Plugin/Compare
Suggest a plugin

Site building

Marketing & growth

Performance

Security

Selling online

WooCommerce

MalCare Security vs Shield Security

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

MalCare Security

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 (559)

Cloud-scanning WordPress security plugin with a plugin-level firewall, login protection and paid one-click malware cleanup, for site owners and agencies.

Free installs100K+
From$99/yr
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile
VS

Shield Security

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 (1,039)

Automated WordPress security plugin with firewall, silentCAPTCHA bot detection, 2FA and audit log; ShieldPRO adds malware and vulnerability scanning.

Free installs30K+
From$149/yr
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile

Choose MalCare Security if…

  • You need virtual patching and country blocking
  • You also want off-site scanning and SSL / HTTPS tools
  • You want the lower entry price ($99/yr vs $149/yr)
  • You prefer the more widely used option

Choose Shield Security if…

  • You need passkeys / WebAuthn and password policies
  • You also want custom login URL and session management
  • You want the more complete feature set (84/100 vs 80/100)
  • You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.4 on WordPress.org)

MalCare Security includes 4 features that Shield Security lacks, including Country blocking, Off-site scanning and SSL / HTTPS tools; Shield Security has 5 that MalCare Security lacks, including Passkeys / WebAuthn, Password policies and Custom login URL. Both include 16 of the 26 features we track.

At a glance

MalCare Security
Shield Security
80/100
Feature score
84/100
20 of 26
Features included
21 of 26
4.4/5
WordPress.org rating
4.8/5
100K+
Active installs
30K+
100%
Support threads resolved
100%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
MalCare Security
Shield Security
Firewall & blocking6/75/7
Web application firewall KeyFilters malicious requests (SQL injection, XSS and similar) before they reach WordPress.
MalCare Security Included

Plugin-level firewall blocks SQLi, XSS and other OWASP classes; advanced rule set on Protect and up.

Shield Security Included

Firewall rules block malicious requests in the free plugin.

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

Firewall runs inside the WordPress site, not as a proxy on MalCare's network.

Shield Security Not included

All protection runs on your own server; no vendor proxy.

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

Login protection with rate limiting of failed logins on every plan, including XML-RPC.

Shield Security Included

Failed logins add offense points and trigger automatic IP blocks.

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

CAPTCHA challenge on the login page is part of the free login protection.

Shield Security Included

Invisible silentCAPTCHA protects login and registration without a puzzle.

Rate limiting & bot blockingThrottles or blocks aggressive crawlers and bad bots.
MalCare Security Paid version Protect

Bot protection that blocks malicious crawlers is listed from the Protect plan.

Shield Security Paid version Plus

Per-IP traffic rate limiting and DoS protection are ShieldPRO features.

Country blockingBlock or allow traffic by country.
MalCare Security Paid version Protect

Geo-blocking with per-country toggles on Protect and higher.

Shield Security Not included

Shield has no geo-blocking; its blog recommends a separate plugin.

Real-time IP blocklistBlocks IPs known for attacks using shared threat intelligence.
MalCare Security Paid version Protect

Real-time IP blacklisting from MalCare's network on Protect+; free blocks known bad IPs with slower updates.

Shield Security Included

Daily CrowdSec-backed IP blocklists in free; advanced CrowdSec intelligence on Plus.

Scanning & cleanup6/65/6
Malware scanner KeyScans files and database for malware, backdoors and injected code.
MalCare Security Included

Scans every file, database table and scheduled task for known and unknown malware.

Shield Security Paid version Plus

AI-based scanner for known and unknown PHP malware requires ShieldPRO.

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

Unexpected file changes are flagged as part of the malware scan rather than a separate checker.

Shield Security Included

Core files checked against official checksums free; plugin/theme file checks need PRO.

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

Vulnerability alerts for plugins, themes and core are included in the free plan.

Shield Security Paid version Plus

Vulnerability scanning of installed plugins and themes is a ShieldPRO feature.

Scheduled scansRuns scans automatically on a schedule.
MalCare Security Included

Automatic scans weekly on Free, daily on Protect, 12-hourly on Repair, hourly on Fortify.

Shield Security Included

Scans run automatically in the background; PRO allows more frequent scans.

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

Scans are processed on MalCare's servers so they do not load the site.

Shield Security Not included

Scans run on the site's own server.

Malware removalOne-click or expert cleanup of infected sites.
MalCare Security Paid version Repair

Automated one-click cleanup on Repair; unlimited manual fixes by analysts on Fortify.

Shield Security Paid version Plus

Free auto-repairs core files; PRO repairs plugins/themes and deletes malware. No expert cleanup.

Login security1/55/5
Two-factor authentication KeySecond login factor via authenticator app, email or similar.
MalCare Security Included

Email-based 2FA; free covers 2 admin users, rising to all users on Fortify.

