Patchstack vs Really Simple Security
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 26 features compared side by side.
Vulnerability intelligence and virtual patching for WordPress: free alerts for up to 3 sites, paid firewall rules that block exploits before you update.
SSL migration and lightweight hardening plugin (formerly Really Simple SSL) with vulnerability alerts, plus a Pro firewall, 2FA and security headers.
Choose Patchstack if…
- You need activity log and real-time IP blocklist
- You also want virtual patching and off-site scanning
- You want the more complete feature set (60/100 vs 54/100)
Choose Really Simple Security if…
- You prefer the more widely used option
Patchstack includes 5 features that Really Simple Security lacks, including Real-time IP blocklist, Off-site scanning and Virtual patching. Both include 11 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.
Patchstack Really Simple SecurityFirewall & blocking4/75/7
Paid plans filter requests with vPatch rules and unlimited custom firewall rules; free has no firewall.
Pro firewall uses automated access rules (404s, regions, IPs) rather than payload inspection.
Rules are enforced by the plugin on each page load, not on a vendor proxy.
Rules run on your own server.
Paid login protection blocks wp-login.php except via a secret allowlisting link; rate limiting in hardening.
Limit Login Attempts with configurable thresholds.
reCAPTCHA is part of the paid remote hardening settings.
hCaptcha or reCAPTCHA with Limit Login Attempts.
404 blocking stops crawlers triggering unusual numbers of 404s.
Region blocking allows or blocks access by region.
Community IP blocklist of known attacker addresses on paid plans.
Pro offers manual IP block/allow lists; no shared threat-intel feed.
Scanning & cleanup3/62/6
Vendor states the product focuses on prevention rather than malware scanning.
Does not scan files or database for malware.
No file comparison or integrity checking is offered.
No comparison of files with originals.
Free detection of vulnerable plugins, themes and core using Patchstack's database.
Notifies about vulnerable plugins, themes and core (WP Vulnerability data).
Software versions are checked automatically by scheduled tasks; there are no malware scans.
Vulnerability checks recur automatically; there are no malware scans.
Vulnerability matching happens against Patchstack's cloud database; no offsite malware scanning.
No vendor-side scanning service.
No cleanup service; Patchstack positions itself as prevention.
No cleanup tool or service.
Login security2/54/5
Two-factor authentication is included with paid protection.
Free email 2FA enforceable per role; TOTP is Pro.
Passkey (WebAuthn) login in Pro.
Enforce strong passwords and periodic password changes.
Paid option blocks wp-login.php entirely and opens it via a secret link instead of renaming it.
Custom login URL is part of advanced hardening.
No active session viewer or concurrent-login limits.
Hardening4/54/5
Disable theme editor, block user enumeration, restrict XML-RPC/REST API, hide WP version.
Disable XML-RPC, user enumeration, directory browsing, uploads code execution.
One-click HTTPS, 301 redirects, secure cookies; mixed-content fixer in Pro.
Hardening toggle adds a standard set of security headers via .htaccess.
HSTS, X-Frame-Options, Referrer-Policy and auto-generated CSP.
Core paid feature: 12,000+ targeted mitigation rules blocking known exploits.
No exploit-blocking rules for specific vulnerabilities.
Free option to auto-update only plugins with known vulnerabilities.
Can force updates or quarantine vulnerable plugins and themes.
Monitoring & management3/31/3
Logs and analytics are included in the free plan as well.
No audit trail of admin and content changes.
Real-time email alerts for new vulnerabilities; Slack and custom alerts on paid plans.
Sends notifications when vulnerabilities are found.
Patchstack app shows security status for up to 3 sites free, more on paid plans.
Only a multisite network settings page; no multi-site dashboard.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Patchstack Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Personal protection | $5 per month, 1 site |
| Developer | $828 per year, 25 sites |
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
Patchstack
6,629 downloads last week
Really Simple Security
1,228,062 downloads last week
Verdict
Patchstack scores higher on our feature checklist (60/100 against 54/100) and includes activity log, real-time IP blocklist and virtual patching that Really Simple Security does not. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Patchstack: included. Really Simple Security: not included. Logs and analytics are included in the free plan as well.
Patchstack: paid version (Personal protection). Really Simple Security: not included. Community IP blocklist of known attacker addresses on paid plans.
Patchstack: paid version (Personal protection). Really Simple Security: not included. Core paid feature: 12,000+ targeted mitigation rules blocking known exploits.
Patchstack: partial. Really Simple Security: not included. Vulnerability matching happens against Patchstack's cloud database; no offsite malware scanning.
Patchstack: included. Really Simple Security: not included. Patchstack app shows security status for up to 3 sites free, more on paid plans.
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, Patchstack or Really Simple Security?
Patchstack scores higher on our feature checklist (60/100 against 54/100) and includes activity log, real-time IP blocklist and virtual patching that Really Simple Security does not. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
They are level: both include 16 of the 26 security plugins features we track.
Is Patchstack free?
Patchstack has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $5/mo.
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 Patchstack 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.