WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) used by millions of websites worldwide. As with any widely-used platform, it’s essential to prioritize website security to protect your data and visitors. Here are some of the top best WordPress security plugins to enhance your website’s security:
iThemes Security
One prominent name in WordPress security plugins is the iThemes Security plugin. This tool is one of the most reliable and popular WordPress plugins. However, the free version of this plugin will not offer you many features, so you should consider using the paid version.
With the premium version, you will get:
- Two-factor authentication
- Scheduled malware scanning
- Google reCaptcha
- WordPress security locking
- …………
With iThemes, users will be automatically banned after multiple failed login attempts, which helps prevent brute force attacks on your website.
Additionally, there is a scanning feature that identifies any potential vulnerabilities for an attack. Once those areas are identified, the plugin provides you with instructions to fix the issues within seconds.
iThemes even helps enhance your server security by hiding the most common WordPress security vulnerabilities that hackers often target.
You will receive email notifications whenever there are security issues or threats on your WordPress website.
iThemes Security also provides extensive and useful video tutorials for users.
Wordfence Security
With over 2 million active installations, Wordfence Security is one of the most popular WordPress security plugins available today. It helps you address spam, malware, and other threats in real-time.
Unlike other plugins, WordFence Security provides an extremely user-friendly dashboard. You don’t need to have a technical background, a platform, or network security knowledge to use this plugin.
Wordfence has the ability to view data on the overall traffic trends of your website. You will know the traffic coming from humans, Google crawlers, or malicious bots. Another great feature of this plugin is the option to block countries. You can block attacks coming from specific geographical areas with high cybercrime rates.
The free version of WordFence Security provides many features to keep your website secure. It offers you more than other free security plugins. You will receive firewall blocks and brute force attack protection.
The premium version comes with additional features such as two-factor authentication, direct customer support, and real-time IP blacklisting.
MalCare Security
MalCare Security is a security plugin that helps you completely remove malware with just a click of a button.
MalCare also comes with a powerful firewall to protect your website 24/7. It will also block any flagged IP addresses for malicious purposes from thousands of websites on the internet.
MalCare allows you to perform 90-day backups for your websites so that you never have to worry about data loss.
The pricing for MalCare is also relatively affordable for the features you will receive. It starts at $99/year for one website.
All in One WP Security & Firewall
All in One WP Security & Firewall has an extremely user-friendly interface. The security features are divided into three categories:
- Basic
- Intermediate
- Advance
The plugin helps scan the website for vulnerabilities, and once these vulnerabilities are detected and checked, the plugin will assist you in making changes to enhance the security of the website. Everything is measured using a scoring system. The classes are based on different security levels for each element on your website.
Some features available in All in One include:
- The ‘Lock Lock’ feature to prevent brute force attacks
- File protection, editing, backup, and restoration
- Firewall protection
- Scanner to detect file changes
- Spam prevention
- Backup protection
- ………………………..
Additionally, this plugin is completely free. There is no premium version, meaning you get some of the most popular features without a hefty price tag.
Jetpack
Jetpack helps improve performance and protect your website in various ways, including enhancements, automatic backups, and website speed improvements, etc.
Although Jetpack provides a multitude of different features, its security functions are also extremely powerful.
This plugin is designed for anyone in need of security scanning, authentication, backup, and spam protection.
With Jetpack, you will receive real-time backups that are automatically triggered whenever you make changes. So your backups will always be up to date and ready to be used in case of any incidents.
Furthermore, you can proactively prevent security threats by scanning new files and content. It will help scan your entire website to identify vulnerabilities and prevent attacks before they occur.
Another notable feature is the ability to block and remove spam submissions through comments and input forms on your website.
Jetpack also provides many other security features, including:
- Protection against brute force attacks
- Monitoring downtime so you can identify issues before visitors access your website
- ………….
Sucuri Security
Sucuri Security is one of the best and most comprehensive plugins on the market. It helps protect all types of websites and prevents external attacks.
Prominent features include:
- Malware scanning
- Blacklist monitoring
- Post-hack security procedures
- Firewall
- ………….
With Sucuri, if your website gets hacked or attacked, it provides actionable steps to help you repair any damage. When an incident occurs, you will receive immediate notifications so that you can take immediate action.
However, to access features such as website firewall, SSL support, and other advanced functionalities, you will need to pay for the Sucuri Pro version. You can have limited firewall access for $9.99 per month or access the entire Sucuri platform for $199.99 per year.
These are the best WordPress security plugins you can consider using to enhance the security of your website. In addition to using plugins, you can also incorporate the following best practices to further secure your website:
- Avoid using easily guessable passwords.
- Don’t use usernames such as
admin. - Avoid using plugins and themes with unknown origins.
