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
MalCare vs Wordfence Premium
MalCare wins 2 of the 3 points we can measure. Here's how they compare on price, features, ratings and deals.
At a glance
| Feature | MalCare | Wordfence Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.7/10 (better) | 8/10 |
| Starts at | $99/year (better) | $149/year |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Refund window | 14 days | – |
| Billing | Subscription | Free + paid plans |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 5M+ (better) |
| Last Black Friday | – | – |
| Category | Security | Security |
| Vendor | MalCare | Defiant Inc |
| Black Friday 2026 | Not announced | Not announced |
Which should you choose?
Choose MalCare if…
- WordPress site owners who need malware cleanup
- Agencies managing several client sites
- You want the lower starting price
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
MalCare
- Malware scanner
- Malware removal
- WordPress firewall
- Login protection
- Geoblocking
- Vulnerability scanner
Wordfence Premium
- Real-time firewall updates
- Premium IP blocklist
- Country blocking
- Audit log history
- Premium support
Pros and cons
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
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
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
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
MalCare
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.
MalCare vs Wordfence Premium questions
Is MalCare better than Wordfence Premium?
On our comparison MalCare comes out ahead on 2 of 3 measurable points. The right pick still depends on what you build.
Which is cheaper, MalCare or Wordfence Premium?
MalCare starts at $99/year and Wordfence Premium starts at $149/year.
Can I get MalCare 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
