Akismet API Usage Limits

Every time your site receives a comment, it makes an API call to Akismet to check whether the comment is spam.

What is an API Call?

An API call is a single evaluation of whether a comment or form submission is spam. It acts as a bridge between your site and the Akismet service, allowing Akismet to evaluate submissions and return results.

One API call = one evaluation if something is spam.

What are the API limits for different Akismet plans?

The API limit is the maximum number of times in a month your site can check with the Akismet service to see if something is spam. Akismet’s plans have different allowances for the number of API calls your site(s) can make per month:

Plan Type Usage Type API Call Limit
Akismet Pro Commercial 500, 1,000, 1,500, or 2,000 calls/month
Akismet Business Commercial 5,000 calls/month
Akismet Enterprise Commercial 15,000, 25,000 calls/month, or custom plans
Non-profit Accounts Non-commercial 60,000 calls/month
Akismet Personal Non-commercial Unlimited calls/month

Note: Non‑profit Akismet accounts have a 60K API call limit per month. Akismet Personal is a non‑commercial plan with unlimited API calls per month.

How can I upgrade my plan?

  • You can upgrade by clicking Edit > Upgrade on your Akismet Account page under “Subscription”. Note that purchasing a higher‑tier plan doesn’t automatically cancel the lower‑tier plan.
  • If you need to move up to a new call limit tier in the same plan, please contact support to request that adjustment. (See below)

Need more API calls? We’ve got you covered.

While we’re working on improving the upgrade process, we can help you make the switch right away. Here’s how it works:

  1. We’ll cancel your current Akismet Pro plan and credit your account for any unused time.
  2. You’ll repurchase Akismet Pro, choosing the number of licenses that match your API usage needs.
  3. Your account credit will be automatically applied to the new subscription at checkout.

How do I check my API usage?

View your account‑wide spam stats at the bottom of your Akismet Account page. Check the TOTAL API CALLS column for monthly usage.

What’s causing my High API usage?

It’s possible that your site may exceed the monthly Akismet API usage limit because it generates a lot of traffic and thus a lot of legitimate API calls. If this is the case, we’d expect to see the API limit exceeded consistently every month.

It’s also possible that your site may exceed the limit as a result of something outside of your control, such as a targeted attack on your site from spambots. In this case, the overuse may be an isolated incident and could fall within the limit again the following month.

What happens if I exceed my API limit?

  • First occurrence: No action taken
  • Three consecutive months of exceeding: Additional calls denied until month‑end or plan upgrade
  • Subsequent consecutive months: Same as above
  • Usage limit resets at the end of each calendar month

How can I reduce my API usage?

There are several things you could try if you want to reduce your Akismet API usage:

Revoke Akismet for sites that don’t need it

You can revoke sites from using Akismet:

  • You no longer need Akismet services for it.
  • It is active on a site you no longer manage. (As a courtesy to the new site manager, you can reach out to them and advise them to purchase their own key.)
  • If you revoke a commercial site on a free key, contact us to reinstate your key.

Turn off WordPress features you don’t need

  1. Turn off unnecessary WordPress features:
    • Disable pingbacks/trackbacks
    • Turn off comments if not needed
  2. Manage comments:
    • Disable comments on older posts
    • Automatically close comments after a set period
  3. Utilize WordPress comment moderation tools:
    • Set up Comment Moderation to catch spam before Akismet
    • Use Disallowed Comment Keys to automatically trash certain comments

You can adjust these settings in Settings > Discussion in the WP Admin area of your WordPress site, which has options to toggle on/off:

  • Allow link notification from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks) on new posts
  • Allow people to submit comments on new posts
Screenshot of the Discussion Settings section of WP Admin, with checkboxes for the settings listed.
If you do you use comments, turning them off automatically after a certain number of days can help to reduce spam.

If you have any other questions, please contact us.