Antispam Bee
by pluginkollektiv · Security
Also makes 6 other plugins · 841.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Sophisticated antispam plugin for effective daily comment and trackback spam-fighting. Built with data protection and privacy in mind.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 92/100
no flags
Active installs
700K+
≈750K estimated
Momentum
-31%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “comments”, “spam protection” and “anti spam” for “daily”, “data protection” and “comment spam”. “comments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “daily” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “spam protection” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “data protection” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “anti spam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #23. “comment spam” sits at #21 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
92 health vs 66 average across 1,789 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.3%
of downloads still active
At least 700K of 13.2M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 5 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 30 reviews to 2026-06-03Reviewers say it's easy to set up and stops spam almost entirely, with the newest reviews still all five stars and one older complaint about admin comments being flagged.
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 73 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 226 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.7★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 2 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
37
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
18%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| antispam your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| trackback | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| mind | #2 | #2 | down 1 |
| antispam wordpress | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| antispam protection | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| comments antispam | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| antispam for comments | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| antispam comment spam | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| daily | #7 | #5 | 0 |
| data protection | #13 | #11 | down 1 |
| spam filter your tag | #16 | #14 | down 2 |
| anti spam your tag | #23 | #14 | down 2 |
| spam protection your tag | #24 | #17 | down 3 |
| built | #23 | #22 | 0 |
| spam word filter | #11 | #10 | 0 |
| comment spam | #21 | #15 | down 2 |
| block spam comments | #16 | #14 | up 1 |
| anti | #16 | #11 | 0 |
| e privacy | #17 | #17 | 0 |
| spam comment | #20 | #15 | up 1 |
| comments your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
203 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 177 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “comments”, “spam protection” and “anti spam” for “daily”, “data protection” and “comment spam”. “comments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “daily” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “spam protection” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “data protection” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “anti spam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #23. “comment spam” sits at #21 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “spam filter”. #16 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,492 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 921.9K · peaks are release surges
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
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
5
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v2.11.13 · 23 Aug 2026
43
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 92% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “700K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3.3 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 3 Dec 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ holgerhubbs5mo ago
This is an amazing free plugin!What a mental dysfunction to generate spam, what a waste of resources, time, attention.Antispam Bee does a great job, for free.Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Terence Eden8mo ago
Simple to set up and use. Catches all the spam and deletes it before I get a chance to see it. Might miss one or two pieces a week, but that’s still better than JetPack and it preserves my users’ privacy.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mark ball1.0y ago
Very Well Done, easy to get started, clear nav, easy easy easy, thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ xpil1.3y ago
The plugin does exactly what you are expecting it to do: it stops comment spam. It is non-intrusive and extremely efficient. I haven’t seen a single spam comment on my blog for many years now. Kudos.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ justinw19701.4y ago
Have used this for years. Should have left a review before now. This is a real gem of a plugin. Have it on all my sites. Long may it continue!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jason Ball1.5y ago
Easy and clean to use.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hmibarrylsalter1.7y ago
On one of my sites, I was having a real tough time with crap like, slot machines and by bitcoin and just all this junk I had to go and delete. Today I found “1” after months of not going into the back end of this site, ONE spam and I hit spam and it went away… Later today, I’m going to go load antispam bee on all my clients sites…. I’ve had clients with thousands of spams and I don’t have time for this… Oh and I tried jetpack, it caused issues and I deleted it won’t bother with it again.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dolceremy1.7y ago
I tried so many, even the most famous ones, but they all still passed spam, and I was forced to delete them at least every 3 days. With this plugin spam zero, you read it right zero!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.11.12 Fix: Fatal error in the dashboard spam counter (Thanks @robertstaddon!) 2.11.12
- — Version 2.11.11 Enhancement: Add shorturl.fm spam pattern 2.11.11
- — Version 2.11.10 Fix: remove build-tool warnings from minified Javascript and CSS resources 2.11.10
- — Version 2.11.9 Tweak: Improved compatibility with unquoted HTML attributes in comment forms Maintenance: Tested up to WordPress 7.0 2.11.9
- — Version 2.11.8 Tweak: Minor code changes and housekeeping Tweak: Add link to Patchstack in readme Maintenance: Tested up to WordPress 6.8 2.11.8
- — Version 2.11.7 Tweak: Use SCRIPT_NAME instead of REQUEST_URI to check path Fix: Remove add_reasons_to_defaults() from general initialization for better WordPress 6.7 compatibility Maintenance: Tested up to WordPress 6.7 2.11.7
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.11.13). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2023-11-27 CVE-2023-41134 Reliance on Untrusted Inputs in a Security Decision Affects <= 2.11.3 Patched in 2.11.4
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 75 languages, 30 at 90% or more
Plus 51 more locales with partial translations.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
5 of 8 pass · checked 2 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 11 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 11 of 11 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you want"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Twitter.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,594 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("anti-spam", "spam filter", "spam protection" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-07-13 800K+ → 700K+ down after 162 days in tier
- 2023-02-01 700K+ → 800K+ up after 629 days in tier
- 2021-05-13 600K+ → 700K+ up after 163 days in tier
- 2020-12-01 500K+ → 600K+ up after 391 days in tier
- 2019-11-06 400K+ → 500K+ up after 309 days in tier
- 2019-01-01 300K+ → 400K+ up after 306 days in tier
- 2018-03-01 200K+ → 300K+ 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).
-
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
oopspam Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for WordPress Forms & Comments (No CAPTCHA) 6K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Spam Destroyer 5K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags B -
La Sentinelle antispam 3K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Antispam Bee into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/antispam-bee" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Antispam Bee — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Antispam Bee: 700K+ active installs, 4.8★ (226 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-04. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/antispam-bee
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