DV vs OV vs EV SSL Certificates: Which One Do You Need?

Shopping for an SSL certificate can be confusing. You'll see terms like DV, OV, and EV thrown around, with prices ranging from free to hundreds of dollars. What's the difference, and which one do you actually need? (New to SSL? Start with our SSL/TLS basics guide first.)

The Three Types of SSL Certificates

SSL certificates come in three validation levels, based on how thoroughly the Certificate Authority verifies your identity:

Type	Validation Level	Time to Issue	Price Range
DV (Domain Validation)	Basic	Minutes	Free - $100/year
OV (Organization Validation)	Medium	1-3 days	$50 - $200/year
EV (Extended Validation)	Thorough	1-2 weeks	$100 - $500/year

All three provide the same level of encryption. The difference is in identity verification.

Domain Validation (DV) Certificates

What It Is

DV is the most basic type. The CA only verifies that you control the domain—nothing more. No company verification, no identity checks.

How Verification Works

You prove domain ownership through one of these methods:

• Email verification - Respond to an email sent to [email protected]
• DNS verification - Add a specific TXT record to your DNS
• HTTP verification - Place a file on your web server

That's it. Once verified, you get your certificate—often within minutes.

What You Get

• ✅ HTTPS and padlock icon
• ✅ Same encryption strength as OV/EV
• ✅ Fast issuance
• ❌ No company name displayed
• ❌ No identity verification

Best For

• Personal websites and blogs
• Small business sites
• Development and staging environments
• Any site where brand identity verification isn't critical

Popular DV Providers

• Let's Encrypt - Free, automated, widely trusted
• Cloudflare - Free with their CDN service
• ZeroSSL - Free tier available
• Most hosting providers offer free DV certificates

Organization Validation (OV) Certificates

What It Is

OV certificates verify both domain ownership AND your organization's identity. The CA confirms your business actually exists.

How Verification Works

1. Domain verification (same as DV)
2. Organization verification:
   • Business registration documents
   • Phone verification call
   • Physical address confirmation
   • Sometimes requires notarized documents

This process typically takes 1-3 business days.

What You Get

• ✅ Everything DV offers
• ✅ Organization name in certificate details
• ✅ Verified business identity
• ❌ No special browser indicators (looks same as DV to users)

Best For

• Business websites
• E-commerce sites
• Organizations that want verified identity
• Government and educational institutions

The Catch

Here's the thing: users can't easily see the difference between DV and OV certificates. Both show the same padlock. You have to dig into certificate details to see the organization info.

So why pay more? It's about trust and compliance. Some industries require OV certificates, and having verified organization info can matter for B2B relationships.

Extended Validation (EV) Certificates

What It Is

EV is the highest level of validation. The CA performs extensive verification of your organization, following strict industry guidelines.

How Verification Works

The CA verifies:

• Legal existence of your organization
• Physical and operational existence
• Identity of the certificate requester
• Authorization to request the certificate
• Domain ownership

This involves:

• Business registration verification
• Phone calls to verified numbers
• Physical address confirmation
• Verification of the requester's employment
• Sometimes in-person verification

Expect 1-2 weeks for issuance.

What You Get

• ✅ Everything OV offers
• ✅ Rigorous identity verification
• ✅ Organization name visible in certificate details
• ❌ No longer shows green bar or company name in address bar (browsers removed this)

The Green Bar Is Gone

Here's something important: browsers no longer show the company name in the address bar for EV certificates. Chrome removed this in 2019, Firefox followed.

Why? Research showed users didn't notice or understand it. The green bar didn't actually improve security decisions.

So now, EV certificates look identical to DV and OV in the browser. You have to click the padlock to see the difference.

Best For

• Large enterprises
• Financial institutions
• Sites handling sensitive transactions
• Organizations requiring maximum trust signals
• Compliance requirements that mandate EV

Visual Comparison in Browsers

What Users Actually See

DV Certificate:

🔒 example.com

OV Certificate:

🔒 example.com

EV Certificate:

🔒 example.com

Yep, they all look the same now. The difference is only visible when you click the padlock and view certificate details.

Certificate Details View

DV Certificate:

Issued to: example.com
Issued by: Let's Encrypt

OV Certificate:

Issued to: example.com
Organization: Example Corp
Issued by: DigiCert

EV Certificate:

Issued to: example.com
Organization: Example Corporation Inc.
Location: San Francisco, CA, US
Issued by: DigiCert

Making the Right Choice

Choose DV If:

• You're running a personal site or blog
• Budget is a concern
• You need a certificate quickly
• You don't need organization verification
• You're using Let's Encrypt (it only offers DV)

Choose OV If:

• You're a business that wants verified identity
• Industry regulations require it
• You want organization info in the certificate
• You're okay with the extra cost and verification time

Choose EV If:

• You're a large enterprise or financial institution
• Compliance requirements mandate it
• You want the highest level of verification
• Budget isn't a primary concern

The Honest Truth

For most websites, DV certificates are perfectly fine. Here's why:

1. Same encryption - A free Let's Encrypt certificate encrypts data just as well as a $500 EV certificate

2. Users don't check - Almost nobody clicks the padlock to verify organization details

3. The green bar is gone - The main visual differentiator for EV no longer exists

4. Free is good - Let's Encrypt has made SSL accessible to everyone

The main reasons to pay for OV or EV are:

• Compliance requirements
• Internal policy requirements
• B2B trust relationships
• Peace of mind (for some organizations)

Wildcard and Multi-Domain Options

Regardless of validation level, you can also choose:

Wildcard Certificates

Covers a domain and all its subdomains:

• *.example.com covers www.example.com, mail.example.com, app.example.com, etc.
• Available in DV and OV (not EV)
• Great for sites with many subdomains

Multi-Domain (SAN) Certificates

Covers multiple different domains:

• example.com, example.net, example.org on one certificate
• Available in all validation levels
• Useful for organizations with multiple brands

Cost Comparison

Type	Typical Annual Cost
DV (Let's Encrypt)	Free
DV (Commercial)	$10 - $100
OV	$50 - $200
EV	$100 - $500
Wildcard DV	$50 - $150
Wildcard OV	$150 - $400
Multi-Domain	Varies by number of domains

Key Takeaways

• All certificate types provide the same encryption strength
• DV only verifies domain ownership; OV and EV verify organization identity
• Browsers no longer visually distinguish between certificate types
• For most sites, free DV certificates (Let's Encrypt) are sufficient
• Choose OV or EV for compliance, B2B trust, or organizational requirements
• The "right" certificate depends on your specific needs, not marketing claims

Not sure what certificate type you have? Scan your domain with GuardSSL to see your certificate details and validation level.