Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection vs HTML Purified
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #8, ahead of HTML Purified at #20,565. Over the last 7 days Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection held its place and HTML Purified slipped 176 places. Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection has the largest install base, roughly 100000× the next: 5M+ active installs against 50+ for HTML Purified. Downloads this week: Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 251,569 and HTML Purified 49.
| Metric | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection | HTML Purified |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #8 ▬ | #20,565 ▼ 176 |
| Active installs | 5M+ | 50+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 251,569 | 49 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (1,187) | no ratings |
| Last updated | Aug 18, 2026 | May 5, 2012 |
| Current version | 5.7.2 | 0.7 |
| Best rank on record | #7 | #20,015 |
| Days in the top 50 | 85 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Oct 2005 | Aug 2007 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 80 | 0 |
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
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection or HTML Purified?
By active installs, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection: 5M+ sites run it against 50+ for HTML Purified, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection or HTML Purified?
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection, at #8 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with HTML Purified at #20,565. 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 HTML Purified alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
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.