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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteAkismet is a WordPress anti-spam plugin and hosted service that checks comments and compatible form submissions. To use it, install the Automattic plugin, connect an API key through the settings path for your WordPress version, and choose how filtered items should be handled. It can also screen supported forum posts and WooCommerce reviews, but it does not block WordPress spam registrations or fraudulent orders.
How do I activate the Akismet plugin?
- In WordPress Admin, go to Plugins → Add New, search for Akismet, confirm the author is Automattic, then install and activate it. See Akismet’s setup guide and the WordPress.org plugin listing.
- Connect the plugin using the route that matches your WordPress version:
- WordPress 7.0 or later: open Settings → Connectors, select Akismet Anti-spam, choose Set up, enter your key, and save.
- Older WordPress versions: open Settings → Akismet Anti-spam. If Jetpack is active, look under Jetpack → Akismet Anti-spam.
- Enter an existing API key, obtain one during setup, or connect through a qualifying Jetpack plan. Follow the on-screen account steps to finish connecting.
- If you want form submissions checked, confirm that your form plugin is supported and configured. Akismet’s integration list includes Contact Form 7 with Flamingo and Gravity Forms; compatibility depends on the integration, so installing Akismet alone does not make every form work with it. See Akismet’s integrations and developer information.
What is an Akismet API key?
The key identifies your account and authenticates requests to Akismet. Treat it as a secret: do not publish it or share it in a public support post. If you think it has been exposed, contact Akismet support. If you lose it, Akismet says it can resend the key through account support. Details are in Akismet’s API-key guide.
Choose how Akismet handles filtered comments
Akismet’s settings let you show approved-comment counts beside authors, decide whether filtered spam is discarded or kept in the Spam folder for manual review, and display a privacy notice beneath comment forms. For a cautious start, keep filtered items in Spam and review that queue regularly. Once you understand the moderation workflow, you can decide whether automatic discard suits your site.
The privacy-notice control adds a notice to the comment form; it does not by itself establish that a site meets applicable privacy-law requirements. Akismet’s setup documentation describes the available settings.
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What does Akismet protect?
Akismet analyzes text submitted to a site through supported integrations. Documented uses include comments, pingbacks, compatible form submissions, forum posts, and WooCommerce product reviews. Coverage depends on the integration in use; it is not a general-purpose WordPress security suite. See Akismet’s product scope documentation and its integration information.
- Spam user registrations: Akismet states, “In WordPress, Akismet does not check spam user registrations.” Use a separate approach if you need to control automated account creation.
- Fraudulent orders: Filtering WooCommerce product reviews does not prevent order fraud. That requires a separate anti-fraud solution.
Which Akismet plan fits your site?
Choose based on whether the site is commercial, how many sites need coverage, and how many monthly checks they use. The prices and allowances below were shown on Akismet’s pricing page on October 4, 2026; they are point-in-time figures, not permanent terms.
| Plan | Commercial eligibility | Sites | Monthly spam checks | Price and billing basis | Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | For personal, non-commercial sites | Not stated in the cited plan information | Not stated in the cited plan information | Pay what you can; recurring price not stated | Not stated |
| Pro | Commercial eligibility is not stated in the cited plan summary | One site per plan | 500 | From $9.95 per month, billed yearly | Not stated |
| Business | Commercial eligibility is not stated in the cited plan summary | Unlimited sites | 5,000, shared monthly call limit across sites using the key | $49.95 per month, billed yearly | Not stated |
| Enterprise | Not stated | Multiple sites supported | Shared monthly call limit; exact allowance not stated | Custom pricing | Not stated |
Akismet defines a spam check as an evaluation of a comment, form submission, or other content. Its API-key guidance says Business and Enterprise support multiple sites under a shared monthly call limit. Check the current Akismet pricing page and your account terms before subscribing, especially for nonprofit or other special eligibility.
How usage is counted
A check is used when Akismet evaluates submitted content. Where multiple sites use the same key, their usage is pooled according to Akismet’s usage help. If usage is unexpectedly high, review account statistics and consider whether increased traffic or an attack produced more submissions. You can reduce unnecessary checks by disabling comments or pingbacks you do not use, closing comments on older posts, and applying WordPress moderation or disallowed-key controls. Akismet describes how repeated monthly overage can affect requests; verify the limits on your account before changing plans.
Fix common Akismet setup and filtering problems
The connection or setup fails
Check that the API key is valid, the site is connected to the account, and the form integration you expect to use is supported. Akismet’s support index includes connection and debugging guidance.
A legitimate comment was marked as spam
Review the Spam folder and follow Akismet’s instructions for unblocking a false positive. Its help explains how to train the filter and handle wrongly blocked comments: false-positive support.
Spam got through
Use the plugin’s moderation or reporting path to mark the missed item as spam. For integrations, Akismet’s developer documentation distinguishes spam and ham submissions: see developer documentation.
You cannot find the API key
Use Akismet account support to have the key resent rather than posting it publicly. If exposure is possible, contact support about the key.
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What Akismet’s installation count does—and does not—show
When checked in 2026, the WordPress.org listing reported more than 5 million active installations. That is a platform listing count, not an independent measure of detection accuracy. The listing showed version 5.7.2, released August 19, 2026, compatibility with WordPress 5.8 or higher, testing up to WordPress 7.1.2, and PHP 7.2 or higher. Plugin releases and compatibility details can change, so check the live listing for current requirements. The cited official sources do not establish an independent spam-detection accuracy rate.
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