Akismet

What Is Akismet?

Akismet is a spam filtering service for WordPress that automatically checks comments, contact form submissions, and trackbacks against a global spam database. Created by Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com), Akismet processes millions of spam checks daily, protecting WordPress sites from comment spam and form abuse.

How It Works

When a comment or form submission is received, Akismet sends the content to its cloud-based service for analysis. The service checks the submission against known spam patterns, IP addresses, email addresses, and content signatures collected from millions of participating sites. Suspected spam is moved to a spam queue rather than published.

Machine Learning

Akismet's detection improves continuously through machine learning trained on billions of spam and legitimate submissions. When users manually mark comments as spam or not-spam, this feedback improves the global model for all users.

WordPress Integration

Akismet comes pre-installed with WordPress. After activation with an API key, it works automatically without configuration. The plugin interface shows spam statistics and allows reviewing caught spam before deletion.

Beyond Comments

Akismet integrates with major form plugins including Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, and Formidable Forms. Any submission processed through these plugins benefits from Akismet's spam detection.

Pricing

Akismet is free for personal sites and blogs. Commercial sites require paid plans starting at modest monthly rates. Enterprise plans handle high-volume sites with priority support.

Why Use Akismet

WordPress site owners choose Akismet because it eliminates the burden of manual spam moderation. The cloud-based approach means detection improves for all users as the network grows, and the WordPress integration requires no ongoing management.