PositiveSSL vs EssentialSSL vs InstantSSL: Which Comodo SSL to Choose

PositiveSSL vs EssentialSSL is a comparison of two very similar certificates. Both are domain validated (DV), both use the same encryption strength and both are issued by Sectigo, the certificate authority formerly called Comodo CA. They differ in catalog details such as warranty and site seal, and in price. InstantSSL, InstantSSL Pro and InstantSSL Premium are a different class: organization validated (OV) certificates that confirm your company, not just your domain.

The technical difference is small. Both certificates prove that you control the domain, which you show by answering an email, adding a DNS record or uploading a file. Both secure one domain name, and neither puts a company name into the certificate.

What separates them are the product details the certificate authority attaches: the warranty amount, the type of site seal and the price. These details can change, so we show them live from our catalog in the comparison below rather than repeating them in text. If both meet your needs, the lower-priced option gives you the same protection for visitors.

Both belong to the broader group of domain validated (DV) SSL certificates, which suit blogs, portfolios and sites without logins or payments.

InstantSSL is organization validated (OV). Before issuing it, Sectigo checks that your organization legally exists, usually through a government or business registry and a phone verification, in addition to domain control. Your verified company name then appears in the certificate details.

InstantSSL Pro and InstantSSL Premium use the same OV process. The three differ in the catalog details shown in the comparison above, not in how strongly they encrypt. For more on what OV checks involve, see our page on organization validated (OV) SSL.

The five Comodo certificates at a glance

Your visitors see the same padlock for all five certificates. Browsers do not show company names in the address bar, so the OV benefit is not on the surface. It shows up when someone opens the certificate details: a PositiveSSL or EssentialSSL certificate lists only your domain, while an InstantSSL certificate also lists your verified organization name and location.

That matters in three situations. Business partners and auditors sometimes check certificate details before they sign off on an integration. Some procurement and security policies require OV or higher for any public site. And if your brand is often imitated, a verified organization name gives careful visitors one more way to tell your real site from a copy.

Tip: Validation level does not change encryption. A DV PositiveSSL and an OV InstantSSL Premium protect data in transit equally well. Pay for OV when you want your organization verified, not because you expect stronger encryption.

For most small businesses, the answer depends on whether visitors share personal or payment data with you. Use this table to decide.

Need more than one name? Wildcard versions cover every subdomain at one level: Comodo PositiveSSL Wildcard and Comodo EssentialSSL Wildcard for DV, and Comodo InstantSSL Premium Wildcard for OV.

You cannot convert a DV certificate into an OV certificate. To move up, order the InstantSSL product you want, complete the organization checks, install it and let the DV certificate run out. Because the new certificate replaces the old one in a single step on your server, visitors see no interruption.

Plan the organization checks ahead of your DV expiry date. The certificate authority may need to reach you by phone or ask for registry details, so start early rather than in the last week.

Tip: Keep the same domain names when you upgrade. If the new certificate leaves out www or a subdomain your old one covered, visitors on that name will see a warning.

Yes. Comodo CA renamed itself Sectigo in 2018, and Sectigo kept the well-known Comodo product names. Every PositiveSSL, EssentialSSL and InstantSSL certificate is issued by Sectigo from roots that browsers and operating systems trust. The name on the product changed less than the name on the company.

When you open one of these certificates, the issuer field shows Sectigo rather than Comodo. That is expected and does not affect trust. For the full Comodo-branded range, including multi-domain and EV options, browse our Comodo SSL certificates.

Tip: Watching your budget? PositiveSSL and EssentialSSL are among the lowest-priced certificates we sell. Our overview of cheap SSL certificates compares them with budget options from other brands.