{"id":301816,"date":"2026-05-22T06:57:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/the-comment-spam-mute\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T06:57:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:57:06","slug":"the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute","status":"publish","type":"plugin","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute\/","author":23463586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"version":"1.0","stable_tag":"1.0","tested":"7.0","requires":"6.0","requires_php":"7.4","requires_plugins":null,"header_name":"The 9 Dollar Comment Spam Mute","header_author":"The 9 Dollar Plugins","header_description":"Automatically detects and silently discards comment spam before it ever reaches moderation. Zero-Touch: set it once, forget it forever. No external API calls. GDPR-friendly.","assets_banners_color":"d2d3d4","last_updated":"2026-05-22 06:57:06","external_support_url":"","external_repository_url":"","donate_link":"https:\/\/buymeacoffee.com\/t.9.p","header_plugin_uri":"https:\/\/www.the-9-dollar-plugins.com\/","header_author_uri":"https:\/\/www.the-9-dollar-plugins.com","rating":0,"author_block_rating":0,"active_installs":0,"downloads":31,"num_ratings":0,"support_threads":0,"support_threads_resolved":0,"author_block_count":0,"sections":["description","installation","faq","changelog"],"tags":{"1.0":{"tag":"1.0","author":"the9dollarplugins","date":"2026-05-22 06:57:06"}},"upgrade_notice":[],"ratings":[],"assets_icons":{"icon-1024x1024.jpg":{"filename":"icon-1024x1024.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"1024x1024","location":"assets","locale":"","width":1024,"height":1024},"icon-128x128.jpg":{"filename":"icon-128x128.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"128x128","location":"assets","locale":"","width":128,"height":128},"icon-240x240.jpg":{"filename":"icon-240x240.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"240x240","location":"assets","locale":"","width":240,"height":240},"icon-256x256.jpg":{"filename":"icon-256x256.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"256x256","location":"assets","locale":"","width":256,"height":256},"icon-300x300.jpg":{"filename":"icon-300x300.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"300x300","location":"assets","locale":"","width":300,"height":300}},"assets_banners":{"banner-1544x500.jpg":{"filename":"banner-1544x500.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"1544x500","location":"assets","locale":"","width":1544,"height":500},"banner-772x250.jpg":{"filename":"banner-772x250.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"772x250","location":"assets","locale":"","width":772,"height":250}},"assets_blueprints":{},"all_blocks":[],"tagged_versions":["1.0"],"block_files":[],"assets_screenshots":{"screenshot-1.jpg":{"filename":"screenshot-1.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"1","location":"assets","locale":"","width":772,"height":350},"screenshot-2.jpg":{"filename":"screenshot-2.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"2","location":"assets","locale":"","width":772,"height":350},"screenshot-3.jpg":{"filename":"screenshot-3.jpg","revision":3543261,"resolution":"3","location":"assets","locale":"","width":772,"height":1344}},"screenshots":{"1":"Opt-in notice \u2014 you confirm before anything gets armed.","2":"Arm \/ Disarm control with live status indicator.","3":"Settings \u2014 all spam detection options in one clean view."}},"plugin_section":[],"plugin_tags":[2656,4867,6076,10877,2419],"plugin_category":[54],"plugin_contributors":[258464],"plugin_business_model":[],"class_list":["post-301816","plugin","type-plugin","status-publish","hentry","plugin_tags-anti-spam","plugin_tags-comment-spam","plugin_tags-spam-comments","plugin_tags-spam-filter","plugin_tags-spam-protection","plugin_category-security-and-spam-protection","plugin_contributors-the9dollarplugins","plugin_committers-the9dollarplugins"],"banners":{"banner":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute\/assets\/banner-772x250.jpg?rev=3543261","banner_2x":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute\/assets\/banner-1544x500.jpg?rev=3543261","banner_rtl":false,"banner_2x_rtl":false},"icons":{"svg":false,"icon":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute\/assets\/icon-128x128.jpg?rev=3543261","icon_2x":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute\/assets\/icon-256x256.jpg?rev=3543261","generated":false},"screenshots":[{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute\/assets\/screenshot-1.jpg?rev=3543261","caption":"Opt-in notice \u2014 you confirm before anything gets armed."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute\/assets\/screenshot-2.jpg?rev=3543261","caption":"Arm \/ Disarm control with live status indicator."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/the-9-dollar-comment-spam-mute\/assets\/screenshot-3.jpg?rev=3543261","caption":"Settings \u2014 all spam detection options in one clean view."}],"raw_content":"\n

The 9 Dollar Comment Spam Mute<\/strong> is your silent, Zero-Touch spam-fighting sidekick. It catches spam comments before they even think about touching your database. No moderation queue. No spