WordPress is the most popular CMS.

True!

But here is an interesting fact you probably missed. World’s Top 5 most-hacked CMS are:

  1. WordPress – 95.6%
  2. Joomla – 2.03%
  3. Drupal – 0.83 %
  4. Magento – 0.71%
  5. OpenCart – 0.35%

Oops!!!

Yeah, WP is also crowned the most hacked CMS title. In fact, approximately 13,000 WordPress sites get hacked per day. And guess what?

When there is a problem, there is a solution!

A simple plugin can be the big hammer. Let me show you the #20 Best WordPress security plugins 2023 that will save your WordPress site from being a target.

Tested #20 Best WordPress Security Plugins & Here is What We Found!

By default, WordPress has some core security measures for websites.

Then why will you invest in plugins?

That’s because Security is a big deal now. Every 39 seconds, a new cyberattack happens somewhere on the web. Here are the top #4 methods how WordPress sites get hacked-

  • Vulnerable themes: 29%
  • Vulnerable Plugins: 22%
  • Weak Password: 8%
  • Hosting vulnerability: 41%.

Here are a few plugins to Uplevel Your Website Protection from Cyber-thieves.

Best security plugins for brute-force attacks

Best WP security plugins for Remote Malware Scanning

Best protection against hacker bots attacks and Fake signup

  • Akismet 
  • iThemes Security
  • Titan Anti-spam & Security
  • PATCHSTACK
  • miniOrange’s Google Authenticator
  • Shield Security

Best security plugins for Web application firewall & login

Best WP security hardening plugins for SSL & Backup

  • Really Simple SSL
  • UpdraftPlus

Disclaimer: Most of these plugins give overall protection to your site. We categorized the plugins into different sections as we found out those were more effective for that purpose.

Plugin
Free
Premium
Wordfence Security 
Yes
Starting from $119/Year
Jetpack
Yes
Starting from $120/Year
WP fail2ban
Yes
Yes
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall
Yes
Yes
Sucuri Security
Yes
Starting from $199/Year
MalCare Security
Yes
Starting from $99/Year
Defender Security
Yes
Starting from $96/Year
Akismet 
Yes
Starting from $60/Year
Titan Anti-spam & Security
Yes
Starting from $55/Year
PATCHSTACK
Yes
Starting from $45/Year
miniOrange’s Google Authenticator
Yes
Starting from $99/Year
Shield Security
Yes
Starting from $59/Year
All-In-One wp Security (AIOS) 
Yes
Starting from $80/Year
All-inclusive Security Solution by SiteGround
Yes
No
WP Activity Log
Yes
Starting from $99/Year
WP Hide & Security Enhancer
Yes
Starting from $39/Year
Hide My WP Ghost
Yes
Yes
Really Simple SSL
Yes
Starting from $49/Year
UpdraftPlus
Yes
Starting from $70/Year
iThemes Security
Yes
Starting from $199/Year

Best Security Plugins for Brute-Force Attacks 

 90,978 SECURITY ATTACKS TAKE PLACE EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY.

This is no joke!

And A very popular method for gaining unauthorized access to personal accounts and organizations’ systems and networks. There are 5 common patterns hackers use as brute force.

  • Simple Brute Force Attacks
  • Dictionary Attacks
  • Hybrid Brute Force Attacks
  • Reverse Brute Force Attack
  • Credential Stuffing

These attacks usually aim to steal personal data, Place exploits or spam ads, ruin reputation, etc. Now let’s see some plugins for your website safety.

#1 Wordfence Security plugin

Though Wordfence Security comes with an extensive set of features and options, from our test, we found out that this plugin works best as a firewall shield and to block automated bots like-

  • Search engine crawlers
  • Automated spam bots 
  • And data mining bots

3 key features we love about Wordfence Security 

  • Endpoint firewall: Wordfence’s firewall rules are so powerful that no matter how advanced the exploits are, it will discover and block them instantly. The same works for newest malware also.
  • Limiting login attempts: Apart from the firewall shield, the plugin also protects the brute force attack by limiting login attempts.
  • Real-time algorithm of the blocklist IP: You can see the attack report of blocked malicious IP address in real-time. 

