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Jetpack Protect vs Really Simple Security

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

Jetpack Protect

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 (123)

Automattic's lightweight security plugin with free daily vulnerability scans and brute-force protection, upgradable to Jetpack Scan malware scanning and WAF.

Free installs100K+
From$119.40/yr
UpdatedAug 2026
Visit site Full profile
VS

Really Simple Security

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.9 (8,870)

SSL migration and lightweight hardening plugin (formerly Really Simple SSL) with vulnerability alerts, plus a Pro firewall, 2FA and security headers.

Free installs3M+
From$69/yr
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile

Choose Jetpack Protect if…

  • You need malware scanner and activity log
  • You also want real-time IP blocklist and malware removal

Choose Really Simple Security if…

  • You need two-factor authentication and rate limiting & bot blocking
  • You also want one-click hardening and country blocking
  • You want the more complete feature set (54/100 vs 51/100)
  • You want the lower entry price ($69/yr vs $119.40/yr)

Jetpack Protect includes 7 features that Really Simple Security lacks, including Real-time IP blocklist, Malware scanner and Off-site scanning; Really Simple Security has 10 that Jetpack Protect lacks, including Rate limiting & bot blocking, Country blocking and Two-factor authentication. Both include 6 of the 26 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

Jetpack Protect
Really Simple Security
51/100
Feature score
54/100
13 of 26
Features included
16 of 26
4.6/5
WordPress.org rating
4.9/5
100K+
Active installs
3M+
75%
Support threads resolved
100%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
Jetpack Protect
Really Simple Security
Firewall & blocking4/75/7
Web application firewall KeyFilters malicious requests (SQL injection, XSS and similar) before they reach WordPress.
Jetpack Protect Paid version Jetpack Scan

Free allows manual IP rules only; automatic WAF rules need Jetpack Scan.

Really Simple Security Partial Pro

Pro firewall uses automated access rules (404s, regions, IPs) rather than payload inspection.

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

WAF runs on your server (optionally before WordPress loads).

Really Simple Security Not included

Rules run on your own server.

Brute-force protection KeyLimits failed logins and locks out attackers guessing passwords.
Jetpack Protect Included

Blocks botnet and repeated login attempts by default.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

Limit Login Attempts with configurable thresholds.

Login CAPTCHACAPTCHA or Turnstile on login, registration and password reset forms.
Jetpack Protect Partial

Math CAPTCHA appears only as a fallback when an IP is blocked.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

hCaptcha or reCAPTCHA with Limit Login Attempts.

Rate limiting & bot blockingThrottles or blocks aggressive crawlers and bad bots.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No crawler or bot throttling controls.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

404 blocking stops crawlers triggering unusual numbers of 404s.

Country blockingBlock or allow traffic by country.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No country or geo blocking.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

Region blocking allows or blocks access by region.

Real-time IP blocklistBlocks IPs known for attacks using shared threat intelligence.
Jetpack Protect Partial

Brute-force protection uses Jetpack network data at login; site-wide lists are manual.

Really Simple Security Not included

Pro offers manual IP block/allow lists; no shared threat-intel feed.

Scanning & cleanup5/62/6
Malware scanner KeyScans files and database for malware, backdoors and injected code.
Jetpack Protect Paid version Jetpack Scan

Daily malware scanning with Jetpack Scan.

Really Simple Security Not included

Does not scan files or database for malware.

File change detectionCompares core, plugin and theme files with originals and flags changes.
Jetpack Protect Not verified

Core file comparison not documented on pages checked.

Really Simple Security Not included

No comparison of files with originals.

Vulnerability alerts KeyWarns when installed plugins, themes or core have known vulnerabilities.
Jetpack Protect Included

Daily scans of core, plugins and themes against WPScan data.

Really Simple Security Included

Notifies about vulnerable plugins, themes and core (WP Vulnerability data).

Scheduled scansRuns scans automatically on a schedule.
Jetpack Protect Included

Automatic daily scans; manual scans can also be triggered.

Really Simple Security Partial

Vulnerability checks recur automatically; there are no malware scans.

Off-site scanningScans run on the vendor's servers so they don't slow your site.
Jetpack Protect Included

Scans run on Jetpack's cloud infrastructure.

Really Simple Security Not included

No vendor-side scanning service.

Malware removalOne-click or expert cleanup of infected sites.
Jetpack Protect Paid version Jetpack Scan

Automated one-click fixes for most detected threats; no human cleanup.

Really Simple Security Not included

No cleanup tool or service.

Login security0/54/5
Two-factor authentication KeySecond login factor via authenticator app, email or similar.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No 2FA in the plugin.

