Security Plugins
Active Threat Defense
Wordfence
A WordPress firewall and malware scanner backed by a large network of threat data.
- Category
- Security Plugins
- Stack role
- Security
- Tool type
- WordPress Plugin
- Best suited for
- Sites Needing Active Defense
- Hosting model
- Self-Hosted
- Software price
- $0 - $1,250+ / year
- First released
- 2012
- License
- GPLv3
Our rating, from hands-on experience building client projects. Not a public review average.
What is Wordfence?
Wordfence, in plain English.
Wordfence is a security plugin for WordPress that works like an alarm system and a guard at the door. It has a firewall that blocks harmful traffic, a scanner that checks your files for malware and backdoors, and login protection such as two-factor sign-in and passkeys.
The free version on WordPress.org is installed on more than five million sites. The paid Premium version receives new firewall rules and blocklists in real time, where free users get them 30 days later. It also adds country blocking, an audit log and scheduled scans.
The firewall runs inside WordPress itself, so it can see what is happening on the site even after traffic gets past your host. It's one of several good options in this space, and the right pick depends on how many sites you run and who will be watching the alerts.
In our stack
Why we use Wordfence.
Wordfence is a respected choice when a business wants an active firewall with a large threat network behind it. We pick security layers project by project, so it sits in our toolbox for the sites where that approach fits best.
Firewall and Scanner
Blocks harmful traffic and checks your files for malware in one plugin.
Large Threat Network
A large user base gives it wide visibility into new attacks, with fresh data in Premium.
Free Option Available
A free version covers the basics, with Premium for faster updates.
Related tools
Works well with Wordfence.
Build with us