Akismet
Akismet is the anti-spam service built into WordPress by default. Every comment or form submission is checked against a central database that learns from spam caught across millions of sites, so a spam campaign hitting one site improves filtering for all of them. It requires no per-site rules or CAPTCHAs.
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HOW IT WORKS
Because Automattic builds both WordPress and Akismet, the integration is native: the plugin ships with WordPress and with Jetpack, and setup is an API key. Personal, non-commercial sites can use it free; commercial and business use moves to paid plans, priced by site count and volume.
Akismet is a spam filter, not a security suite: it does not scan for malware, block attacks, or act as a WAF. It is the low-effort answer to comment and form spam specifically, and pairs with whatever security stack a site already runs.
Category context: Filters comment spam, form spam, and abusive bot traffic. Usually a small footprint and quick win.
WHAT IT DOES
- Cloud anti-spam for comments and contact forms
- Central spam database trained across millions of sites
- Bundled with WordPress core and Jetpack
- Spam stats and a discard mode for the worst spam
BEST FOR
- WordPress sites wanting zero-config comment and form spam filtering
- Personal sites that qualify for the free tier
- Anyone preferring a database filter over CAPTCHAs
ALTERNATIVES TO AKISMET
Cloud-based anti-spam plus bot and brute-force protection.
Compare →Automattic-built WordPress security bundle. Tightly integrated with WordPress core.
Compare →The most-installed WordPress security plugin. Application-level WAF + malware scanner.
Compare →AKISMET FAQ
What is Akismet?
Akismet is a cloud-based anti-spam service from Automattic, built into WordPress by default. It checks comments and form submissions against a central database trained across millions of sites and filters out spam automatically, without CAPTCHAs or per-site rules. Setup is just an API key.
Is Akismet free?
Akismet is free for personal, non-commercial WordPress sites. Commercial and business sites need a paid plan, which starts around $9.95 per month and scales by the number of sites and the volume of checks. The plugin ships with WordPress and with Jetpack.
Akismet vs CleanTalk?
Both are cloud anti-spam services that filter without CAPTCHAs. Akismet is the WordPress default with the deepest WordPress integration and a free personal tier; CleanTalk is low-cost paid-only, covers more platforms, and adds a brute-force shield. Both do the same core job well; the choice is mostly ecosystem and pricing fit.
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