Kadence Security Basic vs MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Kadence Security Basic leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #87, ahead of MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall at #286. Over the last 7 days Kadence Security Basic held its place and MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall slipped 3 places. Kadence Security Basic has the largest install base, roughly 3.5× the next: 700K+ active installs against 200K+ for MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall. Downloads this week: Kadence Security Basic 18,663 and MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 12,335. Ratings: Kadence Security Basic 4.6★ from 3,990 and MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 4.4★ from 548 reviews.
| Metric | Kadence Security Basic | MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #87 ▬ | #286 ▼ 3 |
| Active installs | 700K+ | 200K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 18,663 | 12,335 |
| Rating | 4.6★ (3,990) | 4.4★ (548) |
| Last updated | Jul 27, 2026 | Aug 28, 2026 |
| Current version | 10.0.3 | 6.72 |
| Best rank on record | #85 | #280 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Oct 2010 | Jan 2018 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 4 | 0 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
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- Kadence Security Basic vs All-In-One Security (AIOS)
- Kadence Security Basic vs Jetpack Protect
- MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall vs Wordfence Security
- MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall vs Sucuri Security - Auditing, Malware Scanner and Hardening
- MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall vs All-In-One Security (AIOS)
- MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall vs Jetpack Protect
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Kadence Security Basic or MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall?
By active installs, Kadence Security Basic: 700K+ sites run it against 200K+ for MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 12, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Kadence Security Basic or MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall?
Kadence Security Basic, at #87 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall at #286. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Kadence Security Basic or MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall alternatives to each other?
Yes. All of them are security plugins, so a site would normally run one of them. The figures above show which one more WordPress sites choose and how that has changed over time.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.