Last updated on December 4, 2023 by Mushfiq
WordPress is the most popular platform for managing your site. Almost 40% of the sites worldwide use it. That is a major reason why numerous cyberattacks are happening on this platform every year. But how can one protect their WordPress sites from intruders and Increase WordPress Security?
Thankfully, you have WordPress security plugins in the WordPress plugins directory. These can detect the files that were altered by malware and remove them from your site. WP Security plugins can delete viruses, filter bad incoming traffic coming to your site, and strengthen the website from attackers.
In this article, we will show you the best security plugins available for WordPress. While most of these are paid options, they also provide the maximum security for your site. So, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
From the query of whether WordPress is secure enough to increase WordPress security – the WP security plugin is the one solution to all safety issues. It is more than just a regular plugin that acts as your site’s Anti-Virus, Firewall, and Backup Tool all at once.
Moreover, security plugins come with a Malware scanner. This removes any malicious files and scripts injected into the core files. There is also a Firewall in place that actively monitors the incoming traffic. Not every HTTP request comes from a trusted source, so it blocks malicious ones, preventing DDoS and Brute force attacks.
It also constantly scans the site’s plugins and themes, making sure they do not appear to be vulnerable. The security plugin also ensures SSL certificates are in place, and you get regular backups of the site. All these protections mean that you need to install security plugins.
Nevertheless, some may argue that installing plugins can slow down WordPress sites. While that can be true, not having a security plugin at all is more serious.
So don’t make a noob mistake, and let’s look at some of the best WordPress Security Plugins that you can get for your site.
There are over 60000 plugins in the WordPress plugin store. Choosing the best WordPress security plugin from that huge catalogue is no easy feat. That’s where this list can help you. We have compiled the best security plugins and the features they provide you.
So, let’s look at them now.
Sucuri is one of the top-rated security plugins on WordPress. With over 800,000 active installs, this remains a top contender for securing your site.
This security plugin comes with a Web Application Firewall to block viruses and malware. This monitors any incoming traffic and detects whether they are malicious.
So, you are protected from DDoS and Brute Force attacks. With a huge database that contains the latest vulnerabilities emerging in the cyber world, Sucuri also provides you a solid protection from zero-day exploits.
Let’s see the key features and some WordPress stats of Sucuri:
Sucuri WordPress Stats:
Key Features of Sucuri Security:
Sucuri has 2FA authentication, which you can use to add an extra layer of security to your WordPress Admin Panel. It can also block IP Addresses from accessing the admin panel page to limit access to authorized users.
Moreover, this plugin has its own CDN server, thus minimizing any loss in page load speed. With heuristic and signature-based detection, they can scan incoming requests to your site, determine if they are malicious, and block them instantly.
Sucuri Pricing: Sucuri offers both free and paid plans. The free plan does not include a Firewall. Paid plans start at $200 per year for the Basic plan, with the option to switch to Pro and Business plans.
Above all, Sucuri has one of the best security walls and features to prevent attacks and secure your site. Additionally, they will clean up your site even if it’s already affected by malware viruses. They’ve got everything to shield your online fortress!
Leading the security category with 4+ million active installations, Wordfence is one of the best WordPress security plugins! This is the most effective WP security solution for protecting your WordPress sites.
Wordfence is a true all-in-one security solution for your WordPress site. The free version has a Firewall that can block malware and malicious codes running on your site. In addition, you are also getting protection against brute force attacks and live traffic monitoring.
Let’s see the key features and some WordPress stats of Wordfence Security:
Wordfence WordPress Stats:
Key Features of Wordfence Security Plugin:
Though the free version is resourceful, the premium version can run site-wide audits and generate more effective security reports. It scans site assets, plugins, themes, and comments. When malicious code is found, Wordfence Security automatically removes malware from the WordPress site. You also get instant notifications through its mobile app.
The best part about the premium Wordfence plan is the ability to remove spam comments. So, you do not need to purchase another plugin for this purpose.
Wordfence Pricing: Wordfence is free to use, and its premium plans start at $119 per year.
The paid plans come with 2FA authentication and the ability to integrate with Google Authenticator and Authy. You can analyze live traffic and block country-specific IP Addresses.