Pricing

Free+ Premium

Free
Wordfence Premium
Wordfence Care
Wordfence Response
Totally free
$119/per year
$490/per year 
$950/per year 

Our Takeaway

Wordfence comes with an overall comprehensive security feature. The integration of Wordfence Intelligence makes security even more authoritative.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.8
  • The ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.9
  • Scannability- 4.8
  • Responsive Support- 5

#2 Jetpack

More than 5 million WordPress sites trust Jetpack for their website security.

And numbers don’t lie.

And there is a reason people love it so much, right? All-rounder performance is the root cause of it. With the security issues, it also keeps an eye to the site’s overall health. Faster, safer, and more traffic- what else can you ask from a plugin?

Major features like brute force protection and downtime / uptime monitoring are also available in the free version. Besides that, it will maintain the site speed of your site like other security plugins.

3 key features We love about Jetpack

  • 24/7 AUTO SITE SECURITY: Auto real-time backups, malware scans, and more, your site’s safety is in good hands.
  • Activity log included: When your site is big and has multiple users to handle, monitoring the activity is a must. Jetpack will give you that insightful record in the activity Tab.
  • Downtime Monitoring: This plugin will notify when downtime is detected.

Pricing

Free, with a monthly premium pack of $9.95 for the first Year.

Our takeaway

If you can purchase the premium version of Jetpack, this is definitely a good deal.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 5
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.8
  • Scannability- 4.8
  • Responsive Support- 4.4

#3 WP fail2ban

For those who are facing unwelcome attention from various bots frequently, WP fail2ban will be a great shield. 

……especially to protect spam.

The core purpose of this plugin is to monitor the logs of common services. What it usually does is have an eye to spot patterns in authentication failures. It filters the files and bans the offending host/IP address whenever you locate anything like this.

3 key features We love about WP fail2ban

  • Block Empty Username Login Attempts: Empty username is harmless, true. But hell annoying. The WP fail2ban will tackle “soft” fail by banning them.
  • Block Countries: If you see suspicious attacks from any particular place, you can block the entire country!
  • Syslog Dashboard Widget: The dashboard will show the full history to help you analyze and take action on attacks.

Pricing

Free+ Premium.

Our takeaway

WP fail2ban is the finest plugin I came across to fight against the spam attack. I also like the fact 

that the plugin keeps a balance between hard and soft banning.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.5 
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.7
  • Scannability- 4.7
  • Responsive Support- 4

#4 Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall

Defends a website as a firewall!

That’s Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall specialty. This plugin is useful for backdoor scripts and database injections. After teaming up with GOTMLS.NET, this plugin becomes stronger for security vulnerabilities.

3 key features We love about Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall

  • Anti- DDoS: Meta suffered a loss of nearly $100M because of Facebook’s 2021 outage due to a DDoS attack. This plugin gives Multi-layered DDoS protection and safe the site from this type of unwanted attack.
  • Block SoakSoak: This plugin is able to protect the site from SoakSoak and other new malware sites.

Pricing

Free + Premium

Our Takeaway

To be frank, the interface seems a little complicated to me. Beside that, Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall is a great security threat removal plugin.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.8
  •  Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.3
  •  Scannability- 4.4
  • Responsive Support-

Best WP Security Plugins for Remote Malware Scanning

Malware attacks are the most commonly exploited security issues.

 If you’re a non-tech guy and thinking, what the heck is Malware, then here is a quick recap for you. It is malicious software that does harm by infecting device and networks. It could be-

  • Viruses
  • Bots
  • Worms
  • keyloggers
  • Ransomware
  • Trojan horses
  • Spyware
  • Rootkits
  • Cryptomining malware
  • Adware

When you use security plugins, they will detect the threat, let you know, and solve the issue automatically. Here are some of my favorite plugins for preventing malware attacks.

#5 Sucuri Security

The most hated plugin by hackers.

Why?

Website malware infection is not easy any more with Sucuri Security. It is undoubtedly the best-in-class plugin for scan malware in real time. 

Plus, how this plugin handles emerging website security threats is impressive. Let me show you how the plugins caught the suspicious activity-

Malware Removal Request> Sucuri run an Initial Baseline Scanning>Quarantine and Backup Files> Total Removal and Review.

3 key features I love about Sucuri

  • File Integrity Monitoring: If any unexpected changes happen, sucuri will notify you by notifying you.
  • Security Activity Auditing: Sucuri runs a deep auditing for overall security, giving you the most insightful overlook of suspicious activity.
  •  Blocklist Monitoring: Google blocklists over 10,000 websites every day. The website loses nearly 95% of organic traffic if it gets blocked.. 

