ZeroSSL
Certificate lifecycle management (CLM) software
SSL & TLS certificates software
Confidentiality software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$9.99 per month
Free Trial unavailable
Free version
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- Information technology and software
- Education and training
- Manufacturing
What is ZeroSSL
ZeroSSL is a web-based service for issuing and managing SSL/TLS certificates, commonly used to enable HTTPS for websites and APIs. It supports domain validation workflows and provides an ACME endpoint for automated certificate issuance and renewal. The product targets developers, small-to-midsize organizations, and hosting/IT teams that need certificate provisioning without operating their own certificate authority infrastructure. It differentiates through a self-service UI plus ACME automation options focused on public TLS certificates.
ACME-based automation support
ZeroSSL provides an ACME service that enables automated certificate issuance and renewal using standard ACME clients. This reduces manual certificate handling for common web server and containerized deployments. It fits teams that want automation without building internal PKI tooling. The approach aligns with modern certificate operations practices used across cloud and DevOps environments.
Self-service certificate management UI
The product includes a browser-based interface for requesting certificates, completing validation steps, and tracking certificate status. This can be useful for smaller teams that do not have a dedicated certificate management platform. The UI-centric workflow supports ad hoc issuance and basic operational visibility. It can complement automation for exceptions or one-off certificates.
Developer-friendly integration options
ZeroSSL supports common validation methods (for example, DNS and HTTP-based domain control validation) that map to typical web and API deployment patterns. It is designed to work with widely used ACME tooling rather than requiring proprietary agents. This lowers integration effort for standard HTTPS enablement projects. It is particularly relevant for teams managing certificates across multiple web properties.
Limited enterprise CLM depth
Compared with dedicated certificate lifecycle management platforms, ZeroSSL is less oriented toward large-scale discovery, inventory, and policy enforcement across heterogeneous environments. Organizations with many internal and external certificates may need additional tooling for governance and compliance reporting. Advanced workflows such as role-based approval chains and deep integrations with enterprise ITSM are not its primary focus. This can increase operational overhead in highly regulated settings.
Narrower PKI/CA capabilities
ZeroSSL focuses on public SSL/TLS certificate issuance rather than full private PKI services. Use cases such as issuing private certificates for internal services, device identity, or mTLS at scale may require a separate private CA or cloud CA service. Teams needing hardware-backed key management, complex issuance profiles, or extensive CA hierarchy control may find gaps. This limits suitability for broader confidentiality and identity programs beyond HTTPS.
Validation and rate constraints
As with other public certificate services, issuance depends on successful domain control validation and operational limits tied to automation and account tiers. Environments with restricted DNS changes, complex CDN/proxy setups, or segmented networks can make validation more difficult. High-volume, multi-domain operations may need careful planning around automation, renewal timing, and account limits. These constraints can affect reliability of unattended renewals if not monitored.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 per month | Free 90-day certificates; ACME support; self-service only; no credit card required to start. |
| Basic | $12.99 per month (monthly) or $9.99 per month (billed yearly) | Unlimited 90-day certificates; includes 1-year certificates (limited allotment), multi-domain & wildcard support, REST API access, basic support. |
| Basic + Protect | $18.99 per month (monthly) or $14.99 per month (billed yearly) | All Basic features plus ZeroSSL Protect surface/core scans (entry-level protection add-on). |
| Premium | $69.99 per month (monthly) or $52.99 per month (billed yearly) | More 1-year certificates allowed, wildcard support, REST API access, preferred support, audit log. |
| Premium + Protect | $87.49 per month (monthly) or $66.99 per month (billed yearly) | All Premium features plus ZeroSSL Protect (advanced protection add-on). |
| Business | $139.99 per month (monthly) or $104.99 per month (billed yearly) | Even larger allotment of 1-year certificates and wildcards, preferred support, audit log, ACME/REST API. |
| Business + Protect | $164.99 per month (monthly) or $124.99 per month (billed yearly) | All Business features plus ZeroSSL Protect (robust protection add-on). |
| Platinum | $219.99 per month (monthly) or $159.99 per month (billed yearly) | Highest publicly available certificate package (comprehensive features, preferred support). |
| Platinum + Protect | $249.99 per month (monthly) or $209.99 per month (billed yearly) | Platinum features plus full ZeroSSL Protect. |
| Enterprise / Enterprise SSL (HID Global) | Custom / contact sales | Enterprise-grade CLM delivered with HID Global: flat-rate subscription model, DV/OV/EV & wildcard support, SLA-backed support, no per-certificate fees — contact for quote. |
| Corporate packages (official 'Corporate' offering) | Corporate S: $1,919.90/yr; Corporate M: $3,179.90/yr; Corporate L: $4,439.90/yr; Corporate XL: $6,359.90/yr | Yearly corporate packages (previously called Enterprise) include unlimited 90-day certificates/wildcards and allotted 1-year certificates & wildcards (Corporate S: 40 1-yr certs / 6 1-yr wildcards; M: 75 / 10; L: 100 / 15; XL: 150 / 25). |
