Security Plugins – Sitelock vs. Astra Security

If you have ventured into the market for security plugins in search of one that fits your site’s requirements, chances are you’ve already heard about Sitelock. A lot of reputed hosting platforms advertise and use Sitelock, such as Hostgator, making them quite a popular option. In today’s scenario, where it takes less than a second to get hacked and the subsequent message from your hosting platform informing you that your account has been suspended, having a good security plugin that can detect and resolve issues is crucial.

Is Sitelock really the best option?

Popular and as great as it advertises its success statistics, recently Sitelock has not lived up to its fame, with quite a few users coming out to report increasingly negative feedback. So, if your hosting platform advertises the use of Sitelock, should you immediately rush into it and possibly waste your money, or wait to make the decision until after you read the article? I think the latter.

What does Sitelock offer?

The Sitelock security plugin is a cloud-based security solution that advertises all-around protection and complete website management. These are some of the features they offer under the security plugin:

• Early detection of threats faced by the site from common online threats such as malware infections, brute force attacks, etc, as well as specific and complicated hacking attempts.
• Protection from online threats and fixes security vulnerabilities that may be exploited later through automatic removal.
• Website scans for suspicious code or vulnerabilities.

What criticism does Sitelock face?

SiteLock offers different variations that unlock at different price levels. There’s also an option where you can simply display a badge by Sitelock and keep away hackers from your site, as stated by them. Apparently, having this badge increases consumer trust and has an effect on conversions to the tune of 15%. 

Sitelock also claims that it offers commitment-free plans, with an option for a 30-day risk-free trial. Some of the offered plans include SecureSpeed, SecureStore, and SecureVIP. 

Many people have responded that with Sitelock, repairing single pages can cost an additional amount of at least $30 – $300. The situation could very well end up with you paying a monthly fee for accessing Sitelock features, get your site hacked eventually, and then end up paying extra to remove the malware installed on your site or other problems on the site. 

It makes it seem like Sitelock is following a crude business practice to keep their customers entwined with them, and a lot of customers have been noting this strategy and reporting their displeasure. 

Other users have also reported that after the 30-day trial period is over, the security plugin makes it difficult to cancel the subscription, forcing most users to continue with it, especially if they’re using platforms that advertise Sitelock or use it in their security infrastructure.

Review sites also have users that are not appreciative of the features forced on them by Sitelock, including a ‘pushy’ customer support service, and paid reviews where Sitelock incentivizes people through monetary rewards and motivates them to leave positive reviews on the site. 

Why choose Astra Security over Sitelock?

Since 2013, Astra Security has expanded its arsenal of services that cater to maintaining online security. The positive reviews left on site are often by verified customers with detailed explanations of the various security complications that Astra has saved them from, with most saying that the only con is its inaccessibility across different platforms.

The best alternative to Sitelock, the Astra Security Suite plugin is also gaining fame for its overall features that can protect your site from different kinds of threats such as malware injections, website backdoors, bot attacks, SEO spam, XSS attacks, SQL injections, etc. 

One of their main plus points is a 24×7 operating web application firewall (WAF) that is a highly efficient solution for constant supervision. There are also features for malware scanning, immediate cleanups, Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) solutions, IP blocking, login activity monitoring, to name a few. 

Online reviews and verified customers also approve of their customer service which is polite, apt and provides detailed responses to all queries. They ensure that finalized and detailed reports are sent to the companies at the end of the service so that they have accurate information to work on with their own team of developers in case any issue arises later. 

While the pricing was reported to be a bit on the higher side, customers are also confident in claiming that the higher prices and subsequent access to the more specialized and protective features of Astra Security are worth it. The plugin is also praised for its ease of use and easily navigated interface, with all necessary details displayed in an easy-to-find manner.

Combined with all the features and customer support that a modern-day security plugin would require, it seems that Astra Security has the upper hand on Sitelock in this review. Do check both out so that your online presence receives the best protection!