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Defender Security vs Sucuri 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

Sucuri Security

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.2 (386)

Free auditing, file integrity and remote scanning plugin from Sucuri that connects to its paid cloud firewall and malware cleanup platform.

Free installs600K+
From$9.99/mo
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile

Choose Defender Security if…

  • You need passkeys / WebAuthn and password policies
  • You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.2 on WordPress.org)

Choose Sucuri Security if…

  • You need cloud / DNS-level firewall and virtual patching
  • You also want off-site scanning and SSL / HTTPS tools
  • You want the more complete feature set (87/100 vs 79/100)
  • You prefer the more widely used option

Defender Security includes 2 features that Sucuri Security lacks, including Passkeys / WebAuthn and Password policies; Sucuri Security has 4 that Defender Security lacks, including Cloud / DNS-level firewall, Off-site scanning and SSL / HTTPS tools. Both include 18 of the 26 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

Defender Security
Sucuri Security
79/100
Feature score
87/100
21 of 26
Features included
22 of 26
4.8/5
WordPress.org rating
4.2/5
80K+
Active installs
600K+
100%
Support threads resolved
100%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
Defender Security
Sucuri Security
Firewall & blocking6/77/7
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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Paid Sucuri firewall filters malicious requests; the plugin only connects to it.

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

WAF and CDN run on Sucuri's network in front of your host.

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).

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Brute-force blocking is a firewall feature; the free plugin only logs failed logins.

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

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

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Firewall protected pages can add CAPTCHA to login areas.

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Firewall blocks bad bots and layer 3/4/7 DDoS traffic.

Country blockingBlock or allow traffic by country.
Defender Security Included

Location banning using the free MaxMind GeoLite2 database.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Geo-blocking is part of the cloud WAF.

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Firewall blocks known malicious traffic using Sucuri signatures and intel.

Scanning & cleanup5/66/6
Malware scanner KeyScans files and database for malware, backdoors and injected code.
Defender Security Included

Free scan for suspicious code, injections and backdoors.

Sucuri Security Partial

Free SiteCheck scans the public site only; server-side scans need a platform plan.

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.

Sucuri Security Included

Baseline comparison flags added, modified or removed core, plugin and theme files.

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Core, plugin and theme vulnerability scans unlock with a firewall API key.

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

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

Sucuri Security Included

Integrity checks and remote scans run automatically; platform plans scan up to every 30 min.

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).

Sucuri Security Included

SiteCheck runs from Sucuri's servers, not your host.

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Platform

Unlimited manual cleanups by Sucuri analysts on every platform plan.

Login security5/52/5
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.

Sucuri Security Included

Authenticator-app 2FA with one-time backup codes (added in 2.5/2.8).

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

WebAuthn login with biometrics or USB hardware security keys.

Sucuri Security Not included

No passkey or hardware-key login.

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

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

Sucuri Security Not included

Offers password resets after a hack, but no password rules.

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Firewall can set unique login URLs and protect login pages.

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.

Sucuri Security Not verified

Lists recent logins; ability to end sessions not confirmed.

Hardening2/54/5
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.

Sucuri Security Included

Disable file editor and XML-RPC, block PHP in uploads, hide WP version.

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

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

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

SSL certificates are included with firewall/platform plans, not the plugin.

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.

Sucuri Security Partial

Can configure CSP (report-only), CORS and Cache-Control headers.

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Firewall applies virtual patches for known software vulnerabilities.

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

Flags outdated or vulnerable plugins with manual update buttons only.

Sucuri Security Not included

Does not auto-update vulnerable plugins.

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.

Sucuri Security Included

Searchable audit log of security events, logins and content changes.

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.

Sucuri Security Included

Customisable email alerts for security events.

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Platform

Sucuri account dashboard manages scans and firewall for all your sites.

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

Sucuri Security Freemium

Free$0
Basic Platform$229 per year, 1 site
Pro Platform$339 per year, 1 site
Business Platform$549 per year, 1 site
Basic Firewall$9.99 per month, 1 site

Downloads trend

Defender Security

4,467 downloads last week

Sucuri Security

74,648 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 5 Oct 2026

Sucuri Security scores higher on our feature checklist (87/100 against 79/100) and includes cloud / DNS-level firewall, virtual patching and off-site scanning that Defender Security does not. Defender Security still has the edge on passkeys / WebAuthn and password policies. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

Cloud / DNS-level firewall

Defender Security: not included. Sucuri Security: paid version (Basic Firewall). WAF and CDN run on Sucuri's network in front of your host.

Virtual patching

Defender Security: not included. Sucuri Security: paid version (Basic Firewall). Firewall applies virtual patches for known software vulnerabilities.

Off-site scanning

Defender Security: not included. Sucuri Security: included. SiteCheck runs from Sucuri's servers, not your host.

Passkeys / WebAuthn

Defender Security: included. Sucuri Security: not included. WebAuthn login with biometrics or USB hardware security keys.

Password policies

Defender Security: included. Sucuri Security: not included. Blocks pwned passwords and can force a site-wide password reset.

SSL / HTTPS tools

Defender Security: not included. Sucuri Security: paid version (Basic Firewall). SSL certificates are included with firewall/platform plans, not the plugin.

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

Which would you choose?

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FAQ

Which is better, Defender Security or Sucuri Security?

Sucuri Security scores higher on our feature checklist (87/100 against 79/100) and includes cloud / DNS-level firewall, virtual patching and off-site scanning that Defender Security does not. Defender Security still has the edge on passkeys / WebAuthn and password policies. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Which has more features?

Sucuri Security includes 22 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 Sucuri Security free?

Sucuri Security has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $9.99/mo.

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