MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall vs Wordfence Security
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Wordfence Security leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #11, ahead of MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall at #286. Over the last 7 days Wordfence Security held its place and MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall slipped 3 places. Wordfence Security has the largest install base, roughly 25× the next: 5M+ active installs against 200K+ for MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall. Downloads this week: Wordfence Security 3,019,205 and MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 11,484. Ratings: MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 4.4★ from 548 and Wordfence Security 4.7★ from 5,000 reviews.
| Metric | MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall | Wordfence Security |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #286 ▼ 3 | #11 ▬ |
| Active installs | 200K+ | 5M+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 11,484 | 3,019,205 |
| Rating | 4.4★ (548) | 4.7★ (5,000) |
| Last updated | Aug 28, 2026 | Sep 8, 2026 |
| Current version | 6.72 | 9.0.1 |
| Best rank on record | #280 | #11 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 51 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jan 2018 | Apr 2012 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 24 |
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
- MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall vs Kadence Security Basic
- 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
- Wordfence Security vs Kadence Security Basic
- Wordfence Security vs Sucuri Security - Auditing, Malware Scanner and Hardening
- Wordfence Security vs All-In-One Security (AIOS)
- Wordfence Security vs Jetpack Protect
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall or Wordfence Security?
By active installs, Wordfence Security: 5M+ sites run it against 200K+ for MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 13, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall or Wordfence Security?
Wordfence Security, at #11 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 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin - Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall or Wordfence Security 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.