A few weeks ago I was helping a friend migrate an old project to a cheap VPS. Everything was going fine until the browser screamed “NOT SECURE” on the main domain and every subdomain we added. The hosting panel didn’t have a one-click Let’s Encrypt button, Cloudflare’s free Origin CA only covers the root domain in Full (strict) mode, and ZeroSSL felt like a part-time job every 90 days.
I needed proper HTTPS on subdomains, I didn’t want to script renewals, and I definitely didn’t want to pay GoDaddy prices. After trying every free trick in the book, I ended up doing what hundreds of Redditors kept recommending: I bought a cheap wildcard certificate from SSLs.com and never looked back.
Here’s the whole story – the failures, the free attempts, and why I finally spent $48.99 once and slept peacefully for the next 12 months.
Attempt #1: Cloudflare Free + Origin Certificate
- Worked perfectly for emitbun.xyz
- Subdomains (blog.emitbun.xyz, api.emitbun.xyz, etc.) stayed unencrypted in Full mode
- Switching to Flexible fixed the padlock but left the origin traffic unencrypted → no thanks
Attempt #2: ZeroSSL 90-day certificates
- Actually worked on subdomains
- Took ~15 minutes per subdomain the first time
- Had to do it again every 90 days
- After the third renewal, I was already tired
The Real Solution: One Wildcard Certificate from SSLs.com
I went to SSLs.com, searched for “Sectigo Wildcard SSL”, and saw this:
- 1-year wildcard certificate: $48.99 (regular price elsewhere is $250–$350)
- Covers *.emitbun.xyz and emitbun.xyz
- Issued in under 5 minutes (just DNS TXT record validation)
- 2048-bit, trusted everywhere, no warnings
I bought it here → SSLs.com (yes, that’s an affiliate link – they’re genuinely the cheapest place I found after checking Namecheap, DigiCert, and even direct Sectigo pricing).
Installation took literally 3 steps in cPanel:
- Generated CSR on the server
- Pasted it on SSLs.com, added the TXT record to Cloudflare DNS
- Downloaded the cert + key + CA bundle, pasted into cPanel → SSL/TLS → Manage SSL Sites
Done. Every existing and future subdomain instantly showed the green padlock. No 90-day renewals, no scripts, no compromises.
Side-by-side Reality Check (2025 prices)
- Let’s Encrypt (manual): Free, but you have to renew every 90 days yourself. Subdomains work only if you script it. I got tired fast.
- Cloudflare Free Origin CA: Free, covers only the root domain in Full mode. Subdomains stay half-encrypted or need extra work.
- ZeroSSL Free: Free, works on subdomains, but you redo the whole process every 90 days. After the third time, I was done.
- SSLs.com Wildcard (Sectigo): $48.99 for one full year. Covers the main domain + unlimited subdomains from day one. Renewal is literally 5 minutes once a year.
For $49, I stopped wasting hours every three months. Best money I spent on that project, hands down.
(Grab it here if you want the same deal: SSLs.com)
Final Verdict
If you only need HTTPS on one domain and you’re comfortable with automation → stick with Let’s Encrypt or Cloudflare.
But the moment you need:
- subdomains without babysitting scripts
- a certificate that just works on internal tools, mail servers, or weird VPS setups
- peace of mind for a full year
…then grabbing a cheap wildcard from SSLs.com is honestly the best $49 you’ll spend all year.
Link again if you’re in the same boat: SSLs.com
(Or just search “wildcard” on SSLs.com – they always have the lowest prices I’ve seen anywhere.)
HTTPS shouldn’t be this hard in 2025. Sometimes the “cheap” solution is the one that actually saves you time and headaches. This was mine.
