Every web platform has security vulnerabilities. WordPress, however, is by far the most popular content management system (CMS) around the world, making it an especially attractive target for hackers. These cybercriminals spend a ton of time and energy identifying WordPress vulnerabilities.
So how can you protect your site? See which best WordPress security plugin we’ve uncovered in our best WordPress security plugin reviews. We’ve included several options for your specific needs, and while many of these solutions offer “plugins” for WordPress, many of them are fully featured cloud-based services that run independently of WordPress.
You have multiple types of WordPress site security options based on the type of service and coverage you need. It’s a confusing decision, even for tech-savvy folks.
What we need to clarify upfront is that the “best WordPress security plugin” is not always going to be a plugin.
Many of these security services are fully-featured security solutions that reside on external servers and are available for any website platform, not just WordPress. They may offer a plugin to interface with their service, however.
Some are offered as fully featured plugins that you can just install and run with. We’ll make that distinction clear and what’s involved as we review each service.
What’s more, some of our top recommendations fall into several categories because they offer multiple means of security, i.e., Wordfence gives you an all-in-one solution for a WAF (Web Application Firewall), malware scanning, and site integrity features.
Sucuri Security is a global leader in WP website security and our pick for the best WAF — as well as a solid choice for malware scanning (see our best malware scanner winners below).
The Sucuri Security Platform includes a top-notch, cloud-based WAF, malware and blacklist monitoring and cleanup, and security monitoring at WordPress core and server levels.
What is a DNS or cloud-based WAF?
A DNS (Domain Name Resolution) firewall protects against attacks in a vulnerable area of the internet that can compromise your website or application before traffic even finds its way to your hosting server. Think of it as posting additional sentries at the gate to your driveway, vs inside your front door.
Sucuri is an excellent option if you’re looking for combined WAF and malware protection. After testing several security solutions, this is the one we opted for on We Rock Your Web. We’ve so far had one major malware attack that Sucuri successfully analyzed and defeated.
Sucuri also saves your activity monitoring log in the Sucuri Cloud (if you take advantage of the additional WP plugin interface) so that hackers can’t delete your files. While expensive, Sucuri requires little legwork because most of the scanning and back-end work is either automated or via a single-click process.
Pros
Cons
Easy to install and configure
Powerful DNS-level, cloud-based WAF
Excellent protection against DDoS attacks
Bot and Geo (location) blocking
PCI compliant
Automatically scans for malware and questionable files
Good tech support (by support ticket, and chat on the business plan)
4.5/5.0 wordpress.org rating from 230 users
30-day money-back guarantee
No free version or free trial
Must contact them for multi-site package pricing
Doesn’t offer two-factor authentication
Pricing
The following pricing is for one website for its security platform, which includes malware protection. The price goes down a bit if you only want the firewall, but we recommend against that. You can also save by paying annually.
Cloudflare is a robust content delivery network (CDN) that offers a free WordPress plugin, which gives you a one-click installation of settings specifically developed for the WordPress platform. With the free version, you get a strong WAF with protection against DDoS attacks and automatic cache purging.
Cloudflare offers higher level DDoS protection with its paid plans. If you’re looking for application-level security scans in addition to a WAF, you’re out of luck here. Cloudflare doesn’t offer malware protection, blacklist removal, security, or monitoring for file changes.
Pros
Cons
Free WP plugin available w/ DNS-level WAF
One-click installation for WP plugin
Good protection against DDoS attacks
Automatic cache purging boosts site’s performance
PCI compliance only available for $200+ per month per site
Two-factor authentication only available with Enterprise plan
Imperva (formally Incapsula) is another CDN like Cloudflare that gives you a powerful DNS-level WAF and other security features for e-commerce and sites that deal with sensitive data (Incapsula is also one of our top picks for site integrity features).
Imperva can also help your website load faster since their servers will absorb much of the bandwidth (and clean it) before it hits your server.
Their control panel gives you detailed information on each hacking attempt, and it allows you to act on that information. Imperva’s standout security features include DDoS protection, SQL injection protection, XSS attack protection, and backdoor protection.
It also does a great job of protecting your site from spam, malicious bots, and the Open Web Application Security Project’s Top 10 Vulnerabilities. Imperva, however, doesn’t offer application-level security scans, like malware and blacklisting.
Pros
Cons
Powerful cloud-based DNS-level WAF
Excellent DDoS protection
SSL and PCI compliant
Offers two-factor authentication
Backdoor shell protection
Protect against known RFI vulnerabilities
Boosts website performance with CDN caching and optimization
Good tech support
Expensive and no free plugin
Not ideal for small businesses with limited tech knowledge and resources
Pricing
You can test-drive Imperva with their 14-day free trial of the Pro version.
SiteLock is another CDN with a strong DNS-level cloud-based WAF. All of their plans include daily vulnerability scans, automatic malware removal, and basic DDoS protection. Their premium plans give you advanced DDoS protection, file change monitoring, and protection against cross-site scripting, RFI, SQL and XSS injection, and OWASP top 10 threats.
Their Enterprise level provides backdoor protection and blacklisting of IP addresses, web clients or entire countries. SiteLock partners with many hosting companies, like Bluehost, to offer their basic plan as an add-on.
