MalCare Security vs Patchstack
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 26 features compared side by side.
Cloud-scanning WordPress security plugin with a plugin-level firewall, login protection and paid one-click malware cleanup, for site owners and agencies.
Vulnerability intelligence and virtual patching for WordPress: free alerts for up to 3 sites, paid firewall rules that block exploits before you update.
Choose MalCare Security if…
- You need malware scanner and file change detection
- You also want malware removal
- You want the more complete feature set (80/100 vs 60/100)
Choose Patchstack if…
- You need custom login URL and security headers
- You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.4 on WordPress.org)
MalCare Security includes 3 features that Patchstack lacks, including Malware scanner, File change detection and Malware removal; Patchstack has 2 that MalCare Security lacks, including Custom login URL and Security headers. Both include 14 of the 26 features we track. 6 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.
MalCare Security PatchstackFirewall & blocking6/74/7
Plugin-level firewall blocks SQLi, XSS and other OWASP classes; advanced rule set on Protect and up.
Paid plans filter requests with vPatch rules and unlimited custom firewall rules; free has no firewall.
Firewall runs inside the WordPress site, not as a proxy on MalCare's network.
Rules are enforced by the plugin on each page load, not on a vendor proxy.
Login protection with rate limiting of failed logins on every plan, including XML-RPC.
Paid login protection blocks wp-login.php except via a secret allowlisting link; rate limiting in hardening.
CAPTCHA challenge on the login page is part of the free login protection.
reCAPTCHA is part of the paid remote hardening settings.
Bot protection that blocks malicious crawlers is listed from the Protect plan.
Geo-blocking with per-country toggles on Protect and higher.
Real-time IP blacklisting from MalCare's network on Protect+; free blocks known bad IPs with slower updates.
Community IP blocklist of known attacker addresses on paid plans.
Scanning & cleanup6/63/6
Scans every file, database table and scheduled task for known and unknown malware.
Vendor states the product focuses on prevention rather than malware scanning.
Unexpected file changes are flagged as part of the malware scan rather than a separate checker.
No file comparison or integrity checking is offered.
Vulnerability alerts for plugins, themes and core are included in the free plan.
Free detection of vulnerable plugins, themes and core using Patchstack's database.
Automatic scans weekly on Free, daily on Protect, 12-hourly on Repair, hourly on Fortify.
Software versions are checked automatically by scheduled tasks; there are no malware scans.
Scans are processed on MalCare's servers so they do not load the site.
Vulnerability matching happens against Patchstack's cloud database; no offsite malware scanning.
Automated one-click cleanup on Repair; unlimited manual fixes by analysts on Fortify.
No cleanup service; Patchstack positions itself as prevention.
Login security1/52/5
Email-based 2FA; free covers 2 admin users, rising to all users on Fortify.
Two-factor authentication is included with paid protection.
No passkey or hardware-key login mentioned in features or pricing.
Offers a reset-all-passwords action but no strength, expiry or breached-password rules.
No option to move or hide the login page is listed.
Paid option blocks wp-login.php entirely and opens it via a secret link instead of renaming it.
No session listing or concurrent-login controls are listed.
Hardening4/54/5
Paid hardening: block PHP in untrusted folders, disable file editor, block installs, rotate keys.
Disable theme editor, block user enumeration, restrict XML-RPC/REST API, hide WP version.
SSL certificate monitoring on all plans; no HTTPS enforcement or mixed-content fixing.
HTTP security header configuration is not part of the feature set.
Hardening toggle adds a standard set of security headers via .htaccess.
Free gets virtual patches about 7 days late; immediate patching from Protect.
Core paid feature: 12,000+ targeted mitigation rules blocking known exploits.
Plugins and themes can be updated from the central dashboard; auto-updating only vulnerable items is not stated.
Free option to auto-update only plugins with known vulnerabilities.
Monitoring & management3/33/3
Activity log of logins and changes kept 7 days on Repair and 60 days on Fortify.
Logs and analytics are included in the free plan as well.
Email alerts for detected hacks, vulnerabilities and security events.
Real-time email alerts for new vulnerabilities; Slack and custom alerts on paid plans.
Sites are managed from MalCare's web dashboard; white label and client reports are paid extras.
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
MalCare Security Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Protect | $99 per year, 1 site |
| Repair | $299 per year, 1 site |
| Fortify | $499 per year, 1 site |
Patchstack Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Personal protection | $5 per month, 1 site |
| Developer | $828 per year, 25 sites |
Downloads trend
MalCare Security
57,526 downloads last week
Patchstack
6,629 downloads last week
Verdict
MalCare Security scores higher on our feature checklist (80/100 against 60/100) and includes malware scanner, file change detection and malware removal that Patchstack does not. Patchstack still has the edge on custom login URL and security headers. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
MalCare Security: included. Patchstack: not included. Scans every file, database table and scheduled task for known and unknown malware.
MalCare Security: included. Patchstack: not included. Unexpected file changes are flagged as part of the malware scan rather than a separate checker.
MalCare Security: paid version (Repair). Patchstack: not included. Automated one-click cleanup on Repair; unlimited manual fixes by analysts on Fortify.
MalCare Security: not included. Patchstack: partial. Paid option blocks wp-login.php entirely and opens it via a secret link instead of renaming it.
MalCare Security: 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, MalCare Security or Patchstack?
MalCare Security scores higher on our feature checklist (80/100 against 60/100) and includes malware scanner, file change detection and malware removal that Patchstack does not. Patchstack still has the edge on custom login URL and security headers. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
MalCare Security includes 20 of the 26 features we track, against 16 for Patchstack. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is MalCare Security free?
MalCare Security has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $99/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 MalCare Security or Patchstack. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.