Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection vs Cookies for Comments (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
6.0M+ active installs
Free + Premium
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Cookies for Comments has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 18 reviews) while Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection leads in active installations (6.0M+ vs 20K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has accumulated 386M+ total downloads while Cookies for Comments has 107K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection | Cookies for Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ► | 4.9/5 |
| Total Reviews | 1,175 | ◄ | 18 |
| Active Installs | 6.0M+ | ◄ | 20K+ |
| Total Downloads | 386M+ | ◄ | 107K+ |
| Support Resolution | 17% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ◄ | 6 years ago |
| First Released | 2005 | 2008 | |
| Age | 21 years | 18 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.8+ | 3.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.2+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 5.6 | 0.5.5 |
Rating Breakdown
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
Cookies for Comments
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection averaged approximately 26,953 daily downloads while Cookies for Comments averaged 7.
Recent Reviews
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection Reviews
Helpful Spam Filter
Catches most spam without much effort. Easy to use n saves time, though a few things still require manual checks sometimes. Overall, pretty useful for daily use.
Stops Spam Well
Installed Akismet on my blog, and spam comments dropped a lot. Works quietly in the background and filters most junk automatically. Didn’t need much setup either. Really helpful plugin. tnkz devs.
Spam Under Control
Akismet helped cut down spam a lot on my blog. Didn’t realize how bad it was until this filtered most of it. Runs quietly in the background. Misses a few sometimes, but still very useful. 👍
Cookies for Comments Reviews
Great plugin! The most effective to avoid spam since years
(REVIEW UPDATED August 2021) Based on my long experience, I think this the simplest, fastest e most effective plugin to avoid spam in WordPress comments. I’m using this plugin on several sites, since
Must have, if you don’t use any other spam filters!
If you don’t use any other spam filter plugins, then you can rely on this to stop spam comments for sure!
Awesome!
There used to be 2 types of anti-spam plugins. The first one will block all comments, and also block shopping carts if you run a site where people need to pay. The second doesn’t work. There is now a
More Comments Worth Comparing
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.