RankingRight
7.6 Tested Aug 22, 2026 by Team RankingRight

Sectigo (PositiveSSL / InstantSSL) review 2026

The certificate authority behind most cheap resellers, sold direct — the same roots, more money, and a proper enterprise management console

PriceFrom $87 · checked Sep 11, 2026
Cheapest cert87 $/yr
Issued in10 min

Is the Sectigo Worth It?

The authority behind most budget certificates. Sectigo issues the certificates most of this ranking resells, and buying direct buys you the management console rather than a better certificate. At one or two sites, use a reseller.

Sectigo Pros & Cons

Pros
  • One of the most widely trusted roots, in every device store
  • Sectigo Certificate Manager handles large estates and private CAs
  • Full DV, OV and EV range with high warranties
  • Direct support rather than a reseller in between
Cons
  • $87 for the same PositiveSSL certificate SSLs.com sells for $3.88
  • Buying direct makes sense only at volume
  • Dashboard is built for IT teams, not one-site owners

Sectigo at a Glance

7.6 Editor Score
Issuance & validationTime from payment to an installed, trusted certificate on our test domain, and how painful the domain or organisation validation was.
22/25
CoverageSubdomains, wildcards, multi-domain SAN slots, and the browser and device trust store the issuing root reaches.
18/20
Warranty & assuranceThe stated warranty, the validation level offered (DV, OV, EV) and the site seal.
13/15
Support & toolingInstallation help, CSR tools, auto-renewal, API, and how quickly support answered a real installation question.
12/15
ValueAnnual cost against what a free Let's Encrypt certificate already gives you.
11/25
Reader ratingNo reader ratings yet — not part of the score
Own one? Rate it:

Rubric v1: Issuance & validation 25 · Coverage 20 · Warranty & assurance 15 · Support & tooling 15 · Value 25. Score = Σ ÷ 10, locked Sep 11, 2026. How we rank.

Where to buy — prices checked Sep 11, 2026

Sectigo — $87

Best priceVisit Site

Sectigo specifications

Cheapest certificate87 USD/yr
Validation levelsDV, OV, EV
WildcardYes
Wildcard price349 USD/yr
Warranty$50,000 to $1,750,000
Issued in (our test)10 minutes (DV)
Free reissuesFree
Refund window30 days

Why it scored 7.6

Sectigo issues the certificates most of this ranking resells, and buying direct buys you the management console rather than a better certificate. At one or two sites, use a reseller.

Where it loses

Price against its own resellers.

Still the right pick for

IT teams managing many certificates.

Changelog: Sep 11 — rank 5 → 6 · all changes

Sectigo7.6 · $87
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