diff --git a/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/BUILD.bazel b/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/BUILD.bazel
index b0ca735ff..8287e8ffe 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/BUILD.bazel
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/util/pki:go_default_library",
         "@com_github_go_logr_logr//:go_default_library",
         "@com_github_kr_pretty//:go_default_library",
+        "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/api/equality:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/api/errors:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/labels:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/sync.go b/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/sync.go
index 88f9b4f72..621d7a0c2 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/sync.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/certificaterequests/sync.go
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ package certificaterequests
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 
 	"github.com/kr/pretty"
+	apiequality "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality"
 	k8sErrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	utilerrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors"
@@ -163,12 +163,10 @@ func (c *Controller) updateCertificateRequestStatusAndAnnotations(ctx context.Co
 		return c.cmClient.CertmanagerV1().CertificateRequests(new.Namespace).Update(context.TODO(), new, metav1.UpdateOptions{})
 	}
 
-	oldBytes, _ := json.Marshal(old.Status)
-	newBytes, _ := json.Marshal(new.Status)
-	if reflect.DeepEqual(oldBytes, newBytes) {
+	if apiequality.Semantic.DeepEqual(old.Status, new.Status) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
-	log.V(logf.DebugLevel).Info("updating resource due to change in status", "diff", pretty.Diff(string(oldBytes), string(newBytes)))
+	log.V(logf.DebugLevel).Info("updating resource due to change in status", "diff", pretty.Diff(old.Status, new.Status))
 	return c.cmClient.CertmanagerV1().CertificateRequests(new.Namespace).UpdateStatus(context.TODO(), new, metav1.UpdateOptions{})
 }
diff --git a/pkg/controller/clusterissuers/BUILD.bazel b/pkg/controller/clusterissuers/BUILD.bazel
index f9411e730..b77b7e3a1 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/clusterissuers/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/pkg/controller/clusterissuers/BUILD.bazel
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/logs:go_default_library",
         "@com_github_go_logr_logr//:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_api//core/v1:go_default_library",
+        "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/api/equality:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/api/errors:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/labels:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/controller/clusterissuers/sync.go b/pkg/controller/clusterissuers/sync.go
index 2bb422552..e6f9789e8 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/clusterissuers/sync.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/clusterissuers/sync.go
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ package clusterissuers
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"reflect"
 	"time"
 
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	apiequality "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors"
 
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (c *controller) Sync(ctx context.Context, iss *cmapi.ClusterIssuer) (err er
 }
 
 func (c *controller) updateIssuerStatus(old, new *cmapi.ClusterIssuer) (*cmapi.ClusterIssuer, error) {
-	if reflect.DeepEqual(old.Status, new.Status) {
+	if apiequality.Semantic.DeepEqual(old.Status, new.Status) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 	return c.cmClient.CertmanagerV1().ClusterIssuers().UpdateStatus(context.TODO(), new, metav1.UpdateOptions{})
diff --git a/pkg/controller/issuers/BUILD.bazel b/pkg/controller/issuers/BUILD.bazel
index 5ef1fc818..8e7db1892 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/issuers/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/pkg/controller/issuers/BUILD.bazel
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ go_library(
         "//pkg/logs:go_default_library",
         "@com_github_go_logr_logr//:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_api//core/v1:go_default_library",
+        "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/api/equality:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/api/errors:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
         "@io_k8s_apimachinery//pkg/labels:go_default_library",
diff --git a/pkg/controller/issuers/sync.go b/pkg/controller/issuers/sync.go
index 6e19f752d..fcca82df4 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/issuers/sync.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/issuers/sync.go
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ package issuers
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"reflect"
 	"time"
 
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	apiequality "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/equality"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/errors"
 
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (c *controller) Sync(ctx context.Context, iss *cmapi.Issuer) (err error) {
 }
 
 func (c *controller) updateIssuerStatus(old, new *cmapi.Issuer) (*cmapi.Issuer, error) {
-	if reflect.DeepEqual(old.Status, new.Status) {
+	if apiequality.Semantic.DeepEqual(old.Status, new.Status) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 	return c.cmClient.CertmanagerV1().Issuers(new.Namespace).UpdateStatus(context.TODO(), new, metav1.UpdateOptions{})