CleanTalk Spam Protection
CAPTCHA-free cloud anti-spam for comments, registrations, WooCommerce and 100+ form plugins, with a firewall for known bots. From $12/year.
85
Akismet Anti-spam
Automattic's cloud spam filter for WordPress comments and many form plugins; free keys for personal sites, paid plans for commercial use.
Free installs5M+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~260KLikely 130K–520K
Vendor claims100M+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.7/51,187 reviews
Price from$119.40/yrFreemium
Last updated18 Aug 2026Version 5.7.2
Overview
Akismet Anti-spam is the spam filtering service from Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. The plugin sends each new comment (and, through integrations, form submissions) to Akismet’s cloud, where it is compared against a very large history of spam seen across millions of sites. Likely spam is moved to the spam folder automatically, and the worst cases can be discarded outright, so there is no CAPTCHA or puzzle for visitors to solve.
The plugin itself is free on WordPress.org, but it needs an API key. Personal, non-commercial blogs can use a name-your-price Personal plan (including $0), while business and commercial sites are expected to buy a Pro or Business subscription. Plans are metered by monthly spam checks rather than features, so the filtering is the same on every tier.
What it covers
- WordPress comments, pingbacks and trackbacks, with a status history on each comment
- Contact forms via integrations in Jetpack, Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Fluent Forms, Formidable, Forminator, Ninja Forms, WS Form and others
- Forum and activity posts in bbPress and BuddyPress, and WooCommerce product reviews
- A hidden honeypot and JavaScript timestamp added to protected forms
Its biggest strength is accuracy on comment spam with almost no setup, backed by a service that has been running since 2005. Because it is built by Automattic and often preinstalled, compatibility with themes and comment features is rarely an issue.
The limitations are clear, though. Akismet’s own documentation says it does not check user registrations, and it does not protect login forms or WooCommerce checkout, so stores fighting fake accounts or card-testing need another tool alongside it. There are no IP, country or word block lists in the plugin, and every check sends submission data to Automattic’s servers, which some EU site owners will want to cover in their privacy policy (an optional notice under comment forms helps here).
Pick Akismet if comment and contact-form spam is your main problem and you are happy with a hosted service. Commercial sites should budget for the Pro plan, and anyone who needs login, registration or checkout protection should pair it with a CAPTCHA or firewall plugin.
Best for: Blogs and content sites whose main problem is comment and contact-form spam, and who are happy to use a hosted filter.
Akismet remains a dependable default for comment spam, and its form-plugin integrations make it useful beyond comments. It is not a complete anti-bot solution, though: registrations, logins and checkout need another layer, and commercial sites have to budget for a paid plan.
Pros
- Very accurate comment spam filtering backed by a long-running global database
- No visible challenge, so legitimate commenters are never slowed down
- Official integrations with many form plugins, including Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms and WPForms
- Built into bbPress and BuddyPress for forum and activity spam
- Comment status history shows exactly why and when a comment was flagged
Cons
- Commercial sites must pay; the free Personal key is for non-commercial use only
- Does not check user registrations or login forms
- No WooCommerce checkout protection, only product reviews
- No IP, country or keyword block lists inside the plugin
- All checks rely on sending submission data to Automattic's servers
Key features
What Akismet Anti-spam highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Automatic comment spam filtering
- Contact form submission checks
- Comment status history
- Reveals hidden links in comments
- Approved-comment count per user
- Discard the worst spam automatically
- Works with WooCommerce product reviews
- No CAPTCHA for visitors
Pro / paid adds From $119.40/yr
- Licence for commercial sites
- Higher monthly spam-check allowances
- Email support on Pro
- Priority support on Business
- Unlimited sites on Business
- Suited to multisite networks
- Custom Enterprise volumes and support
- Platform-agnostic spam API
Feature checklist
18 of 46 features we track in CAPTCHA & Spam, feature score 43/100
Protection methods 3/7
Google reCAPTCHA Key
Supports Google reCAPTCHA (v2 checkbox, invisible or v3 score-based).
No CAPTCHA providers; Akismet filters in the background instead of challenging visitors.
Not included
Cloudflare Turnstile Key
Supports Cloudflare Turnstile, the privacy-friendly CAPTCHA alternative.
Cloudflare Turnstile is not offered.
Not included
hCaptcha
Supports hCaptcha challenges.
hCaptcha is not offered.
Not included
Built-in CAPTCHA
Own image, math or puzzle CAPTCHA with no third-party service.
No built-in image or math CAPTCHA.
Not included
Honeypot fields
Hidden fields and timing checks that catch bots without a visible challenge.
Adds a hidden honeypot textarea and a JavaScript timestamp field to protected forms.
Included
Cloud spam filtering Key
Submissions checked against a cloud spam database of known spammers.
