Hostinger Free SSL: How Let's Encrypt Works on Every Plan

Let's Encrypt is a non-profit Certificate Authority (CA) that issues SSL certificates free of charge. Founded in 2016 with backing from major tech companies (Mozilla, Google, EFF), it has become the world's largest CA by issuance volume — powering HTTPS for hundreds of millions of websites.

Let's Encrypt certificates are domain-validated (DV) and provide the same encryption strength as paid SSL certificates. The only differences from paid SSL: they renew every 90 days rather than annually, and they don't include extended validation (EV) or wildcard coverage in the free tier.

When you connect a domain to a Hostinger hosting plan and DNS points to Hostinger's servers, the platform automatically provisions a Let's Encrypt certificate within 15-30 minutes. You don't need to generate a CSR, submit a certificate request, or configure anything manually.

Hostinger's automated system handles: certificate issuance, server configuration, certificate installation, and renewal scheduling. The 90-day renewal happens automatically in the background — your SSL never expires due to missed renewal if you remain on Hostinger hosting.

Having SSL installed doesn't automatically redirect HTTP visitors to HTTPS. You need to enable the HTTPS redirect separately:

In hPanel → SSL → Force HTTPS → enable toggle. This adds a server-level 301 redirect from all http:// URLs to https://. It takes effect immediately.

For WordPress sites, also update your WordPress Address and Site Address to https:// in Settings → General. Otherwise WordPress may still serve HTTP links internally, causing mixed content warnings.

SSL not installing: Ensure your domain's DNS A record points to Hostinger's server IP. Let's Encrypt performs a domain ownership verification that fails if DNS isn't pointed correctly.

Mixed content warning: Your SSL is installed but some resources (images, scripts) are loading via HTTP. Use Really Simple SSL plugin (WordPress) or manually update hardcoded HTTP links in your content.

SSL expired: Rare with auto-renewal, but can happen if your account is suspended or DNS changes prevented renewal. Reinstall from hPanel → SSL.

ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR: Usually a browser cache issue. Clear cache, try incognito mode, and check your SSL status in hPanel.