As a website administrator, you should always ensure that your site is malware-free. That’s because you are responsible not only for the safety of your own data but will usually also have to think about the personal information your users share on your website. WordPress malware removal plugins could be the ultimate solution to keeping your website as healthy as possible.
Let us explore the options and see which WordPress malware removal plugins are actually worth their salt and deserve to be a part of your toolbox for website security.
Table of Contents
- Top 6 WordPress Malware Removal Plugins
- Comparing the Malware Removal WordPress Plugins
- Key Criteria for Selecting a WordPress Malware Removal Plugin
Top 6 WordPress Malware Removal Plugins
While the number of available WordPress malware removal plugins is definitely impressive, you should know that choosing the right tool for the job will require you to pay attention to a series of factors.
Many security plugins out there claim to be the ultimate malware removal tools, but only a handful are as good as they claim.
Sucuri Security
- Cost: free version + $199.99 / year for premium version
- Rating: 4.2
- Active installations: 900,000+
One of the top choices in terms of malware protection is the Sucuri Security plugin. It offers a huge variety of features that aid in protecting your WordPress website from all kinds of possible security breaches and malicious attacks.
Sucuri has been around for a good couple of years and the ratings the users have been giving it tell a great story. With over 900,000 installations and a 4.2 user rating, we can safely assume that Sucuri is one of the most popular and efficient WordPress malware protection plugins out there.
Sucuri Pricing
It is available as a free plugin or on a paid subscription for those of you in need of premium features. One thing you should know is that even with the basic free version, you do get a decent level of protection. What you get for free is going to be enough for most average users.
The additional features that become available only once you’ve paid the 199$ annual subscription just take things to a new level. Here are some of the most important features you should expect to make use of if you are looking for an anti-malware tool.
Sucuri Key Features
- Malware expert removal: One of the key features Sucuri brings to the table for premium users is the fact that it will put you in touch with a security expert who is going to help you manually remove malware from your website in case it gets infected.
- Malware Scanner: You can scan your website with Sucuri’s malware scanner, which is going to be an effective way to identify malware and security issues.
- Advanced Malware Protection: With cloud-based firewall protection, most hacking attempts and cyber attacks, including malware infection are efficiently prevented.
MalCare
- Cost: free version + $99 / year for premium version
- Rating: 4.1
- Active installations: 400,000+
Another great tool for malware removal and prevention is MalCare. With tons of features, decent pricing, and above-average user ratings from over 400,000 installs, MalCare seems to be a great choice for most WordPress websites.
It has been developed by a team of internet security enthusiasts after analyzing more than 240,000 WordPress sites. Using this collective intelligence, MalCare offers what is known in the field as layered protection.
MalCare Pricing
In terms of pricing, MalCare can be a great free plugin for malware removal, or it can be a professional security tool you get to use for the modest price of $99/year.
While the free version does offer more than enough protection, the premium users will enjoy a much wider range of features and more than a few extra protection layers.
For the $99 you pay per year, you will get, among other things, full site backups, uptime monitoring, hardening features, unlimited cleanups by security experts, and an automated one-click malware removal tool.
MalCare Key Features
- Auto-clean: One of the most intriguing selling points for MalCare is probably the automatic malware removal function which requires no action from your side. You get to just sit back and let MalCare take care of security issues.
- Emergency cleanup services: In case MalCare is, for any reason, unable to reach your site or clean up your site, you will be able to request help from one of the security experts who are at your disposal.
- Vulnerability reports: MalCare will keep you always informed on the status of your website’s security. You will have access to beautiful and clear reports showing exactly how well your website is performing in terms of security.
Wordfence
- Cost: free version + $119 / year for premium version
- Rating: 4.7
- Active installations: 4+ million
Probably the most popular WordPress plugin for protection against malware and malware removal, Wordfence comes with a huge variety of options for you to keep your website secure at all times.
With more than 4 million active installations and a user rating of 4.7, there is no question about it: Wordfence is an amazing WordPress malware removal tool and a complete security solution for website owners.
Wordfence Pricing
Wordfence is a security plugin that can work as a free tool and do an acceptable job of protecting your website against attacks and malware issues.
With the premium version, which is available for $119/year, you will get a ton of extra features and close to impenetrable protection for your WordPress website.
Wordfence Key Features
On top of a huge variety of security features, Wordfence has a couple of dedicated malware tools you can use.
- Malware Scanner for WordPress: As the name suggests, this feature will scan all your website’s files for malware, but it won’t stop there – it will look after malicious code, code injections, backdoors, and URL redirects as well.
