Akismet review

Akismet is a spam filter for comments, forms, reviews, and other user submissions. Its homepage says it automatically checks submissions to filter comment, form, and text spam, rather than asking visitors to complete a CAPTCHA on every submission.

The product is not limited to WordPress. Akismet says it works with WordPress, Drupal, PHP, and other languages through an API. That gives it a broader potential fit than a plugin built only for one comment system, though the published product information does not list specific integrations beyond those examples.

Akismet offers plans for personal sites, commercial sites, large multisite installations, and businesses that need a custom spam-check allowance. The practical question is whether its coverage and site allowances match your setup: the listed commercial plans cap monthly checks, while the Personal plan uses a pay-what-you-can model.

Akismet’s clearest advantage is coverage. The product description includes comments, contact forms, product reviews, and text submissions, with automatic checks on each submission. That makes it a more flexible option than a comments-only filter if your site also needs form protection. The homepage also lists WordPress, Drupal, PHP, and API support.

Its pricing page separates personal use from commercial and multisite needs, rather than offering one fixed allowance for every customer:

• Personal is for personal sites and blogs, with “name your price” and “pay what you can” pricing, plus spam protection.
• Pro is for commercial sites and blogs. The listed options range from 500 checks per month on one site for $9.95 per month, billed yearly, to 2,000 checks across four sites for $39.80 per month, billed yearly. Email support is included.
• Business is $49.95 per month when billed yearly, with unlimited sites, 5,000 monthly checks, and priority email support.

There is also an Enterprise option with unlimited sites, dedicated support, and a custom check allowance. That gives larger organizations a route beyond the published caps, though the price is not published.

The main catch is that commercial pricing is tied to both the number of sites and monthly spam checks. Pro starts at 500 checks per month for one site; its listed top tier covers 2,000 checks across four sites for $39.80 per month, billed yearly. Business costs $49.95 per month, billed yearly, and raises the allowance to 5,000 checks while allowing unlimited sites. “Unlimited sites” does not mean unlimited checks.

Akismet’s pricing page does not publish monthly-billing prices, so the yearly-billed figures do not tell you what paying month to month would cost. There is no listed free plan or free trial. Personal pricing is pay what you can, but the published pricing details do not specify a minimum price.

Enterprise pricing and its spam-check allowance are custom, which makes costs harder to compare before contacting sales. Reddit users have also discussed price increases and alternatives; one WordPress thread mentions a user seeking replacements after a price change. Those discussions are individual reports, not a full account of Akismet’s current pricing. For commercial sites, check your expected monthly volume and site count before comparing plans.

For commercial sites, Akismet Pro starts at $9.95/month, billed yearly, for 500 spam checks and one site. The listed Pro options scale to $19.90 for 1,000 checks and two sites, $29.85 for 1,500 checks and three sites, or $39.80 for 2,000 checks and four sites. Each includes email support.

Business costs $49.95/month billed yearly and includes 5,000 checks, unlimited sites, and priority email support. That’s about five times the entry Pro price, for ten times the monthly checks and more sites. Enterprise pricing is custom, with a custom check allowance and dedicated support. Personal is pay-what-you-can; a fixed price isn’t published.

The catch: these are monthly prices on annual billing. Akismet doesn’t publish monthly-billing rates, so you can’t compare a month-to-month commitment from the listed prices. No add-ons are listed. Check the allowance against your submission volume before choosing a tier; overages aren’t described in the published pricing details.

Akismet says it works with WordPress, Drupal, PHP, and other languages through an API. That gives teams several integration routes, but the published materials don’t specify migration steps or how much setup each route takes. Expect to check how your site sends comments, forms, or other submissions for filtering, then confirm the replacement service handles those flows before switching.

The available sources don’t say whether spam history, settings, or allow/block lists can be exported, or whether Akismet supports importing them. Treat those as questions to resolve before you leave; don’t assume your filtering configuration moves with you. The sources also include no Reddit posts, so we can’t responsibly attribute common reasons for leaving to Reddit users. The clearest documented reasons to compare alternatives are Akismet’s unpublished month-to-month rates and the plan’s check limits. If you switch, confirm the new tool’s pricing and capacity first, then account for any integration work.