Above all, if you’re on a slightly lower budget or want a free firewall, Wordfence Security definitely wins over Sucuri!
All-in-One Security and Firewall is by far the most powerful WP security plugin in the WordPress plugin directory. It comes with great features and good protection without costing any money.
Currently, AIOS has an active user base of over 1 million!
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall is a benchmark as far as free tools for WordPress go. It comes with a Firewall protecting you from malicious traffic.
In the plugin panel, you’ll find a user-friendly dashboard that shows the basic recommendations and checklists that you need to do to increase your site security. It can change the WordPress admin page, making it harder for the intruders to find it.
Let’s see the key features and some WordPress stats of AIOS Security:
All-in-One Security WP Stats:
Key Features of AIOS:
In addition, there is strong protection against SQL injection as well. You can lock down suspicious users and log them out of the site using All-in-One Security. It also has a nifty feature that allows you to enforce copy protection, preventing anyone from copying the site’s contents. Pretty useful, right?
This is a great tool for increasing the security of small sites for basic users. The best thing is that you get all these features without spending a penny!
AIOS Pricing: All-in-One Security and Firewall is a free WordPress Security plugin. You can use it without any restrictions. However, a paid plan starts at $70 per year.
The paid version includes malware scans, smart 404 blocking, country blocking, flexible two-factor authentication, database backups, and comment spam removal in addition to the free features.
Formerly known as iThemes Security, it was rebranded to Solid Security and developed by the SolidWp team. It currently has over 900,000 active installations with a healthy margin of positive reviews!
Solid Security has different profiles for different types of websites. All of these have pre-built security policies. You just have to click a specific template, and your site will be secured right away.
Let’s see the key features and some WordPress stats of Solid Security:
Solid Security WP Stats:
Key Features of Solid Security:
The Free plan comes with many features such as 2FA, password requirements, protection against malicious IP Addresses, SSL, and database backups. Its user-friendly interface requires you to enable toggles for advanced security features.
Moreover, the Solid Security plugin comes with File Change Detection that can scan your site assets and see if any changes were made. There is also a malware scanner in place to detect which virus or malware caused this.
The plugin gives you a complete list of the user’s activity. Upon encountering any malicious activity, you can log them off the site. Plus, it can hide the wp-login of your WordPress admin page, securing it from attackers.
Solid Security Pricing: The Basic plan for Solid Security is free. However, to enjoy the Pro features, you must pay $99 per year.
With Solid Security’s paid plan, you have passwordless logins and advanced software patching, which can patch severe plugin vulnerabilities. Additionally, there is advanced version management that automatically updates WordPress installation, plugins, and themes.
This is a popular Firewall with advanced features for protecting your WordPress sites. Currently, NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall has over 100,000 active installations.
Ninja Firewall is probably the only dedicated firewall plugin on this list. It can scan and detect HTTP requests sent to your site’s PHP scripts. Every asset and script remains safe even if not part of the WordPress installation.
Let’s see the key features and some WordPress stats of Ninja Firewall:
Ninja Firewall stats:
Key Features of NinjaFirewall WordPress Security Plugin:
However, Ninja’s File Guard feature can scan and detect if someone installed a backdoor or malicious script on your site. You will get a complete report sent to your mail instantly. The File Check tool runs scans on your site at your convenience, and you can check the scan reports in the Live Log dashboard.
It constantly monitors the plugins’ and themes’ activities and updates the security rules accordingly. If a vulnerability is found, you will get a notification, and the patch will likely be ready by then.
Ninja Firewall strongly emphasizes privacy and runs the scans on your server. It natively supports IPV4 and IPV6. This plugin is also multisite compatible, meaning it can protect multiple sites under a single hosting plan.
NinjaFirewall Pricing: Ninja Firewall starts at $79 per year for a single domain with multisite support. If you add multiple domains, you get a discount ranging from 20 to 60% off.
MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall is a cloud-based tool that can remove malware and viruses from your WordPress installation.
It comes with an intelligent malware scanner that has the latest definitions of threats and heuristics for WordPress sites. The tool boasts complete malware removal from your site within 60 seconds.
