Spam Destroyer
by Ryan Hellyer · Security
Also makes 13 other plugins · 76.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Kills spam dead in it's tracks. Be gone evil demon spam!
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
5K+
≈5.8K estimated
Momentum
+12%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “buddypress”, “comments” and “antispam” for “gone”, “stop spam” and “spam filter”. “buddypress” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “gone” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “comments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “stop spam” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “antispam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “spam filter” sits at #15 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 →4.7%
of downloads still active
At least 5K of 106.5K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,059 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 1 release 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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 185 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 54 reviews, smoothed to 4.36★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
42
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
28%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| gone | #5 | #4 | 0 |
| dead | #6 | #6 | 0 |
| spam your tag | #14 | #15 | 0 |
| anti spam your tag | #19 | #17 | 0 |
| stop spam | #14 | #14 | down 3 |
| antispam your tag | #24 | #15 | — |
| spam filter | #15 | #17 | down 2 |
| no spam | #15 | #16 | down 3 |
| spam users | #15 | #15 | 0 |
| comment spam | #16 | #14 | down 1 |
| spam comments | #19 | #17 | up 1 |
| antispam comment spam | #11 | #9 | 0 |
| form spam | #22 | #20 | up 2 |
| spam protection | #24 | #19 | down 5 |
| anti spam security | #24 | #17 | down 3 |
| remove spam comments | #16 | #17 | 0 |
| comments spam | #17 | #16 | down 3 |
| spam in comments | #18 | #15 | up 1 |
| anti spam plugin | #18 | #16 | down 1 |
| antispam for comments | #20 | #16 | 0 |
| buddypress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| comments your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
52 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 31 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “buddypress”, “comments” and “antispam” for “gone”, “stop spam” and “spam filter”. “buddypress” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “gone” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “comments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “stop spam” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “antispam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “spam filter” sits at #15 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”. #14 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.6K · 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.
1
releases in the last 12 months
6mo ago
latest release · v2.1.7 · 29 Apr 2026
29
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 96% 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 “5K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and the previous band took 17 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 6K.
Install history since 3 Aug 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ docmartinhk5mo ago
Just seen message on WP dashboard saying I’ve been using Spam Destroyer for 4 years, and would I leave a review.Well, at last, a quick review: this seems such a simple plugin, just install, activate, and that’s it – I’ve barely had any spam whatsoever. How splendid!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ daenvil2.4y ago
I was dealing with like 2/3 spam messages a week and since installing this ticket I haven’t received a single one, so I’m really happy with it!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ LBossart2.5y ago
I haven’t had any spam for a week since installing, thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Djordje - George - Giorgio4.1y ago
It works well! Very nice Plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jeromebarbu4.5y ago
All spam pass without any changes… I do not recommand at all
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ omahoung5.3y ago
The plugin hasn’t been updated for a while but it still works well. This topic was modified 5 years ago by omahoung.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nemausus305.5y ago
A l’air de toujours fonctionner. Malgré son âge ))
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ishko5.6y ago
Perfect, activate and forget. Non updated since one year but the plugin still work.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- 2026-04-29 Version 2.1.7 Version number bump to appease the WordPress plugin repo 2.1.7
- 2025-05-01 Version 2.1.6 Removing notice triggered by translation functionality load point 2.1.6
- 2025-05-01 Version 2.1.5 Including translation functionality 2.1.5
- 2024-04-18 Version 2.1.4 Minor change to remove “out of date” notice on WordPress.org 2.1.4
- 2019-04-19 Version 2.1.3 Minor change to remove “out of date” notice on WordPress.org 2.1.3
- 2019-03-07 Version 2.1.2 Fixing debbug notice in error returns 2.1.2
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
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
1 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Kills spam dead in it's tracks. Be gone evil demon spam!"
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Support").
- ! 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 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 737 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("anti-spam", "antispam", "buddypress" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-08 6K+ → 5K+ down after 504 days in tier
- 2025-03-22 7K+ → 6K+ down after 338 days in tier
- 2024-04-18 8K+ → 7K+ down after 183 days in tier
- 2023-10-18 9K+ → 8K+ down after 382 days in tier
- 2022-10-01 10K+ → 9K+ down after 306 days in tier
- 2021-11-29 9K+ → 10K+ up after 309 days in tier
- 2021-01-24 10K+ → 9K+ down after 145 days in tier
- 2020-09-01 8K+ → 10K+ up after 473 days in tier
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★ · 4 shared tags A -
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 4 shared tags A -
Antispam 400+ installs · 3.9★ · 4 shared tags D -
Antispam Bee 700K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
oopspam Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for WordPress Forms & Comments (No CAPTCHA) 6K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Spam Destroyer into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/spam-destroyer" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Spam Destroyer — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Spam Destroyer: 5K+ active installs, 4.6★ (54 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/spam-destroyer
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