Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · SSL Certificate Providers

Let's Encrypt vs Thawte SSL Certificates

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Let's Encrypt #1 in SSL Certificate Providers 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Let's Encrypt
Thawte SSL Certificates #6 in SSL Certificate Providers 8.8/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Thawte

Let's Encrypt leads on 1 check, Thawte SSL Certificates on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreLet's Encrypt · 9.4/10
  • Free planonly Let's Encrypt
  • Most featuresThawte SSL Certificates · 2 of 2

Let's Encrypt scores higher on our rubric for ssl certificate providers: 9.4 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #6.

Let's Encrypt offers free plan; Thawte SSL Certificates doesn't.

Let's Encrypt is the better fit for free, automated TLS for any scale. Thawte SSL Certificates is the better fit for buyers seeking DV, OV, or EV with management.

  • Let's Encrypt fits best

    Free, automated TLS for any scale

  • Thawte SSL Certificates fits best

    Buyers seeking DV, OV, or EV with management

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Let's Encrypt 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Thawte SSL Certificates 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.8
Ranking #1 in SSL Certificate Providers #6 in SSL Certificate Providers
Best for Free, automated TLS for any scale Buyers seeking DV, OV, or EV with management
Pricing model Free Paid
Starting price Free plan —
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Support Community, Docs Email, Phone
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Let's Encrypt 0/2 · Thawte SSL Certificates 2/2
Wildcard certificates Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Multi-domain certificates Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Validation types Not checked yet DV, OV, EV
Maximum SAN domains Not checked yet Not checked yet
Issuance speed Not checked yet Minutes
Maximum validity Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Automates certificate issuance and renewal through ACME.
  • Supports HTTP-01, DNS-01, and TLS-ALPN-01 validation.
  • Provides production and staging endpoints plus API revocation.
  • DV, OV, and EV validation levels
  • Wildcard and multi-domain certificate options
  • CertCentral portal with reissue and replacement support
Cons
  • Issuance requires an ACME client or hosting provider.
  • Certificates are domain-validated rather than paid-provider validation options.
  • Support is through documentation and community channels.
  • No free certificate plan
  • Listed EV plan covers a standard domain only
  • Cloud deployment may not fit on-premises requirements
Our verdict

Let's Encrypt is a nonprofit certificate authority that issues free, publicly trusted TLS certificates for websites. Website operators, hosting providers, and developers can use it to enable HTTPS with domain-validated certificates. It is…

Read the review →

Thawte SSL Certificates provide TLS/SSL certificates that encrypt data exchanged between websites and browsers while verifying website identity. The range serves businesses and organizations of different sizes, from small companies to…

Read the review →
  1. Let's EncryptSSL Certificate Providers 9.4Free plan
  2. Thawte SSL CertificatesSSL Certificate Providers 8.8Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Let's Encrypt — where it wins

    • Automates certificate issuance and renewal through ACME.
    • Supports HTTP-01, DNS-01, and TLS-ALPN-01 validation.
    • Provides production and staging endpoints plus API revocation.

    Where it doesn't

    • Issuance requires an ACME client or hosting provider.
    • Certificates are domain-validated rather than paid-provider validation options.
    • Support is through documentation and community channels.

  • Thawte SSL Certificates — where it wins

    • DV, OV, and EV validation levels
    • Wildcard and multi-domain certificate options
    • CertCentral portal with reissue and replacement support

    Where it doesn't

    • No free certificate plan
    • Listed EV plan covers a standard domain only
    • Cloud deployment may not fit on-premises requirements

More comparisons

All SSL certificate providers comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update