- File replacement: Whenever an infected WordPress file is identified, it is replaced with an original version from WordPress.org. This will ensure that your file integrity is always at its best.
- Alerts: While the plugin tracks attack activity, password breaches, spambots, irrelevant logins, and many other key security factors, anything suspicious will be instantly reported via SMS, email, or even Slack to website administrators.
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall
- Cost: free
- Rating: 4.9
- Active installations: 200,000+
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall is a WordPress malware removal plugin where the accent is on ease of use and accessibility. It is one of the best tools out there for beginners and people with small websites.
It offers relatively basic WordPress security options and is one of the WordPress malware removal plugins that work seamlessly to protect your website with minimum effort from your side. The initial setup is easy to do and the dashboard is pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it.
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall Pricing
This plugin is mainly marketed as a completely free WordPress malware removal plugin, but things are not quite like this in reality.
While it is available as a free tool, some important features are reserved for users who make a one-time $29 minimum donation. The price is definitely a good one for lifetime malware protection.
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall Key Features
- Auto-delete malware: Infected files that are confirmed victims of malware infection are automatically deleted with minimum user input.
- Ongoing protection: Anti-malware definitions are automatically updated constantly, which ensures your website’s ongoing protection against different kinds of attacks.
- Firewall: Most potential attacks are going to be stopped by the firewall offered by this WordPress malware removal plugin, as it will reduce the chances of attackers being able to exploit WordPress vulnerabilities
BulletProof Security
- Cost: free version + $69.95 one time
- Rating: 4.8
- Active installations: 40,000+
Another one of the top choices when it comes to WordPress malware removal plugins, BulletProof Security offers a good level of protection against all kinds of different security issues.
It is a decent choice for beginners, but powerful enough for advanced users. While the initial setup does require some technical knowledge, it comes with a detailed set of instructions that will guide first-time users through the process seamlessly.
BulletProof Pricing
BulletProof Security can be used in its free version and many users will find it a perfectly acceptable solution for WordPress malware removal and prevention.
Those who need a little extra can get it for a one-time fixed fee of $69.95. There are several important features you will unlock, like auto-restore and quarantine, plugin firewall protection with autopilot mode, email alerting and log file options, and a ton of extra useful tools.
BulletProof Security Key Features
- 1-click setup: The installation and setup process is extremely simple and only takes a few minutes. Your website can be fully protected against a plethora of potential threats.
- Scheduled scans: Being one of the best WordPress malware removal plugins out there, BulletProof Security offers you the possibility to schedule malware scans with good frequency.
- Root folders scanning: Not only will BulletProof Security scan the files and folders of your website, but it will also scan your root folders, offering protection from the ground up, starting with your hosting.
Astra Security Suite
- Cost: $1,999 / year
- Rating: 4.0
- Active installations: 2,000+
With a very intuitive interface and a user-friendly dashboard, Astra Security Suite offers protection and malware removal solutions to users of all expertise levels.
Only 2,000 active installations and a 4.0 user rating might make you believe that Astra Security Suite is not exactly the best choice when it comes to WordPress malware removal plugins.
Well, it does have some important advantages though.
Astra Security Suite Pricing
This plugin is not available in a free version, which makes it a viable option only for users who are willing to make considerable investments in their websites’ protection against all kinds of possible threats, including malware.
In order to take advantage of all the security features Astra Security Suite has to offer, you will need to pay no less than $1,999/year. This grants you access to the whole suite of security tools Astra Security Suite comes equipped with.
Astra Security Suite Key Features
- Manual malware cleanup: Like any other professional malware removal plugin out there, Astra Security Suite offers the option to ask for help and get your malware manually removed by a security expert.
- IP blocking: While malware removal is great, it is always better to prevent future malware attacks rather than fix them. For this, Astra Security Suite offers IP blocking which allows you to restrict access to your website from IPs you identified as potentially harmful.
- Malware scanning for WordPress: Since malware removal is impossible without identifying and locating the malware in the first place, this malware removal plugin also offers a malware scanner to help you locate potential issues.
Comparing the Malware Removal WordPress Plugins
So, what is the best WordPress malware removal tool? Have a look at some of the most relevant information about the malware removal plugins we identified as being top choices and see which one seems to meet your individual criteria.
| Plugin | Free Version | Premium Version Starting Price | Rating | Active Installations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sucuri Security |  | $199.99 / year | 4.2 | 900,000+ |
| MalCare | | $99 / year | 4.1 | 400,000+ |
| Wordfence | | $119 / year | 4.7 | 4+ million |
| Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall | | N/A | 4.9 | 200,000+ |
| BulletProof Security | | $69.95 one time | 4.8 | 40,000+ |
| Astra Security Suite |  | $1,999 / year | 4.0 | 2,000+ |
Key Criteria for Selecting a WordPress Malware Removal Plugin
If you are still uncertain what your WordPress site needs in terms of malware protection or malware removal tools, that’s ok.