Pros
Cons
Strong DNS-level WAF with DDoS protection
Robust malware scanning and removal
Bad bot and backdoor protection
PCI compliant
Boosts your site’s performance
Excellent 24/7 tech support
No free version or free trial available
Some user complaints about hackers getting in
Pricing isn’t available on their website
Doesn’t offer two-factor authentication
Pricing
SiteLock offers four pricing plans, but you must contact SiteLock for a quote.
With more than two million active installs, Wordfence is the go-to solution for many businesses, government agencies, bloggers, and more. Wordfence is the only service in our reviews that we include in all three “best of” categories.
Their free plugin gives you an excellent DNS-level WAF, protection against brute force attacks, and a real-time threat defense feed. You can get country blocking with an upgrade.
Regarding malware scanning and other security features, Wordfence’s plugin scans for over 44,000 known malware variants. The premium version adds more frequent scans, two-factor authentication, password auditing, spam, and spamvertising checks.
What is spamvertising?
Spamvertising is essentially spam that’s used to advertise a product or service. For example, you’ve probably moderated comments on your website where they at first appear to be a legitimate engagement in your article’s topic, but upon closer inspection they are simply posting so they can plant a backlink to their website or service.
Pros
Cons
Free version available
Easy installation
Powerful DNS-level WAF
Threat Defense Feed keeps software updated in real-time with the latest security data
Excellent malware scanning
Robust login security features and two-factor authentication option (premium version)
Security incident recovery tools
Cell phone sign in
4.8/5.0 wordpress.org rating from 3,100+ users
Premium version is expensive, especially for multiple sites
No pricing plan for unlimited sites
Pricing
The following prices are for a one year license. Wordfence offers significant discounts if you purchase their API key for multiple years.
iThemes has been producing top-notch WordPress themes, plugins, and more since 2008. Their security plugin is an industry leader, giving you more than 30 ways to protect your website.
iThemes offers one of the most popular free WP security plugins, but to get a much-needed layer of extra protection, you’ll want to go for their Pro package, which includes two-factor authentication, file change detection, scheduled malware scans, Google reCAPTCHA integration, and more.
iThemes Security also detects hidden 404 errors on your site that can affect your SEO, such as bad links and missing images. You can test-drive iThemes Security with their free version.
Pros
Cons
Free version available
One-click installation for newbies and advanced configurations for developers
Provides brute force protection, 2-factor authentication, file change detection and more w/ Pro package
Robust login security features
Cell phone sign in
4.7/5.0 wordpress.org rating from 3,800+ users
Lifetime package doesn’t include lifetime tech support (only lifetime updates)
Pricing
All of iThemes Security pricing plans include one year of updates, ticketed support, and 10 iThemes Sync sites (unless otherwise noted).
BulletProof Security is easy on the budget, but that’s about all that’s easy with this WordPress plugin. Not meant for beginners, BulletProof takes a lot of manual configuration with a confusing and quirky interface.
The free version offers a decent set of tools, including login security, idle session logouts, regular database backups, and .htaccess website security protection to protect your site against XSS, RFI, CRLF (Carriage Return Line Feed) injection, CSRF (Cross Site Request Forgery), Base64, Code Injection, and SQL Injection attacks.
With the pro version, you get a real-time file monitor, and you can secure your ‘wp-admin’ folder and Root website folder with a single click.
Pros
Cons
Free version and affordable Pro version pricing
.htaccess website security protection
Malware scanner
Regular WP database backups
4.6/5.0 wordpress.org rating from 300+ users
30-day money-back guarantee
Installation and configuration is complex
User interface is messy and confusing
Doesn’t offer two-factor authentication
Pricing
BulletProof Security is a one-time purchase that gives you lifetime updates and lifetime tech support.
In addition to a strong WAF, Imperva (formally Incapsula) gives youa ton of high-level security features to enhance your basic protection.
Imperva’s control panel gives you detailed information on each hacking attempt, and it allows you to act on that information. Their standout security features include DDoS protection, SQL injection protection, XSS attack protection, and backdoor protection.
It also does a great job of protecting your site from spam, malicious bots, and the Open Web Application Security Project’sTop 10 Vulnerabilities.
Pros
Cons
Powerful cloud-based DNS-level WAF
Excellent DDoS protection
SSL and PCI compliant
Offers two-factor authentication
Backdoor shell protection
Protect against known RFI vulnerabilities
Boosts website performance with CDN caching and optimization
Good tech support
Expensive and no free plugin
Not ideal for small businesses with limited tech knowledge and resources
Pricing
You can test-drive Imperva with their 14-day free trial of the Pro version.
In addition to providing powerful firewall and malware scanning features, Wordfence gives you fantastic tools to protect the integrity of your website.
Wordfence maintains a record of every WP core, theme, and plugin file ever released to the official WordPress repository. They use their source code verification feature to tell you what’s changed and help you repair hacked files.
The premium version adds two-factor authentication, password auditing, spam, and spamvertising checks.
