Site owners look for a Sucuri alternative when a hosted firewall and cleanup service feels like more than one WordPress site needs, when they prefer a plugin that runs inside WordPress, or when they want a vendor outside the GoDaddy group. The options below range from free plugins to vulnerability feeds and audit-style scanners.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderShort answer: Really Simple Security, WP Cerber and Shield Security head the list of Sucuri alternatives drawn from our wordpress security plugins ranking. Our rule for order: vendors outside the big brands go first, and the largest names are not placed in the top three. Really Simple Security is the one to try if you want a Dutch vendor with one feature set at every licence size. Each of the 11 alternatives sits in Best WordPress Security Plugins in 2026 and is described against Sucuri.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Sucuri's firewall page says you enable it by changing your DNS records, then choose a caching option. That is a hosted reverse proxy in front of the site, not a plugin. It suits owners who can edit DNS, but anyone wanting protection that lives inside WordPress itself will compare plugin-based tools.
The Basic, Pro and Business platform plans are listed at $229, $339 and $549 a year, and each protects a single site. Five sites sit on Junior Dev at $999.98 a year, and ten or more go to a quote. A small portfolio therefore costs more per site than the headline prices suggest.
The footer reads GoDaddy Mediatemple, Inc., d/b/a Sucuri. Buyers who want an independent vendor, or a company that states its country, will find several candidates below. The Sucuri pages we read also state no country.
| Alternative | Headquarters | Free option | Pricing model | Switch if | Our rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Really Simple Security | Netherlands | No free tier | See profile | you want a Dutch vendor with one feature set at every licence size | #2 |
| WP Cerber | United States | Yes | Published | you run many small sites and want a free base across all of them | #3 |
| Shield Security | Not stated by the vendor | Yes | Published | a free plugin with 2FA is enough and you may add paid tiers by site count later | #1 |
| Security Ninja | Not stated by the vendor | Yes | Published | you prefer to audit a site against a test list before paying for a firewall | #4 |
| MalCare | Not stated by the vendor | Yes | Published | automated cleanup matters and you want a free weekly scan to start with | #6 |
| Quttera | Not stated by the vendor | No free tier | See profile | blacklist monitoring and expert removal matter more than a firewall | #8 |
| Patchstack | Not stated by the vendor | No free tier | See profile | agency seats and fast vulnerability mitigation count for more than malware cleanup | #5 |
| Defender | Not stated by the vendor | Yes | Published | you already use other WPMU DEV plugins and want one bundle | #7 |
| Astra Security | Not stated by the vendor | No free tier | See profile | you need a documented penetration test before a launch or review | #13 |
| WPScan | Not stated by the vendor | Yes | Published | you want vulnerability data to feed your own monitoring | #12 |
| Jetpack Protect | Not stated by the vendor | Yes | Published | you already run Jetpack and want a daily scan without a new vendor | #11 |
Netherlands · See profile
Groningen is where Really Simple Plugins is based, and its security plugin is sold as three yearly licences covering one, five or twenty-five domains. Each licence carries the same firewall, login protection, hardening and vulnerability scans, so there are no feature tiers to decode. Listed prices are first-year discounts against a higher regular rate.
Switch from Sucuri if you want a Dutch vendor with one feature set at every licence size.
United States · Published
A free edition covers an unlimited number of sites and includes malware scans, GEO access rules and spam protection. Paid plans come as a single site billed quarterly or yearly, or a five-site pack. The copyright line names Cerber Tech Inc. in the United States. Two-factor authentication appears only as a documentation link, not as a plan feature.
Switch from Sucuri if you run many small sites and want a free base across all of them.
Why WP Cerber is #3 among 13 wordpress security plugins products →
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Free forever is how the core plugin is described, covering bot and spam protection, daily IP blocklists, core file scanning, a vulnerability scanner and 2FA. Plus adds rate limiting, AI malware detection and ShieldBACKUPS, priced by site band from one to one hundred. The About page names no company or country.
Switch from Sucuri if a free plugin with 2FA is enough and you may add paid tiers by site count later.
Full verdict on Shield Security, which sits at number 1 of 13 for wordpress security plugins →
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Created by WebFactory Ltd and owned through Larsik Corp since 2019, this plugin is built around 50+ security tests. A free edition lives on WordPress.org, and Pro sells four yearly site bands with a cloud firewall and malware scanner. The 14-day trial asks for a card and rolls into annual billing unless cancelled.
Switch from Sucuri if you prefer to audit a site against a test list before paying for a firewall.
Security Ninja review, listed at 4 of 13 wordpress security plugins products →
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Removal is what MalCare charges for. Free gives weekly scans, a basic firewall and 2FA for two admins, while Repair adds automated cleanup, a real-time firewall and scans every 12 hours. Fortify moves to hourly scans. The footer says BlogVault builds it, so it sits under a parent brand, with a 14-day refund window.
Switch from Sucuri if automated cleanup matters and you want a free weekly scan to start with.
MalCare review, listed at 6 of 13 wordpress security plugins products →
Not stated by the vendor · See profile
Scanning here is both external and server-side, with heuristic analysis and monitoring of Google Safe Browsing plus more than 40 blacklist authorities. Hand removal of malware and blacklistings starts at Premium Security, and Emergency adds the fastest response. The pages we read price no WordPress plugin, only plans, and state no country.
