What Actalis does

Actalis S.p.A. is an Italian Certification Authority and trust services provider headquartered in Bergamo, Italy, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gruppo Aruba (Aruba S.p.A.). Founded as one of the earliest European Certification Authorities and the only Italian CA member of the CAB Forum, Actalis designs, issues, and manages digital certificates and qualified trust services across a portfolio that includes SSL/TLS certificates (Domain Validation, Organization Validation, Extended Validation), QWAC and QSealC qualified certificates for eIDAS and PSD2 compliance, S/MIME email security certificates, Code Signing certificates, and electronic/digital signature services.

Underlying the portfolio is a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) platform with proprietary components including Actalis CertiManager (centralized certificate lifecycle interface), Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) solutions using a Lab-first approach, ACME protocol automation for unlimited DV certificates, a Trusted IoT PKI platform for device identity and data immutability, Digital Identity management with multi-level authentication, and a Private PKI infrastructure offering. The platform is eIDAS-qualified and PSD2-recognized, and the company maintains a comprehensive ISO certification portfolio (9001, 27001, 37001, 45001, 20000-1, 22301) supported by ANSI/TIA-942 Rating 4 data centers inherited from Aruba Group.

The company operates a hybrid business model. Certificate sales are structured both as one-time annual licenses (DV from 30 EUR/year, OV 300 EUR/year, EV 450 EUR/year, QWAC from 250 EUR/year, Code Signing 180 EUR/year, S/MIME freemium up to 136 EUR/year) and as recurring subscription tiers (Free, Bronze 7 EUR/month, Silver 20 EUR/month, Gold 50 EUR/month, with annual payment saving 20%). Revenue capture combines self-service direct-to-consumer purchasing through actalis.com (available in Italian, English, German with EUR/USD/GBP/PLN support), enterprise sales for customized solutions, and channel distribution through the Actalis Partner Program plus TuCows and Venafi integrations. Customer segments span small websites and blogs (DV self-serve), e-commerce and online businesses, financial institutions and payment service providers (PSD2-driven QWAC demand), Italian central and regional public administration (Regione Liguria, Insiel, GSE), IoT integrators, and software developers requiring code signing.

Name

Actalis

Legal name

ACTALIS S.p.A.

Website

https://actalis.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Actalis is an Italian Certification Authority and trust services provider offering SSL/TLS certificates, digital signatures, PSD2/eIDAS-qualified certificates, and PKI solutions for SMBs, enterprises, financial institutions, and Italian public administration across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. SSL Certificate Sales: One-time annual license fees for SSL certificates (DV, OV, EV) ranging from free tier to 450 EUR per year depending on validation level and warranty coverage
2. Subscription Plans (Free, Bronze, Silver, Gold): Monthly or annual subscription plans offering unlimited SSL certificates with different warranty levels. Bronze from 7 EUR/month, Silver 20 EUR/month, Gold 50 EUR/month (annual payment saves 20%)
3. QWAC Certificates: Qualified Website Authentication Certificates for PSD2 compliance, priced at 250 EUR for 1-year single domain, 358 EUR for PSD2 2-year, 501 EUR for QWAC SAN PSD2
4. S/MIME Certificates: Email security certificates - Mailbox Validated free first year then 6 EUR/year, Individual Validated 45 EUR/year, Organization Validated 105 EUR/year, Sponsor Validated 136 EUR/year
5. Code Signing Certificates: Digital signature certificates for software executables at 180 EUR per year
6. Electronic and Digital Signature Services: Electronic and digital signature solutions to simplify business processes securely
7. Customized Enterprise Solutions: Personalized solutions designed by Trust Services experts for specific business needs and requirements

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Actalis operates as a Certification Authority issuing and managing digital certificates, including SSL/TLS certificates (DV, OV, EV), QWAC and QSealC certificates for PSD2/eIDAS compliance, S/MIME email certificates, and Code Signing certificates. The company also provides PKI infrastructure services, electronic and digital signature solutions, and managed certificate platforms such as Actalis CertiManager, addressing encryption, identity, authentication, and regulatory compliance for websites, organizations, and software publishers.

Product overview

Actalis is the first European Certification Authority offering a comprehensive portfolio of digital certificate and trust service products. The portfolio is organized around SSL/TLS certificates (including Domain Validation, Organization Validation, and Extended Validation types), qualified certificates for websites and electronic seals (QWAC/QSealC) for PSD2 compliance, S/MIME for email security, Code Signing for software authentication, and electronic/digital signatures. These are complemented by management platforms (Actalis CertiManager), specialized solutions (Digital Identity, Private PKI, Trusted IoT, Post Quantum Cryptography), and compliance offerings (DORA/NIS2). The company also offers subscription plans (Free, Bronze, Silver, Gold tiers) that bundle unlimited SSL certificates with ACME automation. All services leverage Actalis's position as the only Italian CA that is a member of the CAB Forum and qualified under eIDAS regulation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Actalis CertiManager: Unified interface for issuing and managing all company certificates.
• Trusted IoT

Products and services

• SSL/TLS Certificates (DV, OV, EV)

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of users served as first European Certification Authority
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• TuCowscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership allowing Actalis SSL certificates to be managed through TuCows domain management and web hosting automation platform, expanding distribution to their customer base
• VenaficoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for machine identity management integration, enabling Actalis certificates to be managed through Venafi platform for automated certificate lifecycle management
• iDenfysupportingTechnology or IntegrationIdentity verification service used for Individual Validated and Sponsor Validated S/MIME certificates to verify the identity of certificate holders

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• SwissSign: Swiss CA and qualified trust service provider under eIDAS, active primarily in Switzerland and parts of the EU. Comparable to Actalis on QWAC/QSealC and Swiss/European government tendering.
• Buypass: Norwegian CA offering TLS and qualified eIDAS/PSD2 certificates, primarily serving Nordic markets. Comparable qualified trust services and SMB/government customer profile.

Others

• Venafi: Machine identity management platform that integrates with multiple CAs, including Actalis. While not a direct CA competitor, it is a strategic partner and channel into enterprise certificate management spend.

Direct peers

• Let's Encrypt: Free, automated, open CA issuing DV SSL/TLS certificates via ACME. Sets the price floor for Actalis's DV tier and forces the company to compete on automation and support rather than price.
• Sectigo: Commercial CA and largest SSL issuer by volume, offering DV, OV, EV certificates, code signing, S/MIME and IoT. Direct competitor across both the mass-market and enterprise certificate segments.
• SSL.com: Commercial CA offering SSL, code signing, S/MIME and document signing certificates. Comparable mid-sized competitor, especially in North American and developer-focused segments.
• Entrust: Public-trust CA and PKI provider offering TLS, code signing, S/MIME and identity verification. Competes head-to-head in enterprise trust services and digital signing markets.
• DigiCert: World's largest commercial Certificate Authority offering SSL/TLS, code signing, S/MIME and PKI solutions to enterprises globally. Direct competitor across Actalis's entire product stack with much larger scale and brand.
• GlobalSign: Established CA providing SSL, digital signatures, PKI and IoT identity solutions worldwide, with a strong footprint in Europe and Asia. Competes with Actalis on enterprise certificates and qualified trust services under eIDAS.

Broad incumbents

• GoDaddy SSL (via GoDaddy Group): Domain registrar and hosting giant that bundles SSL certificates into its broader SMB platform, competing at the low end of the same market. Significant overlap with Actalis via hosting-bundled SSL distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ArubaWebTV/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aruba-s-p-a-

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Actalis