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Resolving Akismet Free Plan Activation and Payment Issues

13 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Akismet anti-spam: spam protection

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Many WordPress users rely on the Akismet Anti-spam plugin for protection. However, a common point of confusion arises when trying to activate its free plan or resolve unexpected payment issues. This guide explains the most frequent problems and their solutions, based on community reports and resolutions.

Common Problems and Why They Happen

The most frequent issues fall into two categories:

  1. Difficulty Activating the Free Plan: Users often report that the signup process seems to require a payment, even for a personal blog. This is typically caused by not correctly adjusting the payment slider to $0 during the account creation process on the Akismet website. In some cases, browser caching or a temporary glitch may also prevent the $0 option from working.
  2. Unexpected Charges or Subscription Problems: Users sometimes discover recurring charges for a plan they believed was free or had canceled. This can happen due to an old, forgotten subscription, an error during a plan change, or a rare processing error with the payment provider (like a duplicate charge during a failed transaction).

Most Common Solutions

1. How to Correctly Get a Free API Key

Akismet remains free for personal, non-commercial sites. To get a free key:

  • Visit the Akismet plans page.
  • Select the "Basic" plan.
  • Use the payment slider to set your yearly contribution to $0.
  • Click the button to create your account and obtain your API key.

Important Note: The free plan is strictly for non-commercial use. Sites with advertising, affiliate links, that sell products/services, or are for a business are considered commercial and require a paid plan. The Akismet team actively enforces this policy and may suspend free keys used on commercial sites.

2. Resolving Payment and Billing Issues

If you encounter unexpected charges, duplicate payments, or need to cancel a subscription, follow these steps:

  • Cancel a Subscription: You can log into your Akismet account dashboard to cancel an active subscription yourself.
  • Request a Refund or Report an Error: For issues you cannot resolve in your account dashboard, such as duplicate charges or problems canceling, you must contact the Akismet team directly for assistance. Use their official contact form and select "I have a billing question." Be prepared to provide your API key or the email address associated with your account to help them quickly locate your transaction.

What to Do If You're Still Stuck

If the steps above do not resolve your issue—for example, if the website continues to malfunction even when selecting the $0 option—try these troubleshooting tips:

  • Clear your browser's cache and cookies, or try using a different web browser entirely.
  • Ensure you are on the official akismet.com domain and not a fraudulent copycat site.
  • Disable any browser extensions that might interfere with the payment form, such as ad-blockers or script blockers.

For all other account-specific problems, the recommended path is to use the Akismet contact form to get direct help with your unique situation.

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