What is The Best Certificate Lifecycle Management Software According to G2 in 2026
Keytos Team |
What is Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM)?
Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) refers to the process of managing the entire lifecycle of digital 802.1X certificates within an organization. This includes the issuance, renewal, revocation, and overall management of certificates across users, devices, servers, IoT devices, and other networked systems.
An effective CLM solution is more than just a CA that can issue certificates. The OpenSSL CLI can do that just fine on your own machine for free. A CLM takes certificate issuance and management to the next level by providing a rich set of features and best practices that ensure you remain compliant, secure, and efficient in handling your organization’s digital certificates throughout their lifecycle.
What Are Some Key Features of a CLM Solution?
If you’re looking into implementing a CLM solution, you’re probably comparing hundreds of different features, compatibility matrices, and integration options. To simplify it down to just the essentials, here are some key features to look for:
- Private + Public Certificate Management: A comprehensive CLM solution should support both private and public certificates, allowing organizations to manage all their digital certificates from a single platform. This includes the ability to handle certificates issued by internal CAs as well as those obtained from public CAs, ensuring consistent policies and streamlined management across the board.
- Automated Certificate Issuance and Renewal: Starting with the basics, a good CLM solution should automate the issuance and renewal of certificates, so humans are never in the loop for routine certificate management tasks where they could miss certificate expiration dates or make errors.
- Single Pane of Glass Management: A good CLM solution should provide a centralized dashboard where administrators can view and manage all certificates across the organization, making it easier to track certificate status, expiration dates, and potential issues. While you may still have multiple certificate authorities or management tools in use, the CLM solution should aggregate this information into a single, coherent view.
- HSM Backed Keys: CA private keys should never be stored in software or on general-purpose servers. Any decent CLM solution should guarantee that private keys are securely stored in Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), providing strong protection against unauthorized access and ensuring the integrity of the certificate issuance process.
- Comprehensive Reporting and Auditing: A robust CLM solution should offer detailed reporting and auditing capabilities, with the ability to export audit logs to external SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems for further analysis and compliance tracking.
- Approval Workflows: A single individual should never have the sole authority to issue any certificate they want. A robust CLM solution should provide configurable approval workflows, ensuring that certificate issuance and other critical actions require dual or multiple approvals from authorized personnel.
While the list doesn’t end here, you get the picture for the types of features and capabilities that a robust CLM solution should offer to effectively manage the entire lifecycle of digital certificates within an organization. But with so many on the market, how do you choose the right one for your organization?
How Does G2 Rank the Best Certificate Lifecycle Management Software?
G2 is a popular platform for software reviews and ratings, where verified users can share their experiences and provide feedback on various software products, including CLM solutions. Based on these reviews, as well as a proprietary algorithm that takes into account factors such as user satisfaction, market presence, and product performance, G2 generates rankings and ratings for different software solutions.
Read the full review over at G2
Every quarter G2 releases an updated list of the top-rated software solutions in a variety of categories, including Certificate Lifecycle Management. Let’s take a look at the top-rated CLM solutions according to G2’s latest evaluations.
What Are the Top-Rated CLM Solutions on G2?
According to G2’s latest evaluations, the top-rated CLM solutions and their ratings include:
- Sectigo Certificate Manager - 4.5 ★
- Cloudflare Application Security and Performance - 4.5 ★
- AWS Certificate Manager - 4.5 ★
- Keyfactor Command - 4.5 ★
- DigiCert ONE - 4.3 ★
- ZeroSSL - 4.3 ★
- Google Cloud Certificate Authority - 4.4 ★
- AppViewX Cert+ - 4.5 ★
- EZCA by Keytos - 4.8 ★
- SSL.com - 4.3 ★
While this list is ranked based on G2’s proprietary algorithm and score, if we look at the user reviews and overall satisfaction ratings, EZCA by Keytos stands out as the highest-rated CLM solution with a 4.8-star rating. This is the only CLM solution with an average star rating above 4.5 and is the fastest-growing CLM solution on G2 based on the number of new reviews and velocity of moving up the rankings.
How Do the Top-Rated CLM Solutions Compare?
Based on the most recent G2 evaluations, here is a comparison of what users are saying about the top-rated CLM solutions:
| Solution | What G2 users say |
|---|---|
| Sectigo Certificate Manager | “Users praise its ease of use, centralized certificate management, and automation for issuance and renewals. Many say it reduces manual effort and helps prevent certificate expirations, though some report slower customer support response times.” |
| Cloudflare Application Security and Performance | “Users highlight the combination of strong security, DDoS protection, WAF capabilities, and fast global CDN performance. The dashboard is considered easy to use, but advanced features can require a learning curve.” |
| AWS Certificate Manager | “Users appreciate the simplicity of managing SSL/TLS certificates and the automatic renewal process. Seamless integration with AWS services is frequently mentioned, although certificates are generally limited to AWS environments.” |
| Keyfactor Command | “Users value its powerful automation, ease of use, and integrations that streamline certificate management. Responsive customer support is also noted, while some users would like a more intuitive user interface.” |
| DigiCert ONE | “Users praise its ease of use, fast certificate issuance, and intuitive dashboard for managing the certificate lifecycle. Some reviewers mention that pricing can be higher than competing solutions.” |
| ZeroSSL | “Users frequently cite the simple setup process, user-friendly interface, and automated renewals. The free offering is popular, though limitations on the free plan can be restrictive for organizations managing multiple sites.” |
| Google Cloud Certificate Authority | “Users praise its strong security, ease of use, and integration with Google Cloud services. Streamlined certificate issuance and renewal are common benefits, although some users mention a learning curve and limited customization options.” |
| AppViewX Cert+ | “Users appreciate its automation and centralized certificate tracking, which help reduce manual work and outage risk. Some reviewers report that the interface can feel complex, particularly during initial deployment.” |
| EZCA by Keytos | “Users consistently praise EZCA’s ease of use, quick deployment, and ability to eliminate the need for on-premises PKI infrastructure. Responsive customer support is frequently highlighted, while some users would like stronger reporting and audit capabilities.” |
| SSL.com | “Users commend SSL.com for knowledgeable and responsive support staff as well as easy-to-use certificate management tools. Some reviewers note that portions of the user interface can be confusing.” |
How Much Does a Certificate Lifecycle Management Solution Cost?
The difficult part about calculating the cost of a CLM solution is that most vendors don’t provide transparent pricing information. Quotes are gated behind request forms or sales consultations, making it challenging to get an immediate sense of pricing. Once you do get in touch with a vendor, the cost will typically depend on factors such as the number of certificates managed, the level of automation required, and any additional features or integrations needed. By the time you add up all the costs associated with CAs, automation, integrations, and the number of certificates being managed, the total costs add up quickly.
When selecting a Certificate Lifecycle Management solution, make sure to look for transparent pricing that clearly outlines all potential costs, including any fees for additional features, integrations, or certificate management. This will help you avoid unexpected expenses and better evaluate the total cost of ownership for the solution.
Looking For a Certificate Lifecycle Management Solution?
If you are in the market for a CLM solution, EZCA Cloud PKI is a great option that includes unlimited certificates, automated certificate management, and seamless integration with existing infrastructure for a single, low monthly fee. You just pay for the cloud-based, HSM-backed certificate authority and begin connecting as many clients and devices as needed without worrying about additional costs.
Our team of identity experts is available to help you evaluate your certificate management needs and guide you through the process of implementing a CLM solution that fits your organization. EZCA also has a 1-month free trial available for new users to test the platform and its features.
