Honeypot Anti-Spam
by RaiolaNetworks · Security
Stop comment spam in WordPress with the honeypot technique. No captcha, no setup, lightweight and invisible to your visitors.
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
B 83/100
no flags
Active installs
10K+
≈14K estimated
Momentum
+12%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “spam protection”, “comment spam” and “anti spam” for “antispam protection”, “spam” and “math captcha”. “spam protection” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “antispam protection” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “comment spam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #20. “spam” sits at #22 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “anti spam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #13. “math captcha” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
83 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →12%
of downloads still active
At least 10K of 80.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,060 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 2 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
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 157 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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
-0.5
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
20%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.5
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| honeypot your tag | #4 | #6 | 0 |
| akismet your tag | #9 | #17 | up 4 |
| anti spam your tag | #13 | #19 | down 1 |
| antispam | #8 | #14 | up 1 |
| anti | #14 | #16 | down 1 |
| antispam protection | #9 | #14 | down 1 |
| invisible | #13 | #20 | down 1 |
| stop comment spam | #14 | #20 | up 1 |
| anti bot | #10 | #13 | down 1 |
| comment spam your tag | #20 | #20 | 0 |
| antispam comment spam | #7 | #11 | down 1 |
| spam | #22 | #22 | up 1 |
| anti spam security | #19 | #19 | 0 |
| anti spam bot | #12 | #16 | down 1 |
| no spam | #24 | #23 | 0 |
| stop spam | #24 | #20 | 0 |
| math captcha | #23 | #11 | down 5 |
| anti spam plugin | #16 | #20 | down 1 |
| anti captcha | #16 | #15 | down 3 |
| spam protection your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
47 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 19 listed. 28 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 “spam protection”, “comment spam” and “anti spam” for “antispam protection”, “spam” and “math captcha”. “spam protection” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “antispam protection” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “comment spam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #20. “spam” sits at #22 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “anti spam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #13. “math captcha” sits at #23 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 “anti spam”. #13 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 6.6K · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
5mo ago
latest release · v1.1.1 · 28 May 2026
8
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 40% 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 “10K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Modeled within the band wp.org reports; tightens as we track daily.
Install history since 12 Aug 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ jorgevm8mo ago
Tenía un problema con la cantidad de correos que me llegaban diariamente a causa del spam en comentarios de todas las instalaciones de WordPress que gestiono. Fue instalar este plugin y solucionado. Sin tener que configurar nada. Arreglado
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Javier Afan1.3y ago
Una herramienta muy útil para tener en tu instalación para prevenir el span. Además con la garantía de Raiola, como todo lo que hacen. Hosting estupendos, rapidos, un soporte técnico genial, artículos súper útilies y un equipo humano muy top.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Gerard Blanco2.1y ago
Forget about all the other antispam plugins out there. They are all unnecessarily big. This is just what you need, a simple tool to block the spam for comments.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Fran Sarabia3.4y ago
Buen plugin antispam
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ José Luis Hernández4.1y ago
He recibido mucho spam
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gestionatuweb4.9y ago
Pues lo dicho, añade un honeypot en el formulario de comentarios de WordPress haciendo que el bot de spam se detale y enviando el comentario directamente al SPAM. Muy útil si quieres abrir los comentarios sin moderación. Sin configuraciones ni nada, solo activar y listo.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ whomples5.2y ago
Solo dar las gracias al equipo de Raiola por ocuparse de recuperar este estupendo plugin anti-spam para los comentarios de WordPress.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ KnallBlauMedia5.9y ago
GDPR friendly plugin against WordPress spam comments.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- 2026-05-28 Version 1.1.1 Fixed and completed the Spanish translation (notices, messages and settings that were shown in English). Unified the statistics text into a single translatable string with placeholders. Fixed a typo in the translation (“ 1.1.1
- 2026-05-28 Version 1.1.0 Compatibility with WordPress 7.0 and PHP 7.4-8.x. Security: escaping of all output, nonce and capability checks on the screen options, and input sanitization ($_POST/$_SERVER with wp_unslash). Settings API: register_sett 1.1.0
- 2024-08-01 Version 1.0.5 JS code linting. PHP JS code linting. Prepare plugin for new major version. 1.0.5
- 2022-10-20 Version 1.0.4 Added a conditional for webmention comment types. Refactored conditional with strict operators. Fixed a wrong URL on the settings page. Thanks: @danidub (https://wordpress.org/support/topic/algunos-errores-encontrados/) 1.0.4
- 2021-12-14 Version 1.0.3 Fixed minor issues. 1.0.3
- 2020-05-01 Version 1.0.2 Improved the spam detection logic. 1.0.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 9 languages, 2 at 90% or more
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.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
5 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 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 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,352 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "akismet", "spam protection" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
No tier crossings observed yet.
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).
-
WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam 400K+ installs · 5.0★ · 4 shared tags A -
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
SpamJam – Anti-Spam Protection for Comments & Forms 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Web Ok Honeypot Lite for CF7 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
GB Anti-Spam for Contact Form 7 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Honeypot Anti-Spam into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/honeypot-antispam" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Honeypot Anti-Spam — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Honeypot Anti-Spam: 10K+ active installs, 4.7★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/honeypot-antispam
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