Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection vs Dam Spam (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, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 1,175 reviews) and leads in active installations (6.0M+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has accumulated 386M+ total downloads while Dam Spam has 7.9K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection | Dam Spam | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ◄ | 4.3/5 |
| Total Reviews | 1,175 | ◄ | 4 |
| Active Installs | 6.0M+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 386M+ | ◄ | 7.9K+ |
| Support Resolution | 17% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ► | 4 weeks ago |
| First Released | 2005 | 2025 | |
| Age | 21 years | 1 year | |
| WP Requires | 5.8+ | false+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.2+ | false+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 5.6 | 1.1.3 |
Rating Breakdown
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
Dam Spam
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection averaged approximately 26,953 daily downloads while Dam Spam averaged 55.
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. 👍
Dam Spam Reviews
Great plugin, helps me to keep off a lot of spammers from my news site
I’ve been using “Stop Spammers” before since some time but also noticed that development had stalled a few years ago. Until this new project emerged (and the old was renamed to Classic). Great to see
Switched from Stop Spammers Plugin
Works well – we have a membership site and this helps to keep the bad actors out. It also sometimes blocks legit users, but has a pretty easy way to grant access.
Where is Country Level Blocking??
Hey, you say “Dam Spam is the modernized successor to Stop Spammers,” but the “Stop Spammers” has country level blocking feature, which is so good, and this crucial feature seems to be missing on Dam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.