What is the best WordPress comment spam filter?

WordPress spam comments can be annoying and time-consuming. I give my recommendation for the best comment spam filter.

The best WordPress comment spam filter that I have used in conjunction with the WordPress.org publishing platform is Akismet. It does what it is supposed to and since I installed and configured it, I no longer have to worry about getting lots of spammy comments.

Having to go through all the irrelevant comments and marking them as spam can be very time consuming, so getting a good comment spam filter is pretty much essential. Akismet doesn’t get rid of absolutely everything that is spam, but it takes the vast bulk of it out of your “pending” folder, leaving you with just an occasional piece of spam to deal with.

The latest version of WordPress comes with Akismet already installed, but you still have to get an Akismet API key and configure it, which I will explain how you do below.

How do I install Akismet in WordPress?

As I mentioned in my introduction, the latest version of WordPress has Akismet already installed. If you go to the WordPress dashboard, you will see Akismet in your plugins section in the lefthand column, if it is installed. You can click where it says “Configure Akismet” to begin the configuration process (see below!).

If for some reason, Akismet is not already in your plugin list, go to the plugins page of your dashboard, click the “Add New” button at the top of the page, search for “Akismet” and then install it.

How much does Akismet cost?

At the time of writing, Akismet has three main different sign ups, according to your situation:

Enterprise: for companies with multiple low traffic websites, which is $50/month

Pro: for single site access, which is $5/month

Personal: for non-business blogs, which is between $0 and $120/year. (If you have personal, non-business blog, you can effectively choose yourself how much you think you should pay, including picking the free option).

Companies with high traffic are expected to pay a higher rate.

No Spam

Public domain image (CC0) via Pixabay

How do I configure Akismet?

First of all you need to get an Akismet API key from Akismet.com. You fill out a very basic form with your details and pay them the appropriate amount of money, if appropriate, and in return they email you your Akismet API key. You then go back to Wordpress, configure your Akismet via the plugins section and you are ready to go!

How does Akismet work?

Every time you receive a new comment at your WordPress site, the comment is submitted to the Akismet servers, which run tests and decide whether to give your new comment the thumbs up or thumbs down. The comment is then either filtered out, or put in your “pending” folder, accordingly. It is a very efficient system and leaves you with much less manual spam removal work.

Updated: 02/12/2013, PaulGoodman67

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