Comments turn a blog into a conversation, but spammers abuse them to drop links. On popular blogs, spam can easily outnumber real comments, and deleting it by hand quickly becomes a part-time job.
Here are 8 easy ways to stop spam comments in WordPress in 2026, from simple settings to free plugins.
What Is a Spam Comment?
Spam comments are usually posted by bots (or cheap manual spammers) to promote a link. Typical signs:
- A keyword or business name instead of a real name.
- A long, unrelated, or suspicious link.
- Generic praise like “Great post, thanks for sharing!” that could apply to any article.
- Text that has nothing to do with your post, often in another language.
Spam makes your blog look neglected, can expose readers to scams, and outbound links to bad sites do not help your SEO.
1. Activate Akismet
Akismet, made by Automattic, is the most widely used anti-spam service, active on more than 5 million sites. It checks every comment (and contact form submissions) against its global spam database and blocks the vast majority automatically.
It comes pre-installed on many WordPress sites; just activate it and connect an API key. Personal, non-commercial blogs can use it free (name your price), while commercial sites need a paid plan. See how to set up Akismet for free.
2. Try Antispam Bee (Free, No Account Needed)
Antispam Bee is a free, privacy-friendly alternative used on about 700,000 sites. It needs no account or API key, stores no personal data in the cloud, and is a good fit for commercial blogs that do not want to pay for Akismet or for sites with strict privacy (GDPR) needs.
3. Turn On Comment Moderation
Go to Settings > Discussion. Useful options:
- Comment must be manually approved: nothing appears until you approve it.
- Comment author must have a previously approved comment: regular commenters skip the queue, new ones are checked.
- Comment Moderation: hold comments with more than one or two links, or with words, names, URLs, or IP addresses you list.
- Disallowed Comment Keys (formerly the comment blacklist): comments with these words, URLs, emails, or IPs go straight to trash.
4. Close Comments on Old Posts
Most spam targets older posts, which rarely get valuable new comments. In Settings > Discussion, check Automatically close comments on posts older than X days and set a number like 30, 60, or 90.
5. Add a CAPTCHA or Turnstile Check
A challenge that bots cannot pass stops automated spam before it reaches you. Modern options are mostly invisible to real readers:
- Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile: free, privacy-friendly, and usually requires no puzzles. Works on comments, login, registration, and many form plugins.
- reCaptcha by BestWebSoft: adds Google reCAPTCHA to comments, login, registration, and contact forms.
6. Use a Web Application Firewall
A firewall such as Cloudflare or Sucuri filters bad bots before they reach your site at all. It also reduces server load and can block countries or networks that send mostly spam (use country blocking carefully so you do not block real readers).
7. Use a Third-Party Comment System
Systems like Disqus replace WordPress comments and handle spam filtering, logins, and moderation for you. The trade-offs: the free Disqus plan shows ads, and it can slow pages down (the free Disqus Conditional Load plugin helps by loading comments only when needed). If you want to stay on native comments with more features, wpDiscuz is a popular alternative.
8. Disable Comments Completely
If comments are not important for your blog, you can turn them off. In Settings > Discussion, uncheck Allow people to submit comments on new posts. For existing posts, use the free Disable Comments plugin to remove comments site-wide in one click. You can move discussion to an email list, community, or social media instead.
My Recommended Setup
- Akismet (or Antispam Bee) for automatic filtering.
- Hold comments with two or more links for moderation.
- Close comments on posts older than 90 days.
- Add Cloudflare Turnstile if bots still get through.
This combination stops nearly all spam while keeping comments open for real readers. For more protection, also see how to protect WordPress from brute force attacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Akismet free?
It is free (pay what you want) for personal, non-commercial blogs. Business and commercial sites need a paid plan.
Do spam comments hurt SEO?
Unmoderated spam with links to bad sites can make your pages look low quality to visitors and search engines. WordPress adds nofollow (ugc) to comment links, but it is still best to keep spam off your site.
Should I delete spam comments?
Yes. Empty the Spam folder regularly, or let Akismet delete spam on older posts automatically.
How do you deal with spam on your blog? Share your tips in the comments.
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