Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection vs Native PHP Sessions (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, Native PHP Sessions has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 16 reviews) while Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection leads in active installations (6.0M+ vs 10K+). Both are free + premium WordPress plugins. Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has accumulated 386M+ total downloads while Native PHP Sessions has 1.3M+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection | Native PHP Sessions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ► | 4.9/5 |
| Total Reviews | 1,175 | ◄ | 16 |
| Active Installs | 6.0M+ | ◄ | 10K+ |
| Total Downloads | 386M+ | ◄ | 1.3M+ |
| Support Resolution | 17% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ► | 4 months ago |
| First Released | 2005 | 2014 | |
| Age | 21 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 5.8+ | 5.3+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.2+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free + Premium | Free | |
| Latest Version | 5.6 | 1.4.5 |
Rating Breakdown
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
Native PHP Sessions
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection averaged approximately 26,953 daily downloads while Native PHP Sessions averaged 491.
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. 👍
Native PHP Sessions Reviews
Wow! This plugin works great!
I did not have high hopes for this, looking for plugins to resolve the issue my site was having in Site Health and figured I might as well try this after running across it on Google. I installed it,
Holy Smokes!
I have no idea how this plugin even works. As I was going through the list of popular/recommended plugins, this one was way down on the list. I installed it on my test site and it didn’t break anythin
Excellent
Native PHP Sessions is easily another plugin that should be standard for WordPress. And, support is excellent too.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.