Akismet Anti-spam vs Contact Form 7 (September 2026)
Updated September 7, 2026 · Data from WordPress.org, refreshed daily · How this works
Both rank in the WordPress.org Contact Form Plugins top 10: Akismet Anti-spam at #12 and Contact Form 7 at #1. Contact Form 7 leads on 3 of the 5 measures we track. Every number below comes straight from WordPress.org and is refreshed every day.
Akismet Anti-spam
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection
The best anti-spam protection to block spam comments and spam in a contact form. The most trusted antispam solution for WordPress and WooCommerce.
Contact Form 7
Just another contact form plugin. Simple but flexible.
Who leads on what
Contact Form 7 leads on 3 of the 5 measures we track.
Contact Form 7 ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #12 in Contact Form Plugins.
Contact Form 7 has more users: 10 million+ active installs against 5 million+.
Akismet Anti-spam is rated higher: 4.7 out of 5 from 1,186 reviews, against 4.0 from 2,179 reviews.
Contact Form 7 has more reviews behind its score: 2,179 against 1,186.
Akismet Anti-spam was updated more recently, on August 18, 2026; Contact Form 7 on August 17, 2026.
Which one to pick
Each plugin is the better answer for the measure it actually leads on. Nothing here is a recommendation we invented.
Akismet Anti-spam
Pick Akismet Anti-spam if the review score matters most to you or you want the one shipping releases most recently.
Contact Form 7
Pick Contact Form 7 if you go by where WordPress.org itself puts them, you want the plugin more sites already run or you want the score backed by more reviews.
Akismet Anti-spam vs Contact Form 7 side by side
| Akismet Anti-spam | Contact Form 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Form Plugins ranking | #12 | #1 |
| Rating | 4.7 | 4.0 |
| Reviews | 1,186 | 2,179 |
| Active installs | 5 million+ | 10 million+ |
| Total downloads | 405,811,187 | 423,631,075 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | – | – |
| Last updated | Aug 18, 2026 | Aug 17, 2026 |
| First published | Oct 20, 2005 | Aug 2, 2007 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Requires PHP | 7.2 | 7.4 |
| Pricing | Free + paid version | Free on WordPress.org |
30-day download figures appear after both plugins have 30 days of tracking.
Akismet Anti-spam ratings
Contact Form 7 ratings
How we compare these two
Every figure here is pulled from the WordPress.org plugin API every day at 03:00 UTC, for both plugins in the same run, so the two are always read on the same day. We compare only what the directory reports: active installs, the rating and how many reviews stand behind it, the last release date and, once we have a month of history, downloads over the last 30 days. Ratings are only called a win above 50 reviews each, because a handful of five-star reviews is not evidence. Nothing is weighted into an overall score, no measure is worth more than another, and neither Akismet Anti-spam nor Contact Form 7 can pay to appear here: the pair exists only because both plugins reached the Contact Form Plugins top 10. Full methodology.
Akismet Anti-spam vs Contact Form 7: common questions
Is Akismet Anti-spam better than Contact Form 7?
Contact Form 7 leads on 3 of the 5 measures we track. Neither is better at everything, and the answer depends on which measure you weigh. Contact Form 7 ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #12 in Contact Form Plugins.
Which has more users, Akismet Anti-spam or Contact Form 7?
Contact Form 7 ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #12 in Contact Form Plugins.
Which is rated higher, Akismet Anti-spam or Contact Form 7?
Contact Form 7 has more users: 10 million+ active installs against 5 million+.
Are Akismet Anti-spam and Contact Form 7 free?
Both are free to install from WordPress.org. Akismet Anti-spam is listed as commercial, so a paid version or add-ons exist. Contact Form 7 may also sell a paid version or add-ons.
Alternatives to Akismet Anti-spam and Contact Form 7
Plugins that score close to both in the same WordPress.org rankings and tags.
More Contact Form Plugins comparisons
- Akismet Anti-spam vs Fluent Forms
- Akismet Anti-spam vs Formidable Forms
- Akismet Anti-spam vs Forminator Forms
- Akismet Anti-spam vs FormLayer
- Akismet Anti-spam vs Ninja Forms
- Akismet Anti-spam vs SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle
- Akismet Anti-spam vs SureForms
- Akismet Anti-spam vs WPForms
- Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 vs Contact Form 7
- Contact Form 7 vs Fluent Forms
- Contact Form 7 vs Formidable Forms
- Contact Form 7 vs Forminator Forms
Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.