People look at DigiCert alternatives for three reasons: the price per domain on its annual subscriptions, a product range that starts at organisation validation, and a platform built around enterprise certificate management. They move to free ACME authorities for plain domain validation, to smaller European authorities for lower per-certificate prices, or to other commercial authorities for similar warranties.
Short answer: ZeroSSL, Actalis and Certum head the list of DigiCert alternatives drawn from our SSL certificate providers ranking. We open the ranking with smaller vendors and put the established brands from fourth place onward. ZeroSSL is the one to try if you want a small vendor with a console and API instead of a sales contract. Every one of the 11 products below comes from Best SSL Certificate Providers in 2026, with a note on how it departs from DigiCert.
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Pricing: Published per product and per domain; annual subscriptions
Established in: Not stated by the vendor
Built for: Enterprises wanting a large warranty, an included management platform and ACME
Not for: Small sites with one domain and no need for a warranty
01
Why buyers look past DigiCert
01
Subscription pricing per domain
DigiCert's Basic organisation-validated plan is listed at 26 dollars a month per standard domain, billed as a 12-month auto-renewing subscription of 372 dollars, and 82 dollars a month per wildcard domain. Secure Site raises that to 44 dollars a month and Secure Site Pro to 108. A site that needs only encryption pays for vetting it may not use.
02
No domain-validated certificates
DigiCert states that it does not offer DV certificates. Its Basic plan starts at organisation validation, with extended validation above it. For a blog, a staging server or an internal tool, that means paying for identity checks where a free or low-cost domain-validated certificate would load the same padlock.
03
Short lifetimes put the work on automation
Its TLS certificates are valid for 199 days. ACME automation is free, and issuance and replacement are unlimited, so the model works when a client renews on its own. Teams without that tooling face a renewal job twice a year, whichever authority they pick.
you buy many certificates and want prepaid credit from a reseller
#11
03
What each one does differently
1
ZeroSSL
Austria · Published
ZeroSSL runs from Vienna and gives you a dashboard, a REST API and ACME under a single login. The free plan covers three 90-day certificates through the dashboard, while ACME issuance carries no charge and no rate limit. Paid plans are billed yearly and published. Support runs from self service on free to basic or technical on paid plans.
Switch from DigiCert if you want a small vendor with a console and API instead of a sales contract.
Actalis is an Italian authority owned by the Aruba Group since 2009. Its free plan allows unlimited single-domain 90-day DV certificates through ACME and four by manual activation. Bronze, Silver and Gold subscriptions sit above it, and wildcard or organisation validation start at Silver. Warranty Plus is a paid extra over the standard free-tier cover.
Switch from DigiCert if you want free DV by ACME and an EU authority with paid tiers behind it.
Certum is the certificate arm of Asseco Data Systems, which keeps its infrastructure in the EU. Its DV product mentions ACME, OV and EV vetting take one to seven days, and warranties range from 200,000 to 1,000,000 euros. About 500 partners resell it, so what you pay depends on whether you buy in its shop or through a reseller.
Switch from DigiCert if you want a Polish, EU-hosted authority with warranty tiers in euros.
HARICA grew out of the Greek Universities Network and reports thousands of onboarded organisations. Its server range spans DV, OV, EV, wildcard, onion and eIDAS QWAC types, trusted in the Mozilla, Microsoft, Apple and Oracle programmes. Prices are per certificate per year with an entry price published. The pages we read name no ACME service.
Switch from DigiCert if you want eIDAS-qualified website certificates from an academic-network authority.
Gandi is a French registrar that sells Standard, Pro and Business certificates next to domains and hosting. A single-address certificate is free for the first year with a domain. Wildcard comes with Standard and Pro, multi-domain with Standard and Business. The page names no issuing authority, and its warranty text and table disagree.
Switch from DigiCert if your domain already lives at Gandi and you want certificates on the same invoice.
SSL.com began in Houston in 2002 as a reseller and now issues TLS, code signing, document signing and private PKI products. Single-domain DV starts at a published yearly price and the warranty rises through OV to EV. ACME is supported, though certificates are capped at 200 days, so a yearly price buys repeated reissuance.
Switch from DigiCert if you need DV, OV and EV on published per-certificate prices.
GlobalSign has issued certificates since 1996 and takes orders through regional shops. A mismatch between the region and your legal registration cancels the order. DV, OV and EV last up to 200 days, with warranties from 10,000 dollars for DV to 1,500,000 for EV. An ACME service comes with a trial, but static pages show no prices.
Switch from DigiCert if you want a long-established authority and accept prices that appear only at checkout.
Sectigo, with Sectigo Limited in London as data controller, lists a one-year single-domain DV certificate from 110 dollars. It promises 24/7 support and a money-back guarantee. Its main platform push is certificate lifecycle management for enterprises, which is aimed at fleets of certificates rather than a handful of sites.
