Best WordPress Plugin For Malware

The best wordpress plugin for malware

WordPress is the most used blogging platform in the world. As a result, it’s a popular target of malware attacks. Luckily, there are many plugins that can help you prevent these attacks and keep your site safe.

Best WordPress Plugin For Malware

We decided to test and research WordPress malware removal plugins for ourselves before offering an opinion on which plugins work the best. We researched security plugins as a whole, testing their scanners, firewall, and cleanups to ensure that the plugin offered complete security. In this article, we have focused largely on the malware removal capabilities of these plugins so that you can make an informed decision.

1. MalCare – WordPress Malware Removal Plugin

MalCare is by far the best security plugin that we have tested, and sure enough, it also turned out to be the best WordPress malware removal plugin that we came across. There were several strong contenders among the competing plugins. But with MalCare’s flawless malware detection and quick cleanups, it easily beats any other plugin. The plugin scanner is very important to malware removal because if the plugin can’t detect the malware present on your site, it won’t be able to remove it. MalCare is definitely the best in class in that regard.

What to expect:

• Emergency cleanups
• One-click auto cleanups
• Deep scanning for malware
• Scheduled automatic scans
• Intelligent firewall
• Excellent support
• Vulnerability detection
• WordPress backups
• Staging
• Migration
• Geo-blocking capabilities

Pros:

• Quick and efficient cleanups
• Does not affect server performance
• Thorough scans
• Real-time alerts
• No false alarms

Cons:

• The free version does not offer cleanups

Price: Free/ Starting at $99 a year

Additionally, MalCare’s emergency cleanup services are available to you in case the plugin can’t reach your site, or is unable to clean your site for any reason. MalCare’s expert support also guides you through removing Google blacklists and web host suspensions. With MalCare, you also get firewall protection that keeps attacks out, and several other features like an activity log, WordPress backups, geoblocking, staging, and migration. 

But the best part about picking MalCare is this: MalCare does not affect your server performance like many other WordPress malware removal plugins. Which means that you do not have to choose between security and performance.

2. WordFence Malware Cleaner

Wordfence is easily the most well-known WordPress malware removal service. But is it worth all the hullabaloo? The short answer is maybe. Wordfence is an excellent free plugin, whether as a malware removal plugin, or a complete security plugin. However, the premium version does not justify the price tag. Let’s take a look at why. 

Wordfence offers a scanner, firewall, and repair feature for its free members, alongside other security features. The features work reasonably well, but Wordfence itself claims that the free features aren’t 100% effective. The scanner only works at 65% functionality, the firewall for the free version is updated much after the premium version, and the repair option, while quick, can be dangerous to your site. If you delete a core file by accident when repairing, your site can break.

What to expect:

• Repair and delete options
• Manual malware removal as an add-on service
• Malware scanner
• End-point firewall
• Two-factor authentication
• Login protection
• Country blocking

Pros:

• Easy installation
• Priority support for premium members
• Auto-repair option on the free version

Cons:

• Manual cleanups are expensive
• Repair and delete options not foolproof or entirely safe
• File matching for malware detection
• False positives in malware scans
• Incessant alerts
• High impact on server resources

Price: Starts at $99/year, Premium cleanups at $490 per site

Wordfence premium services only offer a slightly better scanner and a faster firewall. But if you want a proper cleanup, you need to avail of their premium cleanup service which is $490 over and above the premium plan. While they do offer a 1-year warranty, it has several stringent caveats. Additionally, Wordfence affects your website performance, so much so that several web hosts ban Wordfence on their servers altogether.

Having said all of this, there is truly no better malware removal plugin that you can get for free other than Wordfence. But if you want premium security, MalCare is the best choice for a WordPress malware removal plugin.

3. Sucuri Malware Scanner and Cleaner

Sucuri has become a brand in the WordPress security sphere. If you haven’t used Sucuri, chances are that you have definitely heard of it. But is it the best WordPress malware removal plugin that you can get? Well, let’s clarify the basics first. Sucuri does not offer malware removal as a part of their plugin at all. Sucuri offers malware removal as an additional service to its premium users. We tested Sucuri to see if it lived up to its name, and got some interesting results. 

What to expect:

• Manual cleanups by experts
• Server-side scanner
• Firewall protection
• Brute force attack protection
• Activity log
• Vulnerability detection

Pros:

• Easy installation
• Manual cleanup was quick and flawless
• Unlimited manual cleanups with premium subscriptions

Cons:

• No auto-cleanups
• Malware scanner not effective
• Firewall difficult to configure
• Constant alerts
• Complicated settings

Price: Starting at $199/year

Sucuri has two scanners, an online scanner, and a server-side scanner. The online scanner can only scan the frontend of your site. So we tested the server-side scanner as well, which did not detect the malware on our site at all. Now, while we are looking for malware removal, how will you remove malware if you cannot detect it at all? 

After the dismal scanner, Sucuri’s firewall was what gave us the most trouble. The installation was very complex and confusing. And to set up the firewall, we had to look up several technical details. If this was the case with us, we can only imagine how non-technical users fare with Sucuri.

We then put their WordPress malware removal service to test. We reached out to them and informed them that we have detected malware on our site and needed them to clean it up. To our surprise, our site came back squeaky-clean within 10 hours! So while there may be several issues with the security plugin, Sucuri’s malware removal was on point.

