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Best Free WordPress Plugins for Malware Scanner

15 plugins compared · Updated August 2026 · Malware Scanner

All 15 Free only Premium only

Choosing a WordPress plugin for malware scanner comes down to a few things: whether it is still actively maintained, whether real users rate it well, and whether it does the specific job you need without dragging the rest of the site down.

We ranked 15 plugins using our WPScore, which weighs the user rating (adjusted for how many people actually rated it), how many sites run it, how recently it was updated, and which WordPress version it is tested against. 15 of them have enough public data to be scored; the rest are listed below the ranked block, clearly marked, rather than being given a number we cannot justify.

How this list is funded. Some links here earn us a commission if you buy. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not move anything up the list — the order comes from the WPScore, which is calculated from public ratings, install counts and update history. See the method.

At a glance

  1. 1. Wordfence Security Best overall 95/100
  2. 2. Security Optimizer 91/100
  3. 3. Defender Security 89/100
  4. 4. Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Remova... 89/100
  5. 5. Sucuri Security 88/100
  6. 6. MalCare WordPress Security Plugin 87/100
  7. 7. BulletProof Security 87/100
  8. 8. Malcure Malware Shield 83/100
  9. 9. RSFirewall! 82/100
  10. 10. Quttera ThreatSign 81/100
  11. 11. Virusdie 80/100
  12. 12. Site Lockdown Security 79/100
  13. 13. BitFire Security 79/100
  14. 14. Atlant Security 78/100
  15. 15. SiteFort Security 76/100
1 Wordfence Security
Best overall Free by Mark Maunder

Wordfence Security

Firewall, Malware Scanner, Two Factor Auth, and Comprehensive Security Features, powered by our 24-hour team. Make security a priority with Wordfence.

4.7★
from 4,983 ratings
5M+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
95

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
2 Security Optimizer
Free by SiteGround

Security Optimizer

Secure your WordPress site from brute-force attacks, threats, malware, and bots. Free to use and easy to set up.

4.5★
from 157 ratings
1M+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
91

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
3 Defender Security
Free by WPMU DEV - Your All-in-One WordPress Platform

Defender Security

WordPress security plugin with malware scanner, IP blocking, audit logs, antivirus scans, firewall, 2FA, brute force login security, and more.

4.8★
from 334 ratings
80k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
89

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
5 Sucuri Security
Free by Sucuri

Sucuri Security

The Sucuri WordPress Security plugin is a security toolset for security integrity monitoring, malware detection and security hardening.

4.2★
from 384 ratings
600k+
active installs
Updated
Jul 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
88

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
8 Malcure Malware Shield
Free by Malcure Web Security

Malcure Malware Shield

Your WordPress site hacked? Malcure scans files AND database to find and help you remove malware casual scanners miss. Free. No bloat.

4.4★
from 73 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
83

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
9 RSFirewall!
Free by RSJoomla!

RSFirewall!

Based on the success of the most popular firewall for Joomla!, RSFirewall! is now available to protect your WordPress website as well.

5★
from 5 ratings
4k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
82

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
10 Quttera ThreatSign
Free by quttera

Quttera ThreatSign

WordPress multi-level security scanner detecting malware, 0-day threats, brute-force attacks, bot attacks, and unauthorized admin changes.

3.9★
from 47 ratings
10k+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
81

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
11 Virusdie
Free by Virusdie

Virusdie

Malware scanning & removal, website hardening, patching vulnerabilities, real-time protection against online attacks, blacklist monitoring in a click!

4★
from 9 ratings
2k+
active installs
Updated
Jun 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
80

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
13 BitFire Security
Free by Cory Marsh

BitFire Security

Stop hackers, bots, and malware before they touch your site. AI-powered security with real human support when you need it.

5★
from 8 ratings
300+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
79

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
14 Atlant Security
Free by Atlant

Atlant Security

Enterprise-grade WordPress security: WAF, brute force protection, malware scanner, 2FA, honeypots, AI crawler control, and post-breach recovery.

5★
from 3 ratings
200+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.0.4
78

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org
15 SiteFort Security
Free by securewpteam

SiteFort Security

Prevention-first WordPress security with malware scanning, firewall, bot protection, 2FA, vulnerability scanning, and security hardening.

5★
from 5 ratings
70+
active installs
Updated
Aug 2026
Tested to
WP 7.1
76

WPScore

Read review View on WordPress.org