APIVerve

APIVerve vs SSL Labs

Looking for an SSL Labs alternative you can call from your own product? Compare APIVerve's SSL Checker and TLS Checker APIs against the Qualys SSL Labs API on licensing, speed, depth and what each one is built for.

  • SSL Labs alternative
  • SSL checker API
  • Free tier
Explore APIVerve APIs→Compare pricing
Head to head
6APIVerve wins
3Ties
3SSL Labs wins

Across 12 compared capabilities · 200 free credits/mo to try.

At a glance

The fundamental difference

Why teams pick APIVerve

SSL and TLS checks you can ship in a product

  • Answers in seconds, in one request, with no polling
  • Chain trust, hostname match and the exact verifier error
  • TLS 1.0 to 1.3 support on any port, not only 443
S

Where SSL Labs falls short

Qualys SSL Server Test

  • Commercial use, use on a public website and proxying results to others need Qualys' explicit permission
  • Assessments usually take at least 60 seconds and are polled until ready
  • No port parameter in the documented analyze call
The toolkit

The APIs behind these results

The endpoints behind APIVerve's side of this comparison. One key covers all of them, plus 300+ more.

SSL Certificate Checker/v1/sslchecker10 cr→TLS CheckerNew/v1/tlscheck2 cr→
Detailed comparison

Feature by feature

Every capability, side by side. Green marks the winner.

Certificate Checks

What each one tells you about the certificate

CapabilityAPIVerveSSL Labs
Certificate details, HSTS, OCSP stapling and SCTsIssuer, subject, SANs, key type and size, signature algorithm, HSTS policy, stapling and Certificate Transparency: both report these
Days until expiry and a 30-day warning flagAPIVerve computes the countdown and flag in the response (paid plans); SSL Labs returns the notAfter timestamp for you to calculate from
Revocation statusSSL Labs checks whether the certificate has been revoked via CRL and OCSP; APIVerve does not

TLS Configuration

Protocols, ciphers and vulnerabilities

CapabilityAPIVerveSSL Labs
TLS versions acceptedWhich of TLS 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 the server will negotiate
Any port, not only 443TLS Checker takes a port, so SMTPS, IMAPS or a custom service can be tested; SSL Labs' analyze call has no port parameter
Every cipher suite per protocolSSL Labs enumerates each suite the server accepts; APIVerve reports the cipher negotiated at the highest version
Named vulnerability testsHeartbleed, POODLE, ROBOT, FREAK, Logjam, DROWN and more; APIVerve does not run these

Access, Speed & Licensing

Using the checks from your own software

CapabilityAPIVerveSSL Labs
Free to startSSL Labs is free for non-commercial use; APIVerve has a free monthly credit allowance for evaluation
Commercial use and use inside your productAllowed on APIVerve's paid plans; SSL Labs' terms forbid commercial use, public-site use and proxying without explicit permission
Answer in one synchronous requestAPIVerve returns in seconds; SSL Labs assessments usually take at least 60 seconds and are polled
Sign up with any email addressSSL Labs' API registration refuses Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail addresses
Native MCP tools for AI agentsSSL Checker and TLS Checker are callable agent tools; the SSL Labs API docs describe REST endpoints only
The bottom line

APIVerve or SSL Labs?

SSL Labs is the deeper scanner, and for auditing a server you run it is hard to beat: it walks every protocol and cipher suite, checks revocation, tests for a long list of named vulnerabilities and gives the grade most people already recognise.

Use APIVerve if

  • The check runs in a monitor, a CI job or an AI agent
  • You need a synchronous answer, on any port
  • It's part of a commercial product (paid plans)

Use SSL Labs if

  • You want a full audit of a server you run
  • You need revocation and named-vulnerability tests
  • You want the grade most people already recognise
Read the full verdict

It is also licensed for non-commercial use, needs an organisation email to register for the API, and takes a minute or more per host while you poll for the result. APIVerve answers a narrower question quickly: is this certificate trusted, does it match the name, when does it expire, and which TLS versions and cipher does the server accept, in one synchronous call you can run from a monitor, a CI job or an AI agent, on any port, inside a commercial product. Run SSL Labs when you want the full audit of your own server; use APIVerve when the check has to live in your code.

SSL Labs questions.

Common questions about switching from SSL Labs to APIVerve.

Talk to us →
Can I use the SSL Labs API in a commercial product?
Not without permission. Qualys' terms say you may not use the API for commercial purposes, on a public website, or make it available to others without their express permission, and that you should only scan servers whose owners have agreed. APIVerve's SSL Checker and TLS Checker can be used commercially on any paid plan; the free plan is for evaluation.
Is there an SSL Labs API alternative that answers instantly?
APIVerve returns in one synchronous request, usually within a couple of seconds, because it checks what a single handshake shows rather than running a full assessment. SSL Labs documents that assessments usually take at least 60 seconds and recommends polling every few seconds until the report is ready.
Does APIVerve give the same grade as SSL Labs?
No. TLS Checker returns an A+ to F grade from APIVerve's own published rubric: no TLS 1.2 or 1.3, or a certificate that fails validation, is an F; still accepting TLS 1.0/1.1, or a chosen cipher without forward secrecy or AEAD, caps it at B; A+ needs TLS 1.3. Every deduction is listed in gradeReasons. It does not enumerate cipher suites or test vulnerabilities, so expect it to differ from SSL Labs on some servers.
Does APIVerve test for Heartbleed, POODLE or ROBOT?
No. Those tests need deliberately malformed handshakes against every protocol and suite, which is what SSL Labs' full assessment is for. APIVerve tells you whether the certificate is trusted, matches the hostname and when it expires, plus which TLS versions and cipher the server accepts.
Do I need to register to use the SSL Labs API?
Yes. API v4 needs a one-time registration with your first name, last name, organisation and an organisation email address; Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail are not accepted. API v3 was deprecated from 1 January 2024. APIVerve uses a standard API key from a free account.
How do I monitor SSL certificate expiry with an API?
Call SSL Checker for each domain on a schedule. Every response says whether the certificate is valid, trusted and matches the hostname; paid plans add daysUntilExpiry and an isExpiringSoon flag for anything inside 30 days, so the alert logic is a single comparison.

Test it against SSL Labs yourself. Start on the free plan.

Start free→

One key, 300+ APIs

SSL Certificate Checker, TLS Checker and 300+ other APIs on one key. 200 free credits a month to evaluate; paid plans from $29.99.

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