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This article discusses the differences between cPanel SSL certificates and certificates provided by traditional CA (certificate authority) providers.

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What is a cPanel SSL certificate?

cPanel SSL certificates are free and come with all of our hosting plans automatically. It is an entry-level SSL certificate that provides you with the baseline encryption needed to satisfy safety requirements. However, keep in mind that as a free certificate, no brand support is available and no warranties are included. A free certificate is designed to make your site compliant with web browsers but that is about it. For smaller sites that do not receive a lot of traffic or do not handle customer information, free cPanel SSL certificates can be sufficient. If you are running a more serious website with e-commerce and customer logins, we highly recommend a traditional CA-issued SSL certificate.

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What is a traditional CA-issued SSL certificate?

Traditional CA-issued certificates, such as those from DigiCert, GeoTrust, and RapidSSL, offer customers many more features than the free option. The levels of encryption and support can be much higher, ultimately providing the highest assurance to website visitors. All SSL certificates from a traditional CA provide live support should you ever need assistance. Depending on the level of certificate you purchase, traditional CA-issued certificates are also equipped with warranties that protect your visitors and site owners should any damage be done under the certificate.
To view available SSL certificate options at hosting.com, please visit https://hosting.com/domains/ssl-certificates/.