Let's Encrypt
Lets Encrypt — free, automated, and open certificate authority by the Internet Security Research Group.
Our Verdict
The default choice for public TLS in 2026; almost no reason not to use it for standard websites.
Pros
- Free, automated, universally trusted DV certs
- ACME protocol is well-supported everywhere
- Huge community, countless tutorials and clients
- 90-day validity encourages automation
Cons
- DV only; no EV or OV available
- Rate limits can bite at scale
- No commercial SLA or support contract
- Outages, while rare, affect everyone
Best for: Any site needing free, automated public TLS with broad client support.
Not for: Cases legally requiring EV, OV, or paid CA contracts.
When to Use Let's Encrypt
Good fit if you need
- Free ACME TLS certificate issuance for public web services
- Wildcard certificate via DNS-01 challenge for subdomains
- Auto-renewal via certbot or acme.sh for zero-downtime certs
- HTTPS enablement for open-source and nonprofit projects
- CI/CD cert provisioning for ephemeral staging environments
Lock-in Assessment
Low 5/5
Lock-in Score 5/5
Pricing
Price wrong?Let's Encrypt Pricing
- Pricing Model
- free
- Free Tier
- Yes
- Entry Price
- —
- Enterprise Available
- No
- Transparency Score
- —
Beta — estimates may differ from actual pricing
1,000
1001K10K100K1M
Estimated Monthly Cost
$25
Estimated Annual Cost
$300
Estimates are approximate and may not reflect current pricing. Always check the official pricing page.
Community Discussion
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