Akismet Anti-spam vs Contact Form 7 (October 2026)
Updated October 22, 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 #31 and Contact Form 7 at #1. Contact Form 7 leads on 5 of the 6 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 5 of the 6 measures we track.
Contact Form 7 ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #31 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 1,187 reviews, against 4.0 from 2,184 reviews.
Contact Form 7 has more reviews behind its score: 2,184 against 1,187.
Contact Form 7 was updated more recently, on October 21, 2026; Akismet Anti-spam on August 18, 2026.
Contact Form 7 was downloaded more in the last 30 days: 4,224,704 times against 1,259,527.
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.
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, you want the score backed by more reviews, you want the one shipping releases most recently or you want the one being installed faster right now.
Akismet Anti-spam vs Contact Form 7 side by side
| Akismet Anti-spam | Contact Form 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Form Plugins ranking | #31 | #1 |
| Rating | 4.7 | 4.0 |
| Reviews | 1,187 | 2,184 |
| Active installs | 5 million+ | 10 million+ |
| Total downloads | 407,841,128 | 428,551,561 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 1,259,527 | 4,224,704 |
| Last updated | Aug 18, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 |
| First published | Oct 20, 2005 | Aug 2, 2007 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.1.3 | 7.1.3 |
| Requires PHP | 7.2 | 8.3 |
| Pricing | Free + paid version | Free on WordPress.org |
Downloads per day, last 48 days
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 5 of the 6 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 #31 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 #31 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
- Calculated Fields Form vs Contact Form 7
- Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 vs Contact Form 7
- Contact Form 7 vs Fluent Forms
- Contact Form 7 vs Formidable 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.