Really Simple SSL vs Stop Spammers
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Really Simple SSL v9.8.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Stop Spammers v2026.6 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.4/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 3M+ | 20,000+ |
| Last updated | September 15, 2026 | July 18, 2026 |
| Editions | Really Simple Security · Really Simple Security Pro ($) | Stop Spammers Classic |
| Pros | One-click HTTPS migration with 301 redirects; Hardening options such as XML-RPC and user enumeration; Email two-factor login for chosen roles in the free version | Checks IPs against StopForumSpam, BotScout and Akismet; Captcha challenge on login, registration and comment forms; Allow list, block list and activity reports |
| Cons | Captcha, authenticator 2FA, passkeys and firewall need Pro; Vulnerability checks send plugin and theme names to a remote service; Many settings screens to review after setup | Legacy build; new features are not planned; Successor Dam Spam is the recommended plugin; Several external lookups send visitor IPs to third-party services |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| Features (Security plugins checklist) | ||
| Firewall | Paid | — |
| Malware scan | No | — |
| Login protection | Yes | — |
| Two-factor login | Yes | — |
| Activity log | No | — |
| Free version | Yes | — |
| More features | ||
| Other features | One-click HTTPS migration and redirects, Vulnerability detection for plugins, themes and core, Email two-factor login for roles, WordPress hardening options, Authenticator app two-factor login ($), Captcha on login (reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha) ($) | Spam checks run on each request at init, Captcha challenge on login, registration and comment forms, Checks 404 hits for exploit-scanning bots, Allow list and block list screens, Reports of caught spam, Tor exit node and hosting-provider checks, Logs IP address on user registration and login |
| Integrations | ||
| Marketing | Really Simple Security mailing list | — |
| Plugins | — | Akismet |
| Other | Cloudways API, SSL Labs, Really Simple Security vulnerability service, Google reCAPTCHA ($), hCaptcha ($) | StopForumSpam, BotScout, Google reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Solve Media |
| Requires WordPress | 6.6 | 5.0 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 5.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.0 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | api.cloudways.com, api.ssllabs.com | www.google.com, hcaptcha.com, verify.solvemedia.com, www.stopforumspam.com, botscout.com, rest.akismet.com, api-secure.solvemedia.com |