Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection vs CleanTalk Anti-Spam. Spam Firewall & Bot protection (2026)
Quick Verdict
Pick Akismet if you want the most widely adopted solution with proven reliability across 6 million sites and don't mind the potential costs at scale. Pick CleanTalk if you want better user ratings, lower barrier to entry with 200,000 installations, and support that's still solid at 92.8% resolution.
Both Akismet and CleanTalk protect WordPress sites from spam comments, contact form submissions, and bot attacks without requiring users to solve CAPTCHAs. If you're choosing between them, you're looking for reliable background spam filtering that won't annoy your visitors.
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
The best anti-spam protection to block spam comments and spam in a contact form. The most trusted antispam solution for WordPress and WooCommerce.
- Active installs 6M+
- Rating 4.7/5 (1,184)
- Last updated Apr 23, 2026
- Support resolved 100%
- Tested to WP 7.0
- Requires PHP 7.2
CleanTalk Anti-Spam. Spam Firewall & Bot protection
Top-rated antispam for contact forms, comments, WooCommerce, eCommerce, and login. No CAPTCHAs, no friction, just background anti spam protection.
- Active installs 200k+
- Rating 4.8/5 (3,192)
- Last updated Jun 29, 2026
- Support resolved 93%
- Tested to WP 7.0
- Requires PHP 7.2
Where Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection Wins
Network Effect and Trust
Akismet is installed on 6 million WordPress sites compared to CleanTalk's 200,000, creating a massive advantage in spam pattern detection. This scale means Akismet's filters improve faster and have seen more spam variations.
Perfect Support Resolution
Akismet achieves 100% support ticket resolution versus CleanTalk's 92.8%. This matters when you encounter issues, as you're guaranteed a response and solution path.
Popularity Scoring
Akismet scores 100/30 on popularity compared to CleanTalk's 79/30, reflecting its status as the default choice for most WordPress users and administrators.
Where CleanTalk Anti-Spam. Spam Firewall & Bot protection Wins
Higher User Ratings
CleanTalk holds a 96/100 rating from 3,192 users versus Akismet's 94/100 from 1,184 ratings. Despite smaller adoption, CleanTalk users express stronger satisfaction with the plugin.
More Recent Updates
CleanTalk was updated on June 29, 2026, compared to Akismet's April 23, 2026 update, showing more frequent maintenance and faster response to new threats.
Lower Entry Barrier
With 200,000 installations versus 6 million, CleanTalk is easier to evaluate as an alternative without committing to the industry standard, and its support remains strong at 92.8% resolution.
Score-by-Score Comparison
Akismet dominates at 100/30 versus CleanTalk's 79/30, reflecting its position as the default WordPress spam solution trusted by millions.
Both tie at 100/25, indicating equal commitment to bug fixes, security updates, and feature development.
CleanTalk edges ahead at 96/15 versus Akismet's 94/15, showing stronger user satisfaction despite its smaller user base.
Akismet's 100/15 beats CleanTalk's 93/15, meaning faster and more complete responses to user support requests.
Both score 100/15 with modern WordPress versions, so either plugin works with current and future WordPress releases.
The Bottom Line
For most WordPress site owners, Akismet remains the safer choice because of its 6 million installation base, perfect support resolution, and proven spam detection at scale. CleanTalk is worth considering if you want slightly higher user satisfaction scores and don't mind being on a smaller, more actively updated platform. If your site handles high volumes of user submissions or you run WooCommerce, Akismet's network effect will catch more spam variants. If you value user feedback and recent maintenance cycles, CleanTalk deserves serious evaluation before defaulting to Akismet.