Every Hostinger web and cloud hosting plan includes a free SSL certificate — and in most cases you do not even have to install it yourself, because Hostinger’s Lifetime SSL is applied automatically when you add a website, subdomain, or parked domain. If yours is missing or you need to reinstall it, the manual fix takes about five minutes in hPanel.
Which plans include free SSL?
All of them, on web and cloud hosting. Hostinger’s official documentation states that free SSL certificates are included for all of your websites on Web and Cloud plans — every domain, subdomain, and parked domain you add gets one, automatically, at no extra cost. There is no per-site SSL fee and no upsell to click through.
Two edge cases to know about. First, the free certificate is a domain-validated (DV) certificate issued via Let’s Encrypt: it encrypts traffic and shows the padlock, which is everything a blog, portfolio, or store needs. If your organization specifically requires an organization-validated (OV) or extended-validation (EV) certificate, you can import a custom certificate instead — but you will then be responsible for renewing it yourself. Second, sites built with Hostinger’s AI Website Builder do not support custom SSL imports, per Hostinger’s docs. VPS plans are a different world: you install SSL yourself with Certbot, a control panel, or Traefik.
How to install the free SSL manually
If an SSL was not installed automatically — or you uninstalled one and need it back — follow these steps from Hostinger’s own help article (“How to install Lifetime SSL at Hostinger”):
- Log in to your Hostinger dashboard and go to Websites.
- Click Dashboard next to the domain or subdomain you want to secure.
- In the sidebar, search for Security → SSL to open the SSL settings.
- Click Install SSL.
- Wait a few minutes. The status will show Installing and then change to Active.
If the Install SSL option is not shown at all, an SSL is probably already installed on that domain — check the list before assuming something is broken. To verify the result, open your site in an incognito window (this skips your browser cache) and look for the padlock icon next to the address bar.
New to Hostinger entirely? Our web hosting guide covers which plan to pick before you get to this step.
Force HTTPS: the step people skip
Installing the certificate only makes the HTTPS version of your site available. Visitors who type your domain without https:// — or follow an old http:// link — will still land on the insecure version unless you redirect them. That is what Force HTTPS does: it automatically sends every visitor to the encrypted version of every page.
Enable it in the same SSL section of hPanel after the certificate shows Active. This matters for two practical reasons: browsers now flag non-HTTPS pages with a “Not Secure” warning that scares visitors, and search engines treat HTTPS as a ranking signal, so mixed or insecure versions of your pages quietly cost you. If you run WordPress, also check that your site’s address settings use https:// — see our WordPress hosting guide for the setup walkthrough.
Auto-renewal: why it is called “Lifetime” SSL
Let’s Encrypt certificates technically expire every 90 days, which sounds like a maintenance chore — but Hostinger handles renewal automatically behind the scenes. “Lifetime” means free for the life of your hosting: the certificate renews itself indefinitely at no charge and with no action from you, as long as the domain stays hosted on your Hostinger web or cloud plan.
One limitation to be aware of: the free certificate cannot be downloaded or transferred. If you ever move the site to a VPS or a different host, you will install a fresh certificate there — you cannot take Hostinger’s with you.
What to do if SSL installation fails
When the free SSL refuses to install or gets stuck on “Installing,” the cause is DNS about nine times out of ten. Let’s Encrypt has to verify that you control the domain before it issues a certificate, and it can only do that if the domain actually resolves to your Hostinger server.
- Check that your domain points to Hostinger. If you registered the domain elsewhere, its nameservers (or A record) must point at Hostinger’s servers. Until DNS propagates — usually minutes to a few hours, occasionally up to 24 — SSL issuance cannot complete.
- Wait, then retry. If you just changed nameservers, give propagation time, then click Install SSL again.
- Reinstall a stuck certificate. If the status has said “Installing” far longer than a few minutes, uninstall the certificate and install it fresh.
- Check subdomains individually. The main domain’s SSL does not always cover every subdomain automatically — install SSL on each one from the same SSL screen.
- Look for conflicting DNS records. Stray AAAA records or a CDN proxying your DNS (see below) can interfere with domain validation.
