Comment spam filtering that never phones home.
Rule-based spam checks on comments and contact forms: link counts, BBCode, links in names, known spam patterns, duplicates, your local spam history, empty user agents, blocked words, spam-prone domains and writing systems. Statistics and scheduled clean-up included.
Bundled with Presscomet · Replaces Akismet, Antispam Bee
What it does, and what it doesn’t.
You get
- No API key and no data leaves your server
- Checks contact forms as well as comments
- Akismet-compatible comment meta, so moderation history stays readable
- Mark as spam or delete immediately; delete old spam on a schedule
Not included
- No shared, network-wide spam database like Akismet’s
- No country blocking or language detection service
Local rules or a cloud service?
Cloud services such as Akismet compare each comment against what they see across many sites. That is powerful, but it means sending comment data to the service and managing an API key.
Local rules catch the bulk of automated spam — link stuffing, shorteners, throwaway domains, duplicates, repeat senders — without any outside call. Borderline comments land in Comments → Spam for you to review.
Presscomet Antispam compared
Feature by feature, including what isn’t there. Rows describe what the bundled plugin’s code does today.
| Feature | Akismet | Antispam Bee | Presscomet |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it decides | Partly: Cloud service | Included: Local rules | Included: Local rules |
| API key | Partly: Required | Included: Not needed | Included: Not needed |
| Comment data sent to a service | Partly: Yes | Included: No | Included: No |
| Contact form checks | Partly: Via form plugins | Not included: No | Included: Yes, for Forms |
| Blocked words, domains, writing systems | Not included: No | Partly: Some | Included: Yes |
| Country blocking | Not included: No | Partly: Via an IP lookup | Not included: Not included |
| Statistics and dashboard widget | Included: Yes | Included: Yes | Included: Yes |
- Included
- Partly, or on a paid plan
- Not included
- Not needed, with the reason
Third-party behaviour as publicly documented.
What moves over automatically.
Antispam Bee options map one to one. From Akismet, the strictness setting and your caught-spam total come across; the API key is no longer needed.
Imported
- Antispam Bee: BBCode check, pattern check, local spam IP check, mark vs delete, clean-up interval, dashboard chart, spam count
antispam_bee - Akismet: strictness (discard worst spam) and caught-spam total
akismet_strictnessakismet_spam_count - Spam-flagged comments stay flagged; Akismet comment history is kept
akismet_resultakismet_history
Not imported
- Antispam Bee’s country blocking (needs an IP lookup service)
- Antispam Bee’s language allowlist — replaced by “Blocked writing systems”, review it once
- Antispam Bee: settings imported.
- Akismet: no API key is needed — comments are now checked locally. Existing akismet_* comment meta is kept.
How switching works.
- 01
Check your site
Run the free site check to see which of your plugins Presscomet replaces and what needs attention.
- 02
Run the migration
Connect your WordPress site. Content, users, media and plugin settings are imported into a new Presscomet site; your live site is only read.
- 03
Review and switch
Open Settings → Antispam: Settings and Statistics tabs, plus a Dashboard widget to check the imported settings, then point your domain at the new site when you’re happy.
Where to find it: Settings → Antispam: Settings and Statistics tabs, plus a Dashboard widget.
Antispam: questions
Do I need an Akismet key?
No. Checks run on your own server. Existing Akismet comment meta is kept so your moderation history still makes sense.
Will it block real comments?
Rules are conservative by default and caught comments go to Comments → Spam unless you choose to delete them immediately. You can tune links, words and domains under Settings → Antispam.
Does it protect contact forms?
Yes, when “Contact forms” is ticked the same checks run on Forms submissions.
Can I keep running Akismet instead?
No. Presscomet doesn’t run PHP, so WordPress plugins can’t be installed. The bundled Antispam plugin does the job instead, and the migration imports the settings listed above.
Does Presscomet support WooCommerce?
Not today. Presscomet is for content sites — blogs, magazines, business and documentation sites. If your site sells through WooCommerce, it isn’t a fit yet.
Related plugins and next steps
Related
- BundledSecurityLogin limiting with lockouts, allow/deny lists, an activity log, author-scan blocking and security headers. 2FA and passkeys are built in.
- BundledFormsContact Form 7-compatible forms with a visual builder, mail and auto-reply, uploads, spam checks and an inbox with CSV export.
- AlternativeAkismet alternativeLocal spam checks for comments and forms — no API key, no data sent out; Akismet history kept.
Move your WordPress site in one go — content, users, media and plugin settings. Free and open source; your live site is only read.
Managed hosting with backupsAll 19 bundled plugins
Akismet, Antispam Bee are trademarks of their respective owners. Presscomet is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Names are used only to describe compatibility and migration.