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 Wordfence Premium
Evenly matched on the points we can measure. Here's how they compare on price, features, ratings and deals.
At a glance
| Feature | ActiveLayer | Wordfence Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.1/10 (better) | 8/10 |
| Starts at | $4/month | $149/year |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Refund window | – | – |
| Billing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 5M+ (better) |
| Last Black Friday | – | – |
| Category | Security | Security |
| Vendor | Awesome Motive | Defiant Inc |
| 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 Wordfence Premium if…
- Self-managed WordPress sites that need paid firewall updates
- Site owners who want hands-on help through Care or Response
Features
ActiveLayer
- AI spam checks
- No CAPTCHAs
- Form plugin integrations
- Detection signals
- Unlimited sites
Wordfence Premium
- Real-time firewall updates
- Premium IP blocklist
- Country blocking
- Audit log history
- Premium support
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
Wordfence Premium
- Free version covers core protection
- Premium adds real-time firewall rule updates
- Paid Care and Response plans are available
- Premium is priced per site per year
- Care and Response cost several times the Premium price
- Premium rose from $119 to $149 a year in December 2024
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
Wordfence Premium
Wordfence PremiumStarts here
$149/year
1 site
- Real-time firewall rule and malware signature updates
- Premium IP blocklist
- Country blocking
Wordfence Care
$590/year
1 site
- Installation, configuration and optimization
- Monitoring and hands-on support
- Initial security audit
Wordfence Response
$1,250/year
1 site
- 1-hour response time
- Available 24/7/365
- Incident response and hands-on support
What Reddit says
ActiveLayer
Not enough Reddit discussion yet.
Wordfence Premium
Reddit users often call Wordfence popular and widely recommended, but several say it misses infected files and database records. One site owner reported infections that went unreported by alert emails and began looking for an alternative.
ActiveLayer vs Wordfence Premium questions
Is ActiveLayer better than Wordfence Premium?
They're evenly matched on the points we can measure. Pick by features and budget.
Which is cheaper, ActiveLayer or Wordfence Premium?
ActiveLayer starts at $4/month and Wordfence Premium starts at $149/year.
Can I get ActiveLayer or Wordfence Premium cheaper on Black Friday?
Both are on our Black Friday tracker. We'll add each discount the moment it goes live.
Both products
Wordfence Premium adds real-time firewall rule and malware signature updates, a premium IP blocklist and country blocking to the free WordPress security plugin.
- Free version
- Yes
- Price
- From $149/year
- Category
- Security
Not announcedBlack Friday deal for Wordfence Premium