Review of the best WordPress security plugins based on expert experiences

WordPress protection plugins help secure the site from hacking operations and security threats that may cause the site to collapse from including malicious robot files or deleting content that exposes the site to search engine problems and blacklisting, in addition to exposing customer data to theft, etc.

Therefore, you must choose a reliable protection add-on that provides you with sufficient protection for the site from all different aspects. Due to the presence of a large number of add-ons, we will show you the best WordPress protection add-ons while comparing the characteristics of all add-ons, including the quality of protection and its reliability in securing your site, the efficiency of the firewall, securing the login page, and detecting security vulnerabilities. So you can choose the best one for your site.

The importance of plugins to protect WordPress sites

WordPress sites are exposed to many attacks and hacking attempts every day, which if you confront them will pose a threat to your site and create some possibilities that threaten your digital presence, such as:

• The possibility of stealing and misusing customer or user data on your site or store.
• Damaging your site or deleting its content and replacing it with offensive ads.
• Misusing server resources and using them for other purposes.
• Adding the robot files that include your site to the blacklist of search engines and losing all results.

All of the above things initially affect customers, as they expose them to danger, as well as damage your site’s reputation and loss of users’ trust, and you will need a great effort to restore that trust.

This also affects search engines, as you will lose results for your site on the first page, and you will need a great effort in order to gain the trust of search engines again and return to the first results. Therefore, the site must be secured in order to ensure the safety and stability of the site in the long term.

The most important aspect of site security is relying on security add-ons that help you periodically check your site files, provide a firewall to stop visits with a high risk rate, confront hacking attacks and malicious files, prepare backup copies of your site, and more. During the next paragraph, we will explain to you the best of these add-ons.

The best WordPress security plugins

When searching for WordPress security plugins, you will find in front of you a wide range of options available, whether at the free or paid level, so we have narrowed down the best of these options for you based on our experience in securing WordPress sites and the experiences of its users. We will provide you with a comprehensive comparison between them in all aspects of site security, and we will review the following: Here’s a comparison of these additions:

Now that we have learned a quick comparison between the best WordPress security plugins, let us get to know them in more detail during the following paragraphs.

1- Add Wordfence

The Wordfence plugin is one of the oldest and most popular WordPress security plugins, which is relied upon by more than 4 million users from all over the world, with a rating of more than 4.7 on the WordPress store, which indicates the extent of customer satisfaction with using the plugin to protect their site.

The Wordfence plugin provides an integrated protection system that helps you secure your WordPress site from external attacks, random registration attempts, exploitation of security vulnerabilities, and more.

Ease of use

The main interface of the Wordfence add-on includes a large number of elements in a crowded manner, and the first impression is that it is difficult to use, but as you become familiar with the functions of the tools in the main interface, you will find that dealing with them has become simpler, especially with following the assistant advisory program when you first start using the add-on.

Scan malicious files

The Wordfence plugin provides an advanced scanner that helps you scan WordPress website files from operating system files, templates, plugins, and posts, as well as monitors the effect of plugins on server files and compares them to the core WordPress files, while monitoring the URLs included within your site, as well as monitoring the IP of your website if it is being used in illegal activity or otherwise. .

Scanning files on your site is done at the server level. This helps scan files faster and more accurately and overcomes all the problems of third-party authentication in cloud services, but in return it affects the speed and performance of the site, especially during scans, and consumes server resources.

Firewall

The Wordfence plugin provides an excellent firewall that helps you filter out malicious traffic to your site, combat DDoS attacks as well as Brute Force Attacks, with the ability to block the IP used separately or with settings on a large scale, for example, geographic range, source, etc.

The firewall also prevents SQL injection and scripting embedded within your site files, for example within plugins, themes, etc.

The firewall starts in learning mode in order to study the user’s behavior and the way he interacts with your site so that he does not accidentally block real site users from accessing your site. The learning phase can be closed and activation can begin, but it is preferable to complete the learning phase for at least a week to improve Firewall.

