Defender vs NinjaFirewall (WP Edition)
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #345, ahead of Defender at #521. Over the last 7 days NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) climbed 1 place and Defender climbed 3 places. NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) has the largest install base, roughly 1.3× the next: 100K+ active installs against 80K+ for Defender. Downloads this week: NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) 9,335 and Defender 4,990. Ratings: Defender 4.8★ from 334 and NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) 4.9★ from 220 reviews.
| Metric | Defender | NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #521 ▲ 3 | #345 ▲ 1 |
| Active installs | 80K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 4,990 | 9,335 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (334) | 4.9★ (220) |
| Last updated | Sep 29, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Current version | 6.3.0 | 4.9.2 |
| Best rank on record | #515 | #344 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jun 2017 | Mar 2013 |
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
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Defender or NinjaFirewall (WP Edition)?
By active installs, NinjaFirewall (WP Edition): 100K+ sites run it against 80K+ for Defender, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 30, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Defender or NinjaFirewall (WP Edition)?
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition), at #345 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Defender at #521. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Defender or NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
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.