Handling spam can feel like constantly receiving unwanted flyers and brochures in your mailbox every single day. No matter how many you throw away, more keep appearing. Ignoring spam isn’t an option, so the most effective way to deal with it is by using a WordPress anti-spam plugin.
These specialised security tools scan your forms and comments for spam-like behaviour and swiftly remove it. They also offer features such as IP blocking and bot protection. With so many options available, I’ve narrowed down the 7 best anti-spam plugins for WordPress to make your decision easier.
Spam isn’t just annoying; it’s a serious threat to your website’s security and performance. Whether it’s the Japanese keyword hack, Chinese search results spam, SEO spam, or the Pharma hack, spam leaves your site vulnerable to breaches by malicious actors. Moreover, spam consumes server resources, slowing down your site. Malicious links or malware in comments can harm your visitors or get your site blacklisted by Google. Keeping your site free from spam is crucial for its integrity and optimal performance.
Disabling comments altogether is an extreme measure. Instead, consider using WordPress spam blockers to mitigate various types of spam, from form submissions to registration spam.
These plugins employ different tactics, like honeypot measures or dashboard filters. I’ve thoroughly tested each plugin so you can choose the best one for your WordPress website.
1. Zero Spam
Many anti-spam plugin developers are now adopting a no-CAPTCHA approach, sparing your readers from the hassle of answering questions or solving riddles, thus enhancing user experience. This approach also saves you time by eliminating the need to moderate spam comments.
WordPress Zero Spam exemplifies this approach, providing a hassle-free solution for combating spam on your website. Simply install and activate the WordPress Zero Spam plugin, and it takes care of the rest. By employing server and client-side JavaScript key validation, the plugin effectively blocks 99.9% of spam, preventing bots from inundating your site. Essentially, users must have JavaScript enabled to comment.
Furthermore, WordPress Zero Spam seamlessly integrates with popular plugins like Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, BuddyPress, and WPForms. Additionally, you have the option to block spammy IP addresses from accessing your website altogether.
2. Akismet
Akismet, developed by the Automattic team, stands as the top WordPress anti-spam plugin, providing enterprise-level spam protection to your WordPress site. It’s virtually impossible to discuss anti-spam plugins for WordPress without mentioning Akismet, given its widespread adoption with over 5 million active installs. Specifically designed to combat comment spam, Akismet is a cornerstone solution in the realm of WordPress spam prevention.
Upon creating a WordPress site, Akismet comes pre-installed, requiring only activation and connection to your Akismet account via an API key—a straightforward process. Once connected, Akismet springs into action, employing intricate algorithms and rules to halt spam. Incoming comments are sent to the Akismet server for analysis, where they undergo numerous anti-spam checks. Approved comments are published, while suspicious ones are relegated to the spam queue. Furthermore, you have access to each comment’s status history, allowing you to discern which were flagged by moderators or automatically marked as spam.
While Akismet is free for personal websites and nonprofits, commercial website owners can utilize it for a minimum monthly fee of $9.95. Premium plans offer additional features like advanced stats and priority support, making the investment worthwhile for those seeking enhanced spam protection and support services.
3. Antispam Bee
After Akismet, Anti-Spam Bee emerges as a strong contender, offering a plethora of features without the need for registration, unlike Akismet. This free plugin is accessible for both personal and commercial use, ensuring spam-free environments for all types of websites. With Anti-Spam Bee, you have a comprehensive solution for effectively eliminating spam comments and trackbacks.
Using Anti-Spam Bee is a breeze. It empowers you to swiftly thwart spammers without resorting to CAPTCHAS or sharing personal data with third-party services. Moreover, the plugin adheres to GDPR regulations, prioritising user privacy while delivering top-notch functionality.
Anti-Spam Bee boasts an array of features, including the ability to trust approved commenters, validate IP addresses, block users from specific countries, directly delete spam comments, configure admin notifications, utilise Fail2Ban to log spammers, implement spam purging to clear your WordPress database after a specified time, and much more. Additionally, the plugin furnishes you with monthly spam statistics directly in your dashboard, enhancing your visibility into spam activity on your site.
