GetHTTPS and acme.sh both issue free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt. GetHTTPS runs in your browser with zero installation. acme.sh is a lightweight shell script that runs as a regular user (no root needed) and supports auto-renewal via cron.
Quick comparison
| GetHTTPS | acme.sh | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in | Browser | Shell (bash/sh/zsh) |
| Installation | None | curl ... | sh or git clone |
| Root/sudo required | No | No (unique advantage over Certbot) |
| Auto-renewal | No | Yes (cron job) |
| Private key generation | Browser (Web Crypto API) | Server (openssl) |
| Challenge types | HTTP-01, DNS-01 | HTTP-01, DNS-01, TLS-ALPN-01, DNS alias |
| DNS API plugins | None (manual DNS) | 150+ DNS providers |
| Pre-check verification | ✅ | ❌ |
| Multi-CA support | Let’s Encrypt only | Let’s Encrypt, ZeroSSL, Buypass, Google, etc. |
| Config file | None | ~/.acme.sh/ |
| Dependencies | Modern browser | openssl, curl/wget, cron |
| Open source | No | Yes (GPL v3) |
When to use GetHTTPS
- Zero installation — nothing to install, configure, or maintain on the server
- No command line — browser UI is more accessible for non-technical users
- Privacy — private key generated in browser, never stored on a server
- Quick one-off certificates — staging, testing, helping someone else
When to use acme.sh
- Automated renewal — cron-based renewal without root access
- DNS API integration — automatic DNS-01 challenges for 150+ providers (Cloudflare, Route 53, etc.)
- No root required — unlike Certbot, acme.sh runs as a regular user
- Multi-CA — can issue from Let’s Encrypt, ZeroSSL, Buypass, Google Trust Services
- Advanced features — DNS alias mode, notification hooks, deploy hooks
The verdict
| Your situation | Use |
|---|---|
| No server access / one-off cert | GetHTTPS |
| Want automated renewal without root | acme.sh |
| Non-technical / prefer GUI | GetHTTPS |
| Need DNS API automation | acme.sh |
| Maximum private key privacy | GetHTTPS |
| Production server, long-term | acme.sh or Certbot |
Both are excellent tools. GetHTTPS wins on simplicity and privacy. acme.sh wins on automation and DNS integration. They issue the same Let’s Encrypt certificates.
Installation comparison
GetHTTPS
Open gethttps.com/app/setup in your browser.
Done.acme.sh
# Install (no root needed)
curl https://get.acme.sh | sh -s email=you@example.com
# Issue a certificate
~/.acme.sh/acme.sh --issue -d example.com -w /var/www/html
# Auto-renewal is set up automatically via cron
crontab -l | grep acme.shacme.sh installs to ~/.acme.sh/ in your home directory. It adds a cron entry that checks for renewal twice daily. No system-level changes needed.
DNS-01 automation: acme.sh’s killer feature
acme.sh has built-in API integrations for 150+ DNS providers. This means fully automatic wildcard certificate issuance without manual DNS changes:
# Cloudflare example
export CF_Token="your-api-token"
~/.acme.sh/acme.sh --issue -d "*.example.com" --dns dns_cf
# AWS Route 53 example
export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="..."
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="..."
~/.acme.sh/acme.sh --issue -d "*.example.com" --dns dns_awsGetHTTPS requires you to manually add DNS TXT records for wildcard certificates. For one-off wildcard certs this is fine, but if you renew frequently across many domains, acme.sh’s DNS API automation saves significant time.
Privacy comparison
| Aspect | GetHTTPS | acme.sh |
|---|---|---|
| Key generation | Browser (Web Crypto API) | Server (openssl) |
| Key storage | Your download folder | ~/.acme.sh/ on server |
| Key exposure | Never on any server | On the server running acme.sh |
| Telemetry | None | None |
GetHTTPS has a strict privacy advantage: the key only ever exists in your browser. With acme.sh, the key lives on the server — which is normal for server-managed certificates, but means anyone with access to that user account can read the key.
Frequently asked questions
Is acme.sh better than Certbot?
Different tools, different strengths. acme.sh doesn’t require root, has 150+ DNS plugins built in, and is a single shell script (~7000 lines of bash). Certbot has Nginx/Apache auto-configuration but requires snap/pip and often root. For most CLI users, either works well. See our Certbot comparison →
Can I use both?
Yes. Use GetHTTPS for the first certificate (no setup time), then install acme.sh for ongoing automated renewal. The PEM files are standard format — acme.sh can renew a certificate originally created by GetHTTPS for the same domain.
Does acme.sh work on macOS?
Yes. acme.sh is a pure shell script that runs on any Unix-like system with bash/sh, curl, and openssl — including macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and even Windows WSL.