WordPress plugin comparison
Akismet Anti-spam vs Essential Form
At a glance
- Akismet Anti-spam has more active installs: 5M+, against 600+ for Essential Form.
- On a typical day, Akismet Anti-spam is downloaded about 40,362 times, Essential Form about 12.
- Essential Form is rated higher: 5.0 out of 5 from 20 reviews, against 4.7 from 1,187 reviews.
- Essential Form was updated more recently: Nov 6, 2026, against Aug 18, 2026 for Akismet Anti-spam.
- Both are tested up to WordPress 7.1.4.
- Akismet Anti-spam has been around longer: since 2005, against 2023 for Essential Form.
Line by line
Akismet Anti-spam leads on 4 of 6 comparable lines.
| Metric |  Akismet Anti-spam |  Essential Form |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank | #8 | #8,510 |
| Active installs | 5M+ | 600+ |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 1.2M | 723 |
| Rating | 4.7(1.2K) | 5.0(20) |
| Support threads resolved | 0% | 0% |
| Tested up to | 7.1.4 | 7.1.4 |
| Search multiplier | ×2.05 | ×0.58 |
| Last release | 2 months ago | 3 days ago |
| Requires PHP | 7.2 | 7.2 |
From WordPress.org's public data, refreshed every night. Downloads are WordPress.org's official daily figures for the last 30 days.
Tags they share
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