Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) vs SweepWidget – Giveaway, Contest, Sweepstakes, Competition & Photo Contest Plugin

Easily improve site security with WordPress Hardening, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Login Protection, Vulnerability Detection and SSL certificate. Really simple, Effective and Performant WordPress Security Really Simple Security is the most lightweight and easy-to-use security plugin for WordPress. It secures your WordPress website with SSL certificate generation, including proper 301 https redirection and SSL enforcement, scanning for possible vulnerabilities, Login Protection and implementing essential WordPress hardening features. We believe that security should have the absolute minimum effect on website performance, user experience and maintainability. Therefore, Really Simple Security is: Lightweight: Every security feature is developed with a modular approach and with performance in mind. Disabled features won’t load any redundant code. Easy-to-use: 1-minute configuration with short onboarding setup. Security Features Easy SSL Migration Migrates your website to HTTPS and enforces SSL in just one click. 301 redirect via PHP or .htaccess Secure cookies Let’s Encrypt: Install an SSL Certificate if your hosting provider supports manual installation. Server Health Check: Your server configuration is every bit as important for your website security. WordPress Hardening Tweak your configuration and keep WordPress fortified and safe by tackling potential weaknesses. Prevent code execution in the uploads folder Prevent login feedback and disable user enumeration Disable XML-RPC Disable directory browsing Username restrictions (block ‘admin’ and public names) and much more.. Vulnerability Detection Get notified when plugins, themes or WP core contain vulnerabilities and need appropriate action. Login Protection Allow or enforce Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for specific user roles. Users receive a two-factor code via Email. Improve Security with Really Simple Security Pro Protect your site with all essential security features by upgrading to Really Simple Security Pro. Advanced SSL enforcement Mixed Content Scan & Fixer. Detect files that are requested over HTTP and fix them to HTTPS, both Front- and Back-end. Enable HTTP Strict Transport Security and configure your site for the HSTS Preload list. Firewall Really Simple Security Pro includes a performant and efficient WordPress firewall, to stop bots, crawlers and bad actors with IP and username blocks. 404 blocking – Blocks crawlers as they trigger unusual numbers of 404 errors. Region blocking – Only allow/block access to your site from specific regions. Automated and customisable Firewall rules. IP blocklist and allowlist. Security Headers Security headers protect your site visitors against the risk of clickjacking, cross-site-forgery attacks, stealing login credentials and malware. Independent of your Server Configuration, works on Apache, LiteSpeed, NGINX, etc. Protect your website visitors with X-XSS Protection, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, a Referrer Policy and CORS headers. Automatically generate your WordPress-tailored Content Security Policy. Vulnerability Measures When a vulnerability is detected in a plugin, theme or WordPress core you will get notified accordingly. With Vulnerability Measures, you can configure simple but effective measures to make sure that a critical vulnerability won’t remain unattended. Force update: An update process will be tried multiple times until it can be assumed development of a theme or plugin is abandoned. You will be notified during these steps. Quarantine: When a plugin or theme can’t be updated to solve a vulnerability, Really Simple Security can quarantine the plugin. Advanced Site Hardening Choose a custom login URL Automated File Permissions check and fixer Rename and randomize your database prefix Change the debug.log file location to a non-public folder Disable application passwords Control admin creation Disable HTTP methods, reducing HTTP requests Login Protection Secure your website’s login process and user accounts with powerful security measures. Two-Step verification (Email login) 2FA (two factor authentication) with TOTP Passwordless login with passkey login Enforce strong passwords and frequent password change Limit Login Attempts With Limit Login Attempts you can configure a threshold to temporarily or permanently block IP addresses or (non-existing) usernames. You can also throw a CAPTCHA after a failed login (hCaptcha or Google reCaptcha) Access Control Restrict access to your site for specific regions. Add specific IP addresses or IP ranges to the Blocklist or Allowlist. Useful Links Documentation Security Definitions Translate Really Simple Security Issues & pull requests Feature requests Love Really Simple Security? If you want to support the continuing development of this plugin, please consider buying Really Simple Security Pro, which includes some excellent security features and premium support. About Really Simple Plugins Our mission is to make complex WordPress requirements really easy. Really Simple Security is developed by Really Simple Plugins. For generating SSL certificates, Really Simple Security uses the le acme2 PHP Let’s Encrypt client library, thanks to ‘fbett’ for providing it. Vulnerability Detection uses WP Vulnerability, an open-source initiative by Javier Casares. Want to join as a collaborator? We’re on GitHub as well!

