CA Alternative Launches Free Beta for 47-Day Certificate Lifetime Reduction

Platform enables Let's Encrypt free certificates at scale, replacing expensive enterprise tools and error-prone scripts ahead of certificate lifespan reductions

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, UNITED STATES, October 15, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Local startup CertKit opened public beta access to its certificate management tool today, providing SMEs and enterprises a free alternative to expensive Certificate Authority tools while enabling the use of free Let's Encrypt certificates at scale. The SaaS platform launches as organizations scramble to implement automation before the mandated 47 day certificate lifetimes take effect.

Certificate lifespans will shorten from 398 days today to 200 days in March 2026 in the first step towards 47 day certificates in 2029. Shorter certificate lifetimes are forcing organizations to automate certificate management across their complex environments including cloud applications, containers, legacy applications, vendor appliances, Java keystores, and even network printers. Each system requires different deployment methods and formats. Without automation, IT teams face the impossible task of manually updating certificates across all these systems while verifying successful deployment and preventing downtime.

Currently, organizations seeking automation face limited options: enterprise platforms from Venafi or DigiCert costing $50,000-250,000 annually, custom DIY scripted solutions that lack auditing and monitoring, or remaining with manual processes that lead to certificate expiration outages averaging up to $11.1 million. CertKit fills this gap with an accessible platform for automated certificate discovery, one-click deployment, and continuous monitoring that prevents expiration surprises. Early beta testers report reducing certificate management overhead by 90% while successfully implementing Let's Encrypt certificates in environments previously thought too complex for free certificates.

CertKit was created by the founding team of TrackJS to address their need to manage certificates across complex infrastructure and multiple products. The Minneapolis-based team built CertKit specifically for the 47 day certificate era, focusing exclusively on automation and ease of deployment rather than the complex feature sets that make traditional CA platforms require professional services.

"We used to script our certificates with CertBot, but it wasn't very transparent. We got burned when a service failed to pick up a certificate change," said Todd H. Gardner, CertKit CEO. "When we looked for alternatives, everything required an enterprise sales process, six-figure pricing, and months of implementation time. We built CertKit to be something you can set up in 15 minutes without a sales call, that gives you complete visibility into every certificate, every renewal, and every deployment. No more silent failures, no more surprise expirations."

The free beta includes automated certificate discovery across cloud and on-premise infrastructure, centralized certificate monitoring with expiration alerts, automated renewal and deployment workflows, support for Let's Encrypt and all ACME-compatible CAs, and detailed audit logs for every certificate operation. The platform handles diverse certificate formats including PEM, PKCS12, and Java keystores. Production pricing, launching 2026, starts at $99/month, approximately 95% less than enterprise alternatives.

Beta access is available immediately at certkit.io. For beta access and information about preparing for 47-day certificates and certificate lifecycle management best practices, visit certkit.io. Press inquiries: hello@certkit.io.

TODD H GARDNER
CertKit
hello@certkit.io
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