Let's Encrypt (Free DV, 90-day) review 2027

What problem does Let's Encrypt solve, and who is it for?

Let's Encrypt exists so that a website can have HTTPS without a purchase order. The certificate is free, the encryption it delivers is identical to any paid certificate, and it is issued in under a minute on our test domain. It then renews itself every 90 days with no action from you.

It is already built into cPanel, Plesk, CloudPanel, Caddy, Cloudflare and most hosts, so for many sites there is nothing to install at all. Wildcards are available at no cost, which matters if you run many subdomains.

That combination makes it the default for almost every website. The exception is narrow: buy a certificate only when someone specifically requires organisation validation or a warranty.

How did we score Let's Encrypt?

We scored it across five criteria, each with its own maximum.

• Issuance & validation — 23 out of 25. This measures the time from payment to an installed, trusted certificate on our test domain, and how painful the domain or organisation validation was. Let's Encrypt issued in under 1 minute.
• Coverage — 17 out of 20. This covers subdomains, wildcards, multi-domain SAN slots, and the browser and device trust store the issuing root reaches.
• Warranty & assurance — 6 out of 15. This looks at the stated warranty, the validation level offered (DV, OV, EV) and the site seal. Let's Encrypt offers DV only and no warranty.
• Support & tooling — 12 out of 15. This covers installation help, CSR tools, auto-renewal, API, and how quickly support answered a real installation question.
• Value — 25 out of 25. This weighs annual cost against what a free Let's Encrypt certificate already gives you.

The total is 8.3, second in a category of six tested products.

What does Let's Encrypt do better than anything else here?

The strongest facts are the ones you feel immediately. Issuance took under 1 minute in our test, faster than every paid rival we measured. Renewal is automatic every 90 days, so the certificate does not lapse while you are not looking.

Wildcards cost nothing. On the paid side, the same capability is priced at 71.88 USD/yr at SSLs.com, 349 USD/yr at Sectigo, 600 USD/yr at ZeroSSL and 688 USD/yr at DigiCert. Google Trust Services also lists wildcards at 0 USD/yr.

Because it is built into cPanel, Plesk, CloudPanel, Caddy, Cloudflare and most hosts, installation is often a checkbox rather than a support ticket.

How does the technology behind it work?

Let's Encrypt issues domain validation (DV) certificates. DV means the authority confirms you control the domain, not who your company is, so no verified company name appears in the certificate.

Issuance is automated through an ACME-style protocol: your server or host proves control of the domain, the certificate is issued, and the same process runs again before expiry. For a wildcard, the proof must be a DNS-01 challenge, which means placing a record in DNS. That is harder to automate than the standard web-based check, which is why wildcard setups sometimes need manual attention.

What exactly do you get?

The certificate itself is a DV certificate. The cheapest certificate is 0 USD/yr, the validation level is DV, and a wildcard is included at 0 USD/yr.

There is no warranty and no refund window, because there is no payment. Reissues are unlimited. Issuance took under 1 minute in our test. What you do not get is a verified organisation name, a site seal, a warranty, or a support desk — for those you rely on documentation and your host.

How does it compare with the paid certificates we tested?

Against SSLs.com (8.5, from $3.88), Let's Encrypt is ahead on price and speed: SSLs.com issued in 6 minutes and charges 3.88 USD/yr for its cheapest certificate, though it adds DV, OV and EV validation, a $50,000 warranty on PositiveSSL, free unlimited reissues and a 15-day refund window.

Against ZeroSSL (8.1, free with paid plans from $10/mo), Let's Encrypt is ahead on wildcard cost — ZeroSSL charges 600 USD/yr for wildcards on paid plans — while ZeroSSL issued in 3 minutes and offers a 30-day refund window on paid plans.

Against DigiCert (7.9, $268), Let's Encrypt is far cheaper and faster; DigiCert issued an OV certificate in 4 hours in our test but carries a warranty up to $2,000,000 and phone support.

Against Google Trust Services (7.7, free), the two are close: both are free, both cover wildcards at 0 USD/yr, and Google Trust Services issued in 2 minutes.

Against Sectigo (7.6, $87), Let's Encrypt wins on price and speed; Sectigo issued a DV certificate in 10 minutes and offers warranties from $50,000 to $1,750,000.

Where does Let's Encrypt fall short?

It lost points on warranty and assurance, and the reasons are structural rather than fixable.

• Domain validation only — no verified company name in the certificate.
• No warranty and no support desk; you rely on documentation and your host.
• Wildcards need a DNS-01 challenge, which is harder to automate.

If a client, procurement team or insurer asks for organisation validation or a warranty, this certificate cannot answer that request.

Is it good value?

The price summary is Free, and value scored 25 out of 25. That is the full marks available on the criterion, measured as annual cost against what a free Let's Encrypt certificate already gives you. Every paid rival in this ranking charges something for the same encryption.

Who should use Let's Encrypt?

It is the default for almost every website. For a blog, a brochure site, a SaaS app or a small shop, Let's Encrypt is the correct answer and the rest of this ranking is optional.

Buy a certificate only when someone specifically requires organisation validation or a warranty. If that requirement does not exist, there is no reason to pay.