Securing your WordPress site is crucial in today‘s threat landscape. A good WordPress firewall plugin can protect your site against common attacks like brute force login attempts, SQL injections, XSS and more.
What is a WordPress Firewall Plugin?
A WordPress firewall plugin, also known as a Web Application Firewall (WAF), acts as a protective shield between your site and incoming traffic. These plugins monitor and filter requests to block malicious attacks before they can reach your site.
There are two main types of WordPress firewall plugins:
- DNS Level Firewalls: These route all traffic through cloud proxy servers to filter requests before they hit your server. This reduces load and blocks threats early.
- Application Level Firewalls: These plugins inspect traffic after it reaches your server, blocking threats at the application level. Less efficient than DNS firewalls.
DNS level firewalls are generally more effective as they catch bad traffic earlier. However, application firewalls can still provide robust protection.
Top WordPress Firewall Plugins for 2023
Here are the top plugins to consider:
1. Wordfence Security
Wordfence continues to be the most popular WordPress firewall and security plugin in 2023. The free version includes basic attack blocking, while premium plans add advanced features:
- Application-level firewall
- Malware scanning
- Real-time traffic monitoring
- Scheduled security scans
- Email-based alerts
- Cellphone sign-in locking
Price: Free or premium from $99/year
Grade: A
2. Sucuri
Sucuri offers a specialized DNS-level firewall optimized for WordPress. All traffic routes through Sucuri‘s global proxy network for enhanced attack protection and site performance:
- DDoS protection
- Blocks OWASP top 10 threats
- Website acceleration
- Automatic blacklisting services
- Malware scanning and removal
Price: From $199.99/year
Grade: A+
3. Cloudflare
Cloudflare remains one of the most advanced CDN and DNS services. Their base plan includes basic DDoS filtering, with the Pro plan adding more advanced web firewall capabilities:
- Fast DNS-based web firewall
- Custom WAF rules
- Rate limiting
- Advanced DDoS protection
- Caching and HTTP/2 support
Price: Free or Pro from $20/month
Grade: A-
4. Shield Security
Shield Security offers an affordable alternative to premium plugins, with the core firewall rules available for free. Paid plans unlock added features:
- Free firewall protection
- Additional WAF rules
- Scheduled scans
- Remote malware removal
- Premium support options
Price: Free or paid plans from $99/year
Grade: B+
Conclusion
DNS-level firewall services like Sucuri and Cloudflare provide the most robust protection. However, for a full security plugin with application shielding and malware detection, Wordfence is a great integrated option.
I hope this comparison helps you find the ideal firewall solution to protect your WordPress site in 2023! Let me know if you have any other questions.
