Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

Directory rank vs rivals

wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 54% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

The recent download trend is too spiky to read.

Reviewers say Akismet blocks spam automatically with barely any setup, though a few flag pricing and unclear free-tier limits.

1. ★★★★★ dandre0

   3mo ago

   was getting 50+ spam comments daily, now its like 0. set it up once & forgot abt it cz it just runs itself. API key setup is meh bt overall no complaints.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ homer47

   3mo ago

   Honestly didnt expect much bt this thing actually works lol. Spam went down like crazy after install. Set it up once n forgot abt it. Cud use better free limits tho ngl

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ kiah58

   4mo ago

   Rly tired of deleting fake comments manually but this fixed it. caught almost everything so far. setup was fast cz it’s straightforward. A few real ones got blocked tho, but still a life saver. thnx

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ sairasage

   4mo ago

   Omg I was getting so many fake comments everyday. Installed this and boom, it just stopped. Literally a lifesaver cz deleting them manually was a nightmare. Highly recommend!

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ devin984

   4mo ago

   Blocks thousands of fake comments daily. It’s a lifesaver cz my site stays clean without any effort. Setup is super easy too. Only 4 stars coz the pricing for biz sites is a bit high, but thx for the peace of mind!

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ timothy210

   4mo ago

   It blocks many spam comments, which is helpful. But a few still pass through, and sometimes real comments look suspicious too. Good plugin, just not perfect.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ quinn20

   4mo ago

   It catches many spam comments, so my comment section stays cleaner. But sometimes I still need to check things manually. Good support, just not fully hands-free.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ denver52

   4mo ago

   It catches most spam comments for me, which saves time. Setup was simple too. A few things can still slip in, but overall it does the job well.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. 2026-07-15 A small integration detail with a big impact GiveWP is the most popular fundraising and donation tool on WordPress, powering over $500 million in donations. It integrates with Akismet to ensure that spammy or potentially fraudulent submissions g
2. 2026-06-15 Introducing the official Akismet PHP SDK
3. 2026-06-01 Introducing the official Akismet Drupal module The official module is here!
4. 2026-04-24 Akismet v5.7: ready for Abilities and Connectors Akismet WordPress plugin v5.7 is out today. This release focuses on fitting more neatly into where WordPress is heading next. Abilities API support Akismet now supports the Abilities API, giving WordP
5. 2025-11-12 Version 5.6 of the Akismet WordPress plugin is available now Version 5.6 of the Akismet plugin for WordPress is now available. In this release, we’ve improved performance, updated the setup process to more clearly explain errors when they happen, and cleaned up 5.6
6. 2025-10-26 Happy 20th Birthday Akismet Akismet was launched 20 years ago today, when Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg announced it on his blog in a post describing what Akismet was and what it could become. The internet has changed a lot

2 disclosed vulnerabilities on record for this plugin, all fixed in the current version. Sites on older versions stay exposed until they update.

1. Medium · 6.1 Akismet <= 3.1.4 - Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2015-10-13 CVE-2015-9357 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects < 3.1.5 Patched in 3.1.5
2. Medium · 6.1 Akismet Spam Protection < 2.0.2 - Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2007-05-14 CVE-2007-2714 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 2.0.1 Patched in 2.0.2

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1

Translated into 127 languages, 26 at 90% or more

Plus 103 more locales with partial translations.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2026-07-18 6M+ → 5M+ down after 754 days in tier
2. 2024-06-24 7M+ → 6M+ down after 32 days in tier
3. 2024-05-23 5M+ → 7M+ up

Competes with

The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).

• Spam Destroyer 5K+ installs · 4.5★ · 4 shared tags A
• Antispam Bee 700K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A
• Maspik – Multi-Layer Spam Protection 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A
• Friendly Captcha for WordPress 10K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags B
• ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 6K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags A
• Kama SpamBlock 4K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A

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Drop a live Pulse card for Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection: 5M+ active installs, 4.7★ (1,186 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-25. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/akismet