The firewall works at the server level and not on the cloud. This means that the attack must reach the site initially and then the attack will be blocked, unlike the cloud firewall that prevents the attack before it reaches the server completely.

Scan vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities

The Wordfence plugin works to provide an integrated security system by examining the site, identifying security vulnerabilities, and closing all those vulnerabilities in order to reduce the risk level on WordPress sites, through a set of points as follows:

• Disable code execution on web pages.
• Hide WordPress version.
• Follow updates to basic plugins and themes on your site.
• Monitor website uptime 
• Monitor for unauthorized DNS changes.

Email notifications are also sent if the site is exposed to security problems so that these problems are dealt with as quickly as possible without affecting the site or the user.

Secure login page

The login page must be secured to prevent the hacker from accessing the control panel through which he can steal data, modify code, add-ons, templates, content, and much more.

The Wordfence plugin provides the highest level of security among WordPress security plugins in securing the login page, as it provides the following points:

1. Providing advanced two-factor authentication options that are not available in all other security add-ons, with the possibility of customizing them for user roles on the site and with more than one different authentication method.
2. Adding a CAPTCHA test to the registration page via the reCAPTCHA v3 feature, which does not affect the user experience, as the user does not ask you to authenticate manually, but rather depends on the browser.
3. Set a limit on incorrect login attempts.
4. Block IP addresses when a certain number of repeated false logins are reached.
5. Control password standards on WordPress to reach maximum user account security.

the cost

The Wordfence plugin provides a free version that you can rely on to provide basic protection options for WordPress sites, but the free option only gets database updates for 30 days.

The paid version starts at $119 per year with a license for one site in the Wordfence Premium plan, with a plan with more options offered to companies, namely the Wordfence Care plan and the Wordfence Response plan.

Read also: A comprehensive explanation of Wordfence Security

2- Add Sucuri

The Sucuri plugin is   one of the most popular security plugins, with nearly a million users, with an overall rating of 4.2 on the WordPress store. The add-on protects your site by examining your site visits on Sucuri servers, ensuring that fake and malicious visits are filtered out before they reach your site.

Ease of use

The Sucuri add-on interface is characterized by simplicity in displaying general reports on the level of protection for the site that the beginner can rely on to evaluate the site, while providing separate detailed options for all security elements on the site.

Scan malicious files

The Sucuri add-on features the ability to scan your site files with a cloud scanner using the Sitecheck service, which helps quickly detect security threats and quickly deal with them, especially if you lose access to your site control panel, with the ability to scan site files locally on the server directly.

The firewall scans all site files, including add-ons, templates, and media files, and tracks malicious codes and changes that occur to the system, with the ability to schedule scan options starting from an hourly scan to a weekly rate (depending on your subscription plan for the add-on).

Only the front-end files of the WordPress website are scanned in the free version, so the scan is not 100% accurate, but on the paid level, the entire site is scanned at the server level.

Firewall

The Sucuri plugin provides an advanced cloud-based firewall that helps you scan all traffic on your site and block high-risk traffic before it ever reaches the server.

You need to redirect the domain’s DNS to Sucuri’s servers in order to sort the requests outside the server and then redirect them to you, which helps combat DDoS attacks and reduces website downtime. It also provides CDN services on a wide geographic level that includes 10 different data centers around the world.

The firewall also provides you with the ability to block users geographically, from specific sources, or to block a separate IP.

The free version of Sucuri does not have full firewall services; you will need to upgrade to a paid plan or firewall services can be obtained separately from your Sucuri Firewall plan.

Scan vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities

The Sucuri add-on provides additional layers of protection that help you examine security gaps and vulnerabilities, the most important of which are the following:

• Hide the version of WordPress running on your site.
• Check your WordPress version and update to the latest version.
• Block PHP files from being applied to specific paths on your site.
• Hiding information shown on your site, for example the version of plugins or the theme used.
• Monitor website uptime.
• Prevent modification of plugins and templates on the WordPress website.

Secure login page

The options for securing the login page in the Sucuri add-on are the weakest among other security add-ons, as the Sucuri add-on does not provide the ability to add a CAPTCHA on the login page, limit unsuccessful login attempts, or two-factor authentication.