Every submission is checked against Akismet's global spam database in the cloud.
Included
No challenge for real users
Blocks bots without asking visitors to solve anything.
Works with no visitor interaction; nothing to solve or tick.
Included
Where it protects 5/7
Comments Key
Protects WordPress comments from spam.
Core purpose: filters comments, pingbacks and trackbacks automatically.
Included
Login & password reset Key
Protects the login and lost-password forms.
Akismet checks submitted content, not login or lost-password forms.
Not included
Registration
Protects the user registration form.
Vendor docs state Akismet does not check WordPress user registrations.
Not included
WooCommerce checkout & account Key
Protects WooCommerce checkout, login and registration forms.
Filters WooCommerce product review spam only; no checkout, login or registration checks.
Partial
Form plugin support Key
Works with popular form plugins such as Contact Form 7, WPForms or Gravity Forms.
Integrates with CF7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Fluent Forms, Formidable, Forminator, Ninja Forms and more.
Included
Page builder forms
Protects forms built in Elementor, Divi or similar builders.
Elementor Pro forms have a built-in Akismet option; other builders not documented.
Partial
Community & membership plugins
Protects BuddyPress, bbPress, Ultimate Member or similar.
BuddyPress and bbPress include native Akismet checks for activity and forum posts.
Included
Rules & controls 2/5
Block and allow lists
Block or allow specific IPs, emails, words or user roles.
No IP, email or word block lists in the plugin (WordPress core's disallowed keys still apply).
Not included
Country & language filters
Block submissions by country or language.
No country or language filtering.
Not included
Spam log & statistics
Log of blocked submissions with counts and reasons.
Comment status history plus a stats dashboard of spam caught over time.
Included
Skip for logged-in users
Hide the challenge for logged-in or trusted users.
No challenge to hide; moderators are not flagged, other logged-in users are still checked.
Partial
Custom labels & error messages
Change challenge text, errors, theme or language.
No visitor-facing challenge or error text to customise.
Not included
Privacy & performance 3/4
Privacy & GDPR options
No tracking cookies, data minimisation or a documented GDPR mode.
Optional privacy notice under comment forms and a GDPR page, but data goes to Automattic.
Partial
Works without an external service
Core protection runs entirely on your own server.
Requires an API key and Automattic's cloud service for every check.
Not included
Scripts load only where needed
CAPTCHA scripts are only loaded on pages that have a protected form.
Its small front-end script is enqueued from form output hooks, not on every page.
Included
Multisite support
Works across a WordPress multisite network.
Works on multisite; the Business plan covers unlimited sites for networks.
Included
Form & plugin integrations 2/17
Contact Form 7 Key
Protects Contact Form 7 forms.
Contact Form 7 has built-in Akismet support, enabled by adding Akismet options to form fields.
Third-party
WPForms
Protects WPForms forms.
WPForms has its own Akismet toggle per form; works with a free Personal Akismet key.
Third-party
Gravity Forms
Protects Gravity Forms forms.
Via Gravity Forms' own Akismet Add-On, configured per form.
Third-party
Elementor Pro forms
Protects Elementor Pro form widgets.
Elementor Pro forms include their own Akismet integration (paid Elementor plan).
Third-party
Ninja Forms
Protects Ninja Forms forms.
Ninja Forms provides an Akismet Anti-spam action you add to each form.
Third-party
Formidable Forms
Protects Formidable Forms forms.
Formidable Forms has a built-in Akismet option, enabled per form.
Third-party
Fluent Forms
Protects Fluent Forms forms.
Fluent Forms has a built-in Akismet setting in its global settings.
Third-party
Forminator
Protects Forminator forms.
Forminator has a built-in Akismet option, configured per form.
Third-party
Divi contact forms
Protects Divi contact form modules.
Divi's contact form spam protection supports only reCAPTCHA and a basic captcha; Akismet's list omits Divi.
Not included
Easy Digital Downloads
Protects EDD checkout, login or registration.
Akismet checks content, not checkout, login or registrations, and lists no EDD integration.
Not included
BuddyPress
Protects BuddyPress registration and activity.
BuddyPress ships its own Akismet checks for activity updates; registrations are not checked.
Third-party
bbPress
Protects bbPress topics and replies.
bbPress has a built-in Akismet extension that checks new topics and replies.
Third-party
Ultimate Member
Protects Ultimate Member login and registration.
Akismet does not check user registrations or logins, which is what Ultimate Member forms are.
Not included
MemberPress
Protects MemberPress signup and login.
Akismet does not check user registrations or logins, so MemberPress signups are not covered.
Not included
Mailchimp for WP (MC4WP)
Protects MC4WP newsletter sign-up forms.
