WP Guardian – Security Hardening Checklist & Lightweight Firewall
v2.1.0by Ciprian Popescu · updated 1 month ago
For site owners who want an honest hardening checklist, not a heavy security suite: what to fix in WordPress, and what to ask your host for.
- Rank
- #16,013
- Up47 vs yesterday
- Active installs (est.)
- ≈ 125
- 100+ reported · High
- Total downloads
- 6.3K
- 6,278 all-time
- Rating
- 5.0/5
- 1 reviews
- Support resolved
- –
- 0 of 0 threads, last 2 months
WP Guardian at a glance
WP Guardian is a WordPress plugin by Ciprian Popescu with 100+ active installs, the #16,013 most popular plugin on WordPress.org. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 9 times, 6% more than the month before. It’s rated 5.0 out of 5 from 1 review. Version 2.1.0 came out on Oct 9, 2026 and is tested up to WordPress 7.1.4. It leads the 2 plugins tagged “security checklist”. It was first released in 2017.
Chart time range
Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 9, 2026, 31 days.
Downloads over time
Download stats352 downloads · the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | WP Guardian |
|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2026 | 8 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 9 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 9 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 10 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 8 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 9 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 18 |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 24, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 8 |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 13 |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 9 |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 7 |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 14 |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 7 |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 22 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 5 |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 11 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 15 |
| Oct 13, 2026 | 10 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 13 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 21 |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 74 |
| Oct 9, 2026 | 37 |
Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.
Estimated installs
≈ 125 · +2.5% in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Estimated installs |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | 125 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 124 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 123 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 123 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 124 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 124 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 124 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 124 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 120 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 118 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 118 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 122 |
Rank over time
#16,013 · up 325 in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | #16,013 |
| Nov 7, 2026 | #16,060 |
| Nov 6, 2026 | #16,059 |
| Nov 5, 2026 | #16,102 |
| Nov 4, 2026 | #16,107 |
| Nov 3, 2026 | #16,038 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | #16,066 |
| Nov 1, 2026 | #16,039 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | #16,045 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | #16,314 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | #16,431 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | #16,402 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | #16,338 |
Growth %
Average +0.20% a day in the last 30 days
View as table
| Date | Growth |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | +0.81% |
| Nov 7, 2026 | +0.41% |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 4, 2026 | -0.81% |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Oct 31, 2026 | +3.33% |
| Oct 30, 2026 | +1.70% |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 0.00% |
| Oct 28, 2026 | -3.28% |
Active installs band
100+ on WordPress.org
View as table
| Date | Daily snapshot |
|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 6, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 5, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 3, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 2, 2026 | 100+ |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 100+ |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 100+ |
Search rankings
Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.
See where WP Guardian ranks in search
Track this plugin to check its position for the searches you choose, daily, with an alert when it moves.
Change log
From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org- Rank #16402 → #16102
- Tested up to 7.1.3 → 7.1.4
Versions in use
Share of active installs on each published version, from WordPress.org.
- v2.166%
- v2.034%
Rating trend
5.0★★★★★1 reviews · steady in the last 30 days
Requirements & info
Version history- Version
- 2.1.0
- Requires WordPress
- 5.6
- Tested up to
- 7.1.4
- Requires PHP
- 8.0
- First released
- Oct 11, 2017
- Last updated
- Oct 9, 2026
- Releases, last 12 months
- …
Questions about WP Guardian
How many websites use WP Guardian?
WP Guardian is active on 100+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #16,013 most popular plugin on WordPress.org.
How many times has WP Guardian been downloaded?
6,278 times in total since 2017. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 9 times. See download stats
When was WP Guardian last updated?
Version 2.1.0 came out on Oct 9, 2026 (4 weeks ago).
Is WP Guardian compatible with the latest WordPress?
Yes. It’s tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current version.
Is WP Guardian still maintained?
Yes. Its last release was 4 weeks ago. No support threads were opened in the last two months.
What rating does WP Guardian have?
5.0 out of 5 from 1 review on WordPress.org.
