Compare software

lego vs Certbot: catalog facts
lego	Certbot
Best for: Administrators automating TLS certificates from scripts or servers	Best for: Server administrators adding free HTTPS to their own web servers
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence; certificates from Let's Encrypt are free.
Windows, Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Single Go binary that is simple to deploy Works with Let's Encrypt and other ACME authorities All 4 strengths for lego Single Go binary that is simple to deploy Works with Let's Encrypt and other ACME authorities Also usable as a Go library Actively maintained	Gets free HTTPS certificates from Let's Encrypt Can configure Apache and Nginx automatically All 3 strengths for Certbot Gets free HTTPS certificates from Let's Encrypt Can configure Apache and Nginx automatically Instruction generator tailored to server software and operating system
Command line only Requires understanding of ACME challenges and DNS or HTTP setup	Requires comfort with the command line Needs shell access to the web server, which some hosts do not give
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: Apache-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Needs internet	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for lego go-acme.github.io/lego github.com/go-acme/lego Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Certbot certbot.eff.org Catalog checked October 1, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.