MalCare WordPress Security Plugin… vs Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins… (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
MalCare WordPress Security Plugin…
200K+ active installs
Free
Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins…
40K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins… has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 61 reviews) while MalCare WordPress Security Plugin… leads in active installations (200K+ vs 40K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. MalCare WordPress Security Plugin… has accumulated 17M+ total downloads while Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins… has 563K+. MalCare WordPress Security Plugin… has a higher support resolution rate (100% vs 0%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | MalCare WordPress Security Plugin… | Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins… | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | ► | 4.9/5 |
| Total Reviews | 521 | ◄ | 61 |
| Active Installs | 200K+ | ◄ | 40K+ |
| Total Downloads | 17M+ | ◄ | 563K+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | ◄ | 0% |
| Last Updated | 1 week ago | ◄ | 2 months ago |
| First Released | 2018 | 2021 | |
| Age | 8 years | 5 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.0+ | 4.4+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.0+ | 5.6+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 6.39 | 2.3.5 |
Rating Breakdown
MalCare WordPress Security Plugin…
Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins…
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, MalCare WordPress Security Plugin… averaged approximately 5,514 daily downloads while Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins… averaged 418.
Recent Reviews
MalCare WordPress Security Plugin… Reviews
Above and beyond
I am over the moon with my experience with Malcare. Not only did their free online tool fine malware where others didn’t, they fixed it immediately and then went on to surprise and delight me by helpi
Great plugin and support
Great plugin, lightweight and protects the sites. Support is amazing, fast replies and care to help.
HUMAN SUPPORT TOP SECURITY
I got a fake recaptcha script on my site , i tried all ways to locate it but all in vain.Then i found malcare, there scanner helped me realised that my site had far more issues than just an enqueued s
Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins… Reviews
Helpful Outreach from Triage
Originally this was a 1 star review but triage team turned it around. Patchstack published CVE-2025-57923 and did not respond for a couple weeks while we actively tried to respond to a purported vulne
Smart extra layer of protection for WordPress
Patchstack has been a great tool for keeping my WordPress sites secure. I really like the early vulnerability alerts and the virtual patching feature—it gives me peace of mind knowing that known issue
Best support
Was talking to their AI support and it automatically switched to human who solved my issue by herself. Never saw this ! perfect support, perfect tool for security combined with CF
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.