Wordfence Security Plugin: WordPress Speed Profile

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security - MakeWPFast

Wordfence Security is a WordPress plugin used on 5M+ sites.

Plugin Overview
Active Installs5M+
Rating4.7/5 (4,899)
Tested Up ToWP 7.0
Requires PHP7.0+
Last UpdatedMay 13, 2026
Downloads413.8M+
AuthorMark Maunder
WP.orgView on WordPress.org

Performance Analysis

Performance Impact

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security could not be measured by our automated benchmark, and we mark it permanently un-benchmarkable. It is a full firewall and security suite that loads before WordPress on every request and hooks into WP-CLI itself, so an isolated before/after test never completes — across repeated attempts.

That limitation is itself the finding: a plugin this deeply embedded will add real per-request overhead, but how much depends entirely on your configuration — firewall mode, live-traffic scanning, and scan schedule. No single comparable number would be honest. See the Benchmark Status above, and test it on a staging site while measuring your own TTFB before trusting it on production.

Maintenance Status

Last updated: 2025-12-20. Requires PHP 7.0+. Trusted by 5.0M+ active installations.

This plugin could not be isolated in our automated Docker benchmark environment. See our full methodology.

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Comparisons
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security vs Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security HardeningLoginizer vs Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login SecurityAll-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall vs Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login SecurityWordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security vs Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection PluginWordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security vs Safe SVG
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Alternatives to Wordfence Security

PluginSpeed ScoreActive Installs
Really Simple SecurityB+3M+
Hostinger ToolsA-3M+
Limit Login Attempts ReloadedA-1M+
Related Plugin Reviews
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