But you rely on the firewall directly to directly block visits with a high risk rate, but this is not enough, especially in Brute Force Attacks, so you need to rely on some external add-ons to secure the login page for your site.

the cost

The Sucuri add-on provides three options, starting with the Basic Platform plan at a cost of $199.99 per year with a single-site license. It provides you with all the basic protection options, and you can upgrade to the Pro Platform plan or the Business Platform plan to get the advanced features of the Sucuri add-on.

Read also: The comprehensive guide to explaining the Sucuri add-on

3- Add MalCare

The MalCare plugin is an evolution of the BlogVault plugin (which specializes in backup scanning), and the newest on the list and offers excellent security options for WordPress sites that make it among the best WordPress security plugins.

The MalCare add-on features scanning services and a cloud firewall and therefore does not completely affect the performance or speed of the site during scans, backups, etc., and all of these operations take place directly on MalCare servers.

Ease of use

The MalCare add-on control panel is distinguished by the fact that it includes a brief report on all the security elements on your site in an organized manner and an explanation of a general report on the level of protection of your site that beginners can handle and understand the results in a simple way.

The MalCare add-on provides the ability to add more than one website to one account and control them from one control panel.

Scan malicious files

The MalCare add-on uploads all site files to MalCare servers, then all files are automatically scanned by the cloud scanner daily, with the ability to customize scan options and perform manual scanning upon request.

The file scanner in the MalCare add-on relies on 100 different indicators that help it evaluate the site and search for various signs of site hacking. It also relies on artificial intelligence to examine these indicators.

The robot files in the MalCare add-on compare the current site files with the files uploaded to MalCare servers and search for differences and their impact on the site’s performance. If a problem is found, the file is replaced with the old alternative on the server without affecting the site completely.

Firewall

MalCare plugin provides a cloud firewall that helps triage traffic on your site and blocks traffic with a high risk rate and thus does not affect the speed and performance of the site during scanning.

The firewall is characterized by responding to the most common hacking attacks, for example, DDoS attacks, SQL file injection, and Brute Force Attack, but these services are in the paid version only.

CDN services are not available in MalCare and regular firewall updates arrive up to 30 days after paid versions.

Scan vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities

The MalCare plugin is characterized by providing an integrated degree of security in terms of examining security gaps and weak points on WordPress sites and improving those gaps, and the most important points are:

• Change the traditional database prefix for WordPress.
• Disable editing of templates or plugins from the main WordPress panel.
• Preventing the installation or activation of external plugins or templates on your site.
• Prohibit the application of PHP codes from specific sources or to specific files.
• The ability to change all passwords with one click.
• Review the version of plugins and themes on your site and update the plugins to the latest version.
• Monitor server performance in terms of uptime and security issues that lead to server downtime.

If you encounter any security problem affecting your site, an email notification of the security problems will be sent directly.

Secure login page

The MalCare add-on does not care about securing the login page as much as it cares about other protection standards. It is considered the weakest among other security add-ons as it does not provide the ability to impose a maximum limit on the number of incorrect login times, nor does it provide two-factor authentication options in order to prevent unauthorized access to customer accounts and relies on authentication. Version 1 CAPTCHA which requires user interaction with authentication options and may impact user experience.

The MalCare add-on, on the other hand, provides the ability to block users from logging in by IP address, while monitoring registration processes from the control panel, including the number of failed attempts, source, username, and IP address, and through that information, you can manually block the user.

the cost

The basic paid package in the MalCare add-on starts from $99 per year with a license for one site, with 3 different options offered. The cost reaches $299 per year for one site and is considered the cheapest option among other protection add-ons.

The MalCare extension also offers a free option that helps you provide basic protection options from daily file scanning, firewall, and securing the login page, but you will need to upgrade to the paid option in order to obtain updates periodically and use advanced protection options.

Read also: Review of the MalCare add-on, can you rely on it to protect your site?

