bwt
// compare · security

Wordfence vs All-In-One Security (AIOS)

The two strongest free WordPress security plugins, weighed head to head. Both run a plugin-level firewall and both harden your site without asking for a credit card — but they draw the free/paid line in different places. Wordfence bundles a malware scanner into its free tier and sells a real-time threat feed on top. AIOS leads on guided hardening and posts the higher user rating, but keeps malware scanning behind Premium. For a self-managed site that wants free protection, this is the matchup that matters.

// at a glance
Product PriceLighthouseWP.orgOpen CVEsInstalls
Wordfence $149884.7 ★05,000,000+
All-In-One Security (AIOS) $70—4.7 ★—1,000,000+

Lighthouse: reproducible median of 5 mobile runs · CVEs: open advisories, Patchstack + Wordfence · Ratings: WordPress.org

// the picks
Best free with malware scanning
Wordfence

A firewall and a malware scanner in the free tier, plus login security and two-factor auth, all configured inside WordPress. Premium adds a real-time threat-intelligence feed. The pick when you want free scanning built in alongside the firewall.

Best free firewall & guided hardening
All-In-One Security (AIOS)

A configurable firewall, brute-force protection, two-factor auth, and a security-strength meter that makes hardening approachable — with the higher WordPress.org user rating of the two. The pick for the friendliest free hardening experience.

// head to head

Wordfence

Security · Free, Pro from $149 · Since 2012
Full review

Wordfence is the default WordPress security plugin: WAF (web application firewall), malware scanner, login security, two-factor authentication, and live traffic monitoring. The free version is fully functional. Premium adds the real-time threat intelligence feed (vulnerabilities the moment they are disclosed) and country blocking. Owned by Defiant Inc.

Pros

  • Free version is a complete security baseline for most sites
  • Premium threat feed publishes CVE intel within hours of disclosure
  • Highly trusted in the WordPress security community
  • Genuine technical team behind it (Defiant publishes vulnerability research)

Cons

  • WAF runs as plugin-level WAF, less effective than edge-level (Cloudflare) for high-volume sites
  • Default settings can be aggressive on legitimate traffic
  • Premium annual cost is significant

All-In-One Security (AIOS)

Security · Free, Pro from $70 · Since 2013
Full review

All-In-One Security (AIOS) is the most-installed free security plugin in the WordPress directory, and its free tier is unusually complete: a web application firewall with configurable rulesets, login lockdown and brute-force protection, two-factor authentication, login-page hardening, file-change detection, spam prevention, and a security-strength meter that scores your setup. Premium layers on advanced firewall rules, malware scanning, country blocking, and priority support. Made by TeamUpdraft (David Anderson's shop, also behind UpdraftPlus), it is the plugin to reach for when you want real hardening without paying — and a sensible upgrade path if you later do.

Pros

  • Exceptionally capable free tier — firewall, 2FA, brute-force protection, and hardening at no cost
  • The security-strength meter makes hardening approachable for non-specialists
  • Highest user rating of the major security plugins on WordPress.org (well over a thousand ratings)
  • Backed by an established UK vendor with a long track record (UpdraftPlus)

Cons

  • Malware scanning and country blocking are Premium-only
  • Some advanced firewall settings can lock you out if applied without care
  • Plugin-level firewall runs after WordPress loads, so it is less effective than an edge WAF against high-volume attacks
  • Premium is newer and less established than the free plugin's long history
The verdict

Both are excellent free choices, and the deciding factor is what you want built into the free tier. Choose Wordfence if free malware scanning matters to you — its scanner and firewall come together at no cost, with an optional premium threat feed for elevated-risk sites. Choose All-In-One Security if you want the most guided free hardening and a higher-rated setup experience, and you're fine getting malware scanning only if you upgrade. Whatever you pick, don't run both — two plugin-level firewalls conflict and cause false positives.

// see also

Best WordPress Security Plugins

The full ranked roundup, with the best pick for each use case.
// faq

Frequently asked questions

Is Wordfence or AIOS better?
For free malware scanning bundled with the firewall, Wordfence has the edge. For guided hardening and overall user rating, All-In-One Security leads and its security-strength meter is friendlier for non-specialists. Both give you a real firewall for free; the split is Wordfence's built-in scanner versus AIOS's guided hardening.
Can I run Wordfence and AIOS together?
No — don't. Both run a plugin-level firewall, and stacking two firewalls causes conflicts and false positives rather than more protection. Pick one as your firewall-and-hardening plugin. If you want layered defense, pair a single plugin with an edge firewall like Cloudflare or Sucuri instead of running two plugin firewalls.
Which is better for a beginner?
All-In-One Security, for its security-strength meter and guided hardening that explain what each setting does. Wordfence is also approachable and adds a free malware scanner, but AIOS is the friendlier on-ramp if you're configuring WordPress security for the first time — just apply only the hardening rules you understand to avoid locking yourself out.
// methodology

Every figure in the comparison table is pulled from the same reproducible pipeline behind each plugin's detail page — Lighthouse scores are the median of five mobile runs on identical hosting, and open-CVE counts come from Patchstack and Wordfence Intelligence on every build. The editorial call is ours; the numbers are measured, not vendor-supplied.