Spam Protection vs Honeypot (October 2026)
Updated October 23, 2026 · Data from WordPress.org, refreshed daily · How this works
Both rank in the WordPress.org Anti-Spam Plugins top 10: Spam Protection at #7 and Honeypot at #2. Honeypot leads on 5 of the 6 measures we track. Every number below comes straight from WordPress.org and is refreshed every day.
Spam Protection
Spam Protection | Maspik
Blocks spam the moment you activate it. No CAPTCHA, no setup, no API key. Multi-Layer. Just install and forget.
Honeypot
WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam
Fastest growing Anti Spam plugin. No API calls, subscriptions, captcha or puzzle. Full GDPR complaint. For comments, contact form, login, registration
Who leads on what
Honeypot leads on 5 of the 6 measures we track.
Honeypot ranks higher on WordPress.org: #2 against #7 in Anti-Spam Plugins.
Honeypot has more users: 400,000+ active installs against 30,000+.
Honeypot is rated higher: 5.0 out of 5 from 1,463 reviews, against 4.7 from 87 reviews.
Honeypot has more reviews behind its score: 1,463 against 87.
Spam Protection was updated more recently, on September 29, 2026; Honeypot on September 3, 2026.
Honeypot was downloaded more in the last 30 days: 36,148 times against 32,616.
Which one to pick
Each plugin is the better answer for the measure it actually leads on. Nothing here is a recommendation we invented.
Spam Protection
Pick Spam Protection if you want the one shipping releases most recently.
Honeypot
Pick Honeypot if you go by where WordPress.org itself puts them, you want the plugin more sites already run, the review score matters most to you, you want the score backed by more reviews or you want the one being installed faster right now.
Spam Protection vs Honeypot side by side
| Spam Protection | Honeypot | |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Spam Plugins ranking | #7 | #2 |
| Rating | 4.7 | 5.0 |
| Reviews | 87 | 1,463 |
| Active installs | 30,000+ | 400,000+ |
| Total downloads | 1,042,221 | 5,094,349 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 32,616 | 36,148 |
| Last updated | Sep 29, 2026 | Sep 3, 2026 |
| First published | Feb 8, 2021 | Jun 16, 2020 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.1.3 | 7.1.3 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | – |
| Pricing | Free on WordPress.org | Free on WordPress.org |
Downloads per day, last 48 days
Spam Protection ratings
Honeypot 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 Spam Protection nor Honeypot can pay to appear here: the pair exists only because both plugins reached the Anti-Spam Plugins top 10. Full methodology.
Spam Protection vs Honeypot: common questions
Is Spam Protection better than Honeypot?
Honeypot leads on 5 of the 6 measures we track. Neither is better at everything, and the answer depends on which measure you weigh. Honeypot ranks higher on WordPress.org: #2 against #7 in Anti-Spam Plugins.
Which has more users, Spam Protection or Honeypot?
Honeypot ranks higher on WordPress.org: #2 against #7 in Anti-Spam Plugins.
Which is rated higher, Spam Protection or Honeypot?
Honeypot has more users: 400,000+ active installs against 30,000+.
Are Spam Protection and Honeypot free?
Both are free to install from WordPress.org. Spam Protection may also sell a paid version or add-ons. Honeypot may also sell a paid version or add-ons.
Alternatives to Spam Protection and Honeypot
Plugins that score close to both in the same WordPress.org rankings and tags.
-
CleanTalk Anti-Spam
200,000+ installs · 4.8 from 3,219 reviews
-
Antispam Bee
700,000+ installs · 4.8 from 226 reviews
-
CF7 Apps
300,000+ installs · 3.8 from 135 reviews
-
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile
200,000+ installs · 4.6 from 259 reviews
-
Gravity Forms Zero Spam
100,000+ installs · 4.3 from 24 reviews
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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.