Other plugins to protect WordPress

There are other options that you can rely on to protect your site, the most important of which are the following:

4- Add iThemes Security

The iThemes Security plugin offers a set of security options that help address most common security threats to websites and is classified as one of the best WordPress security plugins.

Ease of use

The control panel for the iThemes Security add-on is complex and complex, especially for beginners, and you may need some experience to deal with it. However, the add-on provides an automatic assistant program during the beginning of use that shows you a brief overview of all the basic add-on elements and how to access them. It also provides ready-made options that you can choose from among them to specialize. The site, for example, is an online store or a blog, and the standard settings that suit the site are automatically adjusted.

The iThemes Security add-on provides the ability to add more than one site to a main control panel, with the ability to apply changes to all sites with one click.

Scan malicious files

The iThemes Security add-on scans all site files at the server level in search of malicious files within the core WordPress files, templates, and plugins, along with searching for security vulnerabilities. It also scans search engine listings for blacklisting of your site at a daily rate automatically, with the ability to request a manual scan when needed.

The robot files in the iThemes Security add-on track all changes to the site files and compare them with the original files in search of any abnormal change that may affect the security of the site. Since the scan is at the server level, you may suffer from a slow site during the scans while consuming server resources.

Firewall

The iThemes Security add-on does not provide a dedicated firewall to check visits to your site, but it relies on blocking the IP of users who are blacklisted by Hackrepair.com in addition to the possibility of blocking users manually and of course this is not completely safe given the large number of visitors on a daily basis.

The iThemes Security add-on provides the ability to combat common hacking attacks based on robot files, for example, Local Brute Force and Network Brute Force.

 Scan vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities

The iThemes Security add-on is distinguished by examining site vulnerabilities and trying to improve them by doing the following:

• Change database prefix.
• Hide the login page.
• Check 404 pages.
• Database backup.
• Check outdated versions of plugins and themes and update them with one click.
• Monitor all changes to the system.
• Check website uptime.

The iThemes Security add-on sends an email notification if there are any security problems in the previous points, in addition to daily scan reports.

Secure login page

The iThemes Security add-on helps you secure the login page from unauthorized access to customer accounts through the following criteria:

• Activate two-factor authentication options.
• Control password standards.
• Activate ReCAPTCHA options to prevent robot files from being accessed.
• Block users when they reach a maximum number of incorrect login attempts.

the cost

The iThemes Security add-on provides one paid package that includes all the paid features. The price varies based on the number of sites. The price starts from $99 per year with a license for one site, and the price is reduced to $299 with a license for up to 10 sites.

5- Add All in One WP Security

The All-In-One WP Security & Firewall plugin is one of the best free WordPress security plugins, as it attempts to include most of the protection standards in one plugin to provide the maximum degree of security for the site, while providing most of these standards in the free version. 

Ease of use

The All-In-One WP Security & Firewall add-on is available in 8 different languages ​​and also includes the Arabic language, so users, especially beginners, can deal with the add-on and learn about all the features and control them completely without previous experience, and the main interface of the add-on is the easiest and most organized compared to With previous additions. 

Scan malicious files

The All-In-One WP Security & Firewall plugin provides a server-level scanner that scans all site files for malicious files and vulnerabilities 24 hours a day, but this is only in the paid version.

The All-In-One WP Security & Firewall plugin checks your site if it is on search engine blacklists and removes security issues and bot files that cause bans.

You can control the scans, set periodic scan intervals, from hourly scans to weekly scans, specify the required files, and control sending notifications via mail if security problems are discovered.

Firewall

The All-In-One WP Security & Firewall plugin provides a free tier firewall that scans site traffic and automatically protects against security threats.

The firewall applies additional protection to the most important WordPress files, for example, the htaccess file and the wp-config.php file, in addition to responding to DDOS attacks and Brute Force Attacks, and it also works to protect against fake robot files that steal content.

