Top Website Security Plugins to Lock out the Bad lads

Starting a blog, ecommerce website, or small business site requires an upfront investment for items for services and products like hosting, themes, plugins, and website development. That doesn’t include any help you must hire, such as customer service reps or salespeople.

By default, WordPress core has some security measures in place, but it’s nothing compared to what a reputable security plugin does for you. For example, the top WordPress security plugins deliver the following:

Your First Priority Should Be Secure Hosting

The security of your site is only as good as the backend and foundation it’s running on. That’s why it’s important, before looking into security plugins, that you choose a WordPress host that has security measures already in place. Many of these safeguards are done at the server-level, and can be far more effective, without harming performance on your site. Not to mention you don’t have to spend time fiddling with a bunch of security settings in plugins which in you might not even understand their functionality or purpose.

Here are a few security features that hosting should provide.

• By default, have set all servers to use the latest PHP 7 version with the latest security fixes.
• Apache in a chrooted environment with suExec.
• Have sophisticated IDS/IPS systems which block malicious bots and attackers (Intrusion detection/prevention systems).
• ModSecurity installed on all of our shared servers and we update our security rules weekly, thus protecting our customers from the most common attacks.
• Easy to use and hassle-free auto-updates for WordPress core version and the plugins.
• Keep the versions of all the software that is providing database services (FTP, SMTP, IMAP/POP3, HTTP, HTTPS) up to date with the latest security patches.
• Constantly monitoring for vulnerabilities in the most popular applications and modules and whenever possible we develop virtual patches in the form of WAF rules (Web application firewall).
• Ensure that users’ data is accessed only by trusted personal on request by following strict policies and we keep detailed records for such access.

Best WordPress Security Plugins in 2021

If you’re in a hurry, feel free to click on the following links to test out the security plugins and make your own decisions. If you’d like to see our in-depth analysis, keep reading!

1. Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening

The Sucuri Security plugin offers both free and paid versions, yet the majority of websites should be fine with the free plugin.  For instance, the website firewall requires you to pay for a Sucuri plan, but not every webmaster feels like they need that type of security.

As for the free features, the plugin comes with security activity auditing for seeing how well the plugin is protecting your website. It has file integrity monitoring, blacklist monitoring, security notifications, and security hardening. The premium plans open up customer service channels and more frequent scans. For instance, you might want a scan to be completed every 12 hours. For that, you’d pay about $17 per month.

Features That Make Sucuri Security a Great Choice:

• It offers multiple variations of SSL certificates. You do have to pay for these, but it’s available in the packages.
• Customer service is available in the form of instant chat and email.
• You receive instant notifications when something is wrong with your website.
• Advanced DDoS protection is available through some plans.
• If you don’t want to pay any money you still receive valuable tools for blacklist monitoring, malware scanning, file integrity monitoring, and security hardening.

2. iThemes Security

The iThemes Security plugin (previously known as Better WP Security) is one of the more impressive ways to protect your website, with over 30 offerings to prevent things like hacks and unwanted intruders. It has a strong focus on recognizing plugin vulnerabilities, obsolete software, and weak passwords.

Although some basic security features are included with the free version, we highly recommend upgrading to iThemes Security Pro for the low price of $80 per year. This provides ticketed support, one year of plugin updates, and support for two websites. If you’d like to protect more sites, you have the option to upgrade to a more expensive plan.

As for the primary features in the pro version, iThemes Security Pro provides strong password enforcement, the locking out of bad users, database backups, and two-factor authentication. These are only a few of the ways to protect your site with this WordPress security plugin. You can activate 30 total security measures, making iThemes Security Pro a great value.

Features That Make iThemes Security a Great Choice:

• The security plugin offers file change detection, which is important since most webmasters don’t notice when a file is messed with.
• Add an extra layer of protection to your login by using the Google reCAPTCHA integration.
• The plugin compares your WordPress core files with the current version of WordPress, helping you understand if anything malicious is placed in those files.
• Update your WordPress salts and keys to add an extra layer of complexity to your authentication keys.
• You can set an “Away Mode” for when you’re not making constant updates to your site and want to completely lock your WordPress dashboard from all users.
• Other essentials like 404 error detection, brute force protection, and strong password enforcement.

3. Wordfence Security

Wordfence Security is one of the most popular WordPress security plugins, and for good reason. This gem pairs simplicity with powerful protection tools, such as the robust login security features and the security incident recovery tools. One of the main advantages of Wordfence is the fact that you can gain insight into overall traffic trends and hack attempts.

