Disable Comments vs WP fail2ban
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Disable Comments v2.9.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details | WP fail2ban v5.5.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.2/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 1M+ | 60,000+ |
| Last updated | October 25, 2026 | October 20, 2026 |
| Editions | Disable Comments | WP fail2ban · WP fail2ban Premium ($) |
| Pros | Site-wide, per post type or per post rules; Bulk delete with a preview and export before deleting; Blocks REST API and XML-RPC comment endpoints | Turns failed logins and user enumeration into fail2ban signals; Blocks user enumeration through the REST API, sitemaps and oEmbed; Logs spam comments and XML-RPC abuse for fail2ban; Free edition covers the common attacks |
| Cons | Deleting comments is permanent once confirmed; Optional usage tracking sends data to WPInsight once opted in | Needs a fail2ban service and syslog access on the server; Shows no activity log inside WordPress; events go to syslog; Premium adds more protection, sold separately |
| Mentioned in our posts | 2 | 1 |
| Features (Security plugins checklist) | ||
| Firewall | — | Yes |
| Malware scan | — | No |
| Login protection | — | Yes |
| Two-factor login | — | No |
| Activity log | — | No |
| Free version | — | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Disable comments per post type, Conditional rules for individual posts and auto-close, Bulk delete of existing comments with preview and export, Block REST API and XML-RPC comment endpoints, Count blocked comment attempts, Multisite site-by-site settings, WP-CLI command, Settings import and export | Failed login logging to syslog, Block user enumeration, Spam comment logging, XML-RPC login and pingback handling, Password reset logging, Premium features gate ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | — |
| Requires WordPress | 5.0 | 4.2 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | Only if you agree |
| External services | send.wpinsight.com, ip-api.com | api.freemius.com, checkout.freemius.com |