 Scan vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities

The All-In-One WP Security & Firewall plugin provides multiple options that help you secure most of the security vulnerabilities on your site. The most important of these options are the following:

• Monitor all changes to site files.
• Disable editing of PHP files from within the WordPress panel.
• Prevent users from accessing readme.html and license.txt files.
• Check the version of plugins and themes on the site.
• Monitor website uptime.

Secure login page

The All-In-One WP Security & Firewall plugin helps secure the user control panel login page in the full free version by doing the following:

• Block the user’s IP when the number of failed logins to the control panel is reached within a specified time, with the possibility of setting a maximum and time period.
• Customize a custom URL for the login page.
• Specify the maximum login period within the site and then log out automatically.
• Relying on Cloudflare Turnstile security to block bot files from recording is an excellent alternative to CAPTCHA security. 
• Possibility of activating two-factor authentication options.
• Preventing user information from being obtained via the user’s permalink.

the cost

The free version of All-In-One WP Security & Firewall is excellent and provides most of the basic security requirements, but you need the paid version in order to get the advanced options, the latest updates to the security system, firewall, and full scanning options.

The All-In-One WP Security & Firewall add-on provides one paid version that includes all paid features, and the cost varies based on the number of sites, as the cost starts from $70 per year for a license of up to two sites, and the Business package starts from $90 per year for a license of up to 10 sites.n 

6- Add Jetpack

The Jetpack plugin is one of the most basic WordPress plugins that includes most of the site’s needs in one place, for example, improving site speed, monitoring reports, CDN services, backups, developing the security level, and more.

It is worth noting that the Jetpack plugin was developed by the Automattic team, which is the team supervising the development of the WordPress system, so you will find great compatibility with the Jetpack plugin with WordPress and many periodic updates.

Ease of use

Jetpack’s user interface includes a large number of elements and options to provide you with complete control over all of the add-on’s many features. Beginners may have difficulty accessing the required options, but on the other hand, the add-on divides the settings into separate menus, so you will find all security settings separate and clear.s

The Jetpack interface is fully supportive of the Arabic language, so you can learn about all the security options without prior experience, in addition to the Arabic user guide as well.

Scan malicious files

The Jetpack plugin automatically scans all your site files for malware and other software threats, and email notifications are sent immediately if any malicious files or security vulnerabilities are discovered on the site.

The Jetpack add-on features the ability to repair or remove malicious files without affecting the site with just one click, and both scanning options and options for repairing or removing malicious files are in the paid version only.

Firewall

The Jetpack add-on features an advanced firewall that helps sort all site visits and automatically blocks visits with a high risk rate, with the ability to monitor visitor traffic on the site and manually block users by IP address. The firewall also provides the ability to sort comments and mail messages and block spam messages.

Jetpack Firewall provides protection against the most common WordPress attacks, such as DDOS attacks and Brute Force Attacks, especially when relying on Jetpack’s paid CDN services.

 Scan vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities

The Jetpack plugin helps improve the security level of WordPress sites as follows:

• Check site add-ons and templates for required updates, and update them with one click with the ability to activate automatic updates.
• Monitor all activities and changes that occur on the site.
• Monitor site uptime and send email notifications if the site stops working. 

The Jetpack add-on also provides you with backup options on external servers, which you can restore to your site with one click if you encounter technical or security problems that you cannot handle.

Secure login page

The Jetpack login page security options are relatively weak compared to other WordPress security plugins in the article, as they only allow you to activate the two-factor authentication option during login.

The two-factor authentication option in the Jetpack add-on depends on WordPress.com, and this may expose your site to a greater risk, as it allows users to log in by relying on their WordPress.com account as another registration option, so it is not preferable to rely on this option.

the cost

The Jetpack add-on provides a package dedicated to using only the protection options from the Jetpack add-on so that you are not forced to purchase the entire add-on, which is expensive.

The paid Jetpack add-on starts at $19.95 per month, and you get a 50% discount for a year for your first sign-up with Jetpack, and you also get a 14-day money-back guarantee.

7- Add Defender Security

The Defender Security plugin is one of the most important WordPress protection plugins that was developed in several stages until it includes most of the basic WordPress protection standards, including regular scanning, the firewall, securing the login page, and more.

