Any free alternatives to Really Simple SSL?

Request
1

I’ve been using the free version of Really Simple SSL to enforce HTTPS and fix mixed content issues. After the recent update, it shows three critical issues on the site health page, and the only way to resolve them is by upgrading to the Pro version, which costs $49/year. I know it’s not a huge amount, but the way they’ve done it feels really shady.

I’ve heard about other plugins like WP Force SSL, but I don’t want to use something that might work the same way. Has anyone used a better plugin they’d recommend? Or should I just get rid of SSL plugins completely? I didn’t use this plugin to install Let’s Encrypt, if that helps.

2

Have you considered using Cloudflare? They offer free SSL certificates and a force SSL option.

3

Which hosting provider are you using? Usually, there’s no need for an SSL plugin. Let’s Encrypt is free, and most hosts offer it. If you’re using Apache or nginx, you can add simple rewrites to enforce HTTPS. Cloudflare also has a toggle for this.

4

Why not just use Cloudflare? They provide free SSL certificates and a way to force HTTPS.

5

Pax said:
Why not just use Cloudflare? They provide free SSL certificates and a way to force HTTPS.

How do you set up Cloudflare for a WordPress site? Is there a specific plugin to use?

6

@Mal
You don’t need a plugin for Cloudflare. Here’s how it works:

  1. Sign up for a free Cloudflare account.
  2. Point your domain to Cloudflare’s nameservers.
  3. Add A or CNAME records to direct traffic to your site.
  4. Make sure the records are set to ‘proxied’ (this is the default setting).

That’s it! Cloudflare will manage the SSL certificate for you automatically.

7

Why not just force HTTPS using htaccess? It’s a quick task—takes about 3 minutes. If you’re unsure how, you can search online or ask for help. You can also do it through the functions.php file if htaccess isn’t an option. Both methods are simple and free.

8

SSL plugins are pointless. Most platforms let you set up SSL certificates with one click, and fixing mixed content issues is just a matter of running a find-and-replace command.

9

Clarke said:
SSL plugins are pointless. Most platforms let you set up SSL certificates with one click, and fixing mixed content issues is just a matter of running a find-and-replace command.

Looks like most people agree I don’t need it. I’ll remove it then. Thanks!

10

You don’t really need an SSL plugin. Just follow the advice here and handle it directly from your server.

11

Where do you host your WordPress site? Most hosting providers should auto-install SSL certificates for you.

To force HTTPS, you can add these lines to your .htaccess file at the very top:

RewriteEngine On  
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off  
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]