The same lock, a different product
A free DV and a yearly DV print the same lock in the browser. Both come from a publicly trusted authority. Both encrypt the session. The visitor does not see the price. What they see is the lock and the absence of a warning. The difference is the product behind the lock: how deep the identity check goes, how long the certificate lives, who renews it, the warranty text, and who installs it.
The OwnHost SSL page sells yearly cards. The introduction says SSL does not guarantee a search ranking. A free certificate does not guarantee it either. Google has treated HTTPS as a light signal for years. Bing and Yandex read a page with a “not secure” warning as a weak click. The warning has to go. The top position does not depend on whether the DV was free or paid.
What is free?
Let’s Encrypt issues a free DV. In October 2026 the default lifetime is 90 days. The default that drops to 64 days on 10 February 2027 and to 45 days on 16 February 2028 is in the Let’s Encrypt article. Renewal depends on automation. If it is forgotten, the lock drops. OV, EV, and a commercial warranty are not in this product.
The free SSL line on a WordPress hosting card is a separate line. It does not name an authority. Do not label that line Let’s Encrypt. A lock that comes with the hosting account does not replace the yearly invoice in the SSL shop. They are different orders.
What is paid?
The cards on the SSL page are yearly, and installation is free. The DV group is immediate. Comodo SSL (DV) is $6.50, Positive SSL (DV) is $7.99, and Essential SSL (DV) is $17.49. Wildcard DV is $73.99 for PositiveSSL Wildcard and $130.99 for Essential Wildcard. The OV group asks for documents. Organization SSL is $89.99 and 2–21 business days. Premium OV is $129.99 and 1–5 business days. The EV group also asks for documents. Positive EV is $79.99, Sectigo EV is $249.99, and EV multi-domain is $189.99. EV delivery is 1–5 days.
What each type checks is in the SSL types article. The short version is this. A paid DV is the yearly, installed form of the same class as Let’s Encrypt. OV and EV add a company identity to the domain. A wildcard gathers the subdomains of one root on a single certificate.
Advantages and disadvantages of free
Advantage: there is no fee. DV is enough for a blog, a brochure site, and a shop with no document requirement. Once automation is installed, renewal is not on you. A wildcard is free on a panel that can write DNS. Browser trust gives the same lock as a yearly DV.
Disadvantage: the lifetime is short and will get shorter. A certificate tracked by hand expires. The company name is not written. Let’s Encrypt does not sell a commercial warranty. The $1,750,000 Comodo sentence on the page does not belong to this product. New domain names have an hourly order limit. Renewal sits outside that limit. If the panel does not run ACME, installation is still your job.
Advantages and disadvantages of paid
Advantage: the term on the card is a year. Authorities can still issue up to a year today. When the 47-day maximum arrives in 2029, this will get more frequent too. Until that day, a yearly card renews less often than a 90-day free certificate. OwnHost support installs a card you buy, at no extra fee. OV and EV answer a job whose contract asks for a legal name. The wildcard card gathers subdomains in one order. The Comodo SSL text on the page states a warranty of up to $1,750,000 for problems that come from the certificate. Do not read the warranty as a policy that automatically pays every loss. The text says “certain conditions”. The condition is in the certificate document.
Disadvantage: there is a fee. OV and EV wait until the documents are finished. On Organization SSL the window runs to 2–21 business days. The EV card says green bar. Current browsers do not show that bar in the address bar. Buying EV for a green bar is a purchase the screen does not return. If a bank asks in writing for a specific commercial certificate, that requirement stands. The sentence “every bank rejects free SSL” is not on this page. Read the requirement from the bank’s own text.
Which should you buy?
One site, no documents, and a panel that renews the certificate itself: free DV is enough. If renewal is manual and you would not notice a dropped lock, a yearly DV is the smaller risk. Comodo SSL (DV) is $6.50. If there is more than one subdomain and no DNS automation, PositiveSSL Wildcard is $73.99. If the legal name will be written in the certificate, OV. If a contract says EV, EV. No card outranks another for search position.
The decision order is short. The connection should be encrypted: DV, free or yearly. A company identity should be written: OV or EV. Subdomains should share one certificate: wildcard. The team should install it: a card on the SSL page. All three produce HTTPS. None of the three sells the top rank.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions this article is most often asked.
1 Is free SSL as secure as paid SSL?
In the DV class, both encrypt the session and show the same lock. Paid OV and EV add a company identity. The free product has no legal name.
2 Does free SSL raise rankings?
No. HTTPS removes the warning. The OwnHost SSL page does not guarantee a ranking. Free or paid DV does not add that guarantee.
3 Is installation an extra fee on a paid card?
No. Installation of the cards on the SSL page is free. Who installs Let’s Encrypt depends on the panel.