PositiveSSL vs RapidSSL

PositiveSSL (Sectigo) and RapidSSL (DigiCert) are the best-known budget DV certificates, and they encrypt identically. PositiveSSL was cheaper on 10 November 2026: $16.00 at GoGetSSL against $18.65 for RapidSSL Standard. It also lists a larger warranty and comes in multi-domain and EV versions. Pick RapidSSL if your CAA records or policy already point at DigiCert.

Prices were copied from the sellers' own pages on 10 November 2026. They change often, so the seller's checkout page is authoritative. Commissions never affect which product we recommend.

Side-by-side comparison

PositiveSSL wins on price and product range; RapidSSL wins only when you already use DigiCert.

Who is behind each brand

PositiveSSL's own website states that PositiveSSL is a registered trademark of Sectigo Limited, and it lists single-domain, wildcard, multi-domain and EV products. Sectigo is the certificate authority formerly called Comodo CA; read Comodo vs Sectigo for the history. PositiveSSL certificates chain to Sectigo's roots, such as USERTrust RSA Certification Authority.

RapidSSL is one of DigiCert's brands, alongside GeoTrust and Thawte. DigiCert took over Symantec's website security business in 2017, and its CAA documentation states that authorizing DigiCert authorizes all DigiCert brands, RapidSSL included. The RapidSSL site compares only two products, RapidSSL DV and RapidSSL Wildcard, and steers customers who want a larger warranty to GeoTrust.

Price and value

For a single domain, PositiveSSL was cheaper at the cheapest seller ($16.00 against $18.65 at GoGetSSL), while at The SSL Store the two were within cents of each other ($20.00 against $19.98). The gap is larger for wildcards: $128.00 for PositiveSSL Wildcard against $149.31 for RapidSSL Wildcard at the same seller. PositiveSSL Wildcard itself ranged from $128.00 at GoGetSSL to $160.00 at The SSL Store, so the seller matters as much as the brand.

The warranty difference looks large, but a warranty is the CA's promise under its own terms, with its own conditions and limits. Read those terms before you give the number much weight.

Product range

PositiveSSL covers more shapes. If you might later need several domains in one certificate, PositiveSSL Multi-Domain was $57.00 at Trustico for one primary plus two additional domains. If a partner ever demands EV, PositiveSSL EV was $99.98 at The SSL Store. RapidSSL stops at single-domain and wildcard DV; for more, DigiCert points you to its GeoTrust, Thawte and DigiCert products, which cost more.

CAA records decide what can be issued

If your domain publishes CAA records, the CA named in them is the only one allowed to issue. Sectigo's knowledge base lists sectigo.com, trust-provider.com and usertrust.com as its issuer values. DigiCert's documentation lists digicert.com and several equivalent values, including rapidssl.com, geotrust.com and thawte.com. Check your records with the CAA checker before ordering, or generate new ones with the CAA generator.

Where to buy

GoGetSSL had the lowest verified price for both brands:

• PositiveSSL: GoGetSSL $16.00, Trustico $19.00, The SSL Store $20.00.
• RapidSSL Standard: GoGetSSL $18.65, The SSL Store $19.98.

Namecheap no longer sells new PositiveSSL certificates. Since 11 July 2026 its new certificates are issued by SSL.com, and its former PositiveSSL product is now called Standard SSL, which was $11.00 for the first year. If price is all that matters, compare it too in our cheapest SSL certificate guide.

Which one should you choose?

Choose PositiveSSL for price and range, and RapidSSL for an existing DigiCert setup:

• Lowest price for one domain or a wildcard: PositiveSSL, at the seller with the lowest verified price.
• You may need multi-domain or EV later: PositiveSSL, because the same brand covers those shapes and your CAA records stay unchanged.
• Your organization already uses DigiCert, GeoTrust or Thawte: RapidSSL, so one CAA value and one CA relationship cover everything.
• A customer or policy names a specific CA: follow it; both brands are equally trusted by browsers.
• Lowest price, whichever CA issues it: Namecheap Standard SSL at $11.00 for the first year beats both, renewing at $13.20; it is issued by SSL.com, so CAA must allow ssl.com.
• You only need HTTPS and can automate renewal: neither. A free certificate from an ACME CA such as Let's Encrypt does the same job.

Switching between them

Changing brand at renewal is routine. Generate a new private key and CSR (our CSR generator works), update CAA if you publish it, complete domain validation, then install the new certificate together with its intermediate certificate. Run the SSL checker afterwards and make sure the chain file holds the new CA's intermediate, not the old one; a mismatched intermediate breaks some clients. Visitors see no difference in the browser.

Validity applies to both

Both brands follow the same lifetime limits. Since 15 March 2026 a publicly trusted TLS certificate is valid for at most 200 days, falling to 100 days on 15 March 2027 and 47 days on 15 March 2029. A multi-year PositiveSSL or RapidSSL purchase is therefore a subscription with several reissues. If you can automate renewal, a free ACME certificate removes the cost entirely; see free vs paid SSL.