Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security
by Mark Maunder · Security
Also makes 1 other plugin · 5M+ installs across the portfolio →
Firewall, Malware Scanner, Two Factor Auth, and Comprehensive Security Features, powered by our 24-hour team. Make security a priority with Wordfence.
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M WP Mayor reviewed this plugin Keep Your Site Secure & Optimize Performance with Wordfence Read review ↗Health
A 95/100
no flags
Active installs
5M+
≈5.7M estimated
Momentum
+6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Support resolution scores 85/100. Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
95 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.2%
of downloads still active
At least 5M of 432M lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,059 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 10 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2026-07-17Reviewers say Wordfence blocks real attacks reliably and rarely trips false positives, with long-time users calling it their most trusted security layer.
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
Updated 31 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 5,038 reviews, smoothed to 4.69★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
155 of 183 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
17%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.0
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| scan | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| login security | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| firewall your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| security your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| 2fa your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| malware your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| malware scan | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| login | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| scanner your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wordfence | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| features | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| hour | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| priority | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| team | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| malware scanner | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| two factor auth | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| auth | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| alerts | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| vulnerabilities | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| vulnerability | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
3477 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 3272 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Your five tags are all earning their place. Each gets you onto page 1 of its own search, so none is worth giving up. “block spam”, “brute force protection” and “no captcha” (#4, #4 and #4 untagged) would be the next worth testing if a slot frees up.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 10.1M · peaks are release surges
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
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
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.
10
releases in the last 12 months
1mo ago
latest release · v9.0.2 · 30 Sep 2026
303
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 “5M+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 73% of the way through.
Install history since 1 May 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ ddwijtyk4mo ago
We have been using Wordfence for many years and the upgrades and defenses are very effective. The latest Wordfence seems to cover the areas of attack on websites in a very layered fashion.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shopnowbd4mo ago
i’m using free plan but i i’m satisfied . This topic was modified 3 days ago by shopnowbd.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gusbravo4mo ago
Great and useful plugin to control attacks on my website
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Atef G4mo ago
This is a great assistant and reliable partner securing and protecting our website – Thank you Atef G.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ snoob444mo ago
Very good and nice plugin! Does what it says, I can only recommend this!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rachidelkraima4mo ago
Great Security Plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cortabro4mo ago
The live traffic view alone is worth it for spotting suspicious activity early. Firewall rules update regularly and I haven’t had a false positive block a legitimate user yet.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ heishimatsu4mo ago
Recommended security plugin for protecting WordPress against intrusions, malware, and automated attacks, featuring monitoring and periodic scans to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 8.2.2 Improvement: Better presentation of Live Traffic data on wide screens Improvement: Increased legibility of token fields Improvement: Reworked the pagination of the Blocking page for a better UX Improvement: Country block 8.2.2
- — Version 8.2.1 Fix: Fixed issue with some i18n plugins/themes when a user has no 2FA recovery codes Fix: Toggled options with additional help links now correctly open the link rather than toggling the option Fix: Country Blocking editi 8.2.1
- — Version 8.2.0 Improvement: Migrated all deprecated JavaScript libraries in use to a Vue-based infrastructure Improvement: GeoIP database update Improvement: Better coverage of aria- accessibility attributes Improvement: Added translat 8.2.0
- — Version 8.1.4 Fix: Fixed an issue with inet_pton introduced by a recent patch to PHP 8.1+ that could cause a fatal error if a malformed IP address was passed to the call 8.1.4
- — Version 8.1.3 Improvement: Updated the bundled geoip database Note: Verified compatibility with WordPress 6.9 8.1.3
- — Version 8.1.2 Improvement: Updated the bundled geoip database 8.1.2
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 12 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (9.0.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 4.4 Wordfence Security – Firewall & Malware Scan <= 7.6.0 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2022-09-06 CVE-2022-3144 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 7.6.0 Patched in 7.6.1
- Patched Medium · 4.7 Wordfence Security – Firewall & Malware Scan <= 7.1.13 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting and Information Disclosure ↗2018-10-02 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 7.1.14 Patched in 7.1.14
- Patched Medium · 6.1 Wordfence Security – Firewall & Malware Scan 6.1.1 - 6.1.6 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗2016-05-10 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects 6.1.1 - 6.1.6 Patched in 6.1.7
- 2014-12-08 CVE-2014-4932 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 5.1.5 Patched in 5.1.5
- 2014-09-27 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 5.2.3 Patched in 5.2.4
- 2014-09-14 Protection Mechanism Failure Affects < 5.2.4 Patched in 5.2.4
- 2014-09-14 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 5.2.3 Patched in 5.2.4
- 2014-09-08 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 5.2.3 Patched in 5.2.3
- 2014-08-01 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.8.1 Patched in 3.8.3
- 2014-07-30 CVE-2014-4664 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 5.1.3 Patched in 5.1.4
- Patched Medium · 6.5 Wordfence Security - Firewall & Malware Scan <= 3.3.6 - Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2012-10-19 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.3.6 Patched in 3.3.7
- 2012-10-19 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 3.3.7 Patched in 3.3.7
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 42 languages, 16 at 90% or more
Plus 18 more locales with partial translations.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Share of voice
How often each assistant names Wordfence Security when asked about these topics, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 25 Oct 2026.
Readme readiness
7 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Firewall, Malware Scanner, Two Factor Auth, and Comprehensive Security Features, powered by our 24-hour tea..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 16 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 16 of 16 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Slack.
- ✓ Headings and lists 7 headings and 6 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 5,608 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-06 4M+ → 5M+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-05 5M+ → 4M+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-02-02 4M+ → 5M+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-01-30 5M+ → 4M+ down after 352 days in tier
- 2025-02-12 4M+ → 5M+ up after 21 days in tier
- 2025-01-22 5M+ → 4M+ down after 352 days in tier
- 2024-02-05 4M+ → 5M+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-02-04 5M+ → 4M+ down after 1 days in tier
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).
-
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 5 shared tags A -
Atomic Edge Security – Firewall, Malware Scan and Login Security 700+ installs · 4.2★ · 5 shared tags A -
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ installs · 4.7★ · 4 shared tags A -
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags A -
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 3 shared tags A
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