What are the best alternatives to WP Guardian?
The plugins most like WP Guardian, by the tags they share, are Wordfence Security (5M+), All-In-One Security (AIOS) (1M+) and Security Optimizer (1M+). Compare all alternatives
Latest reviews
Analyze reviewsReview stats
5.0
★★★★★
1 reviews
- 5 stars: 1 reviews, 100%
- 4 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
- 3 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
- 2 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
- 1 stars: 0 reviews, 0%
- Positive
- 100%4–5★
- Mixed
- 0%3★
- Critical
- 0%1–2★
Compare with competitors
Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Estimated installs | ≈ 125 |
| Reported installs | 100+ |
| Rating | 5.0 |
| Reviews | 1 |
| Total downloads | 6.3K |
| Author | Ciprian Popescu |
| First released | Oct 11, 2017 |
| Version | 2.1.0 |
| Requires WP | 5.6 |
| Requires PHP | 8.0 |
| Last updated | Oct 9, 2026 |
Alternatives to WP Guardian
Compare all alternativesPopular plugins with the same tags, the most in common first.
Wordfence Security
by Mark Maunder
Firewall, Malware Scanner, Two Factor Auth, and Comprehensive Security Features, powered by our 24-hour team. Make security a priority with Wordfence.
- Rank
- #11
- Installs
- 5M+
- 4.7
All-In-One Security (AIOS)
by David Anderson / Team Updraft
Protect your WordPress site with All-In-One Security (AIOS): easy-to-use login security, a powerful firewall, and much more.
- Rank
- #56
- Installs
- 1M+
- 4.7
Security Optimizer
by SiteGround
Secure your WordPress site from brute-force attacks, threats, malware, and bots. Free to use and easy to set up.
- Rank
- #51
- Installs
- 1M+
- 4.5
Limit Login Attempts Security
by WPChef
Limit login attempts and stop brute force attacks. WordPress security with 2FA, firewall, bot protection, IP blocking, and secure login monitoring.
- Rank
- #34
- Installs
- 1M+
- 4.8
Sucuri Security
by Sucuri
The Sucuri WordPress Security plugin is a security toolset for security integrity monitoring, malware detection and security hardening.
- Rank
- #106
- Installs
- 600K+
- 4.2
Patchstack
by Patchstack
Patchstack automatically identifies and mitigates security vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins, themes, and core.
- Rank
- #289
- Installs
- 100K+
- 4.8
Side by side:WP Guardian vs Wordfence SecurityWP Guardian vs All-In-One Security (AIOS)WP Guardian vs Security Optimizer
More by Ciprian Popescu
See everything by Ciprian PopescuOther plugins from this author in our catalog.
Playlist Player for YouTube
by Ciprian Popescu
For bloggers and businesses who want YouTube playlists and channel feeds that load fast and only contact YouTube when visitors press play.
- Rank
- #5,126
- Installs
- 1K+
- 4.8
Block for Font Awesome Icons
by Ciprian Popescu
For anyone who wants Font Awesome icons in the block editor without class names or a heavy icon font: search, click, done. Free icons render as SVG.
- Rank
- #6,275
- Installs
- 1K+
- 3.7
ImagePress
by Ciprian Popescu
For communities, clubs and photographers: let members upload photos from the front end, moderate them, and show them in responsive galleries.
- Rank
- #12,577
- Installs
- 200+
- 5.0
Metro Tabs
by Ciprian Popescu
For site builders who need more than the core Tabs block: vertical tabs, accordion on mobile, shareable tab links, icons and style presets.
- Rank
- #15,621
- Installs
- 100+
eCards Lite
by Ciprian Popescu
Let visitors send Christmas, birthday or thank-you e-cards from your Media Library, with spam protection.
- Rank
- #16,576
- Installs
- 100+
- 4.3
W3P SEO
by Ciprian Popescu
For site owners who want clean SEO basics without the bloat: titles, descriptions, schema, sitemaps, plus llms.txt and AI crawler controls.
- Rank
- #17,433
- Installs
- 80+
- 4.0