Hacker News Reader

One thing that always confuses me is the plethora of options for buying SSL certificates.

I understand the difference between a single domain and wildcard SSL. But, as an example, what's the difference between Positive SSL and Essential SSL (2 types of SSL certs sold by Namecheap) - Essential being about 3x the price.

View on HN

I think at some point I contacted support about that. It generally comes down to one of a few issues:

compatibility (mobile, different browsers, etc)

steps taken to verify (via phone, email, fax, proof of business registration, etc)

insurance (they'll offer various amounts of payment in liability insurance)

It is 99% marketing. For all practical and meaningful intents and purposes, there are no differences. Go with the cheapest, unless you need the features offered by wildcard/EV.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com