Pricing

Basic
 Platform		Pro
 Platform		Business
 Platform		Multi-site &
 Custom Plans
$199.99/yr$299.99/yr$499.99/yrPrice upon request

My Takeaway

Having Sucuri on your website means you have a solid layer of protection. Not just for malware, this all-in-one wp security plugin takes good care of other security-related issues. Here is my final rating (out of 5)-

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 5 
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.7 
  • Scannability- 5
  • Responsive Support- 4.8

#6 MalCare Security

The name of the plugin already says what it’s all about, isn’t it?

Yup, to protect from the Malware attack.

There are lots of security plugins for malware, but none of them are as fast as MalCare. Most of the cases, these security plugins slow down the site. But the intelligent scanning methodology solves this problem. This is because it’s totally cloud-based.

And the best part?

It’s a one-click malware removal solution. As they say- Clean up your website before Google blocklist it.

3 key features we love about MalCare Security

  • Captcha-based Login Page Protection: Round-the-clock protection against malicious traffic is such great stuff. This is especially handy in preventing brute-force attacks.
  • Uptime monitoring: Malcare will let you know when the site is down. (Disclaimer: This feature is available for only paid version).
  • Complete website management: Malcare is not just for security, it’s an in all website building platform with all the facilities like-
  • Centralized Dashboard
  • Team Management
  • Plugins & Themes Management & Update
  • User Management
  • Client Management
  • White-Labeling Solution
  •  Generate & Schedule Reports
  •  Slack Integration
  • Site Speed Monitoring
  • Blacklist Alarm

Pricing

 FreeBasicPlusPro
1 site0$$ 99/yr$ 149/yr$ 299/yr
3 sites0$$ 259/yr$ 349/yr$ 899/yr
10 sites0$$ 599/yr$ 799/yr$ 1999/yr

Our Takeaway

Most of the work is done automatically, which I really like about this plugin. The only thing we have to maintain is a malware scan. In a nutshell, it’s an unparalleled security service.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.8 
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.7
  • Scannability- 4.8
  • Responsive Support: 4.7

#7 Defender Security

90000+ active installation proves that this plugin helps a lot for strengthen their security.

……. plus 4.8 out of 5 stars.

From SQL injections to IP blocking, defender security is a one-stop place for all WordPress vulnerabilities. Maybe some other plugins give such a result, but their support system keeps the plugin ahead of others. Probably this is their secret weapon to get into the user’s heart.

3 key features We love about Defender Security

  • Security Headers – Defender Security adds an extra layer of safety against XSS, code injection, and more.
  • User Agent Banning – No Block bad bots and user agents are not allowed. This plugin will restrict them from accessing your site.
  • Two-factor authentication: 2FA also includes mobile app verification (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy) to give an extra layer of protection. It includes-
  • Google Authenticator integration
  • Lost phone authentication
  • Configure 2FA user roles
  • Biometric Authentication (facial and fingerprint recognition)

Pricing

Free for 7 days

From just $7.50/month after

Our takeaway

A powerhouse security plugin for the WordPress site. The price range is also affordable(+ they do have a money-back guarantee.) So at least worth giving a try.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.5 
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.8 
  • Scannability- 4.5
  • Responsive Support- 4.7

Best Protection Against Hacker bots attacks and Fake signup

Credential stuffing, scraping data, data breach, and launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks- popular methods of bot attack. Here is my go-to security plugin to prevent spam and fake signup attack.

#8 Akismet

From individual bloggers to giant agencies, Akismet is probably the one plugin all website owners and developer use.

And that’s not surprising at all…..WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg built Akismet.

Manually reviewing all the comments, forums, and form submissions is impossible. It will literally take days. Akismet takes that nasty task and gives front-line defense with 99.99% accuracy.

3 key features We love about Akismet 

  • Automatically checks all comments and filters out: After registering and acting, you won’t have to do anything for spam protection. The plugin will automatically check all comments and filter out what looks suspicious.
  • Built on the cloud: When you store all of this heavy data, you put zero impact on speed. This is what Akismet does, and it keeps your site speed score healthy.
  • Developer-friendly API: This plugin is platform-agnostic and works great with Drupal, phpBB3, Joomla, and many others. 

