K-Software does not sell EV certificates for $85/yr. They start at $349/yr.

The parent comment's issue is that EV certificates are essentially required due to the poorly-designed SmartScreen reputation filter. The $85/yr certificate you're mentioning doesn't help solve this.

I didn't know about the EV workaround and the OP didn't mention it.

I've never used an EV cert before for code signing. When we first started, I think Smartscreen was a nuisance for about 2 weeks, but years on, and I've never had to think about it again. Even when we've renewed the cert.

Thanks for taking the time to describe your experience.

When you renewed the cert did you use the same key pair? (I'm wondering how does Microsoft correlate reputation).

No, it was a new key pair each time. I'm also rather interested to know how it decides reputation though!

Probably based on Subject name. It'd require a lot of money to verify that though (e.g. buying cert from another CA with the same name).

IME Windows SmartScreen still gives a scare-warning for software that's signed with a valid certificate, unless some magic "reputation-threshold" is reached and who-knows what factors into this.

The current code-signing-certificate model is pointless, regardless of price.

I didn't realise that. We released desktop software several years ago, and customers/trialers did report that Smartscreen was flagging it for a couple I'd weeks. Never had an issue since then though.

Having said that, Smartscreen is opaque, and a nuisance.

I recently got an $85 certificate from k-software which is actually Comodo now Sectigo. It was a nightmare. Took two months and fifty emails.