Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… vs WP Admin Audit (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
40K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 1,032 reviews) and leads in active installations (40K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… has accumulated 12M+ total downloads while WP Admin Audit has 13K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… | WP Admin Audit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8/5 | ◄ | 3.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 1,032 | ◄ | 6 |
| Active Installs | 40K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 12M+ | ◄ | 13K+ |
| Support Resolution | 100% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 month ago | ◄ | 8 months ago |
| First Released | 2013 | 2022 | |
| Age | 13 years | 4 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.7+ | 5.5+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 7.0+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 21.2.6 | 1.2.16 |
Rating Breakdown
Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… averaged approximately 1,389 daily downloads while WP Admin Audit averaged 6.
Recent Reviews
Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… Reviews
I hate this expensive, complex plugin
I’m so tired of visitors being locked out of client sites, clients being locked out. I have no idea how to get real support. It’s sold as a simple, robust security plugin, but it’s by no means simple;
Causes critical error
Installed it two times, and each time it completely blocked access to the WordPress dashboard. Had to use FTP to delete this plugin.
Solid Security Plugin with Some Hidden Pitfalls
I’m a web developer and I like Shield Security. It’s solid and offers strong protection. That said, after following their advice to improve my security grade, I couldn’t edit the WordPress Customiz
WP Admin Audit Reviews
Crashed Websites
My God, I really wanted this to work because I needed to track what the users where doing but out of five cites I’ve installed it on, it has crashed three. That is over 50% failure so its time to sear
The plugin could not be enabled because it caused a critical error
The plugin could not be enabled because it caused a critical error.
Great and helpful support
The plugin gives us as a company good insight on what is causing errors on our website by tracking plugin updates. With one of our plugin we actually got a fatal error with WP admin but the team was v
Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.