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WordPress security plugins, compared

BetterShield next to 8 popular security plugins. We installed each free version from WordPress.org, walked every screen, and read each vendor’s own pricing page and docs.

We make BetterShield, so read this as our page, checked as carefully as we could. How we checked

  • 9plugins installed
  • 22features checked
  • Oct 9, 2026last checked
  • Free In the free plugin, with no account
  • Free, after signing up with the vendor
  • Paid On a paid plan
  • No Not offered on any plan

Scroll the table sideways to see every plugin.

Feature BetterShield 1.1.0 Wordfence 9.0.2 Really Simple Security 9.8.3 All-In-One Security 5.4.10 Kadence Security 10.0.5 Sucuri Security 2.8 MalCare 6.76 Patchstack 2.3.7 Jetpack Protect 6.1.0
Price
Paid plans from $79/yr Ultra, 1 site $149/yr Premium, 1 site $49 first year then $69/yr, 1 site $44.50 first year then $89/yr, up to 2 sites $299/yr Kadence Pro bundle; site count not stated $9.99/mo Basic Firewall; platform plans from $229/yr $99/yr Protect, 1 site $69/mo billed yearly, 25 sites; no single-site plan listed $4.95/mo first year Jetpack Scan, billed yearly, then $9.95/mo
Plans
Protection without an account Yes No 1 Yes Yes Yes Yes No 2 No 3 No 4
Audit and hardening
Security audit with a score Free No Free 5 Free No No No 6 No No
One-click hardening Free Free Free Free Free Paid 7 Paid No
Preview before a change Free No No No No 8 No No 6 No No
Sign-in
Login attempt limits Free Paid Free Free Paid 9 Paid
Two-factor with an app Free Free Paid Free Free Free Paid No
Passkeys Free Free Paid No Paid No No No No
Bot check on the login form Free Free 10 Paid Free Paid Paid 11 Paid
Change the login address Free No Paid Free Free Paid 14 No Paid No
Breached-password check Free Paid Free Free No No No
Getting back in
Lockout recovery without FTP Free Free 15 Paid Free 16 Free 17 Free 17 Paid
Watching the site
Activity log Free Paid No No Paid Free Paid Paid 18
File check against WordPress.org copies Free No No Not in free 20 Free No Paid
Related events grouped into incidents Free No No No No No No 6 No No
Firewall and malware
Firewall No Paid Free Free Paid 22 Paid Paid 23
Malware scan No No Paid 24 Free 25 Free 26 No Paid
Malware removal No No No 27 No Paid Paid No Paid
Vulnerability alerts Soon 28 Free No Free Paid
AI and many sites
MCP server for AI assistants Free No No No No No No No Paid 30
AI changes off until allowed, sign-in ones wait for you Free No No No No No No No No
Multi-site security dashboard No No 32 No 33 Paid
Developers
WP-CLI commands Free Free Free Paid Paid 34 Free Free Free Free
  1. Wordfence needs a free license, which means registering with Wordfence. Until then, every screen except Login Security, Help, Install and Diagnostics is locked.
  2. The MalCare plugin is a connect form until the site is connected to a MalCare account.
  3. Protection needs a paid plan; a free account gets vulnerability alerts.
  4. Jetpack Protect needs a WordPress.com account before it scans or protects.
  5. Shown as a progress percentage.
  6. Not listed on MalCare’s site or in its docs.
  7. Per MalCare’s WordPress.org listing; done from the MalCare dashboard.
  8. With file writing turned off, Kadence lists the rules for you to add yourself.
  9. The free plugin records failed sign-ins and emails a summary; it does not lock anyone out.
  10. reCAPTCHA, with your own Google keys.
  11. A challenge page from the Sucuri Firewall, in front of the site.
  12. A captcha after repeated failed sign-ins.
  13. A math captcha after repeated failed sign-ins.
  14. Through the Sucuri Firewall, in front of the site.
  15. Two-factor recovery codes.
  16. An emailed unlock link.
  17. Two-factor backup codes.
  18. Recorded only on a paid license, per the plugin’s own code.
  19. The free plan shows the most recent 20 events.
  20. The free plugin compares files with its own earlier scans; Kadence does not say whether Pro compares them with the WordPress.org copies.
  21. Core, plugin and theme code is compared with the official originals; the free plan scans every 7 days.
  22. The Sucuri Firewall runs in front of the site, set up with a DNS change.
  23. The free plan has manual IP rules only.
  24. Premium: a weekly scan run from AIOS servers.
  25. Kadence Site Scanner checks the public site from outside.
  26. A remote scan of the public pages. Scanning the site’s files is paid.
  27. Premium includes advice on malware cleanup.
  28. Built; the data source is not connected in 1.1.0.
  29. A free account covers up to 3 sites, by email.
  30. MCP comes with the separate Jetpack plugin, on the Jetpack Complete or Jetpack AI plan.
  31. BetterShield Hub is free and optional, and needs a Hub sign-in.
  32. UpdraftCentral manages updates and backups for many sites; it does not show AIOS.
  33. Kadence Central (Elite plan) manages licenses and updates; it does not show security.
  34. Named in Kadence’s own list of Pro features; not on its pricing page.
Not in the table

