Advice on SSL choice

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Posted by althanis, 09-02-2009, 12:24 AM
Hi there, I read through a lot of the topics and info about SSL certificates before I posted this so that I can get a good idea. I'm a webdesigner and developer, and I'm working on a project for a conference where attendees can register and send their credit card details online, no processing is being down online - we're not using Paypal or anything, they're just sending on the info and my client will process it at the office. So I know I need an SSL cert. I want to spend as little as possible on it as we're not doing a whole lot. These are the options so far: 1. Namecheap for $11. 2. Trustico for $20 3. GoDaddy for $30 4. MediaTemple (my host) for $50. Are SSL's hard to set up? How long would it take? Would the more expensive one from MT be better? I'm also thinking that considering the fact that I only have 2 days to get it all done, I may be better off going with MT even though it's much more expensive. Anyone has any experience with them, or any of the others?
Posted by Collabora, 09-02-2009, 01:35 AM
The one from namecheap and trustico have no warranty
Posted by prashant1979, 09-02-2009, 02:53 AM
You can go for Thawte or Godaddy for low cost SSL certificates.
Posted by BluewaveHosted, 09-02-2009, 03:30 AM
InstantSSL is a fair priced one and come with Corner fo Trust Seal. Looks and IS very professional.
Posted by plumsauce, 09-02-2009, 04:40 AM
rapidssl certs are very compatible with all browsers servertastic.com seems to have the best pricing, about $12USD. you can do the whole thing in about 10 minutes if you are used to the process. verification is by automated phone message where you read off a series of digits from the registration page. make sure you use a generic email address like admin@, webmaster@, of the domain registered on the cert. it simplifies the authorisation process. ps. not affiliated, just like them.
Posted by althanis, 09-02-2009, 09:05 AM
Thanks for all the replies guys. A warranty isn't a priority, so that part is okay. plumsauce - it looks like RapidSSL is the cheapest one by far, I think I'll go with that one. But how does the phone verification work? I call into them and read off a set of verification digits to complete the process? Oh, and Namecheap, Trustico and Servertastic all have RapidSSL, anyone else have a preference for any of them? If not I'll go with servertastic as plum recommended that one.
Posted by BluewaveHosted, 09-02-2009, 09:07 AM
take it from namecheap.com they have an offer now for 9.99
Posted by Collabora, 09-02-2009, 10:06 AM
I personally wouldn't shop at an unknown site that did not carry a cert without a warranty. I ask myself, why would a store use a cert that fraudulent stores use?
Posted by althanis, 09-02-2009, 10:16 AM
Thanks for the feedback Collabra. Can users tell whether or not an SSL certificate has a warranty? Also it's not for an online store, it's just for registration for a conference. Though I guess you can look at that as shopping, which brings us back to the first question.
Posted by inspiron, 09-02-2009, 10:19 AM
Yes, there might be no risk in taking from the namecheap they are cheap, company is well-known and their services can be trusted.
Posted by mrcjdawson, 09-02-2009, 10:30 AM
You can always go to the issuing provider's website. For instance, all Verisign's warranties are listed here. With SSL certififcates, it's all about what kind of confidence you are instilling in your customers, so picking somebody that a customer has heard of CAN be a good investment. A warranty is almost like a limited insurance policy for your Internet security, and it's not bad to have even if it's just to - again- instill more confidence in the people who visit your site. When you drive around, you probably see contractor vans that say 'bonded and insured'. A recognizable SSL cert that is known to have a warranty does kind of the same thing.
Posted by althanis, 09-02-2009, 10:34 AM
Thanks mrcj. So then the best option for the budget would be the one from Trustico ($20) which has a $10,000 warranty. I think the other ones for around $10 don't have any.
Posted by iTom, 09-02-2009, 11:20 AM
You can normally find some godaddy coupons to get them for 1/2 price. Also enom are $8/yr
Posted by AndyGambles, 09-02-2009, 05:36 PM
All the RapidSSL certificates come with $10,000 warranty. There is also no telephone authentication required with the RapidSSL certificates anymore.
Posted by AndyGambles, 09-02-2009, 05:38 PM
Are you UK based? This could be in breach of a fair few regulations. Also the client should check they can do this with their merchant account as they may not permit cardholder not present and/or internet transactions.
Posted by althanis, 09-02-2009, 06:11 PM
Thanks for the info AGUK. And no I'm not in the UK, or the US.
Posted by althanis, 09-02-2009, 08:11 PM
Thanks for all the help and feedback everyone. I went ahead and purchased it from Namecheap and following MediaTemple's knowledge base article it was very easy to install. Awaiting my domain to be moved over to a unique IP address right now and everything should be good to go. Thanks again!
Posted by Collabora, 09-02-2009, 08:47 PM
I am getting this verified. The GeoTrust product matrix shows no warranty, but the rapidssl site says so in FAQ.
Posted by SC-Daniel, 09-02-2009, 10:06 PM
I've always had great luck with RapidSSL certificates and they are relatively cheap. With that said, we do use an InstantSSL on our billing/support center due to the larger amount of browser compatibility and more professional look.

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