Pricing

Free+ Premium

Our Takeaway

How Easily the plugin integrates with the tools really impressed me. Install this awesome plugin and say goodbye to the anxiety of spam attacks because you’re in good hands.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.9
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.8
  • Scannability- 5
  • Responsive Support- 4.5

#9 miniOrange’s Google Authenticator

miniOrange’s is slightly different than other security plugins we mention. It is basically designed for securing the login page using TOTP Login 2FA methods. With 15+ authentication methods such as-

  • Google Authenticator
  • OTP over SMS
  • Push Notifications
  • OTP over email
  • Security Questions
  • and others for logging

Something important to note about this plugin is you can put 2FA on the website and utilize the same 2FA config for your other sites.

3 key features We love about Akismet 

  • Prevent Account sharing: The miniOrange restricts the user from sharing WP login credential, which help to keep your website secure.
  • Integrate 2FA with any login Form: WP 2FA doesn’t conflict with other login forms like Woo commerce, User registration, or Theme My Login.
  • Customizable Login UI popup: You can customize the interface of your preference for login.

Pricing

Free+ Premium

Personal 2FA 2FA For LMS 2FA For Membership 2FA For Ecommerce All Inclusive/Business Custom Plan 
Starting $99/YearStarting $59/year*Starting$199/yearStarting$199/yearStarting$249/yearContact t tailor-made for your requirements.
For individual requirementFor e-learning sitesFor membership sitesFor e-commerce websiteFor big businessesIf none of the plan match your requirement

Our Takeaway

Function Very basic yet core security issues successfully. I recommend using API keys specific to your account to get the best result.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.8
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.5 
  • Scannability- 4.4
  • Responsive Support- 4.6

#10 iThemes Security

If you want to close all the gates of your WordPress website and force your user to use two-factor authentication, iThemes Security got you covered. Several layers of security measure ensure that the site is secure from any bot-driven attacks.

3 key features We love about iThemes Security

  • Blocks bad bots and controls spam: The reCAPTCHA feature is probably this plugin’s best feature to have protection from bad bots. The advanced risk analysis techniques of reCAPTCHA can detect humans and bots apart easily and ban them instantly.
  • REAL-TIME SECURITY DASHBOARD: On the dashboard, you can see the analysis of what’s really going on your site.
  • Powerful vulnerability reports each week: The plugin monitors the suspicious activity throughout the week and sends you a detailed report.

Pricing

BasicplusAgencyWeb designers Toolkit
$99/per year$199/per year $299/per year $749 

Our Takeaway

iThemes Security has all the effective website strategies you need to save your site from spam and bot attack. You won’t have to worry about the bot anymore; it automatically locks and bans user agents and IP addresses.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.6
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.2 
  • Scannability- 4.5
  • Responsive Support- 4.8

#11 PATCHSTACK

Do you know 99.4% of security vulnerabilities in the WordPress ecosystem originate from third-party plugins?

That’s why you need to be careful about installing random plugins.

We all know the danger of nasty WordPress plugin bugs, but we still need to use WP plugins for various reasons. In this case, make sure that you got enough protection.

PATCHSTACK is particularly useful for detecting security vulnerabilities within all websites’ plugins, themes, and WordPress core.

3 key features we love about PATCHSTACK

  • 48h early vulnerability warning: PATCHSTACK can detect new vulnerabilities 48 hours before making them public.
  • 10x lighter: As the software management is cloud-based, this security plugin is lighter than most security plugins.
  • Organized, Central dashboard: You will see all the vulnerability reports on a single dashboard.

Pricing

Free + Premium

FreeDeveloperBusiness
WP Community$89/per year $45/per year 

Our Takeaway

We all know 3rd party plugins have hidden risks, but WP plugins become integrated into our blogger’s life. And we think this plugin offers good protection over such plugins.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.6
  •  Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.2
  •  Scannability- 4.5
  • Responsive Support- 4.8

#12 Titan Anti-spam & Security 

Though Titan is a compact security plugin, we found out it performs best for spam detection. This is the upgrade version of the old one with the newest highest standard features.

And this new version is even better.

The plugin checks the comment through their global database and prevents your site from any malicious publishing.

