Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP vs Wordfence Security
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP v5.3.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.8/5 Visit Details | Wordfence Security v9.0.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 90,000+ | 5M+ |
| Last updated | September 4, 2026 | September 30, 2026 |
| Editions | Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP · Shield (paid add-on) ($) | Wordfence Security · Wordfence Premium ($) |
| Pros | Sends HSTS, CSP, X-Frame-Options and Permissions-Policy from one settings page; Can write headers to Apache or LiteSpeed configuration; Self-check confirms the headers reach the browser | Firewall, malware scanner, 2FA and passkey login in the free version; Scanner checks core, theme and plugin files against WordPress.org; Dashboard for scan results, blocking and login settings |
| Cons | Strict CSP or frame rules can break third-party scripts and embeds; Paid Shield add-on tabs are shown as locked in the free code; Writing server config files needs care on shared hosting | Free version receives firewall and malware signature updates 30 days late; Audit log and real-time threat updates need Premium; Scans and firewall add work on the server |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 3 |
| Features (Security plugins checklist) | ||
| Firewall | — | Yes |
| Malware scan | — | Yes |
| Login protection | — | Yes |
| Two-factor login | — | Yes |
| Activity log | — | Paid |
| Free version | — | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | HSTS header, Content-Security-Policy header, Permissions-Policy header, X-Frame-Options header, Write headers to Apache or LiteSpeed config, Self-check of headers after changes, Shield add-on tabs shown as locked ($) | Real-time malware signature and scan frequency options ($), Passkey sign-in, Security audit log ($), WooCommerce customer registration filter |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | LemonSqueezy licence API ($) | — |
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce |
| Requires WordPress | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | api.lemonsqueezy.com | noc1.wordfence.com, noc3.wordfence.com, www.wordfence.com, noc4.wordfence.com |