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Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection

v5.7.2

by Automattic · updated 2 months ago

The best anti-spam protection to block spam comments and spam in a contact form. The most trusted antispam solution for WordPress and WooCommerce.

anti-spamantispamcommentscontact formspam
WordPress.org SaveAnalyze reviews Track this plugin
Rank
#8
No change0 vs yesterday
Active installs (est.)
≈ 5,500,000
5M+ reported · Low
Total downloads
408.6M
408,626,386 all-time
Rating
4.7/5
1,187 reviews
Support resolved
0%
0 of 1 threads, last 2 months
Declining·Downloads -23.3% (30d)·Toward 4M+ · ETA ~36d

Akismet Anti-spam at a glance

Akismet Anti-spam is a WordPress plugin by Automattic with 5M+ active installs, the #8 most popular plugin on WordPress.org. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 41,811 times, 23% fewer than the month before. It’s rated 4.7 out of 5 from 1,187 reviews. Version 5.7.2 came out on Aug 18, 2026 and is tested up to WordPress 7.1.4. It leads the 232 plugins tagged “anti-spam”. It was first released in 2005.

Chart time range

Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 9, 2026, 31 days.

Showing the last 30 days. Full history comes with any paid plan.See plans

Downloads over time

Download stats

1.3M downloads · the last 30 days

Downloads over time
Akismet Anti-spam Compare series
Downloads over time: 30 days across 1 series.50K100KOct 9Oct 14Oct 19Oct 24Oct 28Nov 2Nov 7Oct 29, 2026: Tested up to 7.1.4
View as table
DateAkismet Anti-spam
Nov 7, 202624,322
Nov 6, 202634,353
Nov 5, 202638,621
Nov 4, 202641,660
Nov 3, 202641,962
Nov 2, 202644,658
Nov 1, 202627,452
Oct 31, 202629,544
Oct 30, 202646,855
Oct 29, 202647,775
Oct 28, 202652,656
Oct 27, 202648,857
Oct 26, 202650,477
Oct 25, 202637,523
Oct 24, 202637,497
Oct 23, 202667,397
Oct 22, 2026107,408
Oct 21, 202679,677
Oct 20, 202639,694
Oct 19, 202639,384
Oct 18, 202625,618
Oct 17, 202625,688
Oct 16, 202635,677
Oct 15, 202638,992
Oct 14, 202640,940
Oct 13, 202640,649
Oct 12, 202639,220
Oct 11, 202627,695
Oct 10, 202628,396
Oct 9, 202638,123

Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.

Estimated installs

≈ 5,510,377 · -1.6% in the last 30 days

Estimated installs
Estimated installs: 30 days across 2 series.5.5M5.6M5.6MOct 9Oct 14Oct 19Oct 24Oct 29Nov 3Nov 8Oct 29, 2026: Tested up to 7.1.4
View as table
DateApproximate, from band changesEstimated installs
Nov 8, 2026–5,510,377
Nov 7, 2026–5,509,916
Nov 5, 2026–5,509,338
Nov 4, 2026–5,510,387
Nov 3, 2026–5,509,302
Nov 2, 2026–5,506,317
Nov 1, 2026–5,506,317
Oct 31, 2026–5,507,361
Oct 30, 2026–5,506,364
Oct 29, 2026–5,507,389
Oct 28, 2026–5,514,642
Oct 27, 20265,513,2645,513,264
Oct 26, 20265,518,231–
Oct 25, 20265,523,197–
Oct 24, 20265,528,164–
Oct 23, 20265,533,131–
Oct 22, 20265,538,097–
Oct 21, 20265,543,064–
Oct 20, 20265,548,031–
Oct 19, 20265,552,997–
Oct 18, 20265,557,964–
Oct 17, 20265,562,931–
Oct 16, 20265,567,897–
Oct 15, 20265,572,864–
Oct 14, 20265,577,831–
Oct 13, 20265,582,797–
Oct 12, 20265,587,764–
Oct 11, 20265,592,731–
Oct 10, 20265,597,697–
Oct 9, 20265,602,664–

Rank over time

#8

Popular rank
Popular rank: 16 days across 1 series.#7#8#9Oct 16Oct 19Oct 27Oct 31Nov 4Nov 8Oct 29, 2026: Tested up to 7.1.4
View as table
DateDaily snapshot
Nov 8, 2026#8
Nov 7, 2026#8
Nov 6, 2026#8
Nov 5, 2026#8
Nov 4, 2026#8
Nov 3, 2026#8
Nov 2, 2026#8
Nov 1, 2026#8
Oct 31, 2026#8
Oct 30, 2026#8
Oct 29, 2026#8
Oct 28, 2026#8
Oct 27, 2026#8
Oct 21, 2026#8
Oct 19, 2026#8
Oct 16, 2026#8

