# Security plugins and firewalls vs WranglePress

**Short version:** Security plugins and firewalls stand in front of your public WordPress® and try to block attacks. WranglePress takes WordPress off the public side altogether, so attacks on the public site have no WordPress to reach. They solve different problems, and they work well together: keep a security plugin on your private WordPress.

## How they differ

| | Security plugin or firewall | WranglePress |
|---|---|---|
| Public site runs PHP and WordPress | Yes | No |
| Stops attacks by | Spotting and blocking bad requests | Not having PHP to attack |
| A brand-new flaw | Blocked once a rule is written for it | Has no public door either way |
| A flaw in PHP itself (like [PHP2Shell](https://wranglepress.com/learn/php2shell)) | Plugins can't fix PHP; firewall rules are a stopgap | Visitors never reach PHP |
| Shops, logins, comments | Keep working | Not supported |
| Typical price | Free to $149 a site a year; firewalls from $9.99/month | $9–$19 a site a month |

Prices: [Sucuri](https://sucuri.net/website-security-platform/signup/), [Patchstack](https://patchstack.com/pricing/) and [Cloudflare](https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/) checked 24 October 2026; Wordfence's $149/year Premium price is from a search listing, as its page didn't load for us.

## Why filtering has limits

- **Rules come after flaws.** Most of 2025's most-attacked WordPress flaws were attacked within hours. A rule has to exist first.
- **Hosting defenses miss a lot.** In Patchstack's 2026 report, typical hosting defenses blocked only 12–26% of attacks on known WordPress flaws ([Patchstack](https://patchstack.com/whitepaper/state-of-wordpress-security-in-2026/)).
- **A plugin can't patch PHP.** PHP2Shell happened before WordPress or any plugin loaded.

## Where security plugins win

- **They work for every kind of site,** including shops and member sites.
- **They're cheap,** and many are free.
- **They scan for malware** and some include cleanup.

## Use both

If you keep WordPress, keep your security plugin on it, where it still guards logins and scans files. Let WranglePress handle the public side. If you retire WordPress, you don't need either.

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Canonical page: https://wranglepress.com/compare/security-plugins · Last updated 2026-10-24