3 key features we love about WP Hide & Security Enhancer

  • Intelligent spam filtering: 3-step spam filtering means no spam will get unnoticed.
  • Enforcing strong passwords: The plugin will make sure that you’re aware of your password and don’t lose precious data by using silly mistakes like weak passwords.
  • Real-time IP Blacklist: See how the plugin block all malicious IPs in real-time.

Pricing

Free+ Premium

1 site/Year3 sites/Year6 sites/Year
$55$159$319

Our Takeaway

From WordPress firewall to 2FA- Titan Anti-spam & Security is a complete website scanner that includes all aspects of your website security. The Free version is pretty basic but still worth it.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.8
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.5 
  • Scannability- 4.7
  • Responsive Support- 5

#13 Shield Security

The longer an intrusion remains undetected, the bigger danger you carry on your site. Luckily, the powerful scanner of Shield Security will take this heavy uplifting task from you.

This is the only security plugin right now which ensures intrusion prevention before repair. So how does the plugin handle it?

It follows 2 simple key strategies-

  1. Prevent- Detect Bots/Malicious IPs 
  2. Cure- Block Bad Bots and Repair Hacks

3 key features we love about Shield Security

  • Advanced User Sessions Security Control: The plugin gives you control over user sessions with the features like Restrict Users Session To IP, Block User Enumeration or Pwned Password, Restrict Multiple User Login, etc.
  • reCAPTCHA & hCAPTCHA: This feature will take your security game to the next level.
  • AI to PHP Malware scanning: MAL {ai} is their new malware scanning engine, predicting 80-90% malware accuracy.  

Pricing

Free+ Premium 

FreeShield Support Shield Business ShieldPro Business 
$0$59/per year$99/per year $399/per year 

Our Takeaway

Regarding Intrusion Prevention and Bot Blocking, very few plugins approach security in this way. 

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.7
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.5
  • Scannability- 4.7
  • Responsive Support- 4.4

Best security plugins for Web application firewall & login

Clickjacking, SSRF (Server-Side Request Forgery), cross-site-scripting (XSS) , HTTP Request Smuggling- 

Some popular malicious practices of manipulating a website user’s activity by cyber thieves. A defense layer is used for a website called WAF to keep the site safe and secure.

So, what is WAF?

A WAF or web application firewall shields all such attacks by filtering and monitoring HTTP traffic between a web application and all incoming traffic.

Having a DNS-level website Firewall plugin can greatly help handle these activities. Here are some of our favorite plugins to protect the site with a firewall.

#14 All-In-One Security (AIOS) 

There is a WP-free version of AIOS, which is good enough for hobby sites.

But the premium version has real magic.

The plugin monitor 24/7 for site safety with the Progressively activated firewall settings. Features like block bots producing 404s, prevention of user enumeration, and blacklist functionality make this plugin one of the sought-out plugins right now.

3 key features we love about All-In-One Security (AIOS) 

  • Emergency Codes: In case your site gets hacked or lost somehow, this plugin will generate a 1-time emergency code to access.
  • Country blocking and whitelisting some users from blocked countries: The country blocking tool Of this plugin allows the user to block the whole country at the same time; whitelist the IP addresses of that blocked country.
  • iFrame protection: Your content is your intellectual property. This feature will save your site from other websites from reproducing your content.

Pricing

 Free+ Premium

BasicPremium
FreeStarting from $80/per year 

Our Takeaway

There is nothing to complain about AIOS. The All-In-One Security plugin is a one-man army that gives your site overall security protection. And the premium version is also quite affordable. Highly recommend this plugin.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 5 
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.7
  • Scannability- 4.6
  • Responsive Support- 4.7

#15 All-inclusive Security Solution by SiteGround

We all know Siteground as a reliable hosting provider, but little did we know that they have a security plugin too.

And this is pretty good, actually.

The plugin is particularly effective for hardening login security. With just 1 click, you can disable RSS and ATOM feeds.

3 key features we love about All-inclusive Security Solution by SiteGround

  • Lock and Protect System Folders: The plugin blocks access to PHP files in public folders to add backdoors and compromise your site. The aim is to stop blocking all malicious scripts.
  • The post-hack support: If anything goes wrong, the plugin will provide all post-hack actions like Log Out All Users, Reinstall All Free Plugins, Force Password Reset, etc.
  • Delete the Default Readme.html: Readme.html files are vulnerable. This plugin deletes all the Default Readme.html so hackers can’t exploit it.

