ZeroSSL vs acme.sh
A detailed comparison to help you choose between ZeroSSL and acme.sh.
Quick Verdict
3.8/5
ZeroSSL
46 reviews
3.9/5
acme.sh
71 reviews
acme.sh is rated higher (3.9 vs 3.8). ZeroSSL provides free SSL certificates as an alternative to Let's Encrypt. Also offers paid OV and EV certificates. REST API, ACME support, and monitoring. 90-day free certs. Lightweight shell script that automates Let's Encrypt certificate issuance and renewal. Works with 200+ DNS providers and web servers without requiring root privileges or complex dependencies.
ZeroSSL Free SSL alternative to Let's Encrypt | acme.sh Free ACME client for automated SSL/TLS certificate management | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.8 (46 reviews) | 3.9 (71 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | freemium | free |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free |
| Best for | Developers who want a Let's Encrypt alternative for CA diversification or need OV/EV certificates | DevOps engineers and sysadmins managing Let's Encrypt certificates across multiple domains and DNS providers in resource-constrained or Unix-native environments. |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tierapi access | free tieropen source |
| Visit ZeroSSL → | Visit acme.sh → | |
ZeroSSL
Pros
- + Alternative CA to Let's Encrypt — diversification
- + REST API for certificate management
- + Paid OV/EV available
Cons
- - Free tier limited to 3 certificates
- - Less established than Let's Encrypt
acme.sh
Pros
- + Deploy to 200+ DNS and hosting providers with minimal configuration
- + Renew certificates automatically without manual intervention
- + Run without root access or external dependencies
- + Support wildcard and multi-domain SAN certificates
- + Generate standalone certificates for non-web services
Cons
- - Shell-based implementation may be slower than compiled alternatives on high-volume deployments
- - Requires manual DNS API credential setup for DNS-01 validation
- - Limited GUI or web interface options for certificate management
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