In addition, you can view which files are affected and review them to strengthen the site against future attacks. The tool is quite fast, as scans take place in the cloud. That means less load on the server hardware, and your site remains responsive.
Let’s see the key features and some WordPress stats of MalCare Security:
MalCare Security Stats:
Key Features of MalCare Security:
MalCare Security protects against malicious bots. It can distinguish good bots and allow them through. A powerful web application, Firewall has the latest insight from its strong threat intelligence network. It can easily prevent brute-force attacks and other attacks common to WordPress websites.
There is a complete site backup feature to protect against hacks. In addition, you can harden the site’s security using the recommended actions shown to you. This plugin also allows you to monitor the site’s uptime and block country-specific IP Addresses.
MalCare Pricing: MalCare Security comes with a free plan with Firewall and Malware scans. The Plus plan starts at $149 per year. The higher-tier plans are Pro ($249/year) and Max ($499), which give you more malware scans and frequent uptime monitoring.
Bulletproof Security is one of the advanced WordPress security plugins on this list. Configuring it for your WordPress site requires some expertise.
Even though this tool may not be for everyone, it comes with a one-click setup wizard to simplify things. This makes things much easier. You also have powerful tools, such as Auto Restore Intrusion Detection, that can detect any changes in the WordPress assets and remove them from quarantine immediately.
Let’s see the key features and some WordPress stats of Bulletproof Security:
Bulletproof Security Stats:
Key Features of Bulletproof Security WP Plugin:
Bulletproof Security WP plugin has a powerful Malware scanner that uses hash comparison and pattern matching for virus detection. The plugins and themes are constantly monitored for changes in any malicious scripts and are removed immediately.
Moreover, there are manual and automatic backup options. You can use these to regain control of the site in the event of a sitewide hack. It comes with protection against brute force attacks on your WordPress admin panel. Advanced tools such as FTP locking and HTTP error logging are at your disposal.
Bulletproof Pricing: Bulletproof Security offers a free plan with the option to switch to a paid plan for $69.95 per year for an unlimited number of websites.
In this article, we have covered different security plugins for WordPress. All of these are adept in protecting your site and come with different sets of features. But if we had to pick one, which would be the best WordPress Security Plugin?
From our testing, we found Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security to be the best WordPress Security plugin. It comes with everything you can expect from a security tool. The best thing about it is you can run a scan at any time without putting in a restriction. The file protection system can point out exactly where the changes are made so that you can fix them and bring the site back online quickly.
The free plan also comes with a Firewall, a premium feature on many WP security plugins. So, your site is protected from malicious traffic even if you don’t get the premium plan. That’s an easy win!
To increase your WordPress site’s security, change the default admin username and use a strong password. Make sure the admin page is not accessible to anyone and limit the login using IP Address. Implement SSL/TLS certificates across your site and install security plugins. Enable 2FA authentication for admin login and keep all plugins updated. To know more, read our article on Is WP Secure & how to Increase the Security of WordPress Website.
No, WordPress does not come with free SSL. Some hosting providers bundle a free SSL with their yearly hosting plans. If your hosting plan has that, then you can install a free SSL that way.
Yes, security plugins do slow down WordPress. This is due to a Firewall in action that constantly monitors incoming traffic that uses up server resources. But some security plugins are faster than others, utilizing a DNS and cloud-based Firewall, which are much faster than a traditional Firewall.
Security plugins for WordPress can cost anywhere from 50 to 200 dollars annually. But the good news is most of these come with a free plan. You can use these and then determine whether you need to invest in a premium plan. Paid plans offer more security features and greater protection, which is recommended for mission-critical sites.
So, there you go, install the best WordPress security plugins to protect your site. Once you configure these properly, you are ensuring the maximum security for your site and its important data. There is less risk of intrusion and malware infection by intruders, increasing the overall security of your WordPress site.
But your work is not done yet. You have to monitor the site for vulnerabilities and patch them accordingly constantly. Run security scans and keep the core software up to date. Make sure you’re using the WordPress 6.7 version and use all the necessary security features. That will make your site run at its optimum speed for years to come.