Really Simple SSL vs WP fail2ban
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 | WP fail2ban v5.5.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.2/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 3M+ | 60,000+ |
| Last updated | September 15, 2026 | October 20, 2026 |
| Editions | Really Simple Security · Really Simple Security Pro ($) | WP fail2ban · WP fail2ban Premium ($) |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 1 | 1 |
| Features (Security plugins checklist) | ||
| Firewall | Paid | Yes |
| Malware scan | No | No |
| Login protection | Yes | Yes |
| Two-factor login | Yes | No |
| Activity log | No | No |
| Free version | Yes | 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 ($), Captcha on login (reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha) ($) | Failed login logging to syslog, Block user enumeration, Spam comment logging, XML-RPC login and pingback handling, Password reset logging, Premium features gate ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Marketing | Really Simple Security mailing list | — |
| Other | Cloudways API, SSL Labs, Really Simple Security vulnerability service, Google reCAPTCHA ($), hCaptcha ($) | — |
| Requires WordPress | 6.6 | 4.2 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | api.cloudways.com, api.ssllabs.com | api.freemius.com, checkout.freemius.com |