Software Alternatives & Startups

WPScan VS Cert Decoder

Compare WPScan VS Cert Decoder and see what are their differences

WPScan logo WPScan

WPScan is a free, for non-commercial use, black box WordPress security scanner written for security professionals and blog maintainers to test the security of their sites.

Cert Decoder logo Cert Decoder

Decode and verify SSL/TLS certificates online. Extract X.509 details including issuer, validity, SAN, and fingerprint. Fast, secure, and browser-based.
  • WPScan Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-11-21
  • Cert Decoder
    Image date //
    2025-03-22

Cert Decoder is a free online tool that helps you decode X.509 SSL/TLS certificates in PEM format. It instantly shows important information like the issuer, expiry date, SAN entries, and fingerprint. All data is processed locally in your browser, so nothing is ever sent or stored elsewhere.

WPScan features and specs

  • Comprehensive WordPress Vulnerability Database
    WPScan maintains an extensive and regularly updated database of known WordPress vulnerabilities, which helps users identify potential security threats specific to their WordPress environment.
  • Ease of Use
    WPScan offers a straightforward command-line tool that is user-friendly for those familiar with command-line interfaces, making it accessible for security professionals and technically inclined users.
  • Community and Professional Support
    There is an active community of users and professional support available, which can assist users in solving issues and optimizing their use of WPScan.
  • Automation and Integration
    The tool can be automated and easily integrated with other systems to fit into continuous security processes, enhancing productivity and efficiency in recurring security assessments.

Possible disadvantages of WPScan

  • Command-Line Focused
    WPScan primarily functions as a command-line tool, which can present a learning curve for users unfamiliar with command-line interfaces.
  • Limited GUI Options
    There is a lack of comprehensive graphical user interface options, which may be a drawback for users who prefer visual interaction over command-line use.
  • Cost for Extended Features
    While WPScan offers free capabilities, access to its full suite of features and extensive vulnerability database requires a subscription, which may not be ideal for users with limited budgets.
  • Specific to WordPress
    As WPScan is specialized for WordPress sites, it is not suitable for scanning or identifying vulnerabilities in non-WordPress environments, limiting its utility if broader scope is needed.

Cert Decoder features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Cert Decoder is designed with a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to navigate and use the tool without requiring extensive technical knowledge.
  • Comprehensive Analysis
    The tool provides detailed analyses of certificates, including information about validity, issuer, encryption algorithms, and more, helping users understand their security certificates thoroughly.
  • Free to Use
    Cert Decoder offers its services free of charge, making it accessible for individuals and organizations without budget constraints.
  • Quick Processing
    The tool processes certificate information rapidly, providing almost instant results for users, which is crucial for time-sensitive tasks.

Possible disadvantages of Cert Decoder

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to some paid alternatives, Cert Decoder might lack advanced features that are necessary for more complex certificate management and diagnostics.
  • Reliance on Internet Access
    Users need an active internet connection to utilize the tool, which can be a limitation in areas with unreliable internet service.
  • Privacy Concerns
    While using an online service to decode certificates, there can always be privacy concerns regarding sensitive data being uploaded to a third-party server.
  • No Offline Mode
    Cert Decoder does not offer an offline mode, which could be a drawback for users who require functionality without constant internet availability.

Analysis of Cert Decoder

Overall verdict

  • Cert Decoder appears to be a free online tool for decoding and inspecting SSL/TLS certificates, CSRs, and related cryptographic data, making it useful for quick, no-install certificate analysis, though it should be used with awareness of general web tool privacy considerations when handling sensitive certificate data.

