Patchstack vs Kadence Security (formerly Solid 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.
Login-focused WordPress security plugin (formerly Solid Security / iThemes Security) with 2FA, brute-force protection and Patchstack virtual patching in Pro.
Choose Patchstack if…
- You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.6 on WordPress.org)
Choose Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) if…
- You need malware scanner and file change detection
- You want the more complete feature set (77/100 vs 60/100)
- You prefer the more widely used option
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) has 2 that Patchstack lacks, including Malware scanner and File change detection. Both include 16 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 Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)Firewall & blocking4/75/7
Paid plans filter requests with vPatch rules and unlimited custom firewall rules; free has no firewall.
Firewall with Patchstack rules and custom request rules is part of Pro.
Rules are enforced by the plugin on each page load, not on a vendor proxy.
Firewall runs inside WordPress on your server.
Paid login protection blocks wp-login.php except via a secret allowlisting link; rate limiting in hardening.
Local lockouts plus network-wide brute-force protection in the free plugin.
reCAPTCHA is part of the paid remote hardening settings.
Pro CAPTCHA on login, registration, reset and comments (reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Turnstile).
No documented throttling for crawlers or bots found.
Restrict Admin Access by Country limits admin logins only; tier not stated.
Community IP blocklist of known attacker addresses on paid plans.
Network Brute Force Protection blocks IPs reported across ~1M sites.
Scanning & cleanup3/65/6
Vendor states the product focuses on prevention rather than malware scanning.
Site Scan checks Google Safe Browsing; no signature-based file malware scan.
No file comparison or integrity checking is offered.
File change detection flags modified files; not a full original-file comparison.
Free detection of vulnerable plugins, themes and core using Patchstack's database.
Site Scan checks core, plugins and themes for known vulnerabilities.
Software versions are checked automatically by scheduled tasks; there are no malware scans.
Site Scan runs 4x daily free, hourly in Pro.
Vulnerability matching happens against Patchstack's cloud database; no offsite malware scanning.
Site Scan is processed through the vendor's scanning service; file checks run locally.
No cleanup service; Patchstack positions itself as prevention.
No malware cleanup tool or service included.
Login security2/55/5
Two-factor authentication is included with paid protection.
2FA via authenticator app, email or backup codes in the free plugin.
Passkey (WebAuthn) login requires Pro; not available on multisite.
Create and enforce password requirements by user group.
Paid option blocks wp-login.php entirely and opens it via a secret link instead of renaming it.
Hide Login URL tool moves the login page.
Pro Trusted Devices helps block session hijacking; no full session manager found.
Hardening4/55/5
Disable theme editor, block user enumeration, restrict XML-RPC/REST API, hide WP version.
Advanced tools: change user ID 1, DB prefix, file permissions, salts, wp-config rules.
Free option to enforce SSL across the site.
Hardening toggle adds a standard set of security headers via .htaccess.
Settings for X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy and CSP; no HSTS.
Core paid feature: 12,000+ targeted mitigation rules blocking known exploits.
Patchstack virtual patching blocks exploits before vendor fixes.
Free option to auto-update only plugins with known vulnerabilities.
Version Management can auto-update or patch vulnerable software.
Monitoring & management3/33/3
Logs and analytics are included in the free plan as well.
User logging of logins, plugin, theme and content changes is Pro.
Real-time email alerts for new vulnerabilities; Slack and custom alerts on paid plans.
Security events and lockout notifications; site scan alert emails.
Patchstack app shows security status for up to 3 sites free, more on paid plans.
Kadence Central multi-site portal is included in the Elite plan.
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 |
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Kadence Pro | $299 per year, Not stated |
| Kadence Elite | $499 per year, Not stated |
Downloads trend
Patchstack
6,629 downloads last week
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)
57,514 downloads last week
Verdict
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) scores higher on our feature checklist (77/100 against 60/100) and includes malware scanner and file change detection that Patchstack does not. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Patchstack: not included. Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): partial. Site Scan checks Google Safe Browsing; no signature-based file malware scan.
Patchstack: not included. Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): partial. File change detection flags modified files; not a full original-file comparison.
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.
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FAQ
Which is better, Patchstack or Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)?
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) scores higher on our feature checklist (77/100 against 60/100) and includes malware scanner and file change detection that Patchstack does not. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) includes 23 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 Patchstack free?
Patchstack has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $5/mo.
Is Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) free?
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $299/yr.
Feature data last changed 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Patchstack or Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security). Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.