DV vs OV vs EV SSL Certificates: Which One Does Your Business Need?
Sagar Sethi is the founder of Web Hosting People and Xugar, and the author of The Business Knight.
Published 19 October 2026 Last reviewed 19 October 2026 Website security and SSL
A domain validated (DV) certificate proves you control the domain. An organisation validated (OV) certificate proves your business exists as well. An extended validation (EV) certificate proves both, after a longer check of your business records. All three encrypt the connection in the same way.
So the decision is not about encryption, and it is not about which one sounds more serious. It is about who is asking you to prove what. Many Australian small businesses never get asked, which is why the free AutoSSL certificate included with hosting is enough for them. You buy OV when a customer, a tender or a platform wants proof that your business is real. You buy EV when a payment provider, an integrator or a procurement process specifies it.
That is the whole decision. What follows is what actually differs, and the part of the usual sales pitch that stopped being true years ago.
The three levels, side by side
| DV | OV | EV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it proves | You control the domain | The domain, and that your organisation is legally registered | The organisation, after extended checks of its records |
| How it is checked | Automated domain control validation | Business records checked by a person | Extended checks, often including legal and operational detail |
| Issued in | Minutes | 1 to 3 days | 1 to 5 days |
| Warranty | The authority's own figure, in US dollars | A higher limit than DV | The highest limit, set by the authority |
| What a visitor sees | The padlock | The padlock | The padlock, identical in current browsers |
| Choose it if | The site does not take payment details | A customer, a tender or a platform asks you to prove the business exists | A payment provider, an integrator or a procurement process requires extended vetting |
Wildcard is a coverage choice rather than a validation level. It is one certificate for unlimited subdomains of a single domain, issued in minutes at the domain validated level, and it is the answer when you run several subdomains rather than one site.
The six certificates we sell
Each one exists for a specific request. Starting from the least you can get away with:
- RapidSSL (DV). Encryption and the padlock for a site that does not take payment details.
- Geotrust True BusinessID (OV). For when a customer, a tender or a platform asks you to prove that your business exists.
- DigiCert Secure Site (OV). The same requirement, with a higher warranty limit behind it.
- Geotrust True BusinessID with EV. Extended vetting required by a payment provider, an integrator or a procurement process.
- DigiCert Secure Site Pro with EV. The highest assurance tier, with the strongest warranty on offer.
- RapidSSL Wildcard. Several subdomains on one domain, covered by one certificate.
Terms of one, two and three years are available on every tier, and the certificate page carries the current price for each one.
What changes for the visitor: nothing
All three levels encrypt the connection identically and all three show the padlock. Chrome removed the extended validation display from the address bar in version 77 in 2019 and moved it into the page information panel behind the padlock. Firefox dropped its own EV indicator in version 70 around the same time.
That matters commercially. A visitor cannot tell an EV certificate from a DV certificate by looking, so EV is no longer a trust signal at the moment of purchase. If a supplier is still selling EV on the strength of a coloured bar, the script is out of date.
What the verification actually involves
DV is automated. The certificate authority confirms control of the domain and issues within minutes, which is why no one has to check anything by hand.
OV and EV put a person in the loop. Your organisation is checked against public records, which is why those tiers take days and ask for details a DV certificate never asks for. Give the name, address and phone number exactly as they appear in those records. If they do not match, the application stalls until they do.
What the warranty is, and is not
The warranty is not insurance for your business. It covers loss caused by a flaw in the certificate itself, for example a certificate issued to the wrong party, and the amount is a cap rather than a payout you should plan around.
The amounts are the certificate authority's own figures and they are stated in US dollars, so read them as a vendor term rather than as an Australian dollar figure. Higher tiers carry higher caps. Treat the warranty as an attribute of the tier you have already decided you need, never as the reason to pick it.
What subdomains need
A single domain certificate covers one hostname. If you run shop., portal. and www., you need a certificate for each one, or one wildcard that covers all of them.
A wildcard covers subdomains of one domain and nothing else. A second domain name takes its own certificate, because our range does not include a multi-domain product. If you hold several domains, price them as several certificates rather than assuming one will stretch.
The free certificate, and when it is enough
Every shared hosting plan we sell includes an AutoSSL certificate, issued and renewed automatically for the domains pointed at the hosting. It encrypts the connection in the same way a paid certificate does and it shows the same padlock.
It does three things less. It does not verify that your organisation exists, it does not cover several subdomains with one certificate, and it carries no warranty. For a brochure site, a blog, or a business site that does not collect payment details, that is genuinely enough, and the honest advice is to keep it and spend the money elsewhere.
If you are still working out whether you need a paid certificate at all, do you need a certificate at all takes that question apart properly. If the free certificate is enough, it is included with the shared hosting plans it comes with.
AutoSSL renews itself. A paid certificate does not, so we generate a renewal order when it nears the end of its term and configure the new certificate once that order is paid. Diarise the renewal term either way, because a lapsed certificate produces a full page browser warning for every visitor.
A decision path
- Does the site take payments or collect personal information? It needs a certificate. If you host with us, you already have one.
- Has a customer, a tender, a marketplace or a platform asked you to prove your business exists? That is OV. Ask them exactly what they will accept before you buy anything.
- Has a payment provider, an integrator or a procurement process specified extended validation? That is EV. If nobody has specified it, you do not need it.
- Are you running several subdomains on one domain? That is wildcard, and it is usually simpler than several single certificates.
- Has a contract specified a warranty amount? Match it. Buying above the specified figure adds nothing anyone will check.
Frequently asked questions
Is OV better than DV? It proves more. It does not encrypt better. The question is whether anyone is asking you to prove more, and if nobody is, the extra days and the extra money buy nothing you can use.
Do I need EV for an online store? Usually not. Payment providers require encryption, and a DV certificate provides it. Ask your provider what they actually require rather than assuming the highest tier is the safe choice.
What happened to the green address bar? Chrome removed it in version 77 and Firefox removed its EV indicator in version 70. Organisation details now sit behind the padlock, in the page information panel. EV is about verification and warranty, not a visible treatment.
How long is a certificate valid for? Terms of one, two and three years are available on every tier. AutoSSL renews automatically and does not need a term.
Can I change tiers later? Yes, when the requirement changes. The certificate is issued for the domain, so replacing it does not mean moving the site. If you expect the requirement to change, say so before the order.
Does one certificate cover several different domains? No. Each domain name takes its own certificate. A wildcard covers subdomains of one domain, not separate domains.
Are the warranty amounts in Australian dollars? No. The warranty figures are the certificate authority's own and are stated in US dollars. They are not a payment you receive from us.
Compare the tiers
Which tier you need depends entirely on who is asking you to prove what, and that is a question worth settling before you order rather than after. The certificate page sets out each tier, the terms available and the current price for each one.
If you are still not sure, tell us what the certificate is for and we will give you a straight answer rather than the most expensive one. Phone 1300 565 610 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday, or email hello@webhostingpeople.com.au, which is answered 24/7. For related questions, more guides in our SSL and security section cover the rest of the topic.
Primary action: Compare the certificate tiers