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…

Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…

4.8(1,032)

40K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 month ago
View Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
VS
WP Admin Audit

WP Admin Audit

3.7(6)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 8 months ago
View WP Admin Audit

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

Rating
4.8/5Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit3.7/5
Total Reviews
1,032Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit6
Active Installs
40K+Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit1.0K+
Total Downloads
12M+Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit13K+
Support Resolution
100%Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin AuditN/A
Last Updated
1 month agoShield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit8 months ago
First Released
2013Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit2022
Age
13 yearsShield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit4 years
WP Requires
5.7+Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit5.5+
PHP Requires
7.4+Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit7.0+
Business Model
FreeShield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin AuditFree
Latest Version
21.2.6Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…
WP Admin Audit1.2.16

Rating Breakdown

Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users…

4.8/5(1,032 reviews)
5
94%
4
3%
3
1%
2
1%
1
2%

WP Admin Audit

3.7/5(6 reviews)
5
67%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
33%

Recent Reviews

Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… Reviews

by sondrasneed

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;

by exoduss

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.

by Amanda

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

by wadm

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

by pawelboc

The plugin could not be enabled because it caused a critical error

The plugin could not be enabled because it caused a critical error.

by rridder

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

Is Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… or WP Admin Audit more popular?
Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… has 40K+ active installations while WP Admin Audit has 1.0K+. Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… or WP Admin Audit?
Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… has a 4.8/5 rating from 1,032 reviews, while WP Admin Audit has a 3.7/5 rating from 6 reviews.
Are Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… and WP Admin Audit free?
Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… is free and WP Admin Audit is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… or WP Admin Audit?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users… was last updated 1 month ago and WP Admin Audit was last updated 8 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.