Here are a couple of the most relevant criteria you should look at before committing to any of the plugins we recommend.
Again, it is important to remember that the best WordPress malware removal tool is the one that meets your own conditions and has the most positive effects on your site’s security. And, if possible, it should do that without impacting your performance or making a dent in your budget.
Here are some things we think you should always keep in mind when it comes to choosing the best WordPress malware removal option for your WordPress website:
- Budget-Friendly: How much you can afford to invest is a key element that should guide you in the decision-making process. While security is clearly important for your WordPress website, going bankrupt while keeping your site secure defeats the purpose.
If security and finances are both an issue, you can learn to cover some security issues manually without the need for a dedicated plugin. - Robust Protection: What you get for your money is also extremely important. Some of the best WordPress malware removal tools come as features from a wider selection of security tools. If you need protection against possible malware attacks, chances are you need protection against other types of attacks too.
Ideally, you should choose a complete security plugin that includes malware protection amongst other things like brute force attacks, tempering with WordPress core files, malicious redirects, infected files, and many others. - User-Friendly Interface: Your level of expertise in managing and keeping a WordPress site secure also plays an important role in how you make your decisions. As a beginner, you will need to choose a malware removal plugin that is easy to use and has a user-friendly dashboard and interface. Website security starts with actually being able to configure and take advantage of what a security plugin has to offer.
As an advanced user, you have more freedom in choosing the best wordpress malware removal tool without looking too much at how friendly it is for the average user. You can pay more attention to its features rather than the ease of use. - Comprehensive Threat Database: The malware database each plugin has access to dictates to a certain extent how efficient it is in protecting your WordPress site. The MWDB (malware database) is a repository where malware samples are stored and analyzed to which different operators have access in order to identify similar malicious software with more ease.
Out of the options recommended above, you should know that Wordfence has the most extensive malware database. - Quick Cleanup: When you need to remove malware, time is generally of the essence. The quicker you act, the more you reduce the negative effects. While a malware scanner is a great way to keep things safe and secure, how quickly you get to remove malware after identifying it is of utmost importance.
A hacked WordPress site needs to be fixed quickly, so whenever you need to decide what malware removal plugin is the right one for you, you need to keep in mind that it needs to be able to act quickly. Whether that is through automated removal tools or with the help of experts, the time needs to be as short as possible. - Reliable Support: Regardless of how well-built or well-optimized a malware scanning and removal tool is, you are quite likely to need some help at some point.
That is when the reliability and answer times of the support team become relevant and important. Getting the help you need when you need it can make a huge difference especially when what’s at stake is your website’s security and uptime.
FAQ
What Is WordPress Malware?
Malware is a general term used to describe several types of malicious software that can be implemented on a server to damage your website in one way or another. Whether it’s a Trojan horse, a virus, a worm, or a piece of spyware, as long as it affects a WordPress platform, it can be defined as WordPress malware.
What Indications Suggest My WordPress Site Might Be Infected With Malware?
While there are many ways you can see signs of malware on your website, more often than not, these may go unnoticed for a long period of time. That is why using a security plugin with malware removal features is essential. Some symptoms you may notice even before scanning your website can include: unwanted redirects, suspicious push notifications, unexpected new code in your source, and other similar changes you never made yourself.
What Is a WordPress Malware Removal Plugin?
As the name suggests, a WordPress malware removal plugin is a WordPress plugin that has the ability to identify, protect against, and ultimately if all prevention fails, remove malware from your website.
What’s the Average Cost of a WordPress Malware Removal Plugin?
Depending on the level of protection you require and how much your budget allows you to invest, the price of a WordPress malware plugin can range from $0 to $2,000/year. On average though, decent protection against malware and other security issues can be obtained for around $100/year.
Is It Possible to Cleanse My WordPress Site of Malware Without Using a Plugin?
Yes. If you possess the right level of expertise and have enough time, you can definitely remove malware from your WordPress website without a plugin. Identifying malware can easily be done using tools like the free Sucuri SiteCheck.
The process of having it manually removed can be daunting and requires good technical knowledge, but it can definitely be done.
Conclusion
The right choice in terms of WordPress malware removal plugins can make a huge difference in terms of security for your website. Having the right level of protection at the right cost for the size of your website is essential both for your business and for your visitors.
While we cannot tell you which one the right tool is for you, now you should have all the right data to make an informed decision by yourself.