Pricing

Free

Our Takeaway

Security is a complicated matter; the siteground security plugin broke that stereotype. Despite its limitation to restrict the JSON REST API, this is the best security plugin for WordPress free.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.5 
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.7
  • Scannability- 4.8
  • Responsive Support- 4.9 

#16 WP Activity Log

Tracing every single modification on your site becomes more manageable with WP Activity Log. Jetpack does the same thing, but not as details as this plugin.

What kind of user activity will this plugin track?

  • WordPress Database
  • Post, Page, and Custom Post Type changes
  • Widgets and Menus changes
  • Plugins and Themes changes 
  • User profile changes 
  • Changes on WooCommerce Stores & products

These are enough to spot suspicious activity. If the plugin detects any danger, it will alert you instantly through email or SMS.

3 key features we love about Shield Security

  • WooCommerce Ready:  The plugin has a dedicated sensor for WooCommerce so that the shop manager can manage the plugin easily.
  • See What everyone is doing in real-time: Yes, this plugin gives a comprehensive real-time user activity monitoring advantage.
  • Archive old activity log data: This is so useful to keep the log organized, making it easier to find the old file whenever it is needed.

Free+ Premium

STARTER(Single site)PROFESSIONAL(Single site) BUSINESS(Single site) ENTERPRISE(Single site)
Starting from $99/Per yearStarting from $139/Per yearStarting from $149/Per yearStarting from $199/Per year

Our Takeaway

Such a great one-stop solution for activity Log. We had some issues, and when asking for help, the team’s support was phenomenal.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.6
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.5
  • Scannability- 4.8
  • Responsive Support- 5

#17 WP Hide & Security Enhancer

Over 99,99% of site hacks are focused attacks on specific plugins and themes vulnerabilities. 

The solution?

Yes, hiding your WP site from being visible through the code makes things harder for hackers. WP Hide & Security Enhancer plugin exactly does the same thing.

It safely removes any WordPress fingerprints so that the scanner won’t find the trace. The great thing about this plugin is it doesn’t touch any directory or files.

3 key features we love about WP Hide & Security Enhancer

  • Meta clean-up: The plugin comes with HTML Meta clean-up, which takes care of things like rsd_link, canonical link, wlwmanifest, feed links, adjacent posts rel, profile link, etc.
  • Theme Masking: The plugin mask All references to the child theme or main theme so that unauthentic user can’t take site authority through the theme name, version, author, etc.
  • JavaScript Processing: You will have full control of all JavaScript variables replacement.

Pricing

Free+ Premium

Single siteDeveloper
Starting from $39/Per yearStarting from $130/Per year

Our Takeaway

The plugin is great, but a massive Shoutout to the team who take care of any vulnerable issue promptly.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.8
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.5
  • Scannability- 4.7
  • Responsive Support- 5

#18 Hide My WP Ghost

Can you secure your website without physically changing any directory or file?

Yes.

Hide My WP Ghost made it possible. It’s a solid filter to prevent SQL Injections, Brute Force attacks, script, and XML-RPC attacks.

One thing that impresses me most is that it works fine with other security plugins like Sucuri, Jetpack, or wordfence.

3 key features we love about Hide My WP Ghost

  • Faster Than Others​: The average loading time is 0.03s, which is faster than 90% of WordPress plugins. For the site’s Search Engine ranking, it’s a huge plus.
  • Over 40 FREE Security Features: Yes, even the free version comes with 40+ awesome security features. 
  • Limit Login Attempts: Be honest- the login credentials of WP sites are not that powerful. When you use Hide My WP, limit the number of times a user can try and fail to log in. if it’s too many, it simply blocks those IP addresses and keeps your site secure.

Pricing

Free+ Premium.

Our takeaway

Except for the UI of the online cpanel issue, I like this security plugin. With a little investment, you can have the Pro version. And I recommend it.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.7
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.3
  • Scannability- 4.6
  • Responsive Support- 4.8

Best WP security hardening plugins for SSL & Backup

As Google and other search engines shift their focus on user data protection, SSL becomes a must-have. On the other hand, having a site backup ensures quicker recovery points. Here are 2 plugins that will make SSL and backup things easy.

#19 Really Simple SSL

One-click Really Simple SSL makes SSL migration easier than ever.

Is it just handy for SSL?

