After the StellarWP rebrand, equivalent security functionality jumped from $99/year to $299/year — and you can no longer buy security alone. Here's the honest, feature-by-feature comparison.
On May 12, 2026, Liquid Web retired the SolidWP brand and folded Solid Security into Kadence Security. For long-time security-only customers, the math changed overnight.
Solid Security Pro was sold standalone at around $99/year. Kadence Pro — the new home for equivalent security functionality — is $299/year. That's roughly a 3x increase for the same firewall, 2FA, and hardening features customers were already paying for.
Kadence Pro isn't a security plugin license — it's a bundle that includes the Kadence theme, Kadence Blocks Pro, Patchstack virtual patching, and other ecosystem add-ons. If you don't use the Kadence theme or block library, you're paying for shelfware to keep your security current.
Per the StellarWP / Liquid Web rollout reports, some Solid Security lifetime license holders had transition friction during the rebrand. Lifetime licenses continue to receive critical security patches through April 2027 per the announcement — after that, customers will need to re-evaluate.
The plugin has been renamed three times in five years: iThemes Security → Solid Security (2023) → Kadence Security (May 2026). The WordPress.org slug is still better-wp-security from the iThemes era. Each rebrand brings documentation churn, broken third-party guides, and customer confusion.
better-wp-security. If you're searching for iThemes Security or Solid Security comparisons, you're in the right place.
| Feature | $59/yrGuardPress Pro | $299/yrKadence Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Web Application Firewall (WAF) | Application-level | In Pro bundle ($299) |
| IP Blocking | ||
| Country Blocking | Not documented | |
| DDoS / Rate Limiting | Rate limiting | Via Patchstack (Pro) |
| Virtual Patching (CVE shielding) | Pro, via Patchstack |
| Feature | GuardPress Pro | Kadence Pro |
|---|---|---|
| File Change Detection | Included in free | |
| Malware Signature Scanner | Server-side signatures | File change only |
| Pending-Update Check (core, plugins, themes) | Dedicated module | |
| CVE-feed Vulnerability Scanner | Not a CVE lookup | Pro, via Patchstack |
| Hardening Misconfiguration Checks | WP_DEBUG, admin user, file editing, SSL | |
| Scheduled Scans |
| Feature | GuardPress Pro | Kadence Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Two-Factor Authentication | Included in free | |
| Per-Role 2FA Enforcement | 7-day grace period | Not documented |
| Emergency Lockdown | One-toggle kill switch | |
| Brute Force Protection | ||
| CAPTCHA Integration | Math + Cloudflare Turnstile | Not documented |
| Custom Login URL | "Hide Login URL" (free) | |
| Password Strength Enforcement |
| Feature | GuardPress Pro | Kadence Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Activity Audit Logs | Detailed | Basic |
| Uptime Monitoring | Exclusive | |
| Email Security Alerts | ||
| Sign-in Notifications to User | Gmail / GitHub pattern | Not documented |
| Security Score | Weighted health grade | |
| Dashboard Widget |
| Feature | GuardPress Pro | Kadence Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Security Headers | ||
| XML-RPC Protection | ||
| REST API Control | ||
| File Editor Disabling | ||
| Database Security | ||
| One-Click Auto-Hardening | Guided wizard | Long-standing feature |
| Tier | GuardPress Pro | Kadence Security |
|---|---|---|
| Free Version | GuardPress on wp.org | better-wp-security on wp.org |
| Starting Price (1 site) | $59/yr | $99/yr Essentials (entry bundle); $299/yr Pro for full security |
| 5 sites | $149/yr | Requires Pro per site or Elite bundle at $499/yr |
| 100 sites | $299/yr | Contact sales |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | See Liquid Web terms |
| Bundling | Security plugin only — no theme or block library required | Bundled with Kadence theme + Kadence Blocks + Patchstack |
These capabilities are in GuardPress Pro at $59/year and aren't surfaced in Kadence Security — including the $299/year Pro tier.
GuardPress runs server-side signature-based malware scans against your file system. Kadence Security does file change detection — useful for spotting modifications, but it doesn't surface a malware signature scanner the way GuardPress does.
Built-in uptime checks monitor your site 24/7 and alert you instantly when it goes down. Kadence Security doesn't surface uptime monitoring — you'd need a separate service like UptimeRobot.
A weighted security health grade that scores your WordPress installation and ranks the highest-impact fixes first. Kadence Security shows individual checks but doesn't roll them into a single dashboard score.
One-toggle kill switch that disables WordPress login and locks down the front-end during an active attack. Kadence Security doesn't surface a single-click emergency lockdown.
GuardPress scans for database-level issues — weak prefixes, exposed admin users, suspicious option values. Kadence Security focuses on file-system and login hardening rather than database posture.
Require 2FA for administrators with a 7-day grace period for existing users, optional for other roles. Kadence Security includes 2FA but doesn't document the same per-role enforcement controls.
Yes. Kadence Security is the current name for the plugin formerly known as Solid Security (renamed from iThemes Security in 2023, then renamed again from Solid Security to Kadence Security in May 2026 after Liquid Web folded the SolidWP brand into Kadence). The WordPress.org plugin slug is still better-wp-security, which is the iThemes-era identifier.
Yes. GuardPress includes a built-in migration assistant that recognises legacy Solid Security and iThemes Security data, and a standard fresh install works just as well. Deactivate Kadence Security first, then activate GuardPress and run the setup wizard.
Solid Security Pro was sold separately at around $99/year. After the rebrand, security functionality is bundled into the Kadence ecosystem alongside the Kadence theme, Kadence Blocks Pro, and Patchstack virtual patching. The equivalent security tier (Kadence Pro) is $299/year — roughly a 3x increase for security-only customers who don't use the rest of the bundle.
Per Liquid Web's transition announcement, existing lifetime license holders continue to receive critical security patches through April 2027. After that date you'd need to evaluate options. GuardPress is one of those options and includes a migration path from Solid Security data. Check the latest Liquid Web terms for the most current information.
GuardPress Pro is $59/year for 1 site, $149/year for 5 sites, or $299/year for 100 sites. Kadence security is bundled — entry tier (Kadence Essentials) is $99/year, the Pro security tier is $299/year, and the multi-site Elite bundle is $499/year. Agencies running 100 sites get the same full feature set on GuardPress for the price of a single Kadence Pro seat.
No. Running two security plugins simultaneously causes conflicts — duplicate firewall rules, performance degradation, and false positive alerts. Deactivate Kadence Security before activating GuardPress.
Get the full GuardPress Pro feature set — firewall, malware scanner, 2FA, audit log, uptime monitoring, security score — at $59/year. No bundled theme. No forced ecosystem. No rebrand churn.