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Blog · WebJi® India
Free SSL vs Paid SSL: What You Actually Need
Quick answer
Free SSL and paid SSL encrypt the connection identically. A free Let's Encrypt certificate proves domain control, lasts 90 days and renews automatically; paid certificates add company validation (OV/EV), warranties and support. WebJi® hosting includes free SSL, and Sectigo Positive SSL costs ₹1,800 a year before 18% GST.
For site owners deciding whether a paid certificate adds anything their free SSL does not, and which sites genuinely need one.
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- Read time
- 3 min
- Sections
- 8
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
Free SSL vs paid SSL: what is actually different?
Free and paid certificates encrypt traffic identically; what you pay for is identity validation (a company name in the certificate), coverage of extra hostnames, issuer warranty and vendor support. A paid domain-validated (DV) certificate gives the same padlock and the same encryption as a free one.
| Factor | Free (Let's Encrypt) | Paid (e.g. Sectigo) |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption and padlock | Same TLS, trusted by browsers | Same TLS, trusted by browsers |
| Validation types | Domain validation only | DV, organization (OV) or extended (EV) |
| Company name in certificate | Never | Yes, with OV and EV |
| Certificate lifetime | 90 days, renewed automatically | Max 200 days for certificates issued from 15 March 2026; renewed within a yearly subscription |
| Wildcard | Yes, with DNS validation | Yes |
| Warranty | None | Set by the issuer |
| WebJi® price, before 18% GST | Included with all hosting plans | Positive SSL ₹1,800/yr; Wildcard ₹7,500/yr |
WebJi® prices from published pricing, checked 14 November 2026. The yearly price is the billing term, not the lifetime of a single certificate file.
DV, OV and EV: what each validation level proves
Domain validation proves you control the hostname; organization validation also verifies that the legal entity exists and puts its name in the certificate; extended validation uses a stricter version of that identity check.
- DV: issued in minutes after an HTTP, DNS or email check. Every free certificate is DV.
- OV: the CA checks company registration documents; issuance takes days. The company name is visible when a visitor opens the certificate details.
- EV: stricter identity checks. Browsers no longer show a green company name in the address bar, so the visible difference to visitors is small.
The certificate types are explained in more depth in types of SSL certificates.
Certificate lifetimes are shrinking for everyone
Under CA/Browser Forum ballot SC-081v3, public TLS certificates issued from 15 March 2026 may last at most 200 days, falling to 100 days from 15 March 2027 and 47 days from 15 March 2029, whether free or paid. That makes automatic renewal essential for paid certificates too.
| Issued on or after | Maximum validity |
|---|---|
| 15 March 2026 | 200 days |
| 15 March 2027 | 100 days |
| 15 March 2029 | 47 days |
Let's Encrypt already issues 90-day certificates and stopped sending expiry reminder emails in 2025, so monitor renewal yourself. On a VPS, sudo certbot renew --dry-run proves renewal works; Let's Encrypt auto-renew covers the setup. Check any site's current certificate with:
echo | openssl s_client -connect www.example.in:443 -servername www.example.in 2>/dev/null \
| openssl x509 -noout -issuer -datesWhen a business actually needs paid SSL
Pay for a certificate when it must name your company (OV or EV), when a bank, payment partner, tender or client contract requires a specific validation level, or when you want vendor support and a warranty.
Consider OV/EV
Banking, insurance, fintech or B2B portals where clients inspect certificate details, and contracts that specify organization validation.
Consider paid wildcard
Many subdomains where DNS-based free wildcard renewal is awkward to automate, or a certificate needed on devices outside your web server.
Not SSL at all
Code signing (₹7,200/yr at WebJi®) signs software installers; it does not secure a website.
Do not buy a paid DV certificate to get "stronger encryption"; there is none to gain. Current prices and options are on the SSL certificate page, and costs across the market are discussed in SSL certificate cost in India.
Wildcard and multi-domain certificates
A wildcard covers every first-level subdomain of one domain, such as shop.example.in and mail.example.in; a multi-domain (SAN) certificate lists several different domain names on one certificate. A wildcard *.example.in does not cover a second level like a.b.example.in.
Let's Encrypt can issue a free wildcard, but only through DNS validation, which needs API access to your DNS for automatic renewal. WebJi®'s Sectigo wildcard is ₹7,500 a year before 18% GST, and multi-domain certificates are listed separately.
Does a paid certificate help SEO?
No. Google treats working HTTPS as a light ranking signal and does not prefer paid certificates over free ones. What hurts is an expired certificate, a hostname mismatch, or mixed content where images or scripts still load over http://, and those problems affect free and paid certificates equally. Fixes are in SSL not working and moving from HTTP to HTTPS.
On WebJi® hosting, the free certificate is issued automatically for domains pointed at the server. For help with either type, email support@webji.services; replies are 24/7 in Hindi and English, on average within 60 minutes.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is free SSL safe for an online store?
Yes, for encryption. Card data usually never touches your server when you use a gateway's hosted or embedded checkout. Buy OV only if customers, partners or a compliance auditor specifically ask to see a verified company name in the certificate.
Why does a paid SSL bought for one year need reinstalling?
Because certificates issued from 15 March 2026 can last at most 200 days, a one-year subscription covers at least two certificate files. Your provider reissues within the subscription; use automated installation where possible so nothing lapses.
Can I switch from a paid certificate to free SSL?
Yes. Let the paid certificate run out, or remove it, and enable the free AutoSSL or Let's Encrypt certificate in your panel. Visitors see no difference unless you relied on the company name or a wildcard that the free setup does not cover.
Is a self-signed certificate the same as free SSL?
No. A self-signed certificate is not issued by a trusted certificate authority, so browsers show a full-page warning. It is only suitable for internal testing. Let's Encrypt certificates are free and publicly trusted.
Checked 15 November 2026 against CA/Browser Forum ballot SC-081v3 and Let's Encrypt documentation · Prices checked 14 November 2026 · Reviewed by the WebJi® team, Jaipur.
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