Why People Still Pay for SSL Certificates

Free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt and Cloudflare handle encryption for millions of sites. So why does a multi-million dollar market for paid certificates from DigiCert, Sectigo, and GlobalSign still exist? In this episode, we unpack the four layers of value that commercial Certificate Authorities provide: warranty coverage for risk management, enterprise lifecycle management platforms, premium support and incident response, and flexible trust chain options. We also explore how OV and EV certificates serve critical identity functions in B2B machine-to-machine communication that free DV certificates simply cannot fulfill. If you’ve ever wondered whether paid SSL is a relic or a necessity, this episode explains why the answer is more complicated — and more interesting — than you think.