If none of that resolves it, Hostinger’s 24/7 live chat can check the issuance logs on their side — this is one of the cases where support is genuinely the fastest path.
Cloudflare as an alternative
Some site owners put Cloudflare in front of Hostinger instead of — or as well as — the built-in SSL. Cloudflare’s free plan includes its own edge certificate plus a CDN and basic DDoS protection, which is a reasonable bundle if you want those extras anyway. Two cautions: use Cloudflare’s “Full” encryption mode rather than “Flexible,” because Flexible encrypts only the visitor-to-Cloudflare leg and leaves the Cloudflare-to-Hostinger leg unencrypted — which defeats half the purpose. And if you proxy your DNS through Cloudflare’s orange cloud, remember it can interfere with Let’s Encrypt validation on Hostinger’s side, so install Hostinger’s certificate first or pause proxying during issuance.
For most sites, though, the built-in free SSL plus Force HTTPS is simpler and entirely sufficient — there is no need to add Cloudflare just for the certificate.
FAQ
Is Hostinger’s free SSL really free forever?
Yes, for as long as the domain is hosted on your Hostinger web or cloud plan. Renewals are automatic and cost nothing; “Lifetime” refers to the life of your hosting, not your lifetime.
Does the free SSL cover subdomains and parked domains?
Yes. Hostinger installs Lifetime SSL automatically when you add a website, create a subdomain, or park a domain, and you can also install it manually per subdomain from the SSL screen.
Why does my browser still say “Not Secure”?
Usually one of three things: the certificate is still in “Installing” status, your DNS has not finished propagating to Hostinger, or Force HTTPS is off and you are viewing the http:// version. Work through the troubleshooting list above in order.
Can I use my own paid SSL instead?
Yes — uninstall the free certificate first (Websites → Security → SSL, three-dot menu, Uninstall), then use Import SSL to paste in your certificate, private key, and CA bundle. Note that AI Builder sites do not support custom SSL, and you will manage renewals yourself.
Does free SSL work on Hostinger VPS?
Not automatically. On a VPS you install certificates yourself — via Certbot, your control panel’s SSL feature, or Traefik if you use Hostinger’s Docker templates. The one-click Lifetime SSL is a web/cloud hosting feature.
Is SSL really free on Hostinger?
Yes. All Hostinger web hosting and cloud hosting plans include a free Lifetime SSL certificate. It is installed automatically on new websites, subdomains, and parked domains, so most users never need to touch the SSL settings at all.
How do I manually install SSL on Hostinger?
Open your site’s dashboard in hPanel, go to Security → SSL, select the domain, and click Install SSL. The status will show “Installing” and change to “Active” within a few seconds when the certificate is ready.
How do I force HTTPS on Hostinger?
In the SSL section, click the three-dot menu next to your domain and choose Force HTTPS — this redirects all HTTP visitors to the secure HTTPS version automatically. You can achieve the same result with a redirect rule in .htaccess if you prefer.
Why does my site still show “Not secure” after installing SSL?
The usual cause is mixed content: images, scripts, or stylesheets still loading over HTTP while the page itself is HTTPS. Update those URLs to HTTPS (in WordPress, check Settings → General and re-save), then clear your site and browser cache.
Can I use my own SSL certificate on Hostinger instead of the free one?
Yes, you can import a custom certificate from any certificate authority through the same SSL section — first uninstall the default certificate, then install yours. Note that you then manage renewal yourself, and custom certificates are not supported on Hostinger AI Builder sites.
Next steps
SSL on Hostinger is one of those rare things that is both free and effectively zero-maintenance: check that the certificate shows Active, switch on Force HTTPS, and confirm the padlock in an incognito window. Do that once per domain and you can forget about it — renewals take care of themselves. Steps sourced from Hostinger’s official help articles “How to install Lifetime SSL at Hostinger” (https://www.hostinger.com/support/1583258-how-to-install-lifetime-ssl-at-hostinger/) and “How to install a custom SSL in Hostinger” (https://support.hostinger.com/en/articles/1583785-how-to-install-a-custom-ssl-in-hostinger).