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Defender Security vs Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)

Updated 5 Oct 2026. 26 features compared side by side.

Defender Security

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 (334)

WPMU DEV's WordPress security plugin with malware scanning, AntiBot firewall, 2FA with passkeys, hardening and audit logs; Pro adds scheduled scans.

Free installs80K+
From$60/yr
UpdatedSep 2026
Visit site Full profile
VS

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 (3,992)

Login-focused WordPress security plugin (formerly Solid Security / iThemes Security) with 2FA, brute-force protection and Patchstack virtual patching in Pro.

Free installs700K+
From$299/yr
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile

Choose Defender Security if…

  • You need malware removal
  • You want the lower entry price ($60/yr vs $299/yr)
  • You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.6 on WordPress.org)

Choose Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) if…

  • You need virtual patching and off-site scanning
  • You also want SSL / HTTPS tools and auto-update vulnerable plugins
  • You prefer the more widely used option

Defender Security includes 1 feature that Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) lacks, including Malware removal; Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) has 4 that Defender Security lacks, including Off-site scanning, SSL / HTTPS tools and Virtual patching. Both include 19 of the 26 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

Defender Security
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)
79/100
Feature score
77/100
21 of 26
Features included
23 of 26
4.8/5
WordPress.org rating
4.6/5
80K+
Active installs
700K+
100%
Support threads resolved
25%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
Defender Security
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)
Firewall & blocking6/75/7
Web application firewall KeyFilters malicious requests (SQL injection, XSS and similar) before they reach WordPress.
Defender Security Partial

Plugin offers lockouts, bot and UA blocking; the request-filtering WAF is for WPMU DEV-hosted sites only.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Firewall with Patchstack rules and custom request rules is part of Pro.

Cloud / DNS-level firewallFirewall runs on the vendor's network in front of your server, not inside WordPress.
Defender Security Not included

No proxy in front of the site; the hosted WAF is limited to WPMU DEV hosting.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Not included

Firewall runs inside WordPress on your server.

Brute-force protection KeyLimits failed logins and locks out attackers guessing passwords.
Defender Security Included

Configurable lockouts after failed logins (default 5 in 300 seconds).

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Local lockouts plus network-wide brute-force protection in the free plugin.

Login CAPTCHACAPTCHA or Turnstile on login, registration and password reset forms.
Defender Security Included

reCAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile for login, registration and reset forms.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Pro CAPTCHA on login, registration, reset and comments (reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Turnstile).

Rate limiting & bot blockingThrottles or blocks aggressive crawlers and bad bots.
Defender Security Included

404 detection, malicious bot trap and user-agent banning throttle abusive crawlers.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Not verified

No documented throttling for crawlers or bots found.

Country blockingBlock or allow traffic by country.
Defender Security Included

Location banning using the free MaxMind GeoLite2 database.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

Restrict Admin Access by Country limits admin logins only; tier not stated.

Real-time IP blocklistBlocks IPs known for attacks using shared threat intelligence.
Defender Security Included

AntiBot Global Firewall blocks IPs from data across 750K+ sites; needs a WPMU DEV connection.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Network Brute Force Protection blocks IPs reported across ~1M sites.

Scanning & cleanup5/65/6
Malware scanner KeyScans files and database for malware, backdoors and injected code.
Defender Security Included

Free scan for suspicious code, injections and backdoors.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

Site Scan checks Google Safe Browsing; no signature-based file malware scan.

File change detectionCompares core, plugin and theme files with originals and flags changes.
Defender Security Included

Compares core, plugin and theme files with WordPress.org originals.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

File change detection flags modified files; not a full original-file comparison.

Vulnerability alerts KeyWarns when installed plugins, themes or core have known vulnerabilities.
Defender Security Included

Checks active plugins, themes and core against known vulnerability registries.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Site Scan checks core, plugins and themes for known vulnerabilities.

Scheduled scansRuns scans automatically on a schedule.
Defender Security Paid version Pro

Scheduled scans with reports are Pro-only; free scans are manual.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Site Scan runs 4x daily free, hourly in Pro.

Off-site scanningScans run on the vendor's servers so they don't slow your site.
Defender Security Not included

Scans run on the site's own server (with a 3-hour timeout).

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

Site Scan is processed through the vendor's scanning service; file checks run locally.

Malware removalOne-click or expert cleanup of infected sites.
Defender Security Paid version Pro

Safe Repair and quarantine of infected files are Pro; no free cleanup service.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Not included

No malware cleanup tool or service included.

Login security5/55/5
Two-factor authentication KeySecond login factor via authenticator app, email or similar.
Defender Security Included

Authenticator app, backup codes and email fallback; can be enforced per role.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

2FA via authenticator app, email or backup codes in the free plugin.

