10 Best Anti Spam WordPress Plugins in 2018

With increased Internet accessibility, the number of spammers is growing regularly. And owing to its popularity, WordPress is one of their favorite targets. If you run a website or blog on this platform, chances are you receive hundreds of spam comments. The worst part is, spammers often use advanced tools to make their comments appear original and affect different blogs at the same time. In this manner, they circumvent the WordPress security features and end up getting accepted by the webmaster.

But having anti-spam WordPress plugins installed is a good way to ramp up the protection of your website. However, considering there are hundreds of options available, it becomes hard to choose the right plugins, especially the ones that will last you well until 2018. Thankfully, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 most important anti-spam plugins into a nifty list below:

Akismet

Akismet has always been ranked among the best anti-spam WordPress plugins, and with good reason. The tool boasts of a centralized server that monitors and executes every activity. This allows it to detect any spam messages the moment they get posted on your WP site. Designed by the people behind WordPress, Akismet is fully compatible with the platform and receives regular updates from developer Automattic. The configurations of this plugin are simple and easy to understand, making it a popular choice for newbie WordPress users. You can download this tool for free, but a monthly charge is required if you intend to use it commercially.

Antispam Bee

This is one of the most effective and reliable plugins available to WordPress site owners. Apart from keeping unwanted spam comments at bay, this tool also maintains IP address trackbacks, so spammers are blocked from accessing your domain after the first attempt. Antispam Bee validates and synchronizes every incoming user with a centralized server. A built-in notification system alerts you regarding spam comments and wipes your spam folders clean automatically. The best part is, this amazing plugin is available free of cost.

Simple Trackback Validation

Developed by Topsy Blocker, this plugin secures your website against trackback spam. The tool uses an IP/referrer check to inspect your URL’s trackback page. This makes it the perfect solution against trackback spam. The Simple Trackback Validation plugin also features a “Settings” page to make the configuration process easy, including options for spamming or deleting blocked trackbacks.

Comment Spamtrap

As the name suggests, this handy plugin is great for webmasters but a nightmare for spammers, as it traps spam by adding a hidden spam field as well as an identical (but necessary) CAPTCHA field. Spambots get tricked into revealing themselves, and automatically get blocked in the process. The tool even blocks trackback spam and provides WP website owners with the option of sending email notifications regarding the blocked entities.

WangGuard

Spam registrations can effectively be blocked on your website using this free anti-spam plugin. No matter what kind of site you own, as long as it’s hosted on the WordPress platform, WangGuard will provide total protection from spammers who register an account on your web page. However, this plugin doesn’t offer much in the way of protection against spam comments submitted by pre-existing accounts. Thankfully, this plugin lets you add more extensions which can add extra layers of security to the registration page, thereby preventing any spam attacks. This tool does double-duty as a registration gateway for your website.

WordPress Zero Spam

The majority of WP website make the users fill out CAPTCHA to confirm their identity and root out spammers. This tool, however, takes things a step further by making them fill out extra fields in your form, automatically eliminating any spambots in the process. However, the downside is that the plugin supports only a handful of other plugins like Gravity Form, BuddyPress, Contact Form 7, and Ninja Form. Language can also pose a problem, as the tool is available only in English. However, the fact that it creates a fully spam-free environment for your WP site makes it a hit among users. You can download this plugin for free.

Peter’s Custom Anti-Spam

Developed by Peter Keung, this full-featured CAPTCHA-based antispam plugin has been a long-standing favorite among WP users. Commentators are asked to detect a random word before they can submit comments on your website. The words get displayed in the form of pictures and they are totally customizable. There are more features awaiting users, including cookie- and JavaScript-free operations, random font displays, selective blocking of pingbacks and trackbacks, and auto-generated audio for users who are visually impaired.

Anti-Spam by CleanTalk

This plugin is among the finest when it comes to controlling the amount of spam users receive on their WP site. This is a cloud-based plugin that functions a lot like Akismet. Simple comments get uploaded inside the cloud-based server where they are subjected to several validations until they are verified. If any problems are found, the comment automatically gets transferred to the spam queue. It is possible for moderators to open this queue and further decide which comments are spam and which can be allowed onto the website.

Aside from this innovative feature, the plugin conducts an in-depth statistical analysis of the spam coming to your site. A spam comment log is also present. A major benefit of this plugin is its compatibility with a number of other WP plugins, including WooCommerce, Jetpack, W3 Total Cache, as well as other reputed names. Being a premium plugin, you need to pay a monthly fee for this plugin. However, a 14-day free trial is available for users who are still on the fence about opting for this plugin.

Stop Spammers Spam Protection

The Stop Spammers Spam Protection plugin is a great server and client-side plugin that prevents spam from finding its way to your WordPress website. What separates this tool from others in its category is the multiple checks for spam. Suspected comments go through no less than twenty different checks. The plugin does not allow any login page spam and boasts of more than 12 pages of settings that allow heavy user customization.

If spam gets detected, users are given another chance to login or post their comments. However, in this instance, the user has to overcome a CAPTCHA challenge – only when they solve it will their comment get accepted. The Stop Spammers Spam Protection plugin is capable of supportingOpenCaptcha, reCaptcha, along with SolveMedia Captcha.

Concluding Remarks

So there you have it – the ten best antispam plugins available for WordPress users in 2018. WordPress is the best CMS, responsible for handling over 27 percent of websites across the globe. So, it makes sense that the platform would serve as a prime target for spammers. The more traffic your website receives, the more you are susceptible to spam. But installing one of these plugins should protect your site and provide peace of mind.