Vigilant — WordPress Security Plugin
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner…
by Fernando Tellado · WordPress.org page · Website
Vigilant has 3,000+ active installs on WordPress.org and 54,456 downloads all time. It was downloaded 14,157 times in the last 30 days. The last update was on October 19, 2026, tested up to WordPress 7.1.3.
Vigilant at a glance
Is Vigilant well maintained?
Features
The feature list from the plugin's own readme on WordPress.org, trimmed to the essentials.
- SQL injection blocking
- XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attack prevention
- File inclusion protection (LFI/RFI)
- Directory traversal blocking
- Bad query string filtering (catches generic suspicious patterns the specific blockers miss)
- Bad bot detection and blocking
- Block requests with empty user agent
- Rate limiting against DDoS and brute force, with optional progressive lockouts
- IP whitelist and blacklist management (IPv4 and IPv6, with CIDR ranges and wildcards)
- User-Agent whitelist and blacklist with partial matching
- Visitor IP detection control – read the real IP directly from the connection (a spoof-proof default) or from a proxy header when behind Cloudflare, a reverse…
- HTTP method restriction
Vigilant reviews and ratings
23 reviews on WordPress.org, with the most recent ones as their authors posted them.
23 reviews
- 5★
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23
- 4★
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- 3★
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- 2★
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- 1★
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Bueno, bonito y... ¡gratis!
Un gran plugin de seguridad, con bastantes más opciones que otros de pago. Además no ocupa mucho y no se nota en lo que a rendimiento del sitio se refiere. Para colmo, responde en el foro de soporte antes de que puedas cerrar sesión y hacer otras cosas. ¡No se puede pedir más! Gracias, Fernando.
sabayes -
Ayuda
Hola que tal me interesa mucho probar el plugin pero cuando elijo un presets que se supone que al usarlo deberia no aparecer mas errores despues de volver a escanear, me siguen saliendo errores que aun no se han solucionado, algo estoy haciendo mal?
arito100 -
Plugin de seguridad indispensable
Posiblemente el mejor plugin de seguridad que existe actualmente. Simple, liviano, efectivo... Y gratis. Más no se puede pedir. Un trabajo excelente por parte de Fernando, como siempre. Muchísimas gracias por el trabajo.
Trademarkos -
Impressive security plugin
I'm impressed by the scope and ease of use of this plugin. It has pointed out quite a few weak points in my website security which I have subsequently fixed. For a free plugin, Vigilant is surprisingly comprehensive and excellent!
Tim Gray -
Not working on WP!
Plugin could not be activated because it triggered a fatal error.
tinaponting -
El mejor plugin de seguridad para WordPress
Fernando está haciendo un gran trabajo con este plugin. Contiene casi todas las funcionalidades de todos los plugins que existen para WordPress relacionados con seguridad, y sin coste para la comunidad. Os animo a probar todos los plugins que Fernando desarrolla y podéis encontrar en el repositorio de WordPress, merecen mucho la pena. ¡Gracias Fernando por ser una joya para la comunidad WordPress!
nadiesinsuweb
Download and install history
24,498 downloads over the last 48 days. Snapshots taken daily from WordPress.org.
Where Vigilant ranks on WordPress.org
The rankings we track that Vigilant appears in, and how its position changed over 30 days.
| Ranking | WordPress.org placement | Position | 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Security Plugins | #14 in search, not tagged | #41 | ▲6 |
| Best Authentication Plugins | #25 in search, not tagged | #49 | ▲6 |
| Best Login Plugins | #14 in search, not tagged | #52 | ▲21 |
| Best Password Protection Plugins | #44 in search, not tagged | #78 | – |
| Best Backup Plugins | #55 in search, not tagged | #83 | ▲7 |
Vigilant alternatives
Plugins that solve the same problem, ranked by how closely they overlap with Vigilant.
-
Security and Firewall 1 million+ installs · 4.7 -
Limit Login Attempts Security 1 million+ installs · 4.8 -
Wordfence Security 5 million+ installs · 4.7 -
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40,000+ installs · 4.8 -
Kadence Security 700,000+ installs · 4.6
Details
Premium WordPress Security - 100% FREE: Firewall, 2FA, Security Headers, Login and Malware Protection, File Monitor, Security Audit & more
The full description, screenshots and every review live on the WordPress.org page.
Rankings Vigilant competes in
Tags
- 2FA
- firewall
- malware
- scanner
- security
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- Version
- 3.0.8
- Last updated
- Oct 19, 2026
- First published
- Feb 11, 2026
- Requires WordPress
- 6.2
- Tested up to
- 7.1.3
- Requires PHP
- 7.4
- Pricing
- Free on WordPress.org
Vigilant FAQ
What does Vigilant do?
According to its WordPress.org readme, Vigilant offers SQL injection blocking, XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attack prevention, File inclusion protection (LFI/RFI), Directory traversal blocking and Bad query string filtering (catches generic suspicious patterns the specific blockers miss).
How many active installs does Vigilant have?
WordPress.org reports 3,000+ active installs for Vigilant as of October 22, 2026.
Is Vigilant still maintained?
Yes. The last release was on October 19, 2026 and it is tested up to WordPress 7.1.3.
Does Vigilant have good support?
On the WordPress.org forum, 22 of 25 recent support threads for Vigilant are marked resolved. That is the developer's free support; a paid version usually comes with its own channel.
Is Vigilant free?
Vigilant is free to install from WordPress.org. Many plugins also sell a paid version or add-ons.
Where does Vigilant rank among Security Plugins?
Vigilant is #41 in the WordPress.org Security Plugins ranking.