Jetpack Protect vs Widget Visibility Control

Free daily vulnerability scans & WordPress security, powered by WPScan (an Automattic brand) and its 60,000+ vulnerability database. No setup needed! TOTAL SITE SECURITY FROM WORDPRESS EXPERTS Jetpack Protect is a free and essential WordPress security plugin that scans your site and warns you about vulnerabilities, keeping your site one step ahead of security threats. It’s easy to use; setup requires just a few clicks! By upgrading Protect, you also unlock malware scanning with one-click fixes for most issues and instant notifications when threats are detected. Our automated Web Application Firewall (WAF) also protects your site from bad actors around the clock. Jetpack Protect is created by WordPress experts; our parent company Automattic is behind Jetpack, WordPress.com, WooCommerce, WPScan, and much more. There is no better company to understand the security needs of WordPress sites. WHAT DOES JETPACK PROTECT (FREE) CHECK FOR? Jetpack Protect scans your site on a daily basis and warns you about: – The version of WordPress installed, and any associated vulnerabilities – What plugins are installed, and any related vulnerabilities – What themes are installed, and any associated vulnerabilities What are vulnerabilities? Why do I need to scan my site regularly? Site vulnerabilities are flaws in a website’s code that weaken the site’s overall security. These can be introduced to a site in various ways, in most cases unintentionally. Some of the ways vulnerabilities can be introduced to a site are: – Poorly written site code – Plugin and theme bugs – WordPress version bugs – System misconfigurations If a bad actor detects a vulnerability on your site, they can exploit it to access sensitive information, update your site, and more to damage your business or brand. That’s why it’s essential to use a reputable and reliable vulnerability & malware site scanner like Jetpack Protect to safeguard your site. Can I use Jetpack Scan to fix a site that is already infected? Jetpack Protect (Scan) detects and prevents attacks, but is not designed to fully clean up sites infected before it was active. If your site has malware, take immediate action to clean it up and remove the malicious code. To clean up your site, we suggest using a malware removal tool, or if possible restore from a backup taken before the infection. We recommend using Jetpack VaultPress Backup in conjunction with Jetpack Scan to secure your website. Learn more about cleaning your site BRUTE FORCE ATTACK PROTECTION Jetpack Protect blocks unwanted login attempts from malicious botnets and distributed attacks. Is my site under attack? Brute force attacks are the most common form of hacking — and hackers don’t discriminate. As the most commonly used Content Management System on the web, WordPress sites make an attractive target for hackers looking to exploit code vulnerabilities unique to WordPress. Using large networks of computers known as botnets, hackers can try to gain access to your site by using thousands of different combinations of usernames and passwords until they find the right one. Recently, attackers have found a way to “amplify” these attacks against the WordPress XML-RPC file – making it easier for attackers to try and break into your site. WordPress brute force attacks can: – Slow down your site (or cause it to stop responding) because of repeated server requests. – Allow unauthorized access to your site for hackers to modify your code or insert spammy links. – Put your site content and data at risk. That’s where Jetpack Protect comes in. Our state-of-the-art security tools automatically block these attacks, protecting your WordPress site from unauthorized access. On average, Jetpack blocks 5,193 WordPress brute force attacks over a site’s lifetime. It allows you to protect yourself against both traditional brute force attacks and distributed brute force attacks that use many servers against your site. UPGRADE PROTECT TO REMOVE MALWARE IN ONE CLICK AND BE PROTECTED BY OUR WAF By upgrading Protect, you unlock total site security from WordPress experts: – Automated daily malware scanning in addition to vulnerability checks – One-click fixes for most issues – Web Application Firewall (WAF) with automatic rule updates – Instant email notifications when threats are detected – Priority support from WordPress experts What is malware? Why do I need to protect against it? Malware is malicious code or software that has been created by bad actors to disrupt, damage, or gain access to your site. There are many ways that malware can get onto your WordPress site. The most common method is through attackers using vulnerable plugins or themes to install malware. Similar to the vulnerabilities listed above, bad actors can use malware to capture sensitive information, damage your site, and harm your business or brand. Jetpack Protect instantly notifies you of any threats detected, with one-click fixes for most issues. What is a Web Application Firewall (WAF)? A web application firewall blocks traffic and malicious requests to your site from known bad actors. As threats are detected, new rules are added to Jetpack Protect’s firewall, which provides around-the-clock protection for your WordPress site. OVER 53,500 REGISTERED VULNERABILITIES IN OUR DATABASE WordPress security is something that evolves over time. Jetpack Protect leverages the extensive database of WPScan, an Automattic brand. All vulnerabilities are entered into our database by dedicated WordPress security professionals and updated constantly as new information becomes available. JETPACK PROTECT IS EASY TO SETUP AND USE There’s nothing to configure – the setup process is as easy as: 1. Install and activate the plugin 2. Set up it with one click. After you activate the plugin, Jetpack Protect will run daily automatic malware scans on your WordPress site and update you on vulnerabilities associated with your installed plugins, themes, and WordPress core. WITH 💚 BY JETPACK This is just the start! We are working hard to bring more features and improvements to Jetpack Protect. Let us know your thoughts and ideas! FURTHER READING Jetpack: Security, performance, and growth tools made for WordPress sites by the WordPress experts. You can follow the Jetpack Twitter account to catch up on our latest WordPress security recommendations and updates. WordPress Security: How to Protect Your Site From Hackers Should You Use Jetpack for WordPress Security? Jetpack Acquires WordPress Vulnerability Database WPScan

