Namecheap SSL Certificates vs. OpenSSL

There aren't a lot of downsides with Namecheap SSL [Certificates]. We use them primarily unless a client or contractual needs states otherwise. They are fast, responsive and essentially cheap. This is just because they are a wholesale reseller from trusted certificate authorities like a lot of their counterparts. However their reputation for cost and ease have put them in the top running. As I mentioned, there is basically no support beyond the delivering of the purchased product as requested. In some circumstance, when clients move/switch hosting/marketing representation, transfer of the SSL ownership can be a hassle because you don't have a dedicated support portal. But you get what you pay for and the savings justify it.

Incentivized

I would recommend OpenSSL for just about any kind of cryptographic operations that you may need. I can't think of a particular situation where it would not be appropriate to use OpenSSL for a cryptographic function of some sort or another. If you are going to provide some sort of encryption service in a product, OpenSSL is probably the best way to get it off the ground and going. With other competitors, you may get it working, but I fear long term support and interoperability will be an issue.

Incentivized

• Reliable and verifiable chain of trust
• Reseller of reputable certificate authorities like RapidSSL, geoTrust
• They are one of the cheapest and most reliable issuers with industry leading verification practices

Incentivized

• integrates into just about everything
• codebase is well managed and follows predictable paths
• although there are alternatives, OpenSSL is vastly better supported

Incentivized

• Basically no customer support post-sale
• No technical support for implementation if you need it (most SysAdmins will not)
• Excessive marketing/reminder/renewal emails

Incentivized

• the entire project could be completely refactored while preserving the library apis
• the documentation on command line usage is not usually the best
• code examples are not very well explained

Incentivized

They are basically just first party certificate authorities and have the brand recognition that goes with that. NameCheap [SSL Certificates] really is just doing the job of volume negotiations and reselling while integrating a markup and opportunity to sell their various other products (which also have some compelling ROI based on cost and client needs)

Incentivized

LibreSSL is another option to OpenSSL, however, the sheer volume of other applications using OpenSSL and the wide support for it makes OpenSSL a compelling product.

Incentivized

• Low cost means we don't have to pass on to clients and nickel and dime them
• Low cost also means we can build dedicated environments for a variety of needs without hitting budget constraints
• Fast communication and deployment means we are agile

Incentivized

• roi is hard to measure for openssl. It's not that it doesn't provide a significant roi, but it is in the background of an application, not the foreground.

Incentivized