SweepWidget is the most powerful free WordPress giveaway plugin for creating viral contests, sweepstakes, photo contests, voting contests, raffles, leaderboard competitions, instant coupons, and more. With 130+ entry methods across 30+ social platforms (more than any other WordPress contest plugin), SweepWidget helps you grow your email list, increase social media followers, drive website traffic, and boost sales. Set up your first giveaway in minutes with the drag-and-drop builder. No coding required. Why SweepWidget is the best WordPress giveaway plugin Drag-and-drop giveaway builder – Create any type of contest in minutes. No coding or design skills needed. Mobile-responsive and optimized for speed on any device. 130+ entry methods – More than any other WordPress giveaway plugin (most offer 20-30). More options means more engagement and more growth for your brand. Grow your email list with 21+ CRM integrations – Collect unlimited emails and automatically sync new subscribers to Mailchimp, Klaviyo, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, and more. Every entrant becomes a lead. WooCommerce integration – Connect your WooCommerce store and automatically reward customers with contest entries for every dollar they spend. Purchases are tracked in real-time with API verification. Turn your existing store traffic into giveaway participants and turn giveaway participants into paying customers. 30+ social media integrations – Run Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter / X, Pinterest, TikTok, Threads, Discord, Telegram, Twitch, Reddit, Spotify, and LinkedIn contests with API-verified entries wherever possible. The strongest anti-fraud protection in the industry – Block bots, cheaters, and fake entries with VPN/proxy/Tor detection, behavioral bot analysis, disposable email filtering (4,940+ domains), device fingerprinting, and smart rate limiting. Every winner is legitimate, every email is real, and your brand reputation stays protected. Photo contests, video contests, and voting – Let your audience upload content, vote on their favorites, and build excitement around your brand with a beautiful gallery display. Perfect for user-generated content campaigns. Leaderboard competitions and instant rewards – Create real-time ranked competitions, deliver instant coupons and instant prizes automatically, and keep users coming back with milestone rewards. 12 social login options – Facebook, Google, X, Discord, Twitch, Spotify, and more. Your users can enter in seconds. Viral share and refer-a-friend contests – Each user gets a unique referral link to share. More referrals means more entries, which drives organic traffic back to your giveaway. Shopify integration – Run purchase-based contests on your Shopify store with one-click embed and automatic order tracking. 103 languages – Run international contests that feel native to every audience. Embed anywhere – Add your giveaway to any WordPress page with a 1-line shortcode, embed on any website with JavaScript, or use a free hosted landing page. Custom design & CSS – 900+ Google Fonts, full color control, custom CSS, and white-labeling to match your brand perfectly. Zapier integration to connect with 5,000+ apps. Full REST API for developers. Custom SMTP for white-label email delivery from your own domain. Free plan with unlimited entries – Get started at no cost. Upgrade when you are ready. Switching from another giveaway tool? SweepWidget gives you more entry methods, more contest types (including photo contests with voting, which most WordPress giveaway plugins do not offer), and stronger anti-fraud protection. Entry methods SweepWidget supports 130+ entry methods across every major platform: Social Media Contests Instagram – Followers, likes, comments, reposts, tags, and profile visits. Facebook – Likes, comments, shares, group joins, and page visits. TikTok – Followers, liked videos, views, comments, shares, and visits. YouTube – Subscribers, comments, likes, and video views. API-verified. Twitter / X – Followers, tweets, retweets, and visits. Threads – Followers, reposts, and comments. Pinterest – Followers, repins, and board follows. API-verified. LinkedIn – Followers and shares. API-verified. Discord – Server joins. API-verified. Twitch – Followers and subscriptions. API-verified. Telegram – Channel/group joins and comments. API-verified via bot webhook. Reddit – Subreddit subscribers and comments. API-verified. Spotify – Followers, playlist follows, and song listens. SoundCloud – Followers, song likes, reposts, and listens. Plus: Snapchat, Tumblr, Etsy, eBay, Steam, Patreon, Eventbrite, Medium, and more. Custom & Miscellaneous Entry Methods Visit a page giveaway to increase website traffic with a contest. Subscribe to newsletter giveaway to grow your email list. 21+ CRM integrations. RSS giveaway to grow your RSS followers. Blog comment giveaway to increase blog comments on your website. Custom user fields giveaway to collect user data and increase leads. Create poll / survey giveaway to create custom quizzes, surveys, and polls. App download giveaway to increase your app downloads. Upload a file giveaway to get user photos, videos, and files. Bonus giveaway to collect bonus entries. Refer friends giveaway for viral sharing and