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Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) vs WP Cerber Security

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

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 (3,992)

Login-focused WordPress security plugin (formerly Solid Security / iThemes Security) with 2FA, brute-force protection and Patchstack virtual patching in Pro.

Free installs700K+
From$299/yr
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile
VS

Self-distributed WordPress security plugin with firewall, anti-spam, malware scanner, 2FA and custom login URL; PRO adds GEO rules and scheduled scans.

Est. installs~6K
From$99/yr
ModelFreemium
Visit site Full profile

Choose Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) if…

  • You need virtual patching
  • You want the more complete feature set (77/100 vs 69/100)
  • You prefer the more widely used option

Choose WP Cerber Security if…

  • You need malware removal
  • You want the lower entry price ($99/yr vs $299/yr)

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) includes 1 feature that WP Cerber Security lacks, including Virtual patching; WP Cerber Security has 1 that Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) lacks, including Malware removal. Both include 15 of the 26 features we track. 9 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)
WP Cerber Security
77/100
Feature score
69/100
23 of 26
Features included
17 of 26
4.6/5
WordPress.org rating
—
700K+
Active installs
n/a
25%
Support threads resolved
n/a

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)
WP Cerber Security
Firewall & blocking5/76/7
Web application firewall KeyFilters malicious requests (SQL injection, XSS and similar) before they reach WordPress.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Firewall with Patchstack rules and custom request rules is part of Pro.

WP Cerber Security Included

Traffic Inspector screens suspicious requests and code injection attempts.

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

Firewall runs inside WordPress on your server.

WP Cerber Security Not verified
Brute-force protection KeyLimits failed logins and locks out attackers guessing passwords.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Local lockouts plus network-wide brute-force protection in the free plugin.

WP Cerber Security Included

Limits login attempts by IP address or Class C subnet.

Login CAPTCHACAPTCHA or Turnstile on login, registration and password reset forms.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Pro CAPTCHA on login, registration, reset and comments (reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Turnstile).

WP Cerber Security Included

reCAPTCHA for WordPress and WooCommerce forms.

Rate limiting & bot blockingThrottles or blocks aggressive crawlers and bad bots.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Not verified

No documented throttling for crawlers or bots found.

WP Cerber Security Included

Bot detection with traps and honeypots blocks automated and hacker activity.

Country blockingBlock or allow traffic by country.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

Restrict Admin Access by Country limits admin logins only; tier not stated.

WP Cerber Security Paid version PRO

Rich GEO country rules are listed as a Professional version feature.

Real-time IP blocklistBlocks IPs known for attacks using shared threat intelligence.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Network Brute Force Protection blocks IPs reported across ~1M sites.

WP Cerber Security Paid version PRO

Cloud Global Black List maintained by Cerber Lab is a PRO feature.

Scanning & cleanup5/64/6
Malware scanner KeyScans files and database for malware, backdoors and injected code.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

Site Scan checks Google Safe Browsing; no signature-based file malware scan.

WP Cerber Security Included

Malware scanner checks files for trojans and injected code.

File change detectionCompares core, plugin and theme files with originals and flags changes.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

File change detection flags modified files; not a full original-file comparison.

WP Cerber Security Included

Integrity checker compares WordPress files with originals.

Vulnerability alerts KeyWarns when installed plugins, themes or core have known vulnerabilities.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Site Scan checks core, plugins and themes for known vulnerabilities.

WP Cerber Security Not verified
Scheduled scansRuns scans automatically on a schedule.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Site Scan runs 4x daily free, hourly in Pro.

WP Cerber Security Paid version PRO

Automated hourly and daily scans with email alerts are PRO.

Off-site scanningScans run on the vendor's servers so they don't slow your site.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

Site Scan is processed through the vendor's scanning service; file checks run locally.

WP Cerber Security Not verified
Malware removalOne-click or expert cleanup of infected sites.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Not included

No malware cleanup tool or service included.

WP Cerber Security Partial

Scanner can clean up malware and suspicious files; no expert cleanup service.