Nope, as you can see on the dashboard, it comes with a bunch of great features for security hardening. That’s not all; if you scroll down, you will see more options to double the security of your websites. Such as-

  • Mixed content fixer
  • Enable WordPress 301 redirect
  • Fire mixed content fixer
  • Stop editing the .htaccess file
  • Enable High Contrast mode
  • Dismiss all Really Simple SSL notices 

Oh, forgot to mention one thing. These features are only available for the Pro version. The free WordPress one will give SSL support.

3 key features we love about Really Simple SSL

  • Designed for WordPress: As totally designed for WordPress, it integrates so well with the whole WordPress ecosystem.
  • Extensive scan: The short and quick explanation of the plugin’s functionalities report will give you full control of your website.
  •  Resolve Mixed content: The site contains secure (HTTPS) and insecure (HTTP)- a common problem when SSL is installed. The Really simple SSL plugin will detect those mixed content and lock your website security.

Pricing

Free+ Premium 

PERSONAL(Single site)PROFESSIONAL(5 DOMAINS) AGENCY(25 DOMAINS) 
Starting from $49/Per yearStarting from $99/Per yearStarting from $199/Per year

Our Takeaway

Installing the Really Simple SSL plugin means you already minimize the risk of manipulation. Overall, this is a great plugin for advanced hardening.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.7
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 5 
  • Scannability- 4.6
  • Responsive Support- 4.9

#20 UpdraftPlus

Security breach, hardware failure, or human error- any unexpected events can happen on your website. That’s why it is important to have a backup and restore system. WordPress plugins like UpdraftPlus can perform your duty of regular website backup.

Manual or scheduled backup- UpdraftPlus got you covered. Backups every 2, 4, 8, or 12 hours, daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly- you can command to keep backup whatever works best for you.

Ok, but what about restoring?

You can Restore your files and everything directly from your WP control panel. This plugin also performs excellently for cloning a temporary site. First, you need to do a clone test, and Updraftclone will do the “Copy and paste your WordPress site.” The free version obviously has some limitations but still worth it.

3 key features we love about UpdraftPlus

  • Backup non-WordPress files and databases: This plugin is also ok to backup non-WordPress files and databases.
  • Run from WP-CLI: If you’re an advanced WP user, you can also handle the whole backup through Command-Line Interface. By this, you can also speed up your WordPress development process.
  • Highly optimized for speed: The UpdraftPlus is nicely optimized and will save your site from a heavy loading trap.

Pricing 

Free+ Premium 

Personal(Up to 2 sites) Agency(Up to 35 sites) Business(up to 10 sites) Enterprise(Unlimited)Gold
$70/Per year$145/Per year$95/Per year$195/Per year$399/Per year

Our takeaway

A robust, intuitive piece of plugin that takes all the headache of backup. UpdraftPlus’s vast storage option(Local storage and cloud storage, Drive, Dropbox & much more) keeps this plugin ahead of the other backup plugins.

  • Compatibility & Reliability- 4.8 
  • Ability to Receive Regular Updates- 4.7
  • Scannability- 4.4
  • Responsive Support- 4.6

Security plugin massively slowing down the website- Is it true? And what’s the solution? 

Yes, it’s true.

More or less, all plugins impact your site speed. But the main reason security plugins messed up the speed is they have to do real-time scanning to keep the site secure 24/7. As a result, the loading time gets slower.

Another reason is code execution.

To prevent DOS and malware attack, the plugin needs to run code examination randomly. The other smooth criminal is the plugin’s resource consumption activity. Most of the plugins create a security report. And by default, they store these reports on a database. So, after a while, the database gets heavier day by day.

So how to solve it?

You can keep your site lighter just by limiting the real-time scanning. Use it whenever you need; otherwise, keep it paused or deactivate. And most importantly, use one security plugin which offers most of the necessary features.

It’s time to Wrap Up….

Security plugins are great.

But the hidden cost is the speed issue. The situation worsens when people use multiple security plugins for WordPress to serve different purposes. Instead of installing multiple security plugins, we recommend using one premium plugin that serves most security activities.

Our favorite security plugin is Wordfence.

The premium version (Starting from $149) is a compact package with a fine layer of security shield. We mention other WP plugins, too; you can also choose one from the list. No matter which one you choose, buy the premium one to get the most out of it.

FURTHER READING: Best practices to keep your WordPress site safe and secure from hackers and malware