# BitFire Security – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Bot Blocker, Login Protection

> BitFire Security has 300+ active installs, a 5/5 rating from 8 reviews and 1.2K downloads in the last 30 days. Health score 85/100, keyword rankings, version adoption and the best alternatives.

**Verdict: Safe pick.** Yes — BitFire Security is a safe, well-maintained plugin to use in 2026. It runs on 300+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 1 week ago, and scores 85/100 on our health check.

**Free WordPress firewall, bot blocking, login protection, and malware scanning. See suspicious traffic and investigate threats from your dashboard.**

## Key facts

- **Overall rank:** —
- **Active installs:** 300+
- **Total downloads:** 18,555
- **Downloads (30 days):** 1,220 (+75.3% vs previous 30 days)
- **Rating:** 5/5 from 8 reviews
- **Health score:** 85/100 (Excellent)
- **Version:** 5.2.4
- **Last updated:** Sep 24, 2026
- **Tested up to:** WordPress 7.1.2
- **Requires:** WordPress 6.1+, PHP 7.4+
- **Support resolved:** 1 of 1 threads (last 2 months)
- **Developer:** Cory Marsh (https://pageforge.pro/directory/authors/bitslip6/)
- **WordPress.org:** https://wordpress.org/plugins/bitfire/

## Category rankings

| Category | Rank | Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| [bot blocker](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/bot-blocker/) | #2 | 10 |
| [firewall](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/firewall/) | #34 | 206 |
| [malware scanner](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/malware-scanner/) | #12 | 62 |
| [security](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/security/) | >100 | 1,603 |
| [WAF](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/waf/) | #5 | 28 |

## WordPress.org search positions

| Keyword | Position | Results |
|---|---|---|
| bot blocker | #4 | 180 |
| firewall | #24 | 966 |
| malware scanner | #14 | 246 |
| security | >100 | 10,000 |
| WAF | #21 | 299 |

## Version adoption

- 5.2: 39.5%
- 5.1: 33.7%
- 4.8: 18.4%
- 5.0: 5.5%
- 4.4: 3%

## Alternatives

| # | Name | Active installs | Rating | Updated | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Better Robots.txt – AI-Ready Crawl Control & Bot Governance](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/better-robots-txt/) | 5K+ | 4.5/5 (102) | Sep 18, 2026 | 87/100 |
| 3 | [Invisible Anti Spam for Contact Form 7 (Simple No-Bot)](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/simple-no-bot/) | 200+ | 2.3/5 (3) | Jan 12, 2020 | 25/100 |
| 4 | [AI Scraping Protector](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/ai-scraping-protector/) | 100+ | 5/5 (2) | Aug 31, 2025 | 41/100 |
| 5 | [WhoKnew Shield — Email, Phone & Address Security](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/whoknew-shield/) | 20+ | 5/5 (1) | Aug 19, 2026 | 70/100 |
| 6 | [AI Crawlers Visibility, Analytics & Control](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/miniorange-ai-visibility/) | 10+ | 5/5 (1) | Oct 1, 2026 | 68/100 |
| 7 | [Fstyle Honeypot Bot Blocker](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/fstyle-honeypot-bot-blocker/) | 10+ | — | May 21, 2026 | 51/100 |
| 8 | [Nullis Shield](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/nullis-shield/) | 10+ | 5/5 (1) | Aug 19, 2026 | 64/100 |
| 9 | [Bravo Crawl Hunter – AI Crawl Blocker, Block AI Bots & Crawlers](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/bravo-crawl-hunter/) | <10 | — | Sep 12, 2026 | 64/100 |
| 10 | [Predax Security – VPN, Proxy, Tor, Bot Blocker & Firewall](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/ipsentry-security/) | <10 | — | Sep 22, 2026 | 64/100 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is BitFire Security free?
Yes. BitFire Security is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

### Is BitFire Security safe to use in 2026?
Yes — BitFire Security is a safe, well-maintained plugin to use in 2026. It runs on 300+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 1 week ago, and scores 85/100 on our health check.

### How many websites use BitFire Security?
BitFire Security is active on 300+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 18,555 times since it launched in June 2022. It was downloaded 1,220 times in the last 30 days.

### Does BitFire Security work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested BitFire Security up to WordPress 7.1.2, the latest release. It requires WordPress 6.1 or newer.

### What PHP version does BitFire Security need?
BitFire Security requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.

### When was BitFire Security last updated?
The latest version, 5.2.4, was released on September 24, 2026 (1 week ago).

### Who makes BitFire Security?
BitFire Security is developed and maintained by Cory Marsh.

### What are the best alternatives to BitFire Security?
The most popular alternatives to BitFire Security are Better Robots.txt (5K+ installs), Invisible Anti Spam for Con… (200+ installs) and AI Scraping Protector (100+ installs).


---
Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/bitfire/ · Generated 2026-10-01 19:32 UTC by PageForge