Akismet Anti-spam vs Formidable Forms (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 Formidable Forms at #8. Formidable Forms leads on 4 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.
Formidable Forms
Formidable Forms – WordPress Form Builder for Contact Forms, Calculators, Quizzes & More
The most powerful drag and drop WordPress form builder for contact forms, payment forms, calculators, quizzes, surveys, and data-driven applications.
Who leads on what
Formidable Forms leads on 4 of the 5 measures we track.
Formidable Forms ranks higher on WordPress.org: #8 against #12 in Contact Form Plugins.
Akismet Anti-spam has more users: 5 million+ active installs against 300,000+.
Formidable Forms is rated higher: 4.8 out of 5 from 1,381 reviews, against 4.7 from 1,186 reviews.
Formidable Forms has more reviews behind its score: 1,381 against 1,186.
Formidable Forms was updated more recently, on August 27, 2026; Akismet Anti-spam on August 18, 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 you want the plugin more sites already run.
Formidable Forms
Pick Formidable Forms if you go by where WordPress.org itself puts them, the review score matters most to you, you want the score backed by more reviews or you want the one shipping releases most recently.
Akismet Anti-spam vs Formidable Forms side by side
| Akismet Anti-spam | Formidable Forms | |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Form Plugins ranking | #12 | #8 |
| Rating | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| Reviews | 1,186 | 1,381 |
| Active installs | 5 million+ | 300,000+ |
| Total downloads | 405,811,187 | 27,699,606 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | – | – |
| Last updated | Aug 18, 2026 | Aug 27, 2026 |
| First published | Oct 20, 2005 | Dec 12, 2009 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Requires PHP | 7.2 | 7.0 |
| Pricing | Free + paid version | Free + paid version |
30-day download figures appear after both plugins have 30 days of tracking.
Akismet Anti-spam ratings
Formidable Forms 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 Formidable Forms 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 Formidable Forms: common questions
Is Akismet Anti-spam better than Formidable Forms?
Formidable Forms leads on 4 of the 5 measures we track. Neither is better at everything, and the answer depends on which measure you weigh. Formidable Forms ranks higher on WordPress.org: #8 against #12 in Contact Form Plugins.
Which has more users, Akismet Anti-spam or Formidable Forms?
Formidable Forms ranks higher on WordPress.org: #8 against #12 in Contact Form Plugins.
Which is rated higher, Akismet Anti-spam or Formidable Forms?
Akismet Anti-spam has more users: 5 million+ active installs against 300,000+.
Are Akismet Anti-spam and Formidable Forms free?
Both are free to install from WordPress.org. Akismet Anti-spam is listed as commercial, so a paid version or add-ons exist. Formidable Forms is listed as commercial, so a paid version or add-ons exist.
Alternatives to Akismet Anti-spam and Formidable Forms
Plugins that score close to both in the same WordPress.org rankings and tags.
More Contact Form Plugins comparisons
- Akismet Anti-spam vs Contact Form 7
- Akismet Anti-spam vs Fluent 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 Formidable Forms
- Contact Form 7 vs Formidable Forms
- Fluent Forms vs Formidable Forms
- Formidable Forms 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.