Free vs Paid SSL for WordPress: Which One Actually Works?

What Is an SSL Certificate?

An SSL Certificate performs one main function. It encrypts the data between your website and visitor. It can be compared to a consensually closed envelope that prevents anyone who is on the internet from reading the information being sent back and forth between you and your visitor(s).

There’s another reason to obtain SSL, Google marks all websites without SSL as “Not Secure.” This alone can impact both your website’s traffic and trust with your visitors. If you have a blog, an eCommerce store, or any kind of business website you need to obtain your SSL certificate.

What Happens When SSL Expires?

One of the more prevalent challenges encountered by website proprietors is the expiration of their SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, which means that an error page will be displayed to visitors trying to access the website instead of successfully going to the site. Browsers may restrict access to the site altogether.

Some errors that could be displayed similarly include:

• You may receive an expired SSL certificate notification by using Google Chrome or Firefox
• An SSL certificate with the error code 526 is considered to be an invalid SSL certificate (cloudflare will commonly have this).
• You may also see a red padlock or “Not Secure” message at the address bar.

The answer to resolve the situation is fairly straightforward: obtain a renewal on your SSL certificate prior to its expiration date. Typically, most free SSL certificates have 90 days of validity, while paid certificates tend to be valid for 1 year or more.

What Free SSL Gives You

Free SSL products have the same level of security for your site as do paid SSL products. Free shared SSL services, in particular, are very popular; Let’s Encrypt is the most popular option available, and is generally included with most web hosting packages today.

Benefits of free SSL include:

• Full HTTPS encryption
• Green padlock in the browser
• Basic domain validation (DV)
• Works well with WordPress
• Supports Nginx (SSL installed on the server that is hosting the domain name)

Some drawbacks to free SSL include:

• Expires after 90 days, requiring regular renewals
• No support or warranty for anything that breaks
• No organization (OV) or extended validation (EV)

If you forget to renew your SSL, your site will go down; unless your web host has set up auto-renewal, in which case it may not expire.

Is Paid SSL Worth It?

There are different paid SSL certificate types which have been designed to serve different functions, as this list demonstrates:

A paid SSL certificate also has:

• Financial warranty protection on SSL certificates in case of a Data breach.
• Paid SSL has easier access to customer service from your ssl supplier.
• There are various types of Trust Symbols available for display on your website with paid SSL.
• You can get Wild Card or multi domain options for larger or more complex websites with your paid SSL certificate.

Free vs. Paid SSL: Quick Comparison

Which One Should You Choose?

The simple truth is that, in general, free SSL certificates are appropriate for all WordPress websites.

Free SSL certificates provide all of the same benefits as paid SSL certificates (e.g., full encryption, the green padlock next to your URL, and compliance with Google’s ever-changing SSL requirements) as long as you have a personal blog, portfolio, or simple business website.

You should use paid SSL certificates if you:

• Are operating an eCommerce website and processing transactions
• Are managing a website for a corporation or organization.
• Are interested in purchasing a wildcard SSL that can secure multiple subdomains.
• Would like an extended validation SSL that provides more user trust.
• Would like your certificate to be valid longer, which will reduce your overall SSL management workload.

How to Manage Your SSL Certificate

Effective SSL Certificate management ensures you will be able to keep track of your SSL Certificate’s expiration. Here are ways of managing your SSL Certificates to be able to do so:

• Keep track of your SSL Certificate’s expiration date – Log into Host or User Tools Like SSL Labs
• Enable Automatic Renewal of Your SSL Certificates – Hosted sites that use cPanel or Plesk typically will allow for this.
• Set Reminders of Your SSL Certificates Expiration – Create a reminder within your calendar 30 days prior to certificate expiration.
• Be Monitoring Your SSL Certificates – Use monitoring software such as UptimeRobot or Zabbix for alerts whenever your SSL Certificates goes down.
• Performing Testing After renewing of Your SSL Certificate for functionality within your website is critical to ensure that your website continues operating appropriately after renewal of Your SSL Certificate.

How to Fix Error Code 526

The SSL certificate for your server (Origin Server) is invalid, resulting in an SSL Error 526. This error occurs when you use Cloudflare as a reverse proxy. Your Origin Server’s SSL Certificate cannot be verified by Cloudflare.

Things to check in order to resolve an SSL Error 526:

• Ensure your Origin Server has a valid SSL certificate installed
• Verify that the SSL Certificate has not expired
• Temporarily switch the SSL Mode from “Full” (Strict) to “Full” within your Cloudflare Dashboard
• If necessary, install a new SSL Certificate on your Origin Server
• Ensure there are no configuration errors regarding the SSL Certificate in Nginx.

Conclusion

Free SSL does function; however, using a paid version will provide you with both greater confidence and greater ease-of-access. When you start off using your WordPress site, using a free certificate will work without issues; however, when you want to expand your site, or to start selling products online, then you’ll be able to switch to using a paid certificate. No matter what path you choose, it is important that you have SSL installed, as it is now a standard requirement.