Symantec SSL Review: Expensive SSL Certs. We Find Out If They Are Worth It.

Last Updated January 16, 2019

About Symantec

Main Features of Symantec Certificates

Like most SSL providers, Symantec offers several basic features and service guarantees regardless of which digital certificate you choose to buy. To begin with, every SSL certificate you purchase from this provider will feature a 30-day money-back guarantee and Symantec’s NetSure Extended Warranty.

The SSL certificates also offer universal browser compatibility and you will be eligible for a free daily website malware scanning service. Other standard features that Symantec offers include a simple online application process for SSL certificates, full organization authentication as well as Norton’s and Symantec’s secure seal logos.

Video above: Symantec’s Elliptic Curve Cryptography is a fairly recent alternative to RSA cryptography. This video provides an overview of the increased security this technology provides.

What Types of Certificates Does Symantec Offer?

In a nutshell, the SSL certificates that Symantec offers may be categorized into the following broad groups:

1) Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates

While these digital certificates are issued within 1-10 days, they offer the highest level of encryption with 256-bit keys. They include:

• Secure Site Pro SSL with Extended Validation
• Secure Site SSL with EV

With an extended validation SSL certificate, customers will be able to see the green tab and padlock logo next to their browser’s address bar that lets them know they are on a secure site. However, EV SSL certificates do not come cheap and they only secure one domain.

2) Business Validated SSL Certificate

Symantec’s business validated SSL certificates also provide up to 256-bit encryption. They include:

• Secure Site Pro
• Wildcard SSL
• Secure Site

Unlike the other business validated options that only secure one domain, the Wildcard SSL allows you to encrypt unlimited sub-domains with one certificate.

All of Symantec’s SSL certificates must be renewed annually by default. If you plan to stick with this certificate authority for the foreseeable future, you can also opt for SSL certificates that have a validity period of 2-3 years.

Try Symantec. Risk-free 30-day SSL certificate free trial

Extras

Most SSL providers try to stand out by giving customers a few extra features, and Symantec is no exception. With their SSL certificate, you can benefit from bonus offerings such as an installation checker, licensing for multiple servers and the ability to manage all your Symantec products from one portal.

Safety and Security

As mentioned earlier, Symantec SSL certificates contain 256-bit keys, which is the highest level of encryption you can get. In addition, this certificate authority also offers a few extra security features such as:

• ECC algorithm, which uses shorter key lengths but provides better protection than current encryption methods.
• DSA standard for digital signatures that offers the same level of security and performance as the RSA algorithm, but uses a different encryption method and algorithm for signing.

Help and Support

If you want to learn more about Symantec and their SSL certificate options, you can visit the Support Center. This section on their website offers a wealth of information in the form of searchable help guides, installation instructions, answers to FAQs, troubleshooting guides and video tutorials.

For users who need technical support, Symantec offers both phone and email support. There’s a Technical Help Chat service as well. In addition, Symantec provides world-class customer support, with office locations in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

2018 Update: Are Symantec Certificates Still Good?

You may have heard that some Symantec SSL certificates are not “trusted.”

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Any Symantec certificate you purchase now — or that was purchased after December 1, 2017 — is completely valid in browsers.
2. Any Symantec certificate issued before December 1, 2017 is not valid and must be replaced.
3. Invalid Symantec SSL certificates can be replaced free of charge by DigiCert. (To find out how to do this, scroll down to our FAQ.)

Google Chrome’s Distrust of Symantec

What happened: In March of 2017, Google indicated they had lost confidence in Symantec due to alleged flaws in the way its SSL certificates were being issued and validated by its partners. A lack of sufficient oversight was cited.

As OpenSRS reported, Symantec and Google “agreed on a plan that requires Symantec to migrate certificate validation to a third party.” Symantec sold its certificate business to Thoma Bravo, LLC, whereby it came to be controlled by DigiCert in 2017.

DigiCert Takes Over Symantec Certificate Authority

What does DigiCert’s role mean for me? DigiCert now controls the issuance and validation of Symantec certificates, but you can buy Symantec certificates anywhere you like. (The issuance and validation is something that happens behind the scenes.) With DigiCert’s takeover of these processes, Symantec SSL certificates now meet Google’s (and the industry’s) stringent criteria.

Get Your “Distrusted” Symantec Certificate Replaced for Free

What if I bought a Symantec certificate before Dec. 1, 2017? You need to get a free replacement from DigiCert. Scroll down the FAQ to find out how to do this.

Chrome Error Messages on Legacy Symantec Certificates

Google has formally “distrusted” Symantec certificates in Chrome. In late 2017, Google announced, “Starting with Chrome 66, Chrome will remove trust in Symantec-issued certificates issued prior to June 1, 2016.”

