Wordfence Security Plugin Review: Free is Enough? (2025)
Quick Overview
Editor's Rating
Pros and Cons
- Comprehensive protection: Offers firewall, malware scanning, and login security to safeguard against various online threats.
- Real-time traffic monitoring: Allows users to view live site activity, including blocked IPs and attempted attacks.
- Flexible pricing: Includes a robust free version and scalable premium plans to suit different website security needs.
- Regular updates: Frequent plugin updates ensure ongoing protection against new vulnerabilities.
- Detailed knowledge base: Extensive learning resources and tutorials help users optimize their security setup.
- Performance impact during scans: Scans can slow down site performance, especially in shared hosting environments.
- Complex for beginners: The interface and settings may feel overwhelming for users without technical experience.
- High premium cost: Premium plans are more expensive than other security plugins, which may not suit smaller sites with tight budgets.
Ease of Use
I would rate the ease of use of Wordfence at 4.2 out of 5.
Here’s why:
- The installation process is straightforward, especially for the free version.
- Wordfence lacks a fully automated setup wizard, which can make the initial configuration feel manual and a bit time-consuming.
- While the user interface offers comprehensive control and real-time monitoring, it can be overwhelming for less experienced users.
Wordfence is a powerful security tool with a user-friendly installation process and a feature-rich interface.
However, the lack of automation in setup and the complexity of the interface may pose challenges for beginners.
Initial Setup
Other than its free version, the paid plans from their official website offer advanced features for ecommerce and high-traffic websites, and those in shared hosting.
If you want to install the free version (especially if that’s all you need), you can find it in the plugin repository in the WordPress dashboard:
- Go to plugins > add new plugin
- Search for the plugin’s name
- Install and activate the plugin
If you want to go for the pro versions, upgrading from Wordfence free to paid is incredibly easy!
Once you install Wordfence free, head to the plugin’s menu in the WordPress dashboard and go to help, then simply hit the upgrade to premium button.
From here, you will be guided through the process of upgrading to Wordfence Premium, Wordfence Care, or Wordfence Response.
On the other hand, if you have an installation pack, follow these steps:
- Go to plugins > add new plugin > upload plugin
- Browse through your files and select the plugin
- Click the install now button
You will need to activate the plugin to use it. 🙂
User Interface
Wordfence Security’s user interface is designed to be user-friendly while offering comprehensive control over WordPress website security.
The dashboard provides clear navigation through its different features, such as the firewall, malware scanner, and live traffic monitoring.
From the main panel, users can view:
- Notifications
- Security alerts
- Attack summaries
All of these make it easy to manage and monitor the security status of your WordPress site in real-time.
Here’s what it looks like from my end:
One of the strengths of Wordfence’s interface is its ability to highlight issues and recommendations clearly.
For example, it displays color-coded notifications that indicate the severity of security concerns and allows you to address them efficiently.
Real-time traffic visualization can also help users see live site activity, including blocked IPs and attempted attacks, right from the interface.
đź‘‹ My thoughts here
Wordfence Security offers a powerful, feature-rich plugin that can protect your WordPress site effectively, but it may not be the simplest option for beginners.
Here are my thoughts:
- The initial setup of Wordfence is relatively straightforward but not fully automated.
- Unlike other WordPress security plugins that come with a setup wizard, Wordfence requires manual configuration, which may take a bit of time for less familiar users.
- However, once installed, it provides default security configurations that are adequate for most users.
Wordfence’s interface can feel overwhelming for beginners, and some users may report difficulty in navigating through the multiple layers of options
This is especially true when dealing with features like IP monitoring and real-time firewall settings, but in everything else — all good and equipped for more control for users. ✅
Choosing the right hosting provider is just as crucial to ensure your site performs at its best.
If you’re looking for a balance between affordability and reliable performance, Hostinger is a solid choice.
Discover the Hostinger advantage for your WordPress site:
- Enjoy a 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Affordable pricing at just $2.49/month (use the code darrel10 to get a discount)
- Global performance and reach with Hostinger’s optimized hosting platform
Choosing Hostinger alongside Wordfence ensures that your website isn’t just secure—it’s also fast, reliable, and easy to manage.
Best Features
I would rate the best features of Wordfence at 4.5 out of 5.
Here’s why:
- Wordfence’s Web Application Firewall is highly effective, protecting against common threats like SQL injections and brute force attacks.
- While the real-time malware scanner is excellent, it can slow down websites, especially on shared hosting plans.
- The login security feature, which includes two-factor authentication (2FA) and CAPTCHA, offers solid protection.
Wordfence offers a powerful set of features that greatly enhance the security of WordPress websites.
However, the resource-heavy nature of certain features like scanning may impact performance for those on shared hosting.
Here are some notable features of Wordfence Security:
1. Web Application Firewall
Wordfence’s Web Application Firewall operates at the application level and blocks malicious traffic before it reaches your website.
