ActiveLayer is an AI-powered spam protection service for WordPress forms and comments.
- Free version
- Yes
- Price
- From $4/month
- Category
- Security
Not announcedBlack Friday deal for ActiveLayer
ActiveLayer vs MalCare
MalCare wins 2 of the 2 points we can measure. Here's how they compare on price, features, ratings and deals.
At a glance
| Feature | ActiveLayer | MalCare |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.1/10 | 8.7/10 (better) |
| Starts at | $4/month | $99/year |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Refund window | – | 14 days |
| Billing | Free + paid plans | Subscription |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 100K+ (better) |
| Last Black Friday | – | – |
| Category | Security | Security |
| Vendor | Awesome Motive | MalCare |
| Black Friday 2026 | Not announced | Not announced |
Which should you choose?
Choose ActiveLayer if…
- Sites with spam on contact forms and comments
- Agencies managing many client sites
Choose MalCare if…
- WordPress site owners who need malware cleanup
- Agencies managing several client sites
Features
ActiveLayer
- AI spam checks
- No CAPTCHAs
- Form plugin integrations
- Detection signals
- Unlimited sites
MalCare
- Malware scanner
- Malware removal
- WordPress firewall
- Login protection
- Geoblocking
- Vulnerability scanner
Pros and cons
ActiveLayer
- No CAPTCHA for visitors
- Free plan with 200 checks
- Integrations with major form plugins
- Confidence scores and detection signals
- Free plan covers only 200 checks, one time
- No money-back guarantee listed on the pricing page
- Paid plans are priced by check volume
MalCare
- Free version on WordPress.org with cloud malware scanning and a firewall
- Trustpilot rating of 5 stars from 231 reviews for the vendor
- 14-day free trial and 14-day money-back guarantee
- Malware cleanup included on the Repair and Fortify plans
- The Protect plan does not include malware cleanup
- Cleanup needs FTP, SFTP or SSH access to the server
- The plugin needs a MalCare account to run
Pricing plans
ActiveLayer
Free
Free
Unlimited sites
- 200 checks total
- Full API access
- No credit card required
ProStarts here
$4/month
Unlimited sites
- 5,000 checks per month
- Email support
- Billed yearly
Enterprise
$149/month
- 500,000+ checks per month
- Custom SLA
- Dedicated support
MalCare
ProtectStarts here
$99/year
1 site sites
- Daily scans
- Firewall, virtual patching, geo-blocking and bot protection
- Malware cleanup not included
Repair
$299/year
1 site sites
- Prevention plus malware cleanup
- Scans every 12 hours
- Expert response within 24 hours
Fortify
$499/year
1 site sites
- Hourly scanning
- Unlimited manual security fixes
- Expert response within 6 hours
ActiveLayer vs MalCare questions
Is ActiveLayer better than MalCare?
On our comparison MalCare comes out ahead on 2 of 2 measurable points. The right pick still depends on what you build.
Which is cheaper, ActiveLayer or MalCare?
ActiveLayer starts at $4/month and MalCare starts at $99/year.
Can I get ActiveLayer or MalCare cheaper on Black Friday?
Both are on our Black Friday tracker. We'll add each discount the moment it goes live.
Both products
MalCare offers security solutions for WordPress sites, including malware scanning, removal, and real-time protection features.
- Free version
- Yes
- Price
- From $99/year
- Category
- Security
Not announcedBlack Friday deal for MalCare
