WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

Directory rank vs rivals

wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 89% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

A small install base leaves thin data to model from. The range spans more than 10x because wp.org publishes install counts as broad bands, and conversion and price compound on top. Read the midpoint as an order of magnitude, not a valuation.

1. ★★★★★ hubdi123

   5.1y ago

   Annoying advertising and SCAM. Not trustworthy.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ mikel0174

   6.3y ago

   couple of years ago i tried their plugin and made a huge mistake i gave them and payed with credit card more then 4 years every year twice or more they try to charge me althouge i tried to contact them in every way there is and didnt get answers or any responce scammers!!!! becarfull!!!!

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ Russell

   6.4y ago

   This plugin does not nothing unless you buy it, near $100 bucks a year. Another liar claiming free. It’s only a 30 day trial and you must sign up now to even scan anything much less detection and removal. Too bad there is no zero rating.

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ UN_Rick

   6.6y ago

   Thank you for providing this plugin. With Smart Protection > Anti-Bot, Anti-Spam, and Brute Force Protection enabled spam has dropped by about 95% across dozens of sites. Better results than any other plugin I’ve tried (and I’ve tried many). I’m amazed this plugin doesn’t have a million active installations. Best kept secret on WordPress. *Note, be careful with the hide function – it’s a nice feature but can cause problems on some sites and is not necessary if all you want is the anti-spam functions.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ kuro

   6.9y ago

   Amazing Plugin, it’s really worth having. I always use it against malwares 🙂 This topic was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by marouane91.

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ kapara

   8.2y ago

   perfect. life saver. i sleep better now.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ simplemedia1

   8.5y ago

   Help us to secure our website and to remove some vulnerabilities. Very recommended!!!

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ hackrepair

   8.9y ago

   I’ve been testing this plugin on a number of compromised and not compromised accounts. The good. Bonus points for initial ease of use and graphical interface. This is quite possibly the tidiest looking security plugin I’ve ever seen. The not so good. Legitimate coding within WordPress core and coding within many well-regarded plugins and themes is marked in bold red colored text, with phrases like, “Server malware detected. Might be a malicious or hacker’s scripts” or “Danger! Malicious or suspicious files have been detected on the website”. A fresh installation of WordPress with stock plugins, themes and a few well-known plugins installed from the WordPress repository return the warning, “Danger! Malicious or suspicious files have been detected on the website.” An example: The readme.txt file of a well know security plugin with over 2 million active installs is marked as “Server malware detected. Might be a malicious or hacker’s scripts.” Obvious false positives like the one above are immediately followed by the phrase: “Most likely the website has been compromised. Please, contact security experts or experienced webmaster immediately to clean up the website from malware” and then, “Feel free to contact us, and for a reasonable fee we will be glad to help you!” Conclusion. A person who is not familiar with basic security terminology or able to read basic PHP coding may find the results of the scans run by the Security Antivirus Scanner – CWIS troubling, to say the least. This topic was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by hackrepair.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1

Translated into 2 languages, 0 at 90% or more · development strings

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2024-10-28 2K+ → 1K+ down

Competes with

The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).

• SecuPress with Simple SSL – Simple and Performant Security 40K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A
• SP Move Login 6K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags B
• NETSENSAI Shield 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags A
• SX User Name Security 900+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags C
• Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
• MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 200K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A

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Drop a live Pulse card for WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam: 1K+ active installs, 4.0★ (18 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/cwis-antivirus-malware-detected