4. Astra Security Suite

Astra’s security plugin also offers WordPress malware removal protection for its premium users. Astra is a feature-rich plugin that offers scheduled scans, firewall protection, manual cleanups, and more. Astra’s best quality is that it has a very intuitive interface which makes the use of the plugin very easy. And like Sucuri, Astra’s malware removal services are also an add-on to the plugin’s premium users. 

What to expect:

• Manual malware cleanups
• Malware scanning
• Firewall protection
• IP blocking
• Login security

Pros:

• Easy installation
• Strong firewall
• Security audits
• Intuitive dashboard

Cons:

• No auto-cleanups
• Too many notifications
• Complicated features

Price: Starting from $249 a year

Depending on your plan, Astra prioritizes any cleanup requests from its members and it could take anywhere between 4-12 hours for a cleanup. Starting at $249 a year, Astra security is definitely an expensive investment. Given that you can get the same level of security and more with MalCare at less than half the price, we do not recommend the Astra security suite.

5. CleanTalk Security

CleanTalk Security is one of the lesser-known malware removal plugins for WordPress sites. Incidentally, it is one of the most affordable ones too. At $9 a year, the plugin barely costs anything and offers all the basic security features like a malware scanner, firewall protection, and malware removal. However, CleanTalk’s malware removal feature is like that of Wordfence’s repair feature. 

What to expect:

• Automatic malware removal
• Malware scanner
• Web application firewall
• Geoblocking
• Audit logs
• Login security
• Two-factor authentication

Pros:

• Easy removal of spam comments
• Scheduled scans

Cons:

• Automatically deletes infected files
• Basic UI
• Inadequate support

Price: Starting at $9 a year

CleanTalk automatically deletes infected files detected in its scans. Therefore, it is safe to say that CleanTalk’s WordPress malware cleanup is largely dependent on its scanner. While this is true for all plugins, in this case, a false positive can even break your site. CleanTalk users also complain about their support often, which is crucial for WordPress malware removal plugins. So if you are looking for malware removal on a budget, we’d recommend Wordfence’s free version over CleanTalk.

wordpress malware removal plugin free

1. Sucuri

Sucuri is the most popular website security and WordPress malware removal plugin. It provides protection from potential attacks and monitors your site to identify threats.

If your website is attacked, Sucuri fully removes malware and malicious code from your website files and database. It also fixes your SEO and removes any link injections to make your website look good in search engines.

With continuous security warnings, your website loses traffic, and it can affect your sales. Sucuri submits blocklist removal requests on your behalf and helps you restore your website back to normal.

It also provides a firewall that blocks future attacks and filters malicious traffic to visit your website. This security layer helps improves the performance and speed of your website.

Price: The basic plan costs $199.99 per year for 1 website. It runs malware and hack scans every 12 hours.

2. Wordfence

Wordfence is a powerful WordPress malware removal service and website security plugin. It quickly scans your website for malware and malicious threats and activates the firewall to protect from any attacks.

The malware scanner checks for your core WordPress files, theme files, and plugin files for bad URLs, malicious redirects, and link injections. It has built-in security templates that help with the plugin’s configuration.

Other than that, Wordfence tracks irrelevant logins, attack activity, password breaches, and spambots. It sends alerts to website administrators on SMS, emails, or Slack to take quick action.

Price: It’s FREE. Wordfence has a paid version with higher security levels, and it costs $99 per year.

3. MalCare

MalCare is an instant WordPress malware removal plugin. It comes with an auto-clean feature that looks after any malware attack and removes it without waiting for the website owner’s approval.

It scans your website without putting any load on your server’s resources. The MalCare WordPress plugin provides real-time protection from malicious threats and hackers by adding a smart firewall to your website.

It’s easy to set up and configure in just a few minutes.

Price: The starting price is $99 per year for 1 website. If you have multiple websites, you can purchase their business or developer plans. The Business plan costs $259 per year for up to 5 websites, and the Developer plan costs $599 per year for up to 20 websites.

4. SecuPress

SecuPress is a free WordPress malware scanning and removal plugin. It comes with a WordPress security toolkit to scan your website for malware, bots, and traffic from suspicious IP addresses.

It runs a security audit and highlights dozens of security points in just a few minutes. Where needed, the plugin asks for your permission to take action and fix the issues.

Price: It’s FREE to download and provides premium-like features for malware scanning. The SecuPress Pro plan costs $69.99 per year for 1 website. It comes with additional features, including white-label options, PHP malware scan, alerts and notifications, advanced user protection, PDF reports, and two-factor authentication.

5. BulletProof Security

BulletProof Security is a free WordPress malware scanner and website security plugin. It comes with a firewall, login security, database backup, anti-spam, and other website protection features.

It has a 1-click setup wizard and monitors your website for malware attacks, suspicious activities, and more. With full website and database backups, you can quickly restore your website in case of hacks and attacks.

Price: FREE

6. CleanTalk Security and Malware Scan

CleanTalk Security and Malware Scan is a professional WordPress security plugin. It runs daily automated malware scans on your website and provides protection from brute force attacks.

The plugin creates security audit logs to monitor malicious activities on your website. It prevents malware attacks and checks files of plugins and themes with heuristic analysis to secure your website.

Price: FREE

7. Astra Security Suite

Astra Security Suite is a premium-quality free WordPress malware removal plugin. It comes with a web application firewall, machine learning malware scanner, instant malware cleanup, vulnerability assessment, and more.

It has an intuitive dashboard to manage your website security. The plugin offers malware scanning and removal, bad bots blocking, malicious file upload prevention, brute force protection, fake search engine bot blocking, auto-blocking for known hackers, and more.

Price: Free

Conclusion

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