# WordPress security plugin complaints: what 37 bad reviews say > 37 one- and two-star WordPress.org reviews of 12 WordPress security plugins: top complaints, reply rates, worst-hit plugins and quotes. Canonical: https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/security-anti-spam/ Language: en Last updated: 2026-10-25 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. **24.3%**Bugs & errors **45.9%**got a developer reply (all plugins: 70.2%) **1.5**bad reviews per million installs (all plugins: 3.5) ## 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) 1. **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. 2. **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. 3. **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. [Request it for my plugin](mailto:hello@revunda.xyz?subject=WordPress%20plugin%20review%20breakdown) [Free App Store review check](https://revunda.xyz/apps/check/) Other categories: [Page builders & blocks](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/page-builders-blocks/) · [Backup & migration](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/backup-migration/) · [WooCommerce & payments](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/woocommerce-payments/) · [SEO](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/seo/) · [Cookies & privacy](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/cookies-privacy/) · [Images, galleries & sliders](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/images-galleries-sliders/) · [Caching & speed](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/caching-speed/) · [Forms](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/forms/) · [Translation](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/translation/) · [Email & SMTP](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/email-smtp/) · [Analytics](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/analytics/) Data and method: [WordPress review study](https://revunda.xyz/apps/research/wordpress-plugin-review-complaints-2026/) (138 plugins, CC BY 4.0 CSV) · [WordPress plugin 1-star reviews: what to fix first](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-1-star-reviews/) · [All categories](https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/) ## 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. --- Source: Revunda (https://revunda.xyz). Markdown copy of https://revunda.xyz/apps/wordpress-plugin-complaints/security-anti-spam/ for AI assistants; the HTML page is canonical.