WordPress security plugin complaints: what 37 bad reviews say
37 one- and two-star WordPress.org reviews (31 one-star) of the 12 most-installed plugins in the Security & anti-spam category, posted 26 Oct 2025 – 25 Oct 2026. Combined: 24,400,000+ active installs.
What users complain about in WordPress security plugins
| Complaint | Share | Reviews | All plugins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugs & errors | 24.3% | 9 | 32.5% |
| Slow or no support | 21.6% | 8 | 18% |
| Upsell, paywall & pushy Pro version | 16.2% | 6 | 14.9% |
| Broke after an update | 10.8% | 4 | 8.5% |
| Charges, renewals & refunds | 8.1% | 3 | 11.1% |
| Crashed or took down the site | 8.1% | 3 | 5.4% |
| Hard to use or set up | 8.1% | 3 | 9.3% |
| Ads, nags & admin clutter | 5.4% | 2 | 4.5% |
| Conflicts with other plugins or themes | 2.7% | 1 | 1.9% |
| Lost data, content or settings | 2.7% | 1 | 0.7% |
| Missing features & limits | 2.7% | 1 | 5.9% |
| Called it a scam or misleading | 2.7% | 1 | 8% |
| Slows the site or heavy | 2.7% | 1 | 8.8% |
A review can match several themes; 45.9% match none. “All plugins” = 578 low-star reviews of 138 plugins in 12 categories.
What is different about this category
They mention ai features or ai support (0% vs 6.1%) and slows the site or heavy (2.7% vs 8.8%) less often than average.
WordPress security plugins by number of bad reviews
| Plugin | 1–2★ | Top complaint (5+ reviews) | Replied | Installs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Really Simple Security | 10 | Bugs & errors 40% | 60% | 3,000,000+ |
| Kadence Security | 9 | Slow or no support 33.3% | 0% | 700,000+ |
| Wordfence Security | 6 | Upsell, paywall & pushy Pro version 50% | 66.7% | 5,000,000+ |
| Limit Login Attempts Security | 5 | Broke after an update 40% | 100% | 1,000,000+ |
| WPS Hide Login | 2 | – | 0% | 2,000,000+ |
| Security Optimizer | 2 | – | 100% | 1,000,000+ |
| Akismet Anti-spam | 1 | – | 0% | 5,000,000+ |
| Hostinger Tools | 1 | – | 0% | 3,000,000+ |
| All-In-One Security (AIOS) | 1 | – | 0% | 1,000,000+ |
| Loginizer | 0 | – | – | 1,000,000+ |
| Safe SVG | 0 | – | – | 1,000,000+ |
| User Role Editor | 0 | – | – | 700,000+ |
In users’ words
“Needs constant reinstallation and just doesn’t work. Not worth the time spent debugging it.”
WordPress.org review, Aug 2026
“… The support writes that it is not a priority to solve the problem, because users can discuss with their hosters to adapt their security settings to the demands of Kadence…”
WordPress.org review, Aug 2026
“… And now you have to buy a whole bundle of nonsense to have security! I’m done with this brand.”
WordPress.org review, May 2026
“The latest update forcefully re-enabled lockout email notifications, as well as weekly and monthly security digest emails, across all client sites without opt-in or warning.”
WordPress.org review, Aug 2026
“… This plugin completely wiped the wp-config.php file! I’m a longtime user of this plugin, but this it not a great start to the rebrand!”
WordPress.org review, May 2026
Do WordPress security developers reply to bad reviews?
45.9% of these low-star reviews got a reply from the author or support team, median 1 day after the review (all plugins: 70.2%, median 1 day).
What to fix first (our reading of the data)
- Bugs & errors (24.3% of reviews): Reply to each bug review with the version that fixes it, and test against the most popular themes and PHP versions.
- Slow or no support (21.6% of reviews): Answer forum threads within a day or two; plugins in this study that replied fast had fewer repeat complaints.
- Upsell, paywall & pushy Pro version (16.2% of reviews): Keep the free version useful on its own; move Pro prompts out of every admin screen.
This breakdown for your plugin
Your plugin’s low-star reviews by theme, with quotes and reply rate. Revunda has no self-serve WordPress.org report yet: send the plugin URL and we reply with what we can do.
Other categories: Page builders & blocks · Backup & migration · WooCommerce & payments · SEO · Cookies & privacy · Images, galleries & sliders · Caching & speed · Forms · Translation · Email & SMTP · Analytics
Data and method: WordPress review study (138 plugins, CC BY 4.0 CSV) · WordPress plugin 1-star reviews: what to fix first · All categories
FAQ
What do users complain about most in WordPress security plugins?
In 37 one- and two-star WordPress.org reviews of 12 WordPress security plugins (Oct 2025 – Oct 2026), the top complaints were bugs & errors (24.3%), slow or no support (21.6%), upsell, paywall & pushy pro version (16.2%).
Do WordPress security plugin developers reply to bad reviews?
45.9% of these low-star reviews got a reply from the author or support team, median 1 day after the review (all plugins: 70.2%, median 1 day).
Which WordPress security plugin had the most bad reviews?
Really Simple Security, with 10 one- and two-star reviews in the 12 months to Oct 2026.
How many bad reviews do security plugins get per million installs?
1.5 low-star reviews per million active installs over 12 months, against 3.5 across all 138 plugins in the study.