They added that with the release of Chrome 70, “all remaining Symantec SSL/TLS certificates will stop working.” Chrome 70 was released in First Canary version on July 20, 2018.

What will users see when a site’s Symantec brand certificate stops working? See this example below:

Here’s a table summary of what you need to know with the important Chrome release dates to keep in mind:

Also realize that these developments also affect other Symantec brand SSL certificates including Thawte, RapidSSL and GeoTrust. Those certificates can be replaced free of charge by DigiCert as well.

Summary

Symantec offers everything that you would expect from a leading SSL provider. Their customer support service is top notch and they have multiple SSL options to suit different site security needs. The only downside is that most of their entry-level SSL certificates offer business-level validation and they do not come cheap.

If you’re looking for more economical domain level SSL packages, you might want to check out companies such as Thawte and GeoTrust.

Pros

• Simple online application process.
• 256-bit digital certificates.
• Multiple SSL certificates to choose from, including Wildcard as well as EV and business level validation.
• Subscribers get a 30-day money-back guarantee as well as Symantec’s NetSure warranty.
• Universal browser compatibility.
• Licensing for multiple servers.
• Everything can be managed from one portal.
• Free daily website malware scanning service.
• Multiple options to contact customer support.

Cons

• No low-cost SSL plans on offer.

Try Symantec. Risk-free 30-day SSL certificate free trial

FAQs

Below we answer some of the most common questions about Symantec certificates.

How do I get my invalid Symantec SSL certificate replaced for free?

Go to this DigiCert page and follow Steps 2 and 3.

In the Summary of this review, we covered the reasons why you need to replace any Symantec SSL certificate issued before Dec. 1, 2017. (This is true also for other Symantec brand certificates including Thawte, RapidSSL, and GeoTrust). To avoid a Google Chrome warning appearing in the browser, you should have replaced your certificate before July 20, 2018.

If you have not yet replaced your certificate you should do so immediately. As DigiCert reminds users, “Domains and organizations need to be validated before we can issue certificates. And don’t forget you’ll need time to install the new certificate to avoid Google Chrome security warnings.”

Video above: Want more details about the Symantec certificate distrust timelines? This GlobalSign video covers it well.

What Is an SSL Certificate?

In short, a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) creates a safe connection for customers to buy services/products, browse, and share information safely. It protects your site and visitors from a range of things, including viruses, bugs, and hackers.

But isn’t my website too small to be targeted?

The answer is no – no website is too small.

An SSL certificate will ensure the connection between yours and your customers’ computers is encrypted and safe to use.

Do I Really Need an SSL Certificate for My Website?

From July 2018, Google started marking any website that isn’t protected with an SSL certificate as “not secure.” This message is highly likely to put any customers off, especially if you’re accepting payments, have password-protected accounts, and ask people to input their data through web forms.

Having an SSL certificate in place will ensure:

1. Your payments are secure (most merchants require an SSL certificate anyway)
2. Your password-protected pages are secure
3. Your online forms are secure 

What’s the Price of an SSL Certificate?

The price of SSL certificates varies dramatically depending on what your company needs and how many added features you want. For example, Symantec’s cheapest plan is  279.00 per year.

However, there is a saying – you get what you pay for, and when it comes to SSL certificates this tends to be the case. That’s why many still choose Symantec despite it being a pricier option.

For more up-to-date prices for Symantec, just head to the next section of this review.

How Do You Install an SSL on Your Website?

1. Host your website with a dedicated IP address – this ensures traffic’s going to your website and nobody else’s
2. Research SSL providers before selecting the right plan for your business and website
3. Buy a certificate
4. Activate the certificate
5. Most providers will do the above step for you, but if you’re activating it yourself, you’ll need to generate a CSR in your web hosting control panel
6. Install a CA Certificate 
7. Install the SSL Certificate 
8. Convert your site to HTTPS
9. Update all the links on your site to HTTPS ones

Symantec Plans & Prices

Symantec SSL/TLS certificates (formerly by VeriSign) uses industry-leading SSL encryption across all products. Get Symantec’s Secure Site certificates and obtain the Norton Secured Seal.

For the latest and most up to date prices visit Symantec’s website.

Try Symantec. Risk-free 30-day SSL certificate free trial

Best Symantec SSL Alternatives

People share their opinions about companies on Twitter each and every day. We monitor tweets about Symantec and apply a sentiment analysis algorithm that classifies these tweets as positive or negative. Every review is from a real person’s opinion. We use this information and output an approval rating score, which is based on real people, using positive and negative opinions about Symantec on Twitter.