Switch from Sucuri if blacklist monitoring and expert removal matter more than a firewall.
Quttera comes 8 of 13 when wordpress security plugins products are ranked here →
Not stated by the vendor · See profile
Patchstack is about vulnerabilities in plugins, themes and core, with rapid mitigation that applies protection without code changes, and the vendor claims it arrives up to 48 hours ahead of competitors. The Developer plan is billed annually with three seats, with extra sites and seats priced on top. Enterprise tiers add an SLA and a DPA.
Switch from Sucuri if agency seats and fast vulnerability mitigation count for more than malware cleanup.
Patchstack holds rank 5 among 13 entries in our wordpress security plugins guide →
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Defender comes from WPMU DEV, and Pro is sold for 1, 3 or 10 sites, with a Premium Pro tier for unlimited sites that bundles every WPMU DEV Pro plugin. Its firewall features list AntiBot, login masking and biometric login. A free edition exists and a 30-day refund applies. Owner and country are not given.
Switch from Sucuri if you already use other WPMU DEV plugins and want one bundle.
Our wordpress security plugins guide puts Defender at 7 of 13; read why →
Not stated by the vendor · See profile
Astra's pricing page is organised around vulnerability scanners and penetration tests rather than a plugin. Scanner Lite bills monthly or yearly, Pentest Expert adds hand testing by certified experts, and a one-week trial costs a small fee. ASTRA IT, Inc. is named, with no country or owner. It reads as an audit purchase.
Switch from Sucuri if you need a documented penetration test before a launch or review.
Our wordpress security plugins guide puts Astra Security at 13 of 13; read why →
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Intelligence rather than protection is the product: the page counts 94,283 core, plugin and theme vulnerabilities, reachable through a CLI scanner and an API. A Researcher tier is for non-commercial use and capped at 25 API calls a day. Enterprise is by quote with email alerts, webhooks and CVSS scores. The footer calls it an Automattic endeavour.
Switch from Sucuri if you want vulnerability data to feed your own monitoring.
Open the WPScan profile, 12nd of 13 in the wordpress security plugins guide →
Not stated by the vendor · Published
Automattic makes this scanner plugin, which runs daily automated scans without needing the main Jetpack plugin. Brute-force protection is included free, but firewall rules stay manual there. Real-time malware scanning and automatic firewall rules need the wider Pro or Complete bundles, billed monthly, yearly or every two years in euros.
Switch from Sucuri if you already run Jetpack and want a daily scan without a new vendor.
Full verdict on Jetpack Protect, which sits at number 11 of 13 for wordpress security plugins →
Really Simple Security: Licences cover one, five or twenty-five domains with the same features, and the company is based in Groningen.
WP Cerber: The free edition covers an unlimited number of sites, with paid single-site and five-site plans above it.
MalCare: Automated cleanup starts on the Repair plan, with a free weekly scan available first.
Patchstack: The Developer plan includes rapid mitigation and three seats, billed annually.
Astra Security: Pentest Expert layers hand testing by certified experts over the scanner plans.
Stay with Sucuri if you want a vendor to clean an infected site for you. The platform plans bundle unlimited manual cleanups with a cleanup SLA of 30, 12 or 6 hours depending on the tier, plus DDoS mitigation on an Anycast network and a CDN. The 30-day money-back guarantee lowers the risk of testing it, and the firewall works with WordPress, Magento, Shopify, Drupal, Wix and Joomla alike.
The firewall runs by pointing your DNS at Sucuri. Before leaving, note your original server address, then switch records back and confirm the site responds directly. Run the new protection for a day while the old firewall is still active to compare what each blocks.
Export any backups and activity logs you rely on before the plan ends. Check that the replacement keeps comparable audit information, and set up its scans and login protection before the old service is cancelled.
Platform plans bill yearly and firewall plans monthly, and the 30-day money-back guarantee applies to both. Check your renewal date, and cancel before it if a replacement is already protecting the site.
Yes. Its firewall page says it supports all CMSs and hosting solutions and names WordPress, Magento, Shopify, Drupal, Wix and Joomla. Plugins such as Shield Security or Really Simple Security are WordPress-specific.
Basic is $229 a year, Pro $339 and Business $549, each for one site. Junior Dev covers five sites at $999.98 a year, and the Multi-Site and Custom tier is on request. Firewall-only plans are $9.99 and $19.98 a month.
The footer reads GoDaddy Mediatemple, Inc., d/b/a Sucuri, so it belongs to the GoDaddy group. The pages we read give no country. Several alternatives here state a country, such as Really Simple Security in the Netherlands.
Shield Security, WP Cerber, Security Ninja, MalCare, Defender and Jetpack Protect all list a free edition or tier. WPScan has a Researcher tier limited to 25 API calls a day for non-commercial use.
MalCare adds automated cleanup from its Repair plan, and Quttera offers expert removal from Premium Security. Astra sells penetration tests rather than cleanup.
Plugins such as Really Simple Security, Shield Security and WP Cerber run inside WordPress and do not describe a DNS change on the pages we read. Cloud firewalls in some plans may work differently, so check each vendor's setup guide.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Written, edited and fact-checked by Sebastiaan Smits. Last reviewed 9 November 2026. How we review.
