Securing your WordPress website is important. That is a fact! However, for a lot of people it is also a topic that can be hard to get their head around. Lots of geek speak and things to consider. If you are looking for an easy yet effective solution then you’ve come to the right place.
Wordfence is a security plug-in for WordPress that lots of people are considering. Of course, they were the first to launch an effective WordPress firewall with lots of bells & whistles resulting in an all-round WordPress security plug-in. Wordfence is the OG.
I have been using Wordfence on a lot of websites almost from the moment they started. They have done a great job in keeping the sites secure and they have honoured customers that jumped on board early by not raising the licence fees. The original licence fees still apply. Their fees have increased throughout the years but only for new licences. Old ones still renew at the original purchase price.
Why people are looking for a Wordfence alternative
So why are people looking for an alternative to Wordfence? Why are you as fanboy blogging about an alternative? Well, there are two reasons actually.
The first one, is that their prices have increased a lot since the first licence I bought. Of course, their tool has grown, more features have been added and their services expanded. The start-up company has grown up and so have their prices.
Second, I have started looking at Wordfence and their set-up process & management dashboard through the eyes of a beginner. Someone just starting out with WordPress and trying to get their side hustle or small business idea online. Wordfence can be quite daunting for newbies or people that aren’t so tech-savvy.
That led to me testing a different security tool, an alternative WordPress firewall, which took me by surprise. The set-up process was even easier than Wordfence. The WordPress firewall settings were a breeze and better explained. One thing led to another, now I’m a fanboy of two great WordPress security plug-ins.
Tell us more about that alternative to Wordfence
Sure, no problem. It’s called Shield Security – and yes they have a free version as well. They offer similar features as Wordfence but also ones that Wordfence doesn’t offer. Here’s the list:
- Automatic IP Blocking – Automatically blocks suspicious visitors to keep hackers out
- CrowdSec Integration – Uses a global community to detect and block attackers based on shared data
- IP Whitelisting/Blocking – Allows you to allow (whitelist) or block specific devices from accessing your site
- IP Analysis & Management Tool – Helps you check and manage the devices accessing your site
- WordPress Core File Scanning – Checks your main WordPress files for any signs of tampering or hacking
- Unrecognised File Scanning – Detects and flags files that don’t belong to your site
- WP Config File Tamper Protection – Protects your site’s key settings file from being altered by hackers
- AI-Powered Malware Scanning – Uses artificial intelligence to find harmful software or code on your site
- Plugin and Theme Vulnerabilities Scanning – Checks your plugins and themes for known security issues
- WP dot org Plugin & Theme Scanning & Repair – Repairs official plugins and themes if they’ve been damaged or hacked
- Premium Plugin & Theme Scanning – Scans paid (premium) plugins and themes for security risks
- Auto-Update Vulnerable Plugins – Updates unsafe plugins automatically to keep your site secure
- Limit Login Attempts – Stops hackers from guessing your password by limiting failed login tries
- Pwned Password Protection – Warns you if your password has been leaked online
- Advanced Password Policies – Ensures users set strong, secure passwords
- User Suspension – Temporarily blocks problem users from accessing your site
- User Session Management – Lets you monitor and control who is logged into your site
- SPAM User Registration Blocking – Stops fake users from signing up on your site
- Hide Login URL – Changes the login page’s web address to make it harder for hackers to find
- Powerful Firewall – Acts as a barrier to block harmful traffic from reaching your site
- Traffic Rate Limiting – Prevents a flood of requests from overwhelming your site (like in a DDoS attack)
- Block Admin User Phishing – Stops fake login attempts targeting admin accounts
- Custom Firewall Block Page – Lets you create a custom message for visitors who are blocked by the firewall
- Range of Two-Factor / Multi-Factor Authentication Methods – Adds extra layers of security by requiring a second step – like a code sent to your phone, authenticator app or a security key – when logging in
Read more about these features and background info about Shield Security.
Show me how these WordPress Security Features are easy to use
I know, that’s a long list of features and tech lingo mentioned in the previous paragraph. So how about, we make this paragraph about a thousand words without using a thousand words?
This is what the Shield Security Dashboard looks like.
As you can see it all revolved around a grading between A+ (great) and D (bad), just like a report card from school. This makes it super easy to see where you need to improve. As it also shows and explains how to make these improvements it's a great security tool for beginners. It’s all broken down into simple & easy to follow steps. And the set-up wizard guides you through the process. Once done, you’ll see the score improve for each area and how to fine-tune it further, if needed.
What makes Wordfence more difficult for non-tech people?
On the other hand, Wordfence is also easy to install. Their set-up process is a breeze. But the next steps can be a bit overwhelming. There are a lot of options for tweaking and they’re not as graphically and/or explained in easy words. A lot of the info leads to long & technical blog posts.
And then there are the alerts and emails that Wordfence spits out. That’s probably the part that confused most people. Emails like ‘increased attack rate’ alerts or when someone is logged out. Yes, these alerts can be reduced or stopped but there is a reason that the system generates them. Action is required, but for a lot of people it isn’t clear what kind of action.
When you use a Wordfence alternative like Shield Security the system runs more on autopilot.
Which WordPress firewall should I choose then?
Well, that is up to you. My suggestion would be to try then both – not at the same time. Both security tools have a free version so it’s easy to test one for an X amount of weeks and then the other. See which one works best for you and which one is easier to use for you.
- Shield Security: all info about Shield Security and their free version
- Wordfence: read about Wordfence and how to use their free version
I’m not a security expert, just a blogger and WordPress user for many years with an interest in the tech side of things. I have used both Wordfence and Shield Security on a variety of projects and both tools have kept these websites safe & secure. So I have no preference in functionality, but I do prefer Shield Security’s dashboard and how well things are explained, like the WordPress firewall settings. And that is important for people who aren’t that familiar with WordPress and how to secure their website yet.
Feel free to share your experience with these tools or post a question if some of the info needs clarification.
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