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this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2026
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This is why I never even started using Letsencrypt; looking at the fine print, you actually enter into some kind of contract ~~with some US entity~~ under US law, which I don't want even if it's the coolest of all FOSS foundations.
Here's a site that has some info:
https://www.eurotoolkit.eu/categories/certificate-authority-ca
I have used certum.pl for years and it looks like I might go back to them soon because my VPS provider doesn't offer bundled certs anymore.
I used to pay €40/year iirc.
I suspect it's gotten more expensive though.
edit:
oh looks like ZeroSSL are doing it letsencrypt-style with Acme protocol for €0.
edit2:
No, not more expensive. Some of the providers in the above link are labyrinthine and I couldn't even find a Pricing section - usually a sign that it's too expensive at least for a normal consumer - but others offer yearly certs for as little as €30 (taxes not included).
edit3:
Yeah some people are going to have a hard time accepting that a contract with a for-profit company under EU jurisdiction might be preferable to a contract with a non-profit under US jurisdiction.
I've been using ZeroSSL for over 5 years and can attest that they are friendly in that I have literally never seen or heard from them.
I've set up and cancelled multiple domains in this time, and have had one domain running for the entirety of my time with ZeroSSL.
I don't think you (OP) are gonna find much better than a for-profit business with a good track record if you're unwilling to use Letsencrypt.
This is good to know.
They do sound good, but it's worth pointing out that for a LE equivalent, unlimited 90 day certs, ZeroSSL would cost 180 Euro per year, that's 15 per month. I couldn't find another registry with a comparable offer. They always follow the ancient model of paying for every cert or getting a wildcard cert you have to manually install everywhere. To me, that model is dead. Automatic provisioning and renewal of certs is a must.
What? I'm not paying a dime and I'm not manually inserting certificates.
I'm just repeating what their website says.
I think you should look deeper. Quick google search gave me
https://zerossl.com/features/acme
Oh, no, I was talking about the price. I saw that they have ACME. From that European registry list they seem to be the only ones. But the plan that offers unlimited certs over ACME, equal to LE, costs 15 Euro per month.
I assume you are correct and anybody can get a cert (with max. 1 wildcard presumably) for (again presumably) one site for free?
This @state_electrician is very insistent; do you have any idea what exactly costs €15/month (according to them)? What could they mean by "LE (LetsEncrypt) equivalent"?
They seem to claim that the free cert offer is only for a limited time?
edit:
no, they explained themselves. Apparently LE gives as many free certs for as many domains as you want to any one user.
I am referring to this: https://zerossl.com/pricing
Under the section "ZeroSSL Certificates" it says for the free tier "3 90-Day Certificates" and for the cheapest paid option at 15 Euro per month "∞ 90-Day Certificates" (∞ being the infinity sign). The latter is what I currently get for free from Let's Encrypt. So to get the same kind of service, I would have to pay ZeroSSL about 180 Euro a year. Which is something I am currently not willing to do, as all my ~40 certificates are only for myself.
I think there is some confusion because I have had more than 4 domains at one time and they did not complain about it. 2 of them were wildcards. Possibly a "90 day certificate" is something specific that they are offering?
Wait, you're getting free SSL certs that don't have to be renewed (albeit automated) every 90 days?
I don't know when they get renewed, it's automatic, but it's definitely free.
I'd be interested in that too; I've always avoided ZeroSSL so far because I have 80 (sub)domains. I manage 7 root domains as wildcards and 6 as individual certificates—that always sounded like it would be unaffordable for me.
ZeroSSL costs 180 per year for unlimited 90 day certs. I get the independence from US-based services, but I don't want to drop that kind of money on my toy domains.
I think you misunderstood something there; they're very explicitely offering free certs.
I just went 90% through the process (I might need them anyhow later this year), it's like this:
What you say is a PRO feature, unlimited certs with one account, is not meant as "unlimited in time" but "unlimited number of certs at any given time".
@A_norny_mousse @state_electrician Three certs are free. If you need more (or wildcard certs) you have to pay.
Thank you!
Yeah, that's what I meant. An unlimited number of 90 day certs, automatically renewable through ACME. That's what Let's Encrypt offers and that's what I'd need in another cert provider.
lol ok
It's proven then: Letsencrypt is bigger and better than anything any European even for profit company has to offer.
WTF are you on about?
I think that ZeroSSL are owned by an American company.
Which is in turn owned by a Swedish company.
Can't speak for OP, but for me it's important that with e.g. Letsencrypt, I'm entering a contract under US law, and with ZeroSSL it's under EU/Austrian law.