Wordfence has one of the more impressive free solutions, with everything from firewall blocks to protection from brute force attacks. However, a premium version is sold starting at around $99 per year for one site. The plugin creators also make it cheaper for developers, providing steep discounts when you signup for multiple site keys. For instance, if you buy 15+ licenses, you’ll get 25% off or $74.25 per license. Overall, it pays to consider Wordfence if you’re developing multiple websites and want to protect them all.

Features That Make WordFence Security a Great Choice:

• The free version is powerful enough for smaller websites.
• Developers can save tons of money when they signup for multiple site keys.
• It has a full firewall suite with tools for country blocking, manual blocking, brute force protection, real-time threat defense, and a web application firewall.
• The scan portion of the plugin fights off malware, real-time threats, and spam. It scans all your files for malware, not just WordPress files.
• The plugin monitors live traffic by viewing things like Google crawl activity, logins and logouts, human visitors, and bots.
• You gain access to some unique tools like the option to sign in with your cell phone and password auditing.
• The comment spam filter removes the need to install a separate plugin for this.
• It monitors your plugins and lets you know if they have been removed from the WordPress plugin repository (usually due to being unsafe or being hacked) are no longer being updated and have been abandoned.

5. All In One WP Security & Firewall

As one of the most feature-packed free security plugins, All In One WP Security & Firewall provides an easy interface and decent customer support without any premium plans. This is a highly visual security plugin with graphs and meters to explain to the beginner’s metrics like security strength and what needs to be done to make your site stronger.

The features are broken down into three categories: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. Therefore, you can still take advantage of the plugin if you’re a more advanced developer. The main ways this plugin works is by protecting your user accounts, blocking forceful attempts on your login, and enhancing the user registration security. Database and file security is also packaged into the plugin.

Features That Make All In One WP Security & Firewall a Great Choice:

• The WordPress security plugin has a blacklist tool where you can set certain requirements to block a user.
• You can backup .htaccess and .wp-config files. There’s also a tool to restore them if anything goes wrong.
• The plugin shows one graph to specify how strong your website is and a graph that designates points to certain areas of your site. It’s one of the best features for the average user to visualize what’s going on with the security of a site.
• The plugin is free without any upsells along the way.

5. Jetpack

Most people who use WordPress are familiar with Jetpack, and it’s mainly because the plugin has so many features, but it’s also because the plugin is made by the people from WordPress.com. Jetpack is filled with modules to strengthen your social media, site speed, and spam protection. There are so many features in Jetpack that it’s definitely worth exploring.

Some security tools are included with Jetpack as well, making it an appealing plugin for those who want to save money and rely on a reputable solution. For instance, the Protect module is free and it blocks suspicious activity from happening. Brute force attack protection and whitelisting is also supported by the basic security functionality from Jetpack.

That said, the paid versions of Jetpack are more powerful when it comes to security. For instance, the $99 per year plan includes malware scanning, scheduled website backups, and restoration if anything goes wrong. Furthermore, the $299 per year plan offers on-demand malware scans and real-time backups for the ultimate protection.

Features That Make Jetpack a Great Choice:

• The free plan provides a decent amount of security for a small website, then you can upgrade to the reasonably priced premium plans and get full support and a plugin that’s one of the best on the market.
• The premium plans turn the plugin into more of a suite, with benefits like backups, spam protection, and security scanning.
• Plugin updates are managed entirely through Jetpack.
• You also get downtime monitoring.
• Jetpack is also a plugin that eliminates the need for other plugins. For instance, it has features for email marketing, social media, site customization, and optimization.

Which WordPress Security Plugin is Best for You?

Now that we’ve walked through the best WordPress security plugins, take a look at our main recommendations below. This makes it easier for you to select one or two plugins without having to test every single one out. Remember, that depending on what your WordPress host already offers, security plugins may not be needed.

These suggestions hone in on certain situations where you might choose one security plugin over another.

• For the best value – Sucuri Security, SecuPress, Jetpack, iThemes Security, Shield Security, and WPScan.
• If you want a free WordPress security plugin – All In One WP Security & Firewall, Sucuri Security (free version,) or Wordfence Security.
• If you’re looking for a security plugin for beginners – All In One WP Security & Firewall, Security Ninja, or Defender.
• When you require a more advanced brute force protection plugin – WP fail2ban or Astra.
• If you’d like two-factor authentication – Google Authenticator – Two Factor Authentication.
• For a beautiful interface – SecuPress or VaultPress.