We’re all about helping SSL buyers make the right choices for their needs. And we’ve heard that our customers want to know the difference between the biggest Certificate Authorities (SSL providers) in the playing field — Sectigo (our partner) and GoDaddy. Your wish is our command. So let’s get into it.
What’s a Certificate Authority All About?
In effect, practically anyone could issue an SSL Certificate, but then you’d have chaos. Businesses would be confused about whether the SSL they’re buying has security standards compliance. Consumers could never be sure if the company website they’re buying from is a legit business. To make things reliable, industry-recognized Certificate Authorities (CAs) are registered with the CA/Browser Forum. They were responsible for creating the list of policies and technical requirements that CAs follow. Basically, if an organization isn’t registered with the CA/Browser Forum, they’re not a reputable Certificate Authority. Both Sectigo (previously known as Comodo) and GoDaddy are CA/Browser Forum registered.
Price Factor
Round over before it even got started. The clear winner is Sectigo. GoDaddy’s pricing can’t compare. Sectigo continues to be an industry disrupter for offering lower prices than almost anyone on the marketplace. And this is one of the main reasons we partnered with them.
Easy Setup
With both Sectigo and GoDaddy, you’ll need to follow that same CA validation processes, so there’s no difference there. But on the other hand, easy setup is not clear cut. In one way GoDaddy makes things simpler because they offer domains and hosting too. If you have everything on one platform, SSL activation will, of course, be smoother. On the other hand, our model is to let customers find the cheapest prices for each of their web services. Then we make it easier than most to tie them together with a three-step activation, where we do as much of the lifting as possible on our platform. So, if you want to get your hosting, SSL, and domain all in one place, then GoDaddy is for you. But if you want the freedom to find the cheapest prices on the market and still get a reasonably easy SSL setup, we’re going to look rosy.
Variety of Choices
Both GoDaddy and Sectigo offer a variety of SSL Certificates. The difference is that Sectigo has a wide range of named encryption products to choose from, while GoDaddy does it differently and lets you configure your SSL. So, with Sectigo you can do reviews on product names, but with GoDaddy you’d want to be a little more advanced and know exactly what you’re looking for.
Dedicated Customer Support
We do one thing and one thing only — sell Sectigo SSL products. Our Helpdesk Knowledge Base is extensive, and you can reach out to our SSL geeks direct with an email ticket. GoDaddy is newer to the game of selling SSLs, and arguably the majority of their focus is on hosting and domains. So if dedicated or advanced-techy Customer Support is important to you, we’re going to stand out.
Wrap Up
If you want to tailor your SSL Certificate and get a package deal where your encryption, hosting and domain are all rolled into one, GoDaddy is a good choice. But if you’re the type of person that likes to get the cheapest website products you can find by choosing them individually, and have dedicated customer support when you have complex SSL questions, our partner Sectigo is for you.
Cora is a digital copywriter for SSLs.com. Having eight years of experience in online content creation, she is a versatile writer with an interest in a wide variety of topics, ranging from technology to marketing.