Shield Security Included

Email codes, authenticator apps and YubiKey OTP in the free plugin.

Passkeys / WebAuthnPasswordless login with passkeys or hardware security keys.
MalCare Security Not included

No passkey or hardware-key login mentioned in features or pricing.

Shield Security Paid version Plus

Passkey and WebAuthn login plus backup codes are ShieldPRO features.

Password policiesEnforce strong passwords, expiry or breached-password checks.
MalCare Security Not included

Offers a reset-all-passwords action but no strength, expiry or breached-password rules.

Shield Security Included

Password policies are listed in the free tier.

Custom login URLMove or hide the wp-login.php / wp-admin login page.
MalCare Security Not included

No option to move or hide the login page is listed.

Shield Security Included

Free option to hide the WordPress login URL.

Session managementView and end active user sessions, limit concurrent logins.
MalCare Security Not included

No session listing or concurrent-login controls are listed.

Shield Security Included

User session management is available free; user suspension is PRO.

Hardening4/53/5
One-click hardeningDisable XML-RPC, file editing, user enumeration and similar weak points.
MalCare Security Paid version Protect

Paid hardening: block PHP in untrusted folders, disable file editor, block installs, rotate keys.

Shield Security Included

Locks down XML-RPC and REST API and blocks user enumeration.

SSL / HTTPS toolsEnforce HTTPS, fix mixed content and redirects.
MalCare Security Partial

SSL certificate monitoring on all plans; no HTTPS enforcement or mixed-content fixing.

Shield Security Not included

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

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

HTTP security header configuration is not part of the feature set.

Shield Security Paid version Plus

Security headers and Content Security Policy are PRO features.

Virtual patchingFirewall rules that block exploits for known plugin vulnerabilities before an update is available.
MalCare Security Partial

Free gets virtual patches about 7 days late; immediate patching from Protect.

Shield Security Not included

No virtual patching rules for specific plugin vulnerabilities are offered.

Auto-update vulnerable pluginsAutomatically updates plugins with known vulnerabilities.
MalCare Security Partial

Plugins and themes can be updated from the central dashboard; auto-updating only vulnerable items is not stated.

Shield Security Paid version Plus

Vulnerability scanner can auto-upgrade affected plugins once a fix is released.

Monitoring & management3/33/3
Activity log KeyRecords logins, changes and admin actions for auditing.
MalCare Security Paid version Repair

Activity log of logins and changes kept 7 days on Repair and 60 days on Fortify.

Shield Security Included

Full activity log and traffic monitoring free; third-party plugin logging on Enterprise.

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

Email alerts for detected hacks, vulnerabilities and security events.

Shield Security Included

Security reports in free; instant vulnerability alerts with PRO.

Multi-site dashboardManage security for many sites from one dashboard.
MalCare Security Included

Sites are managed from MalCare's web dashboard; white label and client reports are paid extras.

Shield Security Paid version Plus

Multi-site management via MainWP integration and settings sync is PRO.

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

Shield Security Freemium

Free$0
Plus$149 per year, 1 site
Plus (10 sites)$399 per year, 10 sites
Enterprise$199 per year, 1 site

Downloads trend

MalCare Security

29,897 downloads last week

Shield Security

16,256 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 5 Oct 2026

Shield Security scores higher on our feature checklist (84/100 against 80/100) and includes passkeys / WebAuthn, password policies and custom login URL that MalCare Security does not. MalCare Security still has the edge on virtual patching and country blocking. Paid plans start at $99/yr for MalCare Security and $149/yr for Shield Security. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

Virtual patching

MalCare Security: partial. Shield Security: not included. Free gets virtual patches about 7 days late; immediate patching from Protect.

Country blocking

MalCare Security: paid version (Protect). Shield Security: not included. Geo-blocking with per-country toggles on Protect and higher.

Off-site scanning

MalCare Security: included. Shield Security: not included. Scans are processed on MalCare's servers so they do not load the site.

Passkeys / WebAuthn

MalCare Security: not included. Shield Security: paid version (Plus). Passkey and WebAuthn login plus backup codes are ShieldPRO features.

Password policies

MalCare Security: not included. Shield Security: included. Password policies are listed in the free tier.

Custom login URL

MalCare Security: not included. Shield Security: included. Free option to hide the WordPress login URL.

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, MalCare Security or Shield Security?

Shield Security scores higher on our feature checklist (84/100 against 80/100) and includes passkeys / WebAuthn, password policies and custom login URL that MalCare Security does not. MalCare Security still has the edge on virtual patching and country blocking. Paid plans start at $99/yr for MalCare Security and $149/yr for Shield Security. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Which has more features?

Shield Security includes 21 of the 26 features we track, against 20 for MalCare Security. 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 Shield Security free?

Shield Security has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $149/yr.

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