Nobody likes spam. It makes your website look untrustworthy and unprofessional in case the site is filled with spam comments. Search engines like Google penalize sites that have spammy content, which can result in lower search rankings and decreased visibility. Moreover, some spam may contain malicious links or code, posing security risks to website visitors. Definitely not good.
Why not just keep reCAPTCHA?
Most WordPress forms already have anti-spam protection like Google ReCAPTCHA, so why not just leave it?
If you’re reading this article, you probably already know that the user experience of using Google reCAPTCHA can be frustrating: hard-to-read CAPTCHAs and lots of challenges are required to prove that the user is not a bot. This wastes your visitors’ time and even can cause them to leave.
Another issue is accessibility: some users with disabilities, such as visual impairments, may have difficulty completing reCAPTCHA tasks, leading to accessibility issues.
How to choose a WordPress anti spam plugin
So, site owners who respect their visitors most often choose WP plugins with invisible yet reliable spam protection. Except, all plugins are different and mostly act in various ways. They are compatible with different numbers of forms, have different sets of tools, and of course cost differently.
To help you out we’ve compared the 5 most popular anti spam WordPress plugins in one table below, but first, we’ll tell you a little about each one.
1. CleanTalk
Anti-Spam is a cloud-based platform that offers advanced spam protection and website security services. It allows you to protect all forms on your WordPress site at once and grants protections for 55 forms plugins, no matter whether it is a comment, contact, registration form, or any other.
It also provides detailed statistics and logs of spam activity, allowing website owners to monitor and analyze spam trends. Anti-Spam offers a 14-day free trial period and different pricing plans based on the number of websites and the desired features.
Features
- Protects all types of forms at once.
- Has personalized lists filtered by language/ip/email/country/stop words.
- Spam FireWall allows blocking spam bots even before they reach a site.
- Maximum detailed logs are stored for up to 45 days.
- 24/7 technical support.
2. Akismet
Akismet is a popular spam filtering service for websites and blogs, developed by Automattic. It is designed to automatically detect and filter out spam comments and form submissions, helping to keep websites and online communities free from unwanted and potentially harmful content. Akismet uses advanced algorithms and data from lots of sites to identify and block spam, providing website owners with an effective tool to maintain the quality and security of their online platforms.
Has a free plan, but for non-commercial use only, which means: no ads are displayed, no products/services are sold, and no business is promoted on your website.
Features:
- Is already pre-installed on your WordPress website.
- Removes the most harmful spam to prevent possible risks.
- Reveals any concealed or deceptive URLs within comments.
- Free plan for non-commercial use.
- Allows moderators to mark blocked comments as spam or legitimate.
3. Antispam Bee
Antispam Bee is a popular WordPress plugin designed to combat spam on WordPress websites. It helps website owners to filter out spam comments, trackbacks, and other unwanted content that can be submitted by bots or spammers. The plugin uses a variety of methods to detect and block spam, including comment filters, IP address checks, and the use of various blacklists.
Additionally, the plugin automatically removes any spam that has been filtered out. You can specify in the settings when you want the spam to be deleted. You also have the option to designate certain types of spam to be directly sent to the trash without needing any additional action.
Features
- Spam statistics are available.
- Allow comments from specific languages.
- Restrict comments from specific countries.
- Exclude trackbacks and pingbacks in spam detection.
- GDPR compliant.
4. Zero Spam
Zero Spam is a WordPress plugin designed to help website owners combat spam in their comments section. It uses a combination of techniques to block spam, including JavaScript-based checks, time-based checks, and honeypot fields. The plugin aims to be user-friendly and effective at blocking spam while minimizing false positives and not inconveniencing legitimate users. Zero Spam also includes features such as automatic spam removal and the ability to customize settings to suit the specific needs of a website.
In addition to identifying and preventing spam, Zero Spam also allows you to identify the geographical origin of these spam messages. This feature enables you to prevent future comments and registrations from specific countries and regions based on the information provided.
Features
- No need for admin moderation.
- Ability to block IP addresses either manually or automatically.
- Can be integrated with widely used plugins.
- Identifies the geographical location of IP addresses.
- Provides protection for WooCommerce registration forms.
5. Titan Anti-spam
Titan Anti-Spam is a WordPress plugin designed to protect websites from spam and malicious activity. It offers features such as IP address blocking, integration with popular plugins, and protection for WooCommerce registration forms. The plugin aims to prevent spam submissions, comments, and registrations, ultimately enhancing the security and integrity of WordPress websites.
Additionally, Titan Anti-Spam can identify the geographical location of IP addresses, enabling website administrators to take appropriate action to mitigate potential threats.
Features
- Continuous technical support is available.
- Shields registration forms from spam.
- Comprehensive data on comments and logins.
- Regular security checks.
- No need for CAPTCHA.
Summary
So, finally, what WordPress anti spam protection to choose for a commercial website in 2024? That’s definitely up to you to decide.
| CleanTalk | Antispam Bee | Zero Spam | Titan | Akismet | |
| WordPress Rating | 4.7 (2 775 reviews) | 4.8 (206 reviews) | 4.1 (135 reviews) | 4.5 (364 reviews) | 4.7 (1 001 reviews) |
| Protects |
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| Form plugins protected | 55 | default WP forms | 7 | no info | 5 |
| Number of checks | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | 500 API calls/month |
| Spam FireWall | + | – | – | + | – |
| Support outside the WP forum | + | – | + | + | + |
| Protection from spam bots | + | – | – | + | – |
| Trial period | 14 days FREE | FREE | FREE | – | – |
| Price | $8 / year | $55 / year | $119.40 / year |
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