Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection vs Anti-Spam by CleanTalk
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #8, ahead of Anti-Spam by CleanTalk at #241. Over the last 7 days Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection held its place and Anti-Spam by CleanTalk slipped 1 place. Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has the largest install base, roughly 25× the next: 5M+ active installs against 200K+ for Anti-Spam by CleanTalk. Downloads this week: Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 370,319 and Anti-Spam by CleanTalk 33,541. Ratings: Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 4.7★ from 1,186 and Anti-Spam by CleanTalk 4.8★ from 3,211 reviews.
| Metric | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection | Anti-Spam by CleanTalk |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #8 ▬ | #241 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 5M+ | 200K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 370,319 | 33,541 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (1,186) | 4.8★ (3,211) |
| Last updated | Aug 18, 2026 | Sep 2, 2026 |
| Current version | 5.7.2 | 6.87 |
| Best rank on record | #7 | #239 |
| Days in the top 50 | 50 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Oct 2005 | May 2012 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 49 | 6 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
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- Anti-Spam by CleanTalk vs Antispam Bee
- Anti-Spam by CleanTalk vs WP Armour - Honeypot Anti Spam
- Anti-Spam by CleanTalk vs Spam Protection | Maspik
- Anti-Spam by CleanTalk vs Gravity Forms Zero Spam
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection or Anti-Spam by CleanTalk?
By active installs, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection: 5M+ sites run it against 200K+ for Anti-Spam by CleanTalk, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 12, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection or Anti-Spam by CleanTalk?
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection, at #8 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Anti-Spam by CleanTalk at #241. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection or Anti-Spam by CleanTalk alternatives to each other?
Yes. All of them are anti-spam plugins, so a site would normally run one of them. The figures above show which one more WordPress sites choose and how that has changed over time.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.