Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection vs reCAPTCHA in WP comments form (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection

Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection

4.7(1,175)

6.0M+ active installs

Free + Premium

Updated 4 months ago
View Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
VS
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form

reCAPTCHA in WP comments form

4.1(20)

8.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 6 years ago
View reCAPTCHA in WP comments form

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 8.0K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has accumulated 386M+ total downloads while reCAPTCHA in WP comments form has 72K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.7/5Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form4.1/5
Total Reviews
1,175Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form20
Active Installs
6.0M+Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form8.0K+
Total Downloads
386M+Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form72K+
Support Resolution
17%Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments formN/A
Last Updated
4 months agoAkismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form6 years ago
First Released
2005Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form2016
Age
21 yearsAkismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form10 years
WP Requires
5.8+Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form4.0.0+
PHP Requires
7.2+Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments formfalse+
Business Model
Free + PremiumAkismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments formFree
Latest Version
5.6Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
reCAPTCHA in WP comments form9.1.2

Rating Breakdown

Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection

4.7/5(1,175 reviews)
5
87%
4
5%
3
1%
2
1%
1
5%

reCAPTCHA in WP comments form

4.1/5(20 reviews)
5
75%
4
0%
3
5%
2
0%
1
20%

Recent Reviews

Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection Reviews

by lindsay65

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.

by treverisaacs

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.

by damonmatheny

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. 👍

reCAPTCHA in WP comments form Reviews

by IT_Architect

Does not work. Gives automatic green check mark.

It does not work. When you hit the button, it gives a green check and passes everyone.

by elikattoura

Works Perfectly Fine

Tested on WordPress 5.6 and it worked perfectly fine

by Rik

not working. no support since last 2 years

not working, the captcha wont appear and comments will be put into spam folder automatically after configuration is complete. support questions in the last 2 years are unanswered as well, as we can se

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection or reCAPTCHA in WP comments form more popular?
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has 6.0M+ active installations while reCAPTCHA in WP comments form has 8.0K+. Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection or reCAPTCHA in WP comments form?
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has a 4.7/5 rating from 1,175 reviews, while reCAPTCHA in WP comments form has a 4.1/5 rating from 20 reviews.
Are Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection and reCAPTCHA in WP comments form free?
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection is free + premium and reCAPTCHA in WP comments form is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection or reCAPTCHA in WP comments form?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection was last updated 4 months ago and reCAPTCHA in WP comments form was last updated 6 years ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.