How cert-manager and DigiCert differ on deployment, pricing, openness and what each is actually built for.
| cert-manager | DigiCert | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Kubernetes controller | Public CA + CLM |
| Deployment | Self-hosted (K8s) | SaaS |
| How it works | A Kubernetes controller that turns Certificate resources into real certificates from any configured issuer — ACME, Vault, private CAs — and renews them automatically as secrets. A CNCF graduated project. | Issues publicly trusted TLS, code-signing, S/MIME and document-signing certificates from its own roots. DigiCert ONE adds discovery, automation and policy enforcement across the estate, with ACME and REST APIs for issuance. |
| Pricing* | Free | From $218/yr (Basic OV) |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Open source | Apache-2.0 | — |
| Compliance | — | WebTrust, CA/B Forum, FIPS 140-2 (HSM-backed) |
| Best for | Certificates inside a Kubernetes cluster | Enterprises needing public trust plus governance |
Choose cert-manager for certificates inside a kubernetes cluster. Choose DigiCert for enterprises needing public trust plus governance.
* Indicative list pricing (vendor documentation and public pricing pages, August 2026).