Here’s what it looks like:
This is where you can monitor the work Wordfence is doing to protect your site and also where you can manage the options to optimize the firewall’s configuration.
It protects against SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other common threats — with brute force protection and country blocking for advanced security.
2. Real-time Malware Scanner
Wordfence performs deep scans of core files, themes, and plugins to detect malware, malicious URLs, backdoors, and patterns of infections.
It also checks your server, monitors your site’s online reputation, evaluates file changes, and alerts you about potential breaches.
Make sure that you’re always protected at 100%, like mine!
Nice! 🙂
3. Login Security
Previously a premium-only feature, Wordfence login security is now available even for sites running the free version of Wordfence.
Wordfence improves login security with two-factor authentication (2FA), CAPTCHA on login pages, and password strength enforcement to prevent unauthorized access​.
2FA, enabled for any role, is an important layer of security that protects you from password guessing and credential stuffing attacks.
In their recent updates, Wordfence Security also added a number of important security features and significantly improved the admin interface.
If a visitor’s browser fails the CAPTCHA, Wordfence will send an email to the user’s address with a link they can click to verify that they are a user of your site.
đź‘‹ My thoughts here
Wordfence Security provides a comprehensive toolbox of powerful features functioning collectively to safeguard your site.
Here are my thoughts:
- Although the firewall uses a fair amount of resources, its ability to prevent attacks at the server level makes it a top-rated feature against common threats.
- Premium users benefit from immediate signature updates in the malware scanner, while free users get delayed updates by 30 days.
- Some users report that scans can slow down the site on shared hosting, but the ability to customize scan frequency helps alleviate this issue​.
In addition to these standout features, Wordfence Security also offers live traffic monitoring, centralized security management, brute force attack protection, and WHOIS lookup.
Country blocking, IP blocking, and whitelisting also give administrators control over access to site, while providing diagnostic information to troubleshoot compatibility issues.​
Reliability
I would rate the reliability of Wordfence at 4.2 out of 5.
Here’s why:
- Wordfence provides real-time protection and frequent updates to improve performance and security.
- The performance impact, especially during scans, can slow down websites, particularly in shared hosting environments.
- Wordfence shows minimal memory usage compared to other leading security plugins, which is a strong point in terms of resource efficiency.
Wordfence is a reliable security solution for WordPress users, offering solid protection, frequent updates, and resource-efficient memory usage.
While it can impact performance during certain operations like scanning, its reliability in terms of protection and ongoing updates makes it a trusted option.
Performance
Wordfence Security can have a moderate impact on website performance, particularly during scans or when the firewall is active, but users can optimize settings like scheduling scans.
Here’s data from WP Hive when they checked the Wordfence Security plugin using their own test script:
The average memory usage is 76.45 KB (which is an okay score), while the average page loading time is increased by only 0.05 seconds.
I also tested Wordfence Security using the Code Profiler plugin.
The results are:
- Frontend: 0.414 seconds
- Backend: 0.541 seconds
Let’s compare this with how other leading plugins went:
| Feature | Wordfence Security | Defender Security | Solid Security |
| Page Speed | 0.05 seconds | 0 seconds | 0.19 seconds |
| Average Memory Usage | 76.45 KB | 119.36 KB | 151.04 KB |
| Code Profiler (front) | 0.414 seconds | 0.2 seconds | 0.068 seconds |
Unlike Defender Security which doesn’t show an impact at all, Wordfence Security shows a minimal impact on page load time at 0.05 seconds, which is still better than Solid Security.
However, on front-end execution time, Wordfence has a higher impact on front-end performance compared to the others.
But lastly, Wordfence is the most efficient in terms of memory consumption — at 76.45 KB, it is the least resource-intensive among the leading security plugins.
From the table, it may be seen that each plugin has a different set of strengths, so you can test out these different plugins to find one that suits your needs best.
Updates and Maintenance
Wordfence Security performs near monthly updates on the plugin, focusing on performance optimization, security enhancements, bug fixes, and improving user experience.
Updates frequently aim to improve resource efficiency, such as reducing CPU usage and database queries during scans.
You can check their changelog here:
The most recent version of Wordfence Security includes several key performance updates, such as reducing database queries by approximately 38% and lowering CPU usage during scans.
Overall, it is apparent that Wordfence Security is committed to improving its users for a safer user experience. ❤️
đź‘‹ My thoughts here
The reliability of the Wordfence Security plugin is overwhelmingly positive, particularly for its robust security features, although there are occasional concerns related to performance.
Here are my thoughts:
- While Wordfence is highly effective at providing real-time protection, some users report that the plugin can slow down website performance, particularly during scans.
- At least, Wordfence is regularly updated to provide the latest security protections, including real-time firewall rule updates for premium users.
- The developers also prioritize maintaining compatibility with the latest versions of WordPress, so the plugin remains effective against new vulnerabilities.
Overall, Wordfence Security is a reliable and well-maintained plugin, trusted by millions of WordPress users for its regular updates and flexible performance settings.
