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MalCare Security vs Sucuri 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

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 MalCare Security if…

  • You need auto-update vulnerable plugins
  • You weigh user ratings (4.4 vs 4.2 on WordPress.org)

Choose Sucuri Security if…

  • You need cloud / DNS-level firewall and custom login URL
  • You also want security headers
  • You want the more complete feature set (87/100 vs 80/100)
  • You prefer the more widely used option

MalCare Security includes 1 feature that Sucuri Security lacks, including Auto-update vulnerable plugins; Sucuri Security has 3 that MalCare Security lacks, including Cloud / DNS-level firewall, Custom login URL and Security headers. Both include 19 of the 26 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

MalCare Security
Sucuri Security
80/100
Feature score
87/100
20 of 26
Features included
22 of 26
4.4/5
WordPress.org rating
4.2/5
100K+
Active installs
600K+
100%
Support threads resolved
100%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

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

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.
MalCare Security Not included

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

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.
MalCare Security Included

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

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.
MalCare Security Included

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

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.
MalCare Security Paid version Protect

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

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

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

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

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

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.
MalCare Security Paid version Protect

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

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Firewall blocks known malicious traffic using Sucuri signatures and intel.

Scanning & cleanup6/66/6
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.

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.
MalCare Security Included

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

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.
MalCare Security Included

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

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.
MalCare Security Included

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

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.
MalCare Security Included

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

Sucuri Security Included

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

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.

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Platform

Unlimited manual cleanups by Sucuri analysts on every platform plan.

Login security1/52/5
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.

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.
MalCare Security Not included

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

Sucuri Security Not included

No passkey or hardware-key login.

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.

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.
MalCare Security Not included

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

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.
MalCare Security Not included

No session listing or concurrent-login controls are listed.

Sucuri Security Not verified

Lists recent logins; ability to end sessions not confirmed.

Hardening4/54/5
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.

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.
MalCare Security Partial

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

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.
MalCare Security Not included

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

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.
MalCare Security Partial

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

Sucuri Security Paid version Basic Firewall

Firewall applies virtual patches for known software vulnerabilities.

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.

Sucuri Security Not included

Does not auto-update vulnerable plugins.

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.

Sucuri Security Included

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

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

Email alerts for detected hacks, vulnerabilities and security events.

Sucuri Security Included

Customisable email alerts for security events.

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.

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

MalCare Security Freemium

Free$0
Protect$99 per year, 1 site
Repair$299 per year, 1 site
Fortify$499 per year, 1 site

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

MalCare Security

57,526 downloads last week

Sucuri Security

75,540 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 5 Oct 2026

Sucuri Security scores higher on our feature checklist (87/100 against 80/100) and includes cloud / DNS-level firewall, custom login URL and security headers that MalCare Security does not. MalCare Security still has the edge on auto-update vulnerable plugins. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

Cloud / DNS-level firewall

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

Custom login URL

MalCare Security: not included. Sucuri Security: paid version (Basic Firewall). Firewall can set unique login URLs and protect login pages.

Security headers

MalCare Security: not included. Sucuri Security: partial. Can configure CSP (report-only), CORS and Cache-Control headers.

Auto-update vulnerable plugins

MalCare Security: partial. Sucuri Security: not included. Plugins and themes can be updated from the central dashboard; auto-updating only vulnerable items is not stated.

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, MalCare Security or Sucuri Security?

Sucuri Security scores higher on our feature checklist (87/100 against 80/100) and includes cloud / DNS-level firewall, custom login URL and security headers that MalCare Security does not. MalCare Security still has the edge on auto-update vulnerable plugins. 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 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 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 MalCare 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.