Ease of use

The Defender Security add-on is suitable for beginners as it provides an educational program during the first use of the add-on, which helps you learn about all the add-on options and how to deal with them, especially since the control panel is direct and simple and easy to recognize.

When installing the Defender Security plugin on WordPress, it will provide you with a set of ready-made options in the welcome screen that you can rely on, and the settings are applied directly to the site.

Scan malicious files

The Defender Security plugin allows all site files to be scanned on a local server for malicious files, vulnerabilities, or common WordPress issues.

All platform add-ons and templates on the site are also checked for abnormal codes and are removed immediately. If a malicious file is found, the add-on’s internal algorithms are relied upon to search for similar files on the server. Your site is also checked and tracked in search engine lists. Black every 6 hours automatically.

The Defender Security add-on provides the ability to manually scan the server upon request, or schedule the scan automatically starting from an hourly scan up to a weekly rate, and scan reports are sent by email periodically.

Firewall

Defender Security Firewall has the ability to block all malicious site traffic and address security threats, and helps you automatically block malicious IP addresses with the ability to manually block IP addresses or block the entire geographic range.

The firewall prevents robot files from examining site files or trying to drain server resources, thus repelling all Brute Force Attacks. The firewall is updated based on the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols, which is reflected in the availability of the best security environment on your site.

The firewall issues a monthly report showing all the security problems that were dealt with, site-level changes, and the block list, and the report is sent directly via email.

 Scan vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities

The Defender Security plugin provides a set of options that help you secure WordPress website vulnerabilities, and the most important of these options are the following:

• Examine security gaps and vulnerabilities, and report on the required security modifications and recommendations.
• Disables editing files within the WordPress panel, and prevents adding code within the site files from the control panel.
• Monitor all updates and changes to the site files.
• Change the prefix of databases and main WordPress files, to prevent direct access to them.

Secure login page

The Defender Security add-on provides the ability to secure the entire login page, but only in the paid version, through the following procedures:

• Provides the option of two-factor authentication based on email, or the Google Authenticator service.
• Provides the option to authenticate via Google reCAPTCHA to prevent attempts to register bot files.
• Change the traditional URL of the WordPress login page.
• Review the strength of passwords during registration using the Pwned tool.
• Limit unsuccessful login attempts on the control panel.

the cost

The free version of the Defender Security add-on is very good at checking site files, but if you want to use other protection options such as securing the login page, firewall, etc., you need to develop the paid version.

The cost of the paid version of Defender Security starts from $6 per month with a license for one site, and reaches $14 per month for a license for up to 10 sites. You will find 50% discounts when purchasing the paid version for the first time. The cost also decreases if you purchase the annual package, compared to the prices of add-ons. Other WordPress protections are the least and the best.

You can get a trial version of the paid version for 7 days before completing the payment process.

Conclusion

Most of the WordPress security plugins that were compared are similar in the basic points of checking site files and the firewall, although some of them need additional external plugins to help them reach the required level of security. It is not possible to specify the best WordPress security plugin explicitly, as the standards and requirements vary relatively from one site to another and according to requirements that may not be available in the hosting company’s security standards itself.

Protection and security practices are practices carried out by the site owner based on his way of thinking about protecting the site rather than being technical steps and sequential procedures that you take to secure your site as much as they depend on your understanding of the system itself and the mechanisms that hackers use and how to avoid them. One of the security practices may be managing Correct permissions between your team and get the latest updates from the tools you use on your site.

However, the use of security add-ons remains a necessary procedure that you must take on any of the sites that you manage, but the level of security that you need to obtain from these add-ons varies depending on the size of your site and the data that you manage with it. For example, you will not need the level of security of your emerging site that displays a gallery Your business is like the level of security you need for an online store in which thousands of sales are made daily, and therefore sometimes the free version of those mentioned additions is satisfactory to you and you may need advanced practices and therefore look at options that exceed $500 per month as we mentioned in the reviews, and on this basis You select the type of add-on required as well as the plan that is most suitable for you.