Three more things the free plugin does

Checking these in every other plugin would have needed a vendor account, so they sit here, about BetterShield alone.

  • Switching a fix off removes what it wrote

    When a hardening fix writes to a file, such as .htaccess, switching it off removes exactly that block. Two fixes say up front what switching off cannot reach: new sign-in keys end other sessions, and a long HSTS setting stays in browsers that saw it.

    Hardening guide

  • Two-factor required by role

    Pick the roles that must use two-factor. They keep working during a grace period with a countdown, then the dashboard takes them to the setup screen until they have.

    Two-factor guide

  • The official file, put back

    A changed WordPress core or directory plugin file can be replaced with the official copy from Activity › File changes. Yours is kept in quarantine, never deleted.

    File changes guide
Limits

What BetterShield does not do

The table shows these too. Here they are in one place.

  • No firewall

    BetterShield does not filter incoming requests. It audits, hardens, secures sign-in and watches for changes.

  • No malware scan or cleanup

    It does not scan for or remove malware. The file check shows any core or directory plugin file that no longer matches the official copy, and you decide what it means.

  • Vulnerability alerts: soon

    The check against published advisories is built. No data source is connected in BetterShield 1.1.0.

Method

How we checked

  • Each plugin’s free version from WordPress.org, installed alone on a fresh WordPress site, on October 9, 2026. BetterShield was checked the same way.
  • Every admin screen walked, and the features that can be tested, tested: for example switching a hardening change on and off and reading the file it wrote.
  • No account was created with any vendor. Where a feature works only after signing up, the table says Free account or Paid, from the vendor’s own pricing page, docs, WordPress.org listing or the plugin’s own code.
  • Prices are in US dollars as listed on each vendor’s pricing page that day. They can differ by country, and some are first-year offers.

Product names are trademarks of their owners. Spot something wrong or out of date? Tell us through support and we will check it again.

Versions checked

Installed on October 9, 2026, with each vendor’s pricing page as it read that day.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions we get asked most about this comparison.

Can I use BetterShield alongside another security plugin?

Yes, with care. If another security plugin is active, the Quick Setup asks which plugin should keep each shared job, such as login limits, so they are not both doing it. On the Hardening screen, a fix another plugin already covers says so. It does not catch every overlap, so check the other plugin’s settings too, and avoid turning on login or two-factor features in both.

How do I switch to BetterShield from another security plugin?

Install BetterShield and let the first audit run; it changes nothing. If you are coming from Kadence Security, All-In-One Security, Really Simple Security or Wordfence, Settings › General can bring over their protections and sign-in attempt limits. You see a preview first, it lists what it could not carry and why, the other plugin is only read, and the import can be undone.

Is BetterShield free?

Yes. Everything marked Free in the BetterShield column is in the free plugin on WordPress.org, with no account and no payment. BetterShield Ultra is a separate paid add-on, from $79 a year.

Does BetterShield detect vulnerable plugins?

Not yet. The check against published vulnerability advisories is built, but no data source is connected in this version, and the Findings screen says so rather than showing an empty list as a clean result.

When was this comparison checked?

On October 9, 2026, with the versions listed under “How we checked”. Other plugins change, so if you spot something out of date, tell us through support and we will check it again.

Close the open doors today

Install the free plugin. The first audit runs when you activate it, and nothing changes until you choose a fix.

Requires WordPress 6.7 or newer and PHP 8.0 or newer.

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