Jetpack Protect vs Patchstack
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 26 features compared side by side.
Automattic's lightweight security plugin with free daily vulnerability scans and brute-force protection, upgradable to Jetpack Scan malware scanning and WAF.
Vulnerability intelligence and virtual patching for WordPress: free alerts for up to 3 sites, paid firewall rules that block exploits before you update.
Choose Jetpack Protect if…
- You need malware scanner and malware removal
Choose Patchstack if…
- You need two-factor authentication and one-click hardening
- You also want custom login URL and security headers
- You want the more complete feature set (60/100 vs 51/100)
- You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.6 on WordPress.org)
Jetpack Protect includes 2 features that Patchstack lacks, including Malware scanner and Malware removal; Patchstack has 5 that Jetpack Protect lacks, including Two-factor authentication, Custom login URL and One-click hardening. Both include 11 of the 26 features we track. 7 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Jetpack Protect PatchstackFirewall & blocking4/74/7
Free allows manual IP rules only; automatic WAF rules need Jetpack Scan.
Paid plans filter requests with vPatch rules and unlimited custom firewall rules; free has no firewall.
WAF runs on your server (optionally before WordPress loads).
Rules are enforced by the plugin on each page load, not on a vendor proxy.
Blocks botnet and repeated login attempts by default.
Paid login protection blocks wp-login.php except via a secret allowlisting link; rate limiting in hardening.
Math CAPTCHA appears only as a fallback when an IP is blocked.
reCAPTCHA is part of the paid remote hardening settings.
No crawler or bot throttling controls.
No country or geo blocking.
Brute-force protection uses Jetpack network data at login; site-wide lists are manual.
Community IP blocklist of known attacker addresses on paid plans.
Scanning & cleanup5/63/6
Daily malware scanning with Jetpack Scan.
Vendor states the product focuses on prevention rather than malware scanning.
Core file comparison not documented on pages checked.
No file comparison or integrity checking is offered.
Daily scans of core, plugins and themes against WPScan data.
Free detection of vulnerable plugins, themes and core using Patchstack's database.
Automatic daily scans; manual scans can also be triggered.
Software versions are checked automatically by scheduled tasks; there are no malware scans.
Scans run on Jetpack's cloud infrastructure.
Vulnerability matching happens against Patchstack's cloud database; no offsite malware scanning.
Automated one-click fixes for most detected threats; no human cleanup.
No cleanup service; Patchstack positions itself as prevention.
Login security0/52/5
No 2FA in the plugin.
Two-factor authentication is included with paid protection.
No passkey support.
No password rules.
Cannot change the login URL.
Paid option blocks wp-login.php entirely and opens it via a secret link instead of renaming it.
No session tools.
Hardening1/54/5
No hardening toggles such as disabling XML-RPC or file editing.
Disable theme editor, block user enumeration, restrict XML-RPC/REST API, hide WP version.
No HTTPS tools.
No security header settings.
Hardening toggle adds a standard set of security headers via .htaccess.
Automatic firewall rules block known threats as they are found.
Core paid feature: 12,000+ targeted mitigation rules blocking known exploits.
Recommends updates but does not auto-update vulnerable plugins.
Free option to auto-update only plugins with known vulnerabilities.
Monitoring & management3/33/3
Activity Log page added in v6.1; full 30-day history is in Jetpack Security.
Logs and analytics are included in the free plan as well.
Instant email notifications when threats are found.
Real-time email alerts for new vulnerabilities; Slack and custom alerts on paid plans.
Agencies can track sites and security alerts in the Automattic for Agencies dashboard.
Patchstack app shows security status for up to 3 sites free, more on paid plans.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Jetpack Protect Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Jetpack Scan | $119.40 per year, 1 site |
| Jetpack Security | $239.40 per year, 1 site |
Patchstack Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Personal protection | $5 per month, 1 site |
| Developer | $828 per year, 25 sites |
Downloads trend
Jetpack Protect
4,205 downloads last week
Patchstack
6,629 downloads last week
Verdict
Patchstack scores higher on our feature checklist (60/100 against 51/100) and includes two-factor authentication, one-click hardening and custom login URL that Jetpack Protect does not. Jetpack Protect still has the edge on malware scanner and malware removal. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Jetpack Protect: paid version (Jetpack Scan). Patchstack: not included. Daily malware scanning with Jetpack Scan.
Jetpack Protect: not included. Patchstack: paid version (Personal protection). Two-factor authentication is included with paid protection.
Jetpack Protect: paid version (Jetpack Scan). Patchstack: not included. Automated one-click fixes for most detected threats; no human cleanup.
Jetpack Protect: not included. Patchstack: paid version (Personal protection). Disable theme editor, block user enumeration, restrict XML-RPC/REST API, hide WP version.
Jetpack Protect: not included. Patchstack: partial. Paid option blocks wp-login.php entirely and opens it via a secret link instead of renaming it.
Jetpack Protect: not included. Patchstack: paid version (Personal protection). Hardening toggle adds a standard set of security headers via .htaccess.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, Jetpack Protect or Patchstack?
Patchstack scores higher on our feature checklist (60/100 against 51/100) and includes two-factor authentication, one-click hardening and custom login URL that Jetpack Protect does not. Jetpack Protect still has the edge on malware scanner and malware removal. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
Patchstack includes 16 of the 26 features we track, against 13 for Jetpack Protect. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Jetpack Protect free?
Jetpack Protect has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $119.40/yr.
Is Patchstack free?
Patchstack has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $5/mo.
Feature data last changed 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Jetpack Protect or Patchstack. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.