CertificatesBeginner

DV vs OV vs EV Certificates

Compare Domain, Organization, and Extended Validation certificates. Understand validation requirements and use cases.

Interactive Demo
DV vs OV vs EV

DV vs OV vs EV Certificates

Compare certificate validation levels and find the right one for your needs

Domain Validation

Basic Trust
What CA Validates
Domain control only (email, DNS, or HTTP challenge)
Time to Issue
Minutes to hours
Cost Range
Free (Let's Encrypt) to ~$50/year
Browser Display
Padlock only, no organization name

Organization Validation

Medium Trust
What CA Validates
Domain control + Organization exists (business registry, phone verification)
Time to Issue
1-3 business days
Cost Range
$50-200/year
Browser Display
Padlock, organization visible in cert details

Extended Validation

Highest Trust
What CA Validates
Domain + Organization + Legal existence + Physical address + Operational existence
Time to Issue
1-2 weeks
Cost Range
$200-500+/year
Browser Display
Padlock, organization in cert details (green bar removed 2019)

Browser Address Bar Comparison

DV
example.com
OV
example.com(org in cert only)
EV
example.com(org in cert only - green bar deprecated)

All three certificate types now look identical in the browser address bar. Click the padlock to view certificate details.

Click on each certificate type to explore the verification process in detail

Want to learn more?

Read our comprehensive guide on DV, OV, and EV certificates

Read the Guide