Support
I would rate the support of Wordfence at 4.0 out of 5.
Here’s why:
- Wordfence offers an extensive knowledge base that includes tutorials, guides, and webinars for both beginners and advanced users.
- There can be delays in customer support responses, especially for lower-tier or free users.
- The support page within the plugin settings provides easy access to support channels, and Wordfence staff manages the WordPress forums.
While customer service response times can be slow for free or lower-tier users, the overall support system is reliable and helpful.
The broad range of self-help resources compensates for the occasional delays in direct customer service responses.
Customer Service
Wordfence Security has a support page within the plugin settings with shortcuts to their support features.
On the other hand, this is the official product support page on their website:
You can refer here the following queries:
- Product support
- Reporting new malware and attacks
- Billing or license issues
- Purchasing questions
- General business inquiries
- Feedback
- Press-related questions
- Documentation
They also have customer support personnel handling the WordPress forum, but replies usually take a day or two.
Nice! 🙂
Knowledge Base
Highly detailed and user-friendly, Wordfence Security offers a comprehensive Learning Center that includes tutorials, webinars, and guides tailored to users of all skill levels.
You can find it here:
It provides blog and video resources on essential features such as configuring the firewall, optimizing scans, and managing login security, for both beginners and advanced users.
Notably, Wordfence’s documentation is also frequently updated to address the latest challenges, ensuring users have access to current best practices and troubleshooting tips.
đź‘‹ My thoughts here
Wordfence Security displays responsiveness and expertise leading to its efficient and extensive customer support. đź’Ş
Here are my thoughts:
- Although the public forums provide a history of other users experiencing the same problems, there seems to be some sort of delay in replies to queries.
- Some users have also mentioned minor delays in response for lower-tier or free support plans.
- Whatever lack in the customer service response is made up by its broad and comprehensive learning resources, a reliable self-help resource.
So pretty much, Wordfence has a pass for me. 🙂
Pricing
I would rate the pricing of Wordfence at 4.0 out of 5.
Here’s why:
- Wordfence offers a free version that provides robust security features for users with smaller or less critical sites.
- Wordfence’s premium pricing can be higher than many competitors, especially when you look at the advanced plans.
- The tiered pricing model allows users to select the level of support and features they need.
Wordfence offers flexible pricing with both free and paid options, making it a good fit for different types of users.
Although the premium tiers may seem costly compared to other plugins, they provide significant value for businesses that require top-tier security and fast support.
Cost Breakdown
As mentioned earlier, Wordfence Security has both free and paid versions.
You can easily find the free version on the WordPress plugin repository:
In the paid versions of the Wordfence plugin, the plugin is automatically powered by data and services from their servers — this is delayed by 30 days for customers of the free version.
Hands-on and dedicated customer service, who help in installation, configuration, optimization, and troubleshooting are also only available in the paid versions.
Wordfence Security offers multiple tiered pricing plans depending on the budget of individual users or businesses:
Its elite set of functions is available starting at only $119 per year.
Wordfence Care is designed for busy business owners who need help in team installing, configuring, optimizing, and monitoring their WordPress security.
On the other hand, Wordfence Response provides the benefits of Care, with a 1-hour response time, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.
This is designed for mission-critical websites that cannot afford downtime due to a security issue.
Money Back Guarantee/Refund
But how about refunds?
Yes, Wordfence Security offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and refund policy for their security plugin and tools.
Here is their refund policy on their license terms and conditions:
In order to process your refund, just go to their customer support page (as seen in the previous sections).
đź‘‹ My thoughts here
Wordfence Security offers a solid range of options that cater to different levels of website needs, as the plans only differ in data access and hands-on customer support.
Here are my thoughts:
- Compared with other plugins, Wordfence Security tends to be more expensive, especially when looking at the premium tiers.
- However, Wordfence’s extensive real-time updates, priority support, and packages are often cited as justification for its higher cost, particularly for mission-critical sites​.
- Although it does not offer a free trial, Wordfence Security’s money-back guarantee grants users the opportunity to test the plugin risk-free.
While Wordfence Security is generally more expensive than some alternatives, its broad range of features are suited for sites that require ongoing, immediate security measures. đź‘Ś
Final Thoughts
When considering Wordfence, it’s important to assess the security needs of your website.
If your site handles sensitive data or has mission-critical functions, investing in the premium version will provide you with real-time updates and priority support.
However, if you’re running a smaller site or just starting, the free version offers substantial protection as well.
Start with the free tier to explore its features and upgrade only if your site requires the added security and hands-on support that the premium plans provide.
If you’re using Elementor, you can create beautiful, professional websites without needing to code.
But why start from scratch when you can use Elementor Template Kits?
Secure lifetime access to all premium Elementor template kits:
- Get lifetime access to all premium template kits designed for Elementor
- Complete with 2 years of dedicated support
- Only for $99 — that’s already for the lifetime access
Start designing the website of your dreams with Elementor Template Kits and watch your vision come to life!
