In almost every case, no. Every domain hosted with us is covered automatically by a free certificate from Let's Encrypt, issued and renewed by the server itself through a cPanel feature called AutoSSL.
These are exactly the same kind of certificate a browser trusts from any other issuer. They encrypt traffic between your visitor and the server, and they turn on the padlock. There is no difference in the strength of the encryption between a free certificate and a paid one.
When you might still want to buy one
- You need a wildcard certificate covering an unlimited number of subdomains
- You want Organisation Validated or Extended Validation, where the certificate names your company after checks against company records
- Your insurer, payment provider or a contract specifically requires a warranty-backed certificate
For an ordinary website or shop, the automatic certificate is all you need. If you do buy one elsewhere, you can install it yourself in cPanel, or open a ticket and we will do it for you.
