RapidSSL. Secured in minutes, not days.
RapidSSL is a budget-friendly certificate authority, now operating under DigiCert, built around one core promise: fast, simple SSL/TLS certificate issuance at a low cost.
Why businesses choose RapidSSL
One promise, delivered well: fast, low-cost certificates that can be live within minutes, backed by DigiCert's infrastructure.
Not every website needs a lengthy validation process.
For blogs, small business sites, internal tools, and development environments, a domain-validated certificate that issues in minutes is often exactly what's needed. RapidSSL specializes in this space, offering domain-validated and wildcard certificates with automated validation and near-instant issuance, backed by DigiCert's certificate infrastructure.
Issuance and renewal are handled for you through Fast SSL Arena, so "fast" stays fast from your side too.
Where RapidSSL wins, and where to think twice.
We'd rather you know both sides before you buy than find out after.
Strengths
- Fast, largely automated issuance — certificates can be live within minutes
- Among the most affordable options from an established certificate authority
- Backed by DigiCert's certificate infrastructure and browser trust
- Simple product range — domain validation and wildcard options cover most common needs
- Well suited to multi-site deployments where speed and cost matter more than advanced features
Considerations
- Domain validation only — no organization or extended validation for businesses needing higher assurance
- Minimal management features compared to enterprise certificate platforms
The business case
For businesses running multiple smaller sites, spinning up development or staging environments, or simply needing a website secured fast and cheaply, RapidSSL removes friction from the process. It won't suit every use case, but where basic encryption and speed are the priority, it's hard to beat on cost and turnaround time.
Where Fast SSL Arena fits
Fast SSL Arena helps SMB clients across African markets decide when a fast, low-cost option like RapidSSL is the right fit versus a higher-assurance certificate, and handles issuance and renewal so certificates stay current without manual tracking.
How RapidSSL stacks up against other authorities.
A quick, honest read on where RapidSSL sits next to DigiCert, Sectigo, GeoTrust and Thawte — no certificate is the "best" one, only the right one for what you're securing.
| Authority | Validation types | Issuance speed | Management platform | Best for | Starting from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RapidSSLThis page | DV, wildcard | Minutes | Fast SSL Arena portal | Multi-site, dev & staging | R37.80/yr |
| DigiCert | DV, OV, EV, IoT, signing | Standard, thorough | Fast SSL Arena portal | Regulated & enterprise | R267.84/yr |
| Sectigo | DV, OV, EV, multi-domain | Fast, automatable | Fast SSL Arena portal | Scaling & DevOps teams | R66/yr |
| GeoTrust | DV, OV | Fast | Fast SSL Arena portal | Small business, single site | R200.88/yr |
| Thawte | DV, OV, wildcard | Fast | Fast SSL Arena portal | Portals & internal apps | R200.88/yr |
RapidSSL is domain-validation only, built purely for speed and cost — if you need organization or extended validation, or a wider range of certificate types, Sectigo or DigiCert are the better fit.
Every RapidSSL certificate, priced honestly.
Our October 2026 price list for the full RapidSSL range. Prices shown are per year; 2 and 3-year terms are available at checkout.
Comparing across authorities? See the full price list or compare RapidSSL to DigiCert, Sectigo, GeoTrust and Thawte.
Get RapidSSL protection, deployed properly.
Tell us what you're securing — a storefront, an API, a portfolio of domains — and we'll confirm the right RapidSSL product and handle the rest.