refer-a-friend contests. Create your own entry method to make any type of contest you want! Enter a secret code to unlock bonus entries. Leave a review to earn entries. Custom Form Fields Text input, select dropdown, radio buttons, textarea, checkboxes, birthday, full name, address, phone number (with international codes), and e-signature. Crypto Wallet Entry Methods Collect BTC, ETH / BEP-20, BEP-2, Solana, and other crypto wallet addresses for airdrops and crypto giveaways. E-Commerce Entry Methods WooCommerce – Customers automatically earn entries for every $1 they spend. Real-time API verification. Choose specific products or apply to your entire store. Shopify – Same dollar-for-entry system with API-verified order tracking. Manual purchase verification for any other platform. Contest & competition types Run any type of promotion you can think of: Sweepstakes / Giveaway – Pick random winners from your entrants. Users with more entries have a higher chance of winning. Photo / Video Contest with Voting – Let users upload photos or videos and have your audience vote on their favorites. Includes a beautiful voting gallery with thumbnails, vote counts, and admin moderation. Great as a standalone voting contest or as part of a larger giveaway. Leaderboard Competition – Show real-time rankings so your audience can see who is in the lead. Display up to 500 users with flexible name privacy options. Instant Win / Instant Prizes – Reward users with prizes the moment they hit an entry threshold. Instant gratification keeps them engaged. Instant Coupon Distribution – Automatically deliver unique coupon codes when users reach milestones. Perfect for driving sales from your giveaway traffic. Milestone Rewards – Set entry milestones that unlock rewards as users earn more entries. Progress tracking keeps them motivated to keep going. WordPress photo contest plugin with voting SweepWidget doubles as a full photo contest plugin for WordPress. Let your audience upload photos or videos, moderate submissions before they go live, and open public voting in a beautiful gallery with thumbnails, lightbox previews, and live vote counts. Run standalone voting contests or combine user-generated content with any of the 130+ entry methods. Most WordPress giveaway plugins do not support photo contests at all. Winner selection Picking winners is simple and flexible: Random winner selection – Pick any number of winners with one click, weighted by entries earned. Manual winner selection – Hand-pick winners and allocate specific prizes. Live Draw – Full-screen winner reveal with confetti animation, perfect for live streams. Redemption codes – Unique claim pages per winner with double-redemption protection. Winner emails – Personalized notifications with merge tags like [FIRST_NAME] and [REDEMPTION_CODE_CLAIM_LINK]. Email marketing integrations Automatically sync your giveaway entrants to your favorite email marketing platform. We support 21+ integrations: Mailchimp AWeber ActiveCampaign Constant Contact ConvertKit MailerLite SendFox Campaign Monitor GetResponse Drip Klaviyo Iterable SendGrid Pabbly HubSpot Sendy EmailOctopus Omnisend MailJet Mad Mimi Braze Social login Make it easy for users to enter by letting them log in with any of 12 social accounts: Facebook, X (Twitter), Google, LinkedIn, Twitch, Discord, Steam, Tumblr, Telegram, Reddit, Pinterest, and Spotify. One click and they are in. Design & customization Make your giveaway match your brand perfectly: Full color customization for container, body, title, buttons, inputs, links, and background. 900+ Google Fonts with configurable sizes for body, title, and buttons. Flexible layout – Widget width from 300px to 1,200px with left/center/right alignment. 8 image display formats plus YouTube video embed and custom logo upload. Custom CSS editor with syntax highlighting for complete control. Widget popup / modal mode for lead capture and exit-intent promotions. 2,000+ custom entry icons with custom colors and circle or square styles. Remove branding for a fully white-labeled experience. Toggle visibility of title, description, entry counts, and separator lines. Landing pages & embedding Get your giveaway in front of your audience however you want: Free hosted landing pages on sweepwidget.com/c/your-giveaway with automatic Open Graph and Twitter Card meta tags. Custom URL slugs for a branded, professional look. QR code generation – Downloadable SVG QR code for print materials and event signage. WordPress shortcode – Embed with a single line: [sweepwidget id=”123″ url=”your-giveaway”]. JavaScript embed for any website, plus Shopify quick-embed with one click. Pre-fill & auto-login from email campaigns for seamless entry. Giveaway directory listing at sweepwidget.com/enter-giveaways for extra exposure. Security & anti-fraud Run your giveaways with total confidence. SweepWidget has the most advanced anti-fraud system of any contest plugin, with multiple layers of protection working together to keep your results clean and your winners legitimate. Your audience trusts your brand, and SweepWidget helps you keep it that way. 4 security levels – Weak, Standard, Strong, and Strict with escalating device fingerprinting. Choose the right balance for your campaign. VPN & proxy detection – 3 independent services (IPQS Device Fingerprint, IPQS IP API, ProxyCheck.io) block VPN, proxy, and Tor users from entering with fake identities. Behavioral anti-bot detection – Catches Selenium, Playwright, and Puppeteer. Analyzes keyboard timing, mouse behavior, and form submission speed to catch bots that bypass traditional defenses. Disposable email blocking – 4,940+ blocked domains plus email quality scoring for suspicious patterns. IP protections – Duplicate IP blocking, max emails per IP, global and per-competition blacklists/whitelists. Rate limiting – Automatic temporary IP bans after repeated abuse attempts. Country restrictions – Geo-location filtering with CloudFlare detection. Verification – Email 2FA, SMS via Twilio (Enterprise), age verification, and Google reCAPTCHA. Additional protections – Max entrant/entry limits, honeypot fields, whitelisted-only emails, referral fraud prevention, and cross-competition fraud detection. Analytics & tracking See exactly how your giveaway is performing: Built-in analytics dashboard – Views, entries, conversion rate, daily trends, entry method breakdown, device distribution, geography, and top referrer domains. Export to CSV, JSON, or Text. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Track page views, logins, entries, and completions. Google Tag Manager – Full DataLayer integration for custom tracking. Facebook / Meta Pixel and TikTok Pixel for retargeting and conversion tracking. Referral & viral sharing Each user gets a unique referral link to earn bonus entries, turning every entrant into a brand ambassador. Share via Facebook, Twitter / X, LinkedIn, Email, WhatsApp, SMS, and Copy Link. Bonus entries for each friend referred, with configurable max referral limits. Friend entry requirement – Only credit referrers after their friend earns entries. Masked referral links – Clean, username-based URLs that look professional. Custom referral URL – Send referrals to a specific page on your site. Fraud protection – Self-referral detection and velocity limits. Team & brand management Team members – Role-based permissions (Administrator, Collaborator, Read-only). Up to 5 on Enterprise. Multi-brand management – Run multiple brands under one account. Great for agencies. Brand-specific timezone settings for accurate contest start/end times. Reporting & data export All of your giveaway data is easy to access and export: Export to CSV – All actions, users, winners, coupons, or uploaded files (ZIP). CSV user import – Bulk import up to 1,000 entries with name, email, phone, country, and more. Search & filter by email, name, verification status, winner status, country, or date range. Moderate entries – Disqualify, un-disqualify, remove referrals, and flag entries. Confirmation & winner emails Keep your entrants and winners in the loop with professional emails: Confirmation emails – Default, custom with logo, or fully custom HTML with merge tags ([USERNAME], [EMAIL], [TITLE], [VIRAL_SHARE_LINK], and more). Winner notification emails with merge tags like [FIRST_NAME] and [REDEMPTION_CODE_CLAIM_LINK]. Custom reply-to email, logo branding, and custom SMTP via SendGrid (Enterprise). Official rules generator Stay compliant without hiring a lawyer. SweepWidget includes a built-in rules template generator with 15 sections covering eligibility, prize details, winner selection, terms, liability, and social media disclaimers. Just fill in your details and the rules are ready to go. Starter templates Get up and running fast with pre-built giveaway templates for social media, e-commerce, crypto, engagement, traffic, content, and event campaigns. Browse by category and launch your first contest in minutes. Even more features Create unlimited contests on any plan Daily / repeatable entries on any interval from hourly to daily Mandatory and daisy-chained entry methods for sequential completion Drag-and-drop entry method grouping and ordering Custom entry labels, worth (1-100 entries per action), and entry timers Rename “entries” to “points” or any custom label URL redirection after contest completion Terms & conditions, prize images, and custom backgrounds Pre-fill user data from email campaigns Mute, pause, or delete giveaways anytime External services This plugin connects to SweepWidget (https://sweepwidget.com), a third-party giveaway and contest service. A SweepWidget account is required for the plugin to function. Giveaway list (admin only) When an administrator opens the SweepWidget admin screen, the plugin requests https://sweepwidget.com/sw_api/wp_giveaways to load that account’s giveaways. Data sent: this site’s SweepWidget access token, the site URL, and the WordPress user ID, email address and display name of the logged-in administrator. This happens only on that admin screen, and the result is cached for 5 minutes. Widget embed script (front end) When the [sweepwidget] shortcode is present on a page, the plugin loads https://sweepwidget.com/w/j/w_init.js in the visitor’s browser to render the giveaway widget. As with any remotely loaded script, the visitor’s IP address and user agent are received by SweepWidget. The plugin itself sends no visitor data. Terms of use: https://sweepwidget.com/terms-of-use Privacy policy: https://sweepwidget.com/privacy-policy