Akismet vs Apply Online
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Akismet v5.7.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details | Apply Online v2.7.1.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.1/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 5M+ | 2,000+ |
| Last updated | August 18, 2026 | September 28, 2026 |
| Editions | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection · Akismet paid plan ($) | ApplyOnline · ApplyOnline add-ons ($) |
| Pros | Checks comments and contact form submissions against a shared spam database; Works with Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms; Stats through a dashboard widget and REST endpoints | Drag-and-drop application form builder with file attachment fields; Several ad types, each with its own shortcode; Dedicated manager role for reviewing applications |
| Cons | Needs an Akismet API key from akismet.com; Commercial sites must buy a paid plan; Submitted content is sent to Akismet for checking | Applicant tracking, conditional fields and captcha need paid add-ons; Email notifications rely on the host mail server |
| Mentioned in our posts | 2 | 1 |
| Features (Form plugins checklist) | ||
| Drag-and-drop builder | — | Yes |
| Conditional logic | — | No |
| Multi-step forms | — | No |
| Payments | — | No |
| File upload | — | Yes |
| Calculations | — | No |
| Entries in admin | — | Yes |
| Spam protection | — | No |
| Free version | — | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Checks comments before they are saved, Spam checks for Gravity Forms and Contact Form 7 submissions, Scheduled deletion of old spam and orphaned comment meta, Block statistics dashboard widget, REST endpoints for key, settings and stats, Webhook endpoint for Akismet account updates, Stats ability for the WordPress Abilities API | Multiple ad types with their own filters, Shortcodes for ad archive, single ad and form, Email notification to recipients on new application, Application manager capability set, Security nonce on application forms, Attachment links on applications, Paid add-on updates through a licence key ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Plugins | Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, Jetpack | Polylang |
| Other | Akismet | ApplyOnline add-on update server ($) |
| Requires WordPress | 5.8 | 5.0 |
| Requires PHP | 7.2 | 7.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | rest.akismet.com | — |
| Shortcodes | — | 7 |