Growth %

Average -0.06% a day in the last 30 days

Growth %, day over day
Growth %, day over day: 29 days across 2 series.-0.1%0%0.1%Oct 10Oct 15Oct 20Oct 24Oct 29Nov 3Nov 8
View as table
DateApproximate, from band changesGrowth
Nov 8, 2026–+0.01%
Nov 7, 2026–+0.01%
Nov 5, 2026–-0.02%
Nov 4, 2026–+0.02%
Nov 3, 2026–+0.05%
Nov 2, 2026–0.00%
Nov 1, 2026–-0.02%
Oct 31, 2026–+0.02%
Oct 30, 2026–-0.02%
Oct 29, 2026–-0.13%
Oct 28, 2026–+0.03%
Oct 27, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 26, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 25, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 24, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 23, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 22, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 21, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 20, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 19, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 18, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 17, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 16, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 15, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 14, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 13, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 12, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 11, 2026-0.09%–
Oct 10, 2026-0.09%–

Active installs band

5M+ on WordPress.org

Active installs (rounded band)
Active installs (rounded band): 16 days across 1 series.4.8M5M5.2MOct 16Oct 19Oct 27Oct 31Nov 4Nov 8Oct 29, 2026: Tested up to 7.1.4
View as table
DateDaily snapshot
Nov 8, 20265M+
Nov 7, 20265M+
Nov 6, 20265M+
Nov 5, 20265M+
Nov 4, 20265M+
Nov 3, 20265M+
Nov 2, 20265M+
Nov 1, 20265M+
Oct 31, 20265M+
Oct 30, 20265M+
Oct 29, 20265M+
Oct 28, 20265M+
Oct 27, 20265M+
Oct 21, 20265M+
Oct 19, 20265M+
Oct 16, 20265M+

Search rankings

Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.

See where Akismet Anti-spam ranks in search

Track this plugin to check its position for the searches you choose, daily, with an alert when it moves.

Track this plugin

Change log

From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org
  1. Rank #8 → #8Downloads -2.3%
    • Tested up to 7.1.3 → 7.1.4

Versions in use

Share of active installs on each published version, from WordPress.org.

  • v5.763%
  • v5.39.4%
  • v4.16.3%
  • v5.66.1%
  • Other15%

Rating trend

4.7★★★★★1,187 reviews · steady in the last 30 days

Requirements & info

Version history
Version
5.7.2
Requires WordPress
5.8
Tested up to
7.1.4
Requires PHP
7.2
First released
Oct 20, 2005
Last updated
Aug 18, 2026
Releases, last 12 months
…

Questions about Akismet Anti-spam

How many websites use Akismet Anti-spam?

Akismet Anti-spam is active on 5M+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #8 most popular plugin on WordPress.org.

How many times has Akismet Anti-spam been downloaded?

408,626,386 times in total since 2005. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 41,811 times. See download stats

When was Akismet Anti-spam last updated?

Version 5.7.2 came out on Aug 18, 2026 (2 months ago). See every release

Is Akismet Anti-spam compatible with the latest WordPress?

Yes. It’s tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current version.

Does Akismet Anti-spam have known security vulnerabilities?

None that affect the current version. WPVulnerability’s database lists 4 older issues, fixed in earlier versions, so keep Akismet Anti-spam up to date. See its security record

Is Akismet Anti-spam still maintained?

Yes. Its last release was 2 months ago. Its authors resolved 0 of the 1 support threads opened in the last two months.

What rating does Akismet Anti-spam have?

4.7 out of 5 from 1,187 reviews on WordPress.org. 87% of them give 5 stars.

What are the best alternatives to Akismet Anti-spam?

The plugins most like Akismet Anti-spam, by the tags they share, are Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk (200K+), Antispam Bee (700K+) and Spam Protection (30K+). Compare all alternatives

Latest reviews

Analyze reviews
All reviews on WordPress.org

Review stats

4.7

★★★★★

1,187 reviews

  • 5 stars: 1,034 reviews, 87%
  • 4 stars: 67 reviews, 6%
  • 3 stars: 16 reviews, 1%
  • 2 stars: 13 reviews, 1%
  • 1 stars: 57 reviews, 5%
Positive
93%4–5★
Mixed
1%3★
Critical
6%1–2★
  • About 277 more 5★ reviews would lift it to 4.8.
  • Each new 1★ review takes 12 five-star reviews to balance out.

Compare with competitors

Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.

Starter · 1 competitor
Akismet Anti-spam
Suggested:
Metric
Akismet Anti-spam
Estimated installs≈ 5,500,000
Reported installs5M+
Rating4.7
Reviews1,187
Total downloads408.6M
AuthorAutomattic
First releasedOct 20, 2005
Version5.7.2
Requires WP5.8
Requires PHP7.2
Last updatedAug 18, 2026

Alternatives to Akismet Anti-spam

Compare all alternatives

Popular plugins with the same tags, the most in common first.

Side by side:Akismet Anti-spam vs Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalkAkismet Anti-spam vs Antispam BeeAkismet Anti-spam vs Spam Protection

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