Why this product is good

  • Provides quick, browser-based decoding of certificates without needing to install software
  • Useful for troubleshooting SSL/TLS certificate issues on the fly
  • Simple interface aimed at both technical and semi-technical users
  • No cost to use for basic certificate decoding tasks

Recommended for

  • System administrators needing to quickly verify certificate details
  • Developers debugging SSL/TLS configuration issues
  • IT support staff troubleshooting website certificate errors
  • Students or professionals learning about certificate structure and encoding

WPScan videos

Improve WordPress Security with WPScan

More videos:

  • Review - Tool Review - WPScan Wordpress Vulnerability Scanner
  • Tutorial - How to Use WPScan With ethicalhack3r
  • Review - WordPress Vulnerability Scanning With WPScan
  • Review - Sucuri Security: The Sucuri Guide to WPScan - Installing WPScan

Cert Decoder videos

No Cert Decoder videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WPScan and Cert Decoder)
Web Application Security
100 100%
0% 0
Decoding
0 0%
100% 100
WordPress
100 100%
0% 0
Monitoring Tools
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing WPScan and Cert Decoder.

What's the story behind your product?

Cert Decoder's answer:

I built certdecoder.com over the weekend for my own needs. Sometimes in my work, I need to verify and check certificate details.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Cert Decoder's answer:

certdecoder.com was built using just JavaScript and HTML—simple, fast, and with all processing happening locally in your browser, so no certificate data is sent to any server

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Cert Decoder's answer:

certdecoder.com is primarily built for developers, sysadmins, cybersecurity enthusiasts, and DevOps engineers.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Cert Decoder's answer:

Simple, fast, and reliable. Some similar tools can’t even decode basic certificates. I rigorously tested my tool with many real-world certificates and covered several edge cases where competitors fall short.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Cert Decoder's answer:

certdecoder.com is primarily built for developers, sysadmins, cybersecurity enthusiasts, and DevOps engineers.

User comments

Share your experience with using WPScan and Cert Decoder. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, WPScan should be more popular than Cert Decoder. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

WPScan mentions (8)

  • WPScan: WordPress Security Scanner
    WPScan was (and maybe still is?) the de facto security scanner for WordPress security problems. I remember using it with great success during my days running security assessments, and it's great that the open source repo is still around. However, my understanding is that it's no longer maintained -- instead, WPScan is now a private company that sells the product: https://wpscan.com. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Is penetration testing on Wordpress common?
    Or you could just run WPScan, a simple open source CLI Wordpress pen testing tool which will scan for 30k+ known WP vulnerabilities. It certainly isn't as comprehensive as hiring a Red Team to attack the site but it can provide baseline assurance that no gaping holes exist in your security config, This should be part of your security hardening workflow if is isnt already. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Penetration Testing
    Source: https://wpscan.com/wordpress-security-scanner. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Is Your WordPress Website Secured? Few Ways to Make It Bulletproof
    Finally, you can use a service like WPScan to fix WordPress issues by scanning your website for plugins and themes that have known security vulnerabilities. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • A Beginner's Guide to Penetration Testing (Part 1)
    After our initial port scan, we might do more scans depending on what we find. In order to be as effective as possible, and to gather as much information as possible, pentesters are often running multiple scans simultaneously on a target. There are hundreds of tools out there for every service imaginable. Some of the tools worth mentioning are wpscan (https://wpscan.com/wordpress-security-scanner) for Wordpress... - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago
View more

Cert Decoder mentions (1)

  • Banana.dog back from the dead
    Why? Because I built certdecoder.com and couldn’t find a decent place to submit it. So I said screw it — I’ll build my own. With blackjack and hookers. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing WPScan and Cert Decoder, you can also consider the following products

Wordfence - Comprehensive security plugin for WordPress.

Sucuri - Website Protection, Malware Removal, and Blacklist Prevention

WordPress Security Scanner - Check if your WordPress site has known vulnerabilities

WPCheckr - Free WordPress security scanner and vulnerability checker. Instantly scan your WP site for security issues, plugin vulnerabilities, and misconfigurations.

WPScans.com - Free Online WordPress Security Scanner

wpscan.online - An online security scanner dedicated to evaluating the security of WordPress websites