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AntiSpam for Contact Form 7

By Erik

Security & Privacy / Security Scanning & Malware Protection

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 Review - In-Depth Analysis

A trustworthy antispam plugin for Contact Form 7. Wave goodbye to spam and keep your inbox clean!

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.29/10

User Rating

4.2/5 (based on 13+ reviews)

Active Installations

10,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Are you unsatisfied with your current antispam solution for Contact Form 7? It might be using an ineffective method to combat the specific type of bot attacks you are facing. Fortunately, I have a solution for you!

Antispam for Contact Form 7 is a simple yet highly effective plugin that protects your mailbox from bot flooding. Say goodbye to tedious configurations and captchas, which often lead to reduced conversions and inconvenience for genuine users. Our plugin utilizes a combination of on-page and off-page bot traps, along with an auto-learning mechanism powered by a statistical Bayesian spam filter called B8.

CF7-AntiSpam seamlessly integrates with Flamingo and enhances its functionality. When both plugins are installed, Flamingo gains additional controls, and an extra dashboard widget is enabled.

Basic setup is easy - just install and go! No configuration, keys, or registrations are required to activate the antispam protection. Advanced setup allows for deeper analysis of email content using a dictionary.

With this plugin, you can now review emails and train B8 to identify spam and legitimate messages. This feature proves useful, especially during the initial stages when some spam emails may slip through.

Comparing to Alternatives

AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 is a specialized spam protection plugin for Contact Form 7 with several direct alternatives available in the WordPress ecosystem.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Effective spam blocking with honeypot technique
Highly configurable to fine-tune spam protection
Lightweight and integrates well with Contact Form 7
Good support responsiveness from the developer
No need for CAPTCHA challenges, improving user experience

Weaknesses

Known medium severity security vulnerabilities fixed only in recent versions
Some users report blocking legitimate non-logged-in users
Occasional fatal errors reported on certain WordPress versions
Requires careful configuration to avoid blocking valid submissions

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star ratings and a few low ratings, users generally appreciate the plugin's effectiveness and support, though some issues affect a minority.

Positive highlights

"The perfect way to stop form spam for good" - jburg3333
"Finally a plugin that stops the spam" - Wendihihihi
"Great plugin that requires a little thinking and configuration" - o2xav
"A lightweight, must-have plugin with great support" - Benjamin
"Very helpful and works great after fine-tuning" - Wendihihihi

Common complaints

Fatal error causing the need to deactivate the plugin on WP 6.9

Weaknesses

Blocks legitimate submissions from non-logged-in users if not configured properly
Some users experienced inaccessible field data after updates
Requires technical knowledge to configure optimally
Security vulnerabilities were present in earlier versions

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who need a lightweight, configurable spam protection solution specifically for Contact Form 7 and are comfortable with some technical setup and occasional troubleshooting.

Not ideal for

Users seeking a plug-and-play spam filter without configuration or those concerned about past security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues with newer WordPress versions.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers comprehensive spam protection features including honeypot techniques and configuration options without requiring CAPTCHA.

Final Verdict

AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 is a robust and effective spam protection plugin tailored for Contact Form 7 users, praised for its configurability and developer support. It successfully reduces spam without relying on intrusive CAPTCHAs, enhancing user experience.

However, users should be aware of past security vulnerabilities and potential issues with blocking legitimate users if not carefully configured. Those comfortable with technical adjustments will find it valuable, while others may consider alternatives with fewer setup requirements.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 plugin.

Antispam

GeoIP

Honeypot

Security

Screenshots

FAQ

NO, nobody can guarantee that, and anyone who tells you that is lying. But luckily, bots are limited by the fact that they don’t use a real browser and they use fairly repetitive routes which can be recognised.

Before processing the email

add_filter('cf7a_message_before_processing', 'my_message_before_processing', 10, 2 );

Before processing the email with bayesian filter

add_filter('cf7a_before_b8', 'my_before_b8', 10, 3 );

Add your own spam filter

add_filter('cf7a_additional_spam_filters', 'my_additional_spam_filters', 10, 3 );

Add some content when resending a mail (useful to add a message like “this was spammed” or the original mail date/time)

add_filter('cf7a_before_resend_email', 'my_before_resend_email', 10, 3 );

define( ‘CF7ANTISPAM_DEBUG’, true);

Enables debug mode (wp-debug has to be enabled) – verbose mode, prints email analysis results into wp-content/debug.log

define( 'CF7ANTISPAM_DEBUG_EXTENDED', true);

Enable extended debug mode (“CF7ANTISPAM_DEBUG” has to be enabled) – disable autoban, enable advanced logging, when you uninstall the plugin, the word database, blocklist and options are not deleted.