Sectigo (formerly Comodo CA, rebranded 2018) is one of the most widely-issued commercial CA roots on the internet, with strong native browser compatibility and one of the broadest cert portfolios available. The PositiveSSL/EssentialSSL/InstantSSL legacy product lines are particularly popular for hosters and agencies serving SMB customers — solid trust signals at competitive pricing.
Extended Validation (EV) — the most rigorous identity check
EV is the strictest commercial validation level, governed by the CA/Browser Forum EV Guidelines. The CA performs full OV checks plus additional verification of physical operational presence, exclusive operational control of the domain, and the legal/operational authority of the requesting representative.
Issuance typically takes 5–7 business days due to the extra verification steps and required legal-officer signatures. Modern browsers no longer show the green address bar that legacy EV certs displayed, but the verified organisation name is still recorded in the certificate and visible to anyone who inspects it. EV certs continue to carry the strongest CA-issued identity assertion and the highest warranty levels.
Pick EV when: you operate in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government), high-value e-commerce, B2B SaaS handling sensitive customer data, or any context where the strongest available identity assertion is required by policy, contract, or risk profile.
Multi-Domain (SAN) coverage
Secures multiple distinct domains under a single certificate using the SubjectAltName (SAN) extension — for example example.com + example.net + app.example.io + partner-portal.com all share one cert and one private key.
Typically includes 1 base domain + 2 additional SANs in the entry tier, with additional SAN slots available as paid add-ons up to the per-certificate maximum. Useful when you operate several related sites and want to consolidate renewal management and reduce the number of certificate files your servers need to deploy.
Certificate details
- Annual price — $290.52 USD
- Warranty — $1.8M (insurance coverage backed by the CA in case of misissuance)
- Issuance time — 5–7 business days
- Domains covered — up to 250
- Validity — 1 year (annual renewal)
- Reissue — free unlimited reissues during the validity period
- Refund — 30-day money-back guarantee on most certificate types