Really Simple Security Included

Free email 2FA enforceable per role; TOTP is Pro.

Passkeys / WebAuthnPasswordless login with passkeys or hardware security keys.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No passkey support.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

Passkey (WebAuthn) login in Pro.

Password policiesEnforce strong passwords, expiry or breached-password checks.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No password rules.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

Enforce strong passwords and periodic password changes.

Custom login URLMove or hide the wp-login.php / wp-admin login page.
Jetpack Protect Not included

Cannot change the login URL.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

Custom login URL is part of advanced hardening.

Session managementView and end active user sessions, limit concurrent logins.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No session tools.

Really Simple Security Not included

No active session viewer or concurrent-login limits.

Hardening1/54/5
One-click hardeningDisable XML-RPC, file editing, user enumeration and similar weak points.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No hardening toggles such as disabling XML-RPC or file editing.

Really Simple Security Included

Disable XML-RPC, user enumeration, directory browsing, uploads code execution.

SSL / HTTPS toolsEnforce HTTPS, fix mixed content and redirects.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No HTTPS tools.

Really Simple Security Included

One-click HTTPS, 301 redirects, secure cookies; mixed-content fixer in Pro.

Security headersSet HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options and other HTTP security headers.
Jetpack Protect Not included

No security header settings.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

HSTS, X-Frame-Options, Referrer-Policy and auto-generated CSP.

Virtual patchingFirewall rules that block exploits for known plugin vulnerabilities before an update is available.
Jetpack Protect Paid version Jetpack Scan

Automatic firewall rules block known threats as they are found.

Really Simple Security Not included

No exploit-blocking rules for specific vulnerabilities.

Auto-update vulnerable pluginsAutomatically updates plugins with known vulnerabilities.
Jetpack Protect Not included

Recommends updates but does not auto-update vulnerable plugins.

Really Simple Security Paid version Pro

Can force updates or quarantine vulnerable plugins and themes.

Monitoring & management3/31/3
Activity log KeyRecords logins, changes and admin actions for auditing.
Jetpack Protect Partial

Activity Log page added in v6.1; full 30-day history is in Jetpack Security.

Really Simple Security Not included

No audit trail of admin and content changes.

Security alertsEmail or app alerts for attacks, lockouts and scan results.
Jetpack Protect Paid version Jetpack Scan

Instant email notifications when threats are found.

Really Simple Security Included

Sends notifications when vulnerabilities are found.

Multi-site dashboardManage security for many sites from one dashboard.
Jetpack Protect Partial

Agencies can track sites and security alerts in the Automattic for Agencies dashboard.

Really Simple Security Not included

Only a multisite network settings page; no multi-site dashboard.

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

Really Simple Security Freemium

Free$0
Personal$69 per year, 1 site
Professional$119 per year, 5 sites
Agency$209 per year, 25 sites

Downloads trend

Jetpack Protect

4,188 downloads last week

Really Simple Security

1,242,786 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 5 Oct 2026

Really Simple Security scores higher on our feature checklist (54/100 against 51/100) and includes two-factor authentication, rate limiting & bot blocking and one-click hardening that Jetpack Protect does not. Jetpack Protect still has the edge on malware scanner and activity log. Paid plans start at $119.40/yr for Jetpack Protect and $69/yr for Really Simple Security. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

Malware scanner

Jetpack Protect: paid version (Jetpack Scan). Really Simple Security: not included. Daily malware scanning with Jetpack Scan.

Two-factor authentication

Jetpack Protect: not included. Really Simple Security: included. Free email 2FA enforceable per role; TOTP is Pro.

Activity log

Jetpack Protect: partial. Really Simple Security: not included. Activity Log page added in v6.1; full 30-day history is in Jetpack Security.

Rate limiting & bot blocking

Jetpack Protect: not included. Really Simple Security: paid version (Pro). 404 blocking stops crawlers triggering unusual numbers of 404s.

Real-time IP blocklist

Jetpack Protect: partial. Really Simple Security: not included. Brute-force protection uses Jetpack network data at login; site-wide lists are manual.

Malware removal

Jetpack Protect: paid version (Jetpack Scan). Really Simple Security: not included. Automated one-click fixes for most detected threats; no human cleanup.

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, Jetpack Protect or Really Simple Security?

Really Simple Security scores higher on our feature checklist (54/100 against 51/100) and includes two-factor authentication, rate limiting & bot blocking and one-click hardening that Jetpack Protect does not. Jetpack Protect still has the edge on malware scanner and activity log. Paid plans start at $119.40/yr for Jetpack Protect and $69/yr for Really Simple Security. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Which has more features?

Really Simple Security 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 Really Simple Security free?

Really Simple Security has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $69/yr.

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