Widget Visibility Control lets you decide exactly where each widget appears on your site. Show widgets only on specific pages, hide them for logged-out users, display different content for different categories – all without writing a single line of code. Looking for Widget Visibility and Scheduling? This plugin gives you control over where your widgets appear: Page targeting – Show widgets on the front page, blog page, specific pages, or 404 error page Content targeting – Display widgets only on certain categories, tags, or custom taxonomies Cascading taxonomy selector – Quickly find terms in sites with many taxonomies (WooCommerce friendly) Include child terms – Match child terms automatically for hierarchical taxonomies User targeting – Show different widgets to logged-in users vs. visitors Role-based display – Target specific user roles (administrators, editors, subscribers, etc.) Capability targeting – Go finer than roles and target a specific capability (manage_options, edit_posts, or any capability your plugins add) Single content, sticky posts and paginated archives – Conditions for any single content, for sticky posts, and for page 2 and beyond of an archive Author pages – Control visibility on author archive pages Date archives – Target daily, monthly, or yearly archives Post type support – Works with custom post types and their archives Time scheduling – Schedule widgets to appear only during specific date and time ranges. Perfect for promotional banners, seasonal offers, holiday announcements, flash sales, event countdowns, and time-limited content JSON export and restore – Download all your visibility rules as a file and load them back when you need them, merging into the current setup or replacing it Multiple Conditions Create sophisticated visibility rules by combining multiple conditions: Use OR logic – Show if ANY condition matches Use AND logic – Show only if ALL conditions match Mix and match – Create exactly the rules you need Built for Performance Minimal database queries with intelligent caching Only loads assets where needed (widget screens) Clean, optimized code following WordPress standards Why Choose This Plugin? Lightweight – Focused functionality without unnecessary features All features included – No premium version required Jetpack Compatible – Migrate from Jetpack Widget Visibility without reconfiguring anything Independent Storage – Your rules are stored separately, safe from Jetpack changes Block Editor Ready – Works with both classic widgets and block-based widgets Privacy Focused – No external connections, no tracking, no data collection Safe by design – No PHP eval, no arbitrary code execution; rules are stored as structured data Coming from Jetpack? If you’ve been using Jetpack just for widget visibility and want to reduce your site’s load, this plugin can help: No configuration needed – Your existing visibility rules are automatically imported on activation Same familiar interface – The visibility panel works as you’re used to Keep or clean legacy data – Choose to maintain Jetpack compatibility or clean up completely No disruption – Your widgets will continue working as before Coming from Widget Logic? Widget Logic was closed on the WordPress.org plugin directory on 14 April 2026 and no longer receives updates. Widget Visibility Control is a safe, maintained alternative: No PHP eval – Visibility rules are stored as structured data, not as executable PHP code Assisted import – On detection of Widget Logic data, an importer translates the most common conditional tags (is_home, is_page, is_category, current_user_can, is_user_logged_in…) into proper visibility rules, including value lists and negated conditions. Works with data from both Widget Logic 5.x and 6.x Works even if you already removed it – The importer reads the rules Widget Logic left in your database, so it works whether the plugin is still active, deactivated, or deleted You decide what’s tricky – For rules we can’t translate automatically, the importer explains why and asks per widget whether to import as always visible, always hidden, or skip Original data preserved – Your Widget Logic data stays in the database until you choose to clean it up, and the original code of each imported widget is kept as a reference even after that Coming from Widget Options? If you only use Widget Options for visibility and want a lighter, focused plugin without the pro upsells: No pro version – All features included in the free plugin Visibility-first – We do one thing well: show/hide widgets based on pages, content, users, roles, and schedule Compatible interfaces – Works in the block-based widget editor, the classic widget editor, and the Customizer Quick try – Install alongside Widget Options to compare; switch when you’re ready Developer Friendly Follows WordPress Coding Standards Fully translatable with complete i18n support Action and filter hooks for customization Clean uninstall – removes only its own data Support Need private support or custom development? Do you need one-on-one help, priority troubleshooting, or a custom feature, integration, or tweak built specifically for your site? I offer private support and custom development. Just contact me and tell me what you need. Need help or have suggestions? Official website WordPress support forum YouTube channel Documentation and tutorials Love the plugin? Please leave us a 5-star review and help spread the word! About AyudaWP We are specialists in WordPress security, SEO, AI and performance optimization plugins. We create tools that solve real problems for WordPress site owners while maintaining the highest coding standards and accessibility requirements.