Passkeys / WebAuthnPasswordless login with passkeys or hardware security keys.
Defender Security Included

WebAuthn login with biometrics or USB hardware security keys.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Passkey (WebAuthn) login requires Pro; not available on multisite.

Password policiesEnforce strong passwords, expiry or breached-password checks.
Defender Security Included

Blocks pwned passwords and can force a site-wide password reset.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Create and enforce password requirements by user group.

Custom login URLMove or hide the wp-login.php / wp-admin login page.
Defender Security Included

Mask Login Area replaces wp-login.php and wp-admin with a custom slug.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Hide Login URL tool moves the login page.

Session managementView and end active user sessions, limit concurrent logins.
Defender Security Partial

Session-hijack protection and login duration control, but no active-session list.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial Kadence Pro

Pro Trusted Devices helps block session hijacking; no full session manager found.

Hardening2/55/5
One-click hardeningDisable XML-RPC, file editing, user enumeration and similar weak points.
Defender Security Included

One-click tweaks: disable XML-RPC and file editor, stop user enumeration, block PHP in uploads.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Advanced tools: change user ID 1, DB prefix, file permissions, salts, wp-config rules.

SSL / HTTPS toolsEnforce HTTPS, fix mixed content and redirects.
Defender Security Not included

No HTTPS enforcement or mixed-content tools in the hardening list.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Free option to enforce SSL across the site.

Security headersSet HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options and other HTTP security headers.
Defender Security Included

Hardening includes adding headers such as HSTS and XSS protection.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

Settings for X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy and CSP; no HSTS.

Virtual patchingFirewall rules that block exploits for known plugin vulnerabilities before an update is available.
Defender Security Not included

No virtual patching rules are offered.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Patchstack virtual patching blocks exploits before vendor fixes.

Auto-update vulnerable pluginsAutomatically updates plugins with known vulnerabilities.
Defender Security Not included

Flags outdated or vulnerable plugins with manual update buttons only.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Version Management can auto-update or patch vulnerable software.

Monitoring & management3/33/3
Activity log KeyRecords logins, changes and admin actions for auditing.
Defender Security Included

Audit log of logins, users, content, plugins and settings; CSV export.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

User logging of logins, plugin, theme and content changes is Pro.

Security alertsEmail or app alerts for attacks, lockouts and scan results.
Defender Security Included

Lockout and scan notifications by email; automated scheduled reports with Pro.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Security events and lockout notifications; site scan alert emails.

Multi-site dashboardManage security for many sites from one dashboard.
Defender Security Partial

The Hub manages IP lists across sites with a free account; full reports and management with Pro.

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Elite

Kadence Central multi-site portal is included in the Elite plan.

Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?

Pricing compared

Defender Security Freemium

Free$0
Pro Basic$60 per year, 1 site
Pro Standard$100 per year, 3 sites
Pro Plus$200 per year, 10 sites
WPMU DEV Premium$1,200 per year, Unlimited

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Freemium

Free$0
Kadence Pro$299 per year, Not stated
Kadence Elite$499 per year, Not stated

Downloads trend

Defender Security

4,662 downloads last week

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)

57,514 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 5 Oct 2026

Defender Security and Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) are closely matched on features (79/100 and 77/100). The differences are in the details: Defender Security adds malware removal, while Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) adds virtual patching and off-site scanning. Paid plans start at $60/yr for Defender Security and $299/yr for Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security). Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

Malware removal

Defender Security: paid version (Pro). Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): not included. Safe Repair and quarantine of infected files are Pro; no free cleanup service.

Virtual patching

Defender Security: not included. Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): paid version (Kadence Pro). Patchstack virtual patching blocks exploits before vendor fixes.

Off-site scanning

Defender Security: not included. Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): partial. Site Scan is processed through the vendor's scanning service; file checks run locally.

SSL / HTTPS tools

Defender Security: not included. Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): included. Free option to enforce SSL across the site.

Auto-update vulnerable plugins

Defender Security: not included. Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): paid version (Kadence Pro). Version Management can auto-update or patch vulnerable software.

Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.

Which would you choose?

0 votes so far. Vote to see the results.

FAQ

Which is better, Defender Security or Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)?

Defender Security and Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) are closely matched on features (79/100 and 77/100). The differences are in the details: Defender Security adds malware removal, while Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) adds virtual patching and off-site scanning. Paid plans start at $60/yr for Defender Security and $299/yr for Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security). Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Which has more features?

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) includes 23 of the 26 features we track, against 21 for Defender Security. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.

Is Defender Security free?

Defender Security has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $60/yr.

Is Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) free?

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $299/yr.

Feature data last changed 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Defender Security or Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security). Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.