Spam Protect for Contact Form 7
by NYSL · Security
Spam Protect for Contact-Form7 protects from spam and bots. Customize defense strategies and monitor blocked attempts. Protect your time effectively!
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 77/100
no flags
Active installs
10K+
≈18K estimated
Momentum
+15%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “website form protection” for “spam protect”. “website form protection” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “spam protect” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
77 health vs 66 average across 1,786 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.1%
of downloads still active
At least 10K of 140.1K 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 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 270 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12; the current branch is 7.1
4.1★ over 12 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.8
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
15%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| contact form7 | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| form spam prevention your tag | #3 | #7 | 0 |
| spam protect | #8 | #19 | 0 |
| spam prevention | #4 | #7 | 0 |
| spam monitor | #8 | #18 | up 1 |
| anti spam plugin your tag | #23 | #22 | 0 |
| contact form 7 security your tag | #24 | #24 | — |
| contact form 7 element | #20 | #22 | 0 |
| anti spam bot | #20 | #21 | up 2 |
| anti spam bots | #20 | #21 | — |
| spam ip | #23 | #21 | down 1 |
| form spam | #24 | #23 | 0 |
| contact form spam | #24 | #24 | down 1 |
| website form protection your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress form security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
55 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 13 listed. 42 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 “website form protection” for “spam protect”. “website form protection” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “spam protect” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 15.8K · 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
9mo ago
latest release · v1.2.10 · 6 Feb 2026
6
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 90% 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.
Crossed into this band 3 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 80% of the way through.
Install history since 11 Aug 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ HudsonValleyWebDesign1.2y ago
This plugin breaks the WordPress backend. It broke several of my other plugins and was deleted from my site. It is completely useless and the developer’s response in support was that it was not designed to work with other plugins I am using.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ webmaster12342.1y ago
zzzz This topic was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by webmaster1234. This topic was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by webmaster1234.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Artan2.4y ago
Thanks very much for this useful plugin! I am using it to block on domain level so that spammers don´t use the “from” mail input to insert our own domain. This makes it easy. It´s just a plugin to the point without bling bling. Easy to understand and use and it blends perfectly in to the default user interface of CF7 in back end but also in front end for the error message! The only thing: Would be great if the background color in back end would have the same color like the other tabs of CF7. This dark gray seems bit to dark. But think this is personal reference. Really nice, thanks a lot for this!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Tarjeet Singh2.7y ago
Thank you very much for such an amaxing plugin. Don’t let this plugin die! Thank you very much.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ con3.7y ago
The manual blocking works great for me. Thanks a lot.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ divy399933.8y ago
It doesn’t work, when you put a word or a phrase to block for input fields, it’s still submits the form regardless, it works for word and email id. But it doesn’t work for more than one word, like phrase (e.g. ‘spam word’) – it will submit form even if this phrase is listed among to block This topic was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by divy39993. This topic was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by divy39993.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pixelbiz4.4y ago
We finally stopped Eric. And many other spammers/bots as well. Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ martymcleod4.8y ago
Unfortunately, it’s not working. I’ve attempted to add a few test case keywords to block (comma separated) and the contact form still sends the email successfully and provides a success message (instead of the rejection message). Checked the installation & use instructions but I couldn’t find anything I’m overlooking anywhere. I’m pretty certain something’s going on with the plugin but sadly I can’t recommend it. It’s a shame, as I’d love to use it as well as send a contribution to the author! I’ll be happy to change my review score if something changes. Thanks. This topic was modified 4 years, 5 months ago by martymcleod.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.2.10 Removed permanently the JS implementation Removed analyzed log request feature Fixed log file extension to always be (.log) 1.2.10
- — Version 1.2.9 Unknown conflict with WooComerce, removed latest features from plugin temporary until further investigation. 1.2.9
- — Version 1.2.8 Minor bug fix, php warning in enqueue_scripts function Readme file adjustments. 1.2.8
- — Version 1.2.7 Minor fixes after CF7 Ver: 6.1 (latest major update) Tested successfully with WordPress 6.8.2 1.2.7
- — Version 1.2.6 Tested successfully with WordPress 6.8 1.2.6
- — Version 1.2.5 svn file structure fixes 1.2.5
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.2.10). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.5 Spam Protect for Contact Form 7 <= 1.2.9 - Authenticated (Editor+) Arbitrary File Deletion ↗2026-03-20 CVE-2026-32496 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory Affects <= 1.2.9 Patched in 1.2.10
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 7 languages, 0 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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Spam Protect for Contact-Form7 protects from spam and bots. Customize defense strategies and monitor blocke..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Contact Form 7.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,728 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 0 of 5 tags appear in the text ("anti-spam plugin", "contact form 7 security", "Form spam prevention", "Website form protection", "WordPress form security" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-10-26 9K+ → 10K+ up after 85 days in tier
- 2023-08-02 8K+ → 9K+ up after 76 days in tier
- 2023-05-18 7K+ → 8K+ up after 86 days in tier
- 2023-02-21 6K+ → 7K+ up after 86 days in tier
- 2022-11-27 5K+ → 6K+ up after 54 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 4K+ → 5K+ 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★ A -
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ installs · 4.7★ A -
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ installs · 4.9★ A -
Limit Login Attempts Security – Brute Force Protection, 2FA, Firewall & Login Security 1M+ installs · 4.8★ B -
Disable Comments 1M+ installs · 4.7★ A -
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.5★ A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Spam Protect for Contact Form 7 into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-contact-form-7-spam-blocker" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Spam Protect for Contact Form 7 — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Spam Protect for Contact Form 7: 10K+ active installs, 4.1★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-contact-form-7-spam-blocker
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