Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL)
by Really Simple Plugins · Security
Also makes 3 other plugins · 3.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Easily improve site security with WordPress Hardening, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Login Protection, Vulnerability Detection and SSL certificate.
100 health vs 64 average across 997 Security plugins
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Daily downloads
Since 2022-10-05 · 1,421 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peaks are release surges
1.7M
now · peak 5.6M
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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
21
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v9.6.1
25
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “3M+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.
Install history · since 2015-04-14 · 1,486 observations
Estimated value
What this plugin might earn a year, and what it might sell for. Modeled from public signals; we don't see anyone's books.
Est. annual revenue
Est. acquisition value
A large install base, a clear pro tier and a steady trend. As reliable as an outside estimate gets. 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.
How we estimate this
Assumptions
- Free → paid conversion. 0.5%–2% of active installs pay for the pro tier. Typical for freemium WordPress plugins; the real rate varies a lot by product. Past 1M installs we taper the rate down: a giant free plugin’s long tail converts far worse.
- Annual price per customer. $99–$199 a year, typical for Security plugins rather than this plugin's own pricing.
- Acquisition multiple. 2x–4x annual revenue, the going range for small WordPress-plugin businesses, the typical range for a steady plugin.
- Install base. 3M–4M active installs, from our install estimate (wp.org only publishes the floor).
Inputs
- Active installs
- 3M–4M
- Category
- Security
- Pro tier
- detected (known freemium plugin with a public paid tier)
- Download trend
- steady (30d downloads flat vs prior 30d)
- Reviews
- 8,861
- Last updated
- 6 days ago
Revenue is installs × conversion × price; value is revenue × a typical acquisition multiple. Every factor is an assumption band, so the output is a wide range on purpose. If you're buying or selling, treat this as a starting point for due diligence.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2026-07-16Reviewers overwhelmingly praise the plugin as simple and effective, though one recent reviewer flagged non-functional IP/country blocking and a broken premium support widget in Brave.
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ innovatedmedia1mo ago
I’ve been using this plugin for years! It’s simple to use, and very intuitive, and it has truly made every website I have built and continue to manage so much easier. It saves me a lot of time doing things I used to have to do the long way. Highly recommend.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ minhtri48871mo ago
Công cụ tuyệt vời
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ smarrazzo2mo ago
Worked well and it just works
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dome00132mo ago
it’s really simple
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zamzough2mo ago
Easy to use, works well. Great !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chaosheld3mo ago
I hate to pay for plugins that simply don’t do the things they are advertising. Man, even the stupid “Premium Support” message box is running into an error when using! That is really bad. I mean if such basic thing doesn’t work in a standard browser like Brave, the rest can only be shit right? What is even worse is that the IP block and country block is not doing anything at all. What? I mean what is the purpose if it simply doesn’t do anything? I am adding IP addresses from bots out of my logs and imagine what …. the bots are still doing their litte scraping job for some suckers draining the internet. If that is one feature obviously not working how can I trust other features to work as expected?
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ drhcweiss3mo ago
Gott sei Dank über 200000 Spams abgeblockt! Vielen Dank! MglG doc This topic was modified 3 weeks, 5 days ago by drhcweiss.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ joluzalo3mo ago
¡Excelente plugin
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- 2026-08-25 Version 9.8.0 Fixed: Other plugin installation now retrieves the download link correctly. Fixed: PHP 8.5 compatibility issues. Fixed: The 2FA grace period was not always handled correctly. Changed: REST API checks are faster and run o 9.8.0
- 2026-07-29 Version 9.7.0 Fixed: Alignment of the e-mail validation status icon. Fixed: Vulnerability data is included in uninstall cleanup. Changed: Removed an unused passkey log message. Changed: Updated the Other Plugins section in onboarding 9.7.0
- 2026-07-06 Version 9.6.1 Fixed: Alignment of the e-mail validation status icon. Fixed: Vulnerability data is included in uninstall cleanup. Changed: Updated translations to use the l10n PHP format. Changed: Updated the Other Plugins section in o 9.6.1
- 2026-06-16 Version 9.6.0 Fixed: 2FA grace period reminder emails could be sent unexpectedly. Fixed: Review notice is now correctly dismissed when pressing the X. Changed: Vulnerability details now load only for the plugin or theme being activate 9.6.0
- 2026-05-05 Version 9.5.11 Fixed: fatal error that could occur when a plugin uses admin_enqueue_scripts incorrectly. Fixed: a bug where the wrong settings value could be saved. 9.5.11
- 2026-04-29 Version 9.5.10.1 Fixed: Undefined variable during cron. Changed: Updated 2FA login flow to address inconsistent verification behavior. 9.5.10.1
Known vulnerabilities
via Wordfence Intelligence7 disclosed vulnerabilities on record for this plugin, all fixed in the current version. Sites on older versions stay exposed until they update.
- Critical · 9.8 Really Simple Security (Free, Pro, and Pro Multisite) 9.0.0 - 9.1.1.1 - Authentication Bypass ↗2024-11-14 CVE-2024-10924 Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel Affects 9.0.0 - 9.1.1.1 Patched in 9.1.2
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 64 languages, 40 at 90% or more
Plus 40 more locales with partial translations.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-05 4M+ → 3M+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2026-01-31 3M+ → 4M+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-01-30 4M+ → 3M+ down after 570 days in tier
- 2024-07-09 5M+ → 4M+ 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).
-
WebAuthn Provider for Two Factor 1K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags B -
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Hostinger Tools 3M+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags B -
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Two Factor 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Wordfence Login Security 60K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/really-simple-ssl" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL): 3M+ active installs, 4.9★ (8,861 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-25. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/really-simple-ssl