installation. A skilled systems administrator will install the SSL certificate as soon as it is registered no matter what software you need the certificate to work with.

In addition, your Memset certificate will appear in your Memset control panel showing you exactly what certificates you have and their expiry dates. We will email you in good time before the expiry date of the certificate to ensure that there is no disruption in service to your clients and a new certificate is installed before the old one expires.

Free certificates come with no such support and only last 90 days so they must be renewed every 3 months.

Warranty

All of the Memset SSL certificates, supplied by the Comodo TrustAuthority, are backed by a $250,000 USD relaying party warranty. This means that anyone using a website that is protected by a Memset SSL certificate is guaranteed to be reimbursed up to $250,000 if they make a payment to a site that used a fraudulently issued certificate.

You, of course, wouldn't attempt to obtain a certificate fraudulently, but there are people out there who certainly do. This guarantee gives your potential clients peace of mind that they will be safe on your site even before you have earned their trust.

Free certificates provide no such guarantee and are frequently used by criminals because they are so easy to obtain.

Build Trust Instantly with a TrustLogo

Anyone can check the details of an SSL certificate in their browser but almost no one does. This is because every browser has a different method of checking SSL certificate details and they all bury them several clicks deep inside menus. The details provided are also rather difficult to understand

Free SSL certificates, therefore, provide no instantly and universally recognizable way to be sure that the SSL is safe.

This is not the case with Memset SSL's. Every Memset SSL certificate comes with a TrustLogo (again provided by Comodo) that you can put on your site that allows anyone, even the most technically non-savvy, to verify that your site is secure.

If you're running a personal blog or hobby website and are comfortable installing an SSL certificate yourself then a free certificate is a good option. However, if you are a business and want a certificate backed by Memset's engineering team and guaranteed by the TrustAuthority then a Memset SSL certificate is the perfect solution