Pros
Cons
Free version available
Easy installation
Threat Defense Feed keeps softwareupdated in real-time with the latest security data
Powerful DNS-level WAF
Excellent malware scanning
Robust login security features and two-factor authentication option (premium version)
Security incident recovery tools
Cell phone sign in
4.8/5.0 wordpress.org rating from 3,100+ users
Premium version is expensive, especially for multiple sites
No pricing plan for unlimited sites
Pricing
The following prices are for a one year license. Wordfence offers significant discounts if you purchase their API key for multiple years.
Wordfence wins our top spot as the best malware scanner (and is the only service in our reviews that we include in all three “best of” categories).
Their free plugin scans for over 44,000 known malware variants and covers all the places hackers can hide — core files, themes, and plugins for malware, code injections, and backdoors.
It also checks URLs against Google’s safe browsing list and scans for DNS changes. The premium version lets you scan as often as every hour.
Wordfence also provides an excellent DNS-level WAF, protection against brute force attacks, and a real-time threat defense feed. The premium version adds country blocking, two-factor authentication, password auditing, spam, and spamvertising checks.
Pros
Cons
Free version available
Easy installation
Excellent malware scanning
Threat Defense Feed keeps software updated in real-time with the latest security data
Powerful DNS-level WAF
Robust login security features and two-factor authentication option (premium version)
Security incident recovery tools
Cell phone sign in
4.8/5.0 wordpress.org rating from 3,100+ users
Premium version is expensive, especially for multiple sites
No pricing plan for unlimited sites
Pricing
The following prices are for a one year license. Wordfence offers significant discounts if you purchase their API key for multiple years.
6Scan is an old-timer in the security world and was the first automated security suite. This WordPress security solution has a decent set of features but isn’t quite up to par with the top players. There’s no free version, and the Starter plan only gives you monthly malware scanning and blacklist protection.
To get unlimited malware scanning you have to fork over a whopping $800+ per year. We recommend you look elsewhere for more robust and cheaper security solutions.
Pros
Cons
Easy installation
CMS repair
SQL injection protection
Cross-site scripting protection
OWASP top ten protection
Overpriced for fewer features than comparable services
Malware quarantine and removal only available with the highest plan
Jetpack is a widely used plugin in the WordPress world. This plugin has many different modules that perform a range of functions, including site design, marketing, and security. Jetpack’s free Protect module guards against brute force attacks and gives you two-factor authentication and secured logins.
You’ll need to go with their Premium or Professional plans to get malware scanning, code scanning, and threat resolution. Jetpack can be a good solution if you plan on using several of its modules, but for security alone, you can find better options.
Pros
Cons
Free version available
Easy to install and configure
Great malware scanner
Robust login security features
Good threat resolution tools
4.1/5.0 wordpress.org rating from 1,400+ users
Lacks advanced security features
No multi-site pricing packages
Several users report that the plugin is buggy
Pricing
All of the following prices are for a one-site license with updates and tech support for one year.
Free: Brute force attack protection, uptime monitoring, and secure logins
Personal:$39/year for daily backups, one-click restores, spam filtering, and 30-day archive
Premium: $99/year for scans for malware and threats with manual resolution
Professional: $299/year for real-time backups, on-demand scans with an automated one-click resolution
Sucuri Security is a global leader in WordPress (WP) website security and offers excellent malware scanning, in addition to being our top choice for the best WAF for WordPress.
The Sucuri Security Platform includes a top-notch, cloud-based WAF, malware and blacklist monitoring and cleanup, and security monitoring at WordPress core and server levels.
Sucuri is an excellent option is you’re looking for combined WAF and malware protection. After testing several security solutions, this is the one we opted for on We Rock Your Web. We’ve so far had one major malware attack that Sucuri successfully analyzed and defeated.
Sucuri also saves your activity monitoring log in the Sucuri Cloud (if you take advantage of the additional WP plugin interface) so that hackers can’t delete your files. While expensive, Sucuri requires little legwork because most of the scanning and back-end work is either automated or via a single-click process.
Pros
Cons
Easy to install and configure
Powerful DNS-level, cloud-based WAF
Automatically scans for malware and questionable files
Bot and Geo (location) blocking
PCI compliant
Good tech support (by support ticket, and chat on the business plan)
4.5/5.0 wordpress.org rating from 230 users
30-day money-back guarantee
No free version or free trial
No multi-site pricing packages available
Doesn’t offer two-factor authentication
Pricing
The following pricing is for one website for its security platform, which includes malware protection. The price goes down a bit if you only want the firewall, but we recommend against that. You can also save by paying annually.
It’s important to keep several WordPress best practices in mind to ensure your site’s basic security. Check out the following video for some great tips.
Want To Learn More About DNS-Level Security?
Checkout our best CDN comparison, along with other companies to consider for your WordPress security needs.
What’s the biggest website threat you’ve had to manage?
While attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s graduate school for journalism and public relations in the late 1990s, Sally began a long career researching and writing about business, technical and scientific topics.
Her decades of experience as well as a passion to stay on top of the latest online tools and resources combine to help small businesses (and freelancers like herself) flourish. Her work has appeared in many notable media outlets, including The Washington Post, Entrepreneur, People, Forbes, Huffington Post, and more.
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