Switch from DigiCert if you want a certificate from the same tier of vendor with a 24/7 support promise.
Let's Encrypt is a single-purpose service of the nonprofit ISRG: automated DV certificates through ACME, funded by donations and sponsors. Certificates last 90 days by default with a six-day option, and wildcards need DNS validation. It issues no OV or EV certificates and offers a community forum and documentation, not direct support.
Switch from DigiCert if a free DV certificate renewed by automation is all your servers need.
Google Trust Services issues publicly trusted TLS certificates through an ACME API at no charge, requested with a Google Cloud account. The pages we read list no DV, OV or EV catalogue and no support plan. It fits teams that already work in Google Cloud and want certificates without a vendor contract.
Switch from DigiCert if you already run on Google Cloud and only need automated issuance.
Trustico is a reseller operated by Secure Click Pty Ltd in Southport, Australia. Product cards name the issuer as Sectigo CA or Trustico CA, so the certificate depends on the line chosen. Prices are in dollars, prepaid credit is available, and ACME is sold as certificate as a service. Fulfilled orders and CaaS subscriptions are excluded from refunds.
Switch from DigiCert if you buy many certificates and want prepaid credit from a reseller.
You only need a free certificate that renews itself
Let's Encrypt: Issuance is automated by ACME at no charge, with 90-day certificates and DNS validation for wildcards.
02
You want a European authority with a dashboard and API
ZeroSSL: The Vienna company gives three free 90-day certificates in the console, and ACME issuance has no charge or rate limit.
03
You need OV or EV and prefer an EU-based authority
Certum: Its OV and EV checks take one to seven days, and warranties run from 200,000 to 1,000,000 euros.
04
You want eIDAS-qualified website certificates
HARICA: The server range includes DV, OV, EV and eIDAS QWAC types, trusted in the major root programmes.
05
Your infrastructure sits on Google Cloud
Google Trust Services: Public TLS certificates come through an ACME API at no charge with a Google Cloud account.
04
When DigiCert is still the right choice
DigiCert remains a sound choice when a client or auditor expects organisation or extended validation and a large warranty: Basic carries a 1.25 million dollar NetSure warranty and Secure Site Pro adds brand protection through certificate transparency log monitoring. The CertCentral portal, 24x5 standard support on Basic and free ACME automation come in the subscription, so a team with many certificates and compliance duties gets one managed place for them.
05
What moving off DigiCert involves
01
Check what the replacement validates
DigiCert sells only OV and EV, so a move to a free DV certificate drops the organisation name from the certificate. List which sites rely on that vetting, such as payment pages or partner portals, before you change them.
02
Install the new certificate before the old one lapses
Subscriptions renew automatically every 12 months, so cancel on the account only after the replacement is live on every host. Set up ACME renewal on a test server first and confirm that wildcard names validate by DNS.
06
Questions about replacing DigiCert
6 answers
How much does DigiCert cost?
DigiCert lists Basic OV at 26 dollars a month per standard domain, a 372 dollar yearly subscription, and Basic EV at 39 dollars a month.
Secure Site OV is 44 dollars and Secure Site Pro OV 108 dollars a month. Prices are subject to change, and its own pages show some different starting figures.
Does DigiCert offer free certificates?
Not on the pages we read. DigiCert says it does not offer DV certificates. Let's Encrypt, Google Trust Services, ZeroSSL and Actalis give free ACME issuance instead.
Does DigiCert support ACME?
Yes. Its Basic page says ACME automation is free, and the comparison table marks it included in all six plans. The certificates are valid for 199 days.
Which alternatives are based in Europe?
ZeroSSL is in Austria, Actalis in Italy, HARICA in Greece, Certum in Poland, Gandi in France and Sectigo in the United Kingdom. Each states its own terms, so read the contract for the entity that signs it.
Can I get organisation or extended validation elsewhere?
SSL.com, GlobalSign, Sectigo, HARICA and Certum list OV and EV products. Let's Encrypt issues none, and Actalis ties organisation validation to its Silver and Gold plans.
What about warranty cover?
DigiCert's Basic warranty is 1.25 million dollars. Certum lists 200,000 to 1,000,000 euros and GlobalSign 10,000 to 1,500,000 dollars. A warranty rarely pays out, so ask whether a client or insurer requires a figure.
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Sources
Checked 6 November 2026
DigiCert single domain plans: Basic, Secure Site and Secure Site Pro OV and EV monthly and yearly prices, free ACME, 24x5 support on Basic, CertCentral.
DigiCert Basic TLS/SSL: 12-month auto-renewing term, 199-day validity, 1.25 million dollar NetSure warranty, no DV certificates.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Sebastiaan Smits wrote and checked this page, most recently on 6 November 2026. See how we review.