Login security5/53/5
Two-factor authentication KeySecond login factor via authenticator app, email or similar.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

2FA via authenticator app, email or backup codes in the free plugin.

WP Cerber Security Included

Two-factor authentication for WordPress accounts.

Passkeys / WebAuthnPasswordless login with passkeys or hardware security keys.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Passkey (WebAuthn) login requires Pro; not available on multisite.

WP Cerber Security Not verified
Password policiesEnforce strong passwords, expiry or breached-password checks.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Create and enforce password requirements by user group.

WP Cerber Security Not verified
Custom login URLMove or hide the wp-login.php / wp-admin login page.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Hide Login URL tool moves the login page.

WP Cerber Security Included

Custom login URL that renames wp-login.php.

Session managementView and end active user sessions, limit concurrent logins.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial Kadence Pro

Pro Trusted Devices helps block session hijacking; no full session manager found.

WP Cerber Security Paid version PRO

Console to monitor and terminate active user sessions in the PRO version.

Hardening5/51/5
One-click hardeningDisable XML-RPC, file editing, user enumeration and similar weak points.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Advanced tools: change user ID 1, DB prefix, file permissions, salts, wp-config rules.

WP Cerber Security Included

Disable XML-RPC, role-based REST API access, stop user enumeration.

SSL / HTTPS toolsEnforce HTTPS, fix mixed content and redirects.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Free option to enforce SSL across the site.

WP Cerber Security Not verified
Security headersSet HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options and other HTTP security headers.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Partial

Settings for X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy and CSP; no HSTS.

WP Cerber Security Not verified
Virtual patchingFirewall rules that block exploits for known plugin vulnerabilities before an update is available.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Patchstack virtual patching blocks exploits before vendor fixes.

WP Cerber Security Not included

No virtual patching for specific plugin vulnerabilities is described.

Auto-update vulnerable pluginsAutomatically updates plugins with known vulnerabilities.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

Version Management can auto-update or patch vulnerable software.

WP Cerber Security Not verified
Monitoring & management3/33/3
Activity log KeyRecords logins, changes and admin actions for auditing.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Pro

User logging of logins, plugin, theme and content changes is Pro.

WP Cerber Security Included

Logs logins, logouts and other user activity.

Security alertsEmail or app alerts for attacks, lockouts and scan results.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Included

Security events and lockout notifications; site scan alert emails.

WP Cerber Security Included

Email notifications plus weekly or monthly reports.

Multi-site dashboardManage security for many sites from one dashboard.
Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Paid version Kadence Elite

Kadence Central multi-site portal is included in the Elite plan.

WP Cerber Security Paid version PRO

Manage multiple WP Cerber installations from one dashboard.

Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?

Pricing compared

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) Freemium

Free$0
Kadence Pro$299 per year, Not stated
Kadence Elite$499 per year, Not stated

WP Cerber Security Freemium

Free$0
Single$99 per year, 1 site
5 Value Pack$399 per year, 5 sites

Downloads trend

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security)

59,029 downloads last week

WP Cerber Security

No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 5 Oct 2026

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) scores higher on our feature checklist (77/100 against 69/100) and includes virtual patching that WP Cerber Security does not. WP Cerber Security still has the edge on malware removal. Paid plans start at $299/yr for Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) and $99/yr for WP Cerber Security. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

Malware removal

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): not included. WP Cerber Security: partial. Scanner can clean up malware and suspicious files; no expert cleanup service.

Virtual patching

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security): paid version (Kadence Pro). WP Cerber Security: not included. Patchstack virtual patching blocks exploits before vendor fixes.

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, Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) or WP Cerber Security?

Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) scores higher on our feature checklist (77/100 against 69/100) and includes virtual patching that WP Cerber Security does not. WP Cerber Security still has the edge on malware removal. Paid plans start at $299/yr for Kadence Security (formerly Solid Security) and $99/yr for WP Cerber Security. 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 17 for WP Cerber Security. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.

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.

Is WP Cerber Security free?

WP Cerber Security has a free version. Paid plans start at $99/yr.

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