When you set out to purchase an SSL certificate, one of the first choices you make is that of DV, EV or OV SSL certificates. Then once you’ve decided on the validation type of your certificate, you choose between wildcard or standard SSL.
However, the selection process doesn’t end there. Even after making these two choices, you end up wondering which SSL certificate to buy, largely because of the number of Certifying Authorities (CAs) in this market.
Want to speed up the process? Don’t worry, we understand your needs. In this article, we’ll introduce you with two good SSL certificates being offered by one of the best and most reliable CAs in the world, Comodo. But before we do that, let’s go through a quick overview of both Wildcard SSL certificates.
What is PositiveSSL Wildcard Certificate
PositiveSSL Wildcard certificate, as its name suggests, is a wildcard SSL certificate offered by Comodo. Like any normal certificate of its category, it protects all your subdomains and the root domain but that’s not all. It also comes with several additional security features that you won’t find in other certificates being offered in the industry.
For instance, it comes with a $10,000 Warranty from the company, which means that if anything goes wrong at the end of Comodo due to which your site is compromised, the company will pay you up to $10,000 in damages.
It also comes with a site seal that you can display on your login and checkout pages to boost the trust of your visitors.
| Certificate Name | Price | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Comodo PositiveSSL Wildcard | $45.00/yr. | Buy Now |
What is EssentialSSL Wildcard Certificate
Like Positive SSL Wildcard, another major SSL certificate product offered by Comodo is the Essential SSL Wildcard certificate. In terms of the protection, it offers what you would expect from any other wildcard SSL certificate – security for root domain along with all subdomains one-level below it.
However, the warranty on this certificate is similar to Positive Wildcard SSL: there’s a $10,000 warranty. The only difference is the price of the certificate. The cost of an Essential SSL certificate is $100 per year.
Key features of PositiveSSL Wildcard and EssentialSSL Wildcard Certificates
The key features of both these SSL certificates remain the same. You get protection for all your subdomains and root domain, you get warranties on both certificates to protect your company against any damages in case something goes wrong on the side of Comodo due to which your site is compromised, and you get site seals that can be placed anywhere on your site to increase the trust of visitors in your company.
You also get detailed instructions for everything from CSR generation to installation of the certificate, and if you wish ClickSSL will help you to install your certificate. In case something goes wrong, you can create a support ticket and the Comodo authorized seller ClickSSL team is very helpful in such circumstances.
Here’s a quick look at all these features in brief:
- Protection for the root domain and all Level-1 subdomains
- Warranties to protect you against damages in case of any failure on Comodo’s side
- Site seals
- Robust support in case you need help.
Difference between PositiveSSL Wildcard and EssentialSSL Wildcard certificates
As you can see from the descriptions given above, both these SSL certificates are alike.
There’s some marginal difference in the price too. We’re summarizing everything in the table given below, so you can see it for yourself:
| Criteria | PositiveSSL wildcard certificate | EssentialSSL wildcard certificate |
| Domains and subdomains protected | Root domain and all Level 1 subdomains | Root domain and all Level 1 subdomains |
| Validation method | Domain validated (DV) | Domain validated (DV) |
| Encryption strength | 256-bits | 256-bits |
| RSA Signature Key size | 2048-bit | 2048-bit |
| Browser compatibility (computer) | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Browser compatibility (mobile) | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Warranty | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| SAN Support | Not included | Not included |
| Site seal | Static Positive Site Seal | Static Comodo site seal |
| Cost | $45 per year | $100 per year |
| Refund policy | 30-days | 30-days |
This pretty much sums up the difference and similarities between both these robust wildcard SSL certificates. And it may be clear to you by now that both these products are quite similar.
Positive Wildcard SSL offers a better deal in terms of price. The only benefit of the Essential SSL certificate is that it comes with the Comodo site seal, which looks more trusted to everyone because of the brand name of Comodo.
Conclusion
With this information in mind, now you can easily choose the right SSL certificate for your company. So make your choice and start protecting your website today. If you still have any questions about either of these certificates, feel free to share them in the comments section below and we’ll try our best to answer them.
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