Sectigo (Comodo) vs Let's Encrypt
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Sectigo (Comodo) and Let's Encrypt.
Quick Verdict
3.6/5
Sectigo (Comodo)
0 reviews
4.4/5
Let's Encrypt
0 reviews
Let's Encrypt is rated higher (4.4 vs 3.6). Sectigo (formerly Comodo CA) is one of the largest SSL certificate providers. DV certificates from about $7.45/year and OV from about $30/year on the reseller channel (higher direct), plus wildcard and multi-domain certificates. Good reseller program. Powers HTTPS on 700M+ websites
Sectigo (Comodo) Affordable OV and EV SSL certificates | Let's Encrypt Free SSL certificates for everyone | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.6 (0 reviews) | 4.4 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | free |
| Starting price | From $7.45/mo | Free✓ |
| Best for | Web agencies, hosting resellers and SMBs buying OV/EV, wildcard or multi-domain certificates at volume via the reseller channel | Every website and API endpoint where domain validation is acceptable — the default TLS layer for personal sites, SaaS products, and automated infrastructure. |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ✓ | |
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | — | free tieropen source |
| Visit Sectigo (Comodo) → | Visit Let's Encrypt → | |
Sectigo (Comodo)
Pros
- + Deep catalog: DV, OV and EV in single-domain, wildcard and multi-domain formats plus code signing
- + Aggressive reseller pricing — PositiveSSL DV from about $7.45/year, OV from about $30/year
- + 99.6% browser and device compatibility from a publicly trusted root
- + Unlimited server licenses, free reissues, 30-day money-back across the range
- + Mature reseller program and certificate lifecycle management tooling for volume buyers
Cons
- - Channel pricing is chaotic — the same certificate varies 3-5x between resellers and the official store
- - OV/EV validation routinely runs 1-5 business days once documentation is submitted, with recurring support complaints
- - Multi-year subscriptions are prepaid one-year certificates requiring annual reissue, which confuses buyers
- - Comodo-era budget brand perception trails DigiCert in enterprise procurement
- - DV-only use cases are undercut by free automated certificate authorities
Let's Encrypt
Pros
- + Completely free certificates for any domain, including wildcards
- + Fully automated issuance and renewal via the ACME standard
- + Sponsor-funded nonprofit with no paid tier and no lock-in
- + Public issuance statistics and transparent incident communication
- + Huge client ecosystem (Certbot, acme.sh, Caddy, Traefik, control panels)
Cons
- - Domain validation only — no OV or EV certificates
- - 90-day lifetimes (64 days from February 2027) make automation mandatory
- - No support SLA or contractual recourse; community forum only
- - Rate limits can constrain large multi-tenant deployments
- - No warranty sums or multi-year terms for procurement checklists
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