Not verified
wpDiscuz
Protects wpDiscuz comment forms.
wpDiscuz saves normal WordPress comments and documents use alongside Akismet's comment filter.
Included
Custom forms & developer API
Protect any custom form via shortcode, function or hooks.
Custom forms can call the Akismet API; vendor points to PHP examples and libraries.
Included
Advanced protection 3/6
Bot firewall
Blocks known spam bots before pages load.
No bot firewall; Akismet only checks submitted content after it is posted.
Not included
Disposable email blocking
Rejects throwaway or fake email addresses.
No disposable email blocking; Akismet classifies submitted content instead.
Not included
Card-testing protection
Stops bots testing stolen cards at WooCommerce checkout.
Vendor says WooCommerce order fraud needs a separate anti-fraud solution.
Not included
REST API & XML-RPC protection
Blocks spam or abuse through the REST API or XML-RPC.
Filters spam pingbacks (sent via XML-RPC); no wider REST API or XML-RPC protection.
Partial
Spam review & false-positive recovery
Review blocked submissions and approve false positives.
Spam is kept in the Spam folder; marking it Not Spam restores it and trains Akismet.
Included
Test mode & debugging
Test keys, debug logs or a test mode to check setup safely.
Test with the name or email 'akismet-guaranteed-spam' to confirm filtering works.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Personal
Freeper year1 site
Name-your-price plan for personal, non-commercial sites and blogs; $0 is allowed.
Pro
$119.40per year1 site
$9.95/month billed yearly; 500 spam checks/month and email support. Higher-volume Pro tiers cover up to 4 sites.
Business
$599.40per yearUnlimited
$49.95/month billed yearly; 5,000 checks/month, priority support, suits networks and multisite. Enterprise is quote-only.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Akismet Anti-spam?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
5M+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
100M+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~260K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: About 7.5M free installs x 3.5% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when a hosted service whose free tier is generous, lower for very large free bases) gives 260K. The vendor figure (100M+) is more than 8 times the free installs, so it probably counts more than this plugin (other products or platforms) and we leave it out. Likely range: 130K to 520K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
303,616 downloads last week, 408.4M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 5.7.2 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 18 Aug 2026 (77 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 5.8+, PHP 7.2+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 0 of 1 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 20 Oct 2005 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2005 (source, 6 Oct 2026) Vendor states it has been blocking spam since 2005. |
|---|
Akismet Anti-spam compared
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FAQ
Is Akismet Anti-spam free?
Yes. Akismet Anti-spam has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $119.40/yr.
How many sites use Akismet Anti-spam?
WordPress.org reports 5M+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 100M+ sites in total. We estimate around 260K sites run the paid version.
Does Akismet Anti-spam have google recaptcha?
No: not included. No CAPTCHA providers; Akismet filters in the background instead of challenging visitors.
Does Akismet Anti-spam have cloudflare turnstile?
No: not included. Cloudflare Turnstile is not offered.
Does Akismet Anti-spam have cloud spam filtering?
Yes: included. Every submission is checked against Akismet's global spam database in the cloud.
Does Akismet Anti-spam have comments?
Yes: included. Core purpose: filters comments, pingbacks and trackbacks automatically.
Does Akismet Anti-spam have login & password reset?
No: not included. Akismet checks submitted content, not login or lost-password forms.
Does Akismet Anti-spam have woocommerce checkout & account?
Yes: partial. Filters WooCommerce product review spam only; no checkout, login or registration checks.
Does Akismet Anti-spam have form plugin support?
Yes: included. Integrates with CF7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Fluent Forms, Formidable, Forminator, Ninja Forms and more.
Does Akismet Anti-spam have contact form 7?
No: third-party. Contact Form 7 has built-in Akismet support, enabled by adding Akismet options to form fields.
Is Akismet free?
The plugin is free, and personal non-commercial sites can use the name-your-price Personal plan at $0. Business or commercial sites are expected to buy Pro ($119.40/year) or Business ($599.40/year).
Does Akismet stop spam registrations?
No. Akismet's own docs say it does not check WordPress user registrations, so you need a CAPTCHA or another anti-spam tool for sign-up forms.
Which contact form plugins work with Akismet?
Jetpack forms work automatically; Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms (via add-on), WPForms, Fluent Forms, Formidable, Forminator, Ninja Forms, WS Form, GiveWP and Elementor Pro forms can be configured to use it.
Does Akismet show a CAPTCHA?
No. It works invisibly in the background, using its cloud database plus a hidden honeypot field, so visitors never see a challenge.
Is Akismet GDPR compliant?
Automattic publishes a GDPR page and the plugin can show a privacy notice under comment forms, but submissions are sent to Automattic for analysis, so mention it in your privacy policy.
Last updated 6 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.