4. Cleantalk – Anti-Spam Protection
Cleantalk Spam Protection stands out as a straightforward yet potent cloud-based WordPress anti-spam plugin, catering to both novices and seasoned users. Unlike bloated alternatives, Cleantalk focuses on delivering essential features to combat spammers without burdening your website. While they offer a 7-day free trial, subsequent access to Cleantalk services requires a modest investment of $128 per year.
This plugin effectively thwarts spam across various channels, including registrations, comments, contact emails, orders, bookings, subscriptions, surveys, widgets, search forms, and WooCommerce. Upon submission, comments undergo rigorous validation checks on Cleantalk’s cloud servers. These checks encompass factors such as comment frequency, JavaScript status, and blacklisted HTTP links, among others. Approved comments are published, while suspicious ones are redirected to the spam queue. Additionally, Cleantalk scans and eliminates existing spam comments and users.
Compatible with popular tools like Contact Form 7, Ninja Forms, WPForms, MailChimp, Jetpack comments, BuddyPress, S2Member, Mailpoet, and more, Cleantalk integrates seamlessly into your workflow. Its user-friendly approach eschews CAPTCHAs, puzzles, questions, and math riddles, ensuring a hassle-free experience for all users.
5. WP Armour
The WP Armour plugin functions as a honeypot, a clever technique used to combat spam by incorporating a hidden field that remains invisible to regular site visitors. This hidden field serves as a trap for bots; when a bot encounters it, it automatically fills in the field as part of its programmed actions. This action signals that the submitter is not a human, prompting the system to mark the form submission as spam.
In addition to its honeypot functionality, WP Armour provides an effective tool for fortifying your WordPress site against spam attacks. Notably, it seamlessly integrates with various top form plugins, including Contact Form 7, bbPress, Gravity Forms, Toolset, Elementor, Divi, and more. Furthermore, WP Armour ensures compliance with GDPR regulations, alleviating concerns regarding special cookie or tracking disclosures.
6. Stop Spammers
Stop Spammers is a renowned WordPress anti-spam plugin, revered for its simplicity and effectiveness in combating spam. With Stop Spammers, you have a powerful tool at your disposal to shield yourself from the relentless onslaught of spam without the need for extensive configuration.
This plugin not only tackles comment spam but also safeguards against excessive login attempts. Offering more than 50 configuration options and employing over 20 distinct checks for spam and malicious activities, Stop Spammers is equipped to detect and neutralise spam effectively. When a comment or login attempt is flagged, users are granted a second chance through a denied request page, where they encounter a captcha screen—featuring options like OpenCaptcha, Google reCaptcha, or SolveMedia Captcha—to prevent blocking.
Enhanced with a new and improved user interface, Stop Spammers empowers you to combat spam across various fronts, including comments, emails, registrations, spambots, and spammers, with ease. Additionally, the plugin enables you to run diagnostic tests and monitor spam activity effortlessly.
The team behind Stop Spammers has exceeded expectations with this plugin, offering a plethora of free features while providing the option to upgrade to a premium plan for even more robust and dynamic security for your WordPress site. With Stop Spammers, your battle against spam is streamlined and effective.
7. Anti-Spam by Fullworks
Tackle spam in your comments section effortlessly with the Stop WP Comment Spam plugin. This quick, easy, and free tool empowers you to maintain control over your posts without being inundated by spam. Once installed, the plugin automatically prevents spam and flags suspicious comments for your review in the “spam” tab. From there, you can manually approve or delete comments as needed. Alternatively, you have the option to set the plugin to automatically delete all spam—either immediately or after a specified number of days.
Key features of the Stop WP Comment Spam plugin include automated spam filtering, the ability to delete or hold comments for review, and seamless compatibility with other WordPress security plugins. For those seeking enhanced functionality, upgrading to Stop Spam Pro unlocks additional features such as human spam recognition and machine learning, form protection, prevention of fake WordPress & WooCommerce user registrations, spam statistics, and more. With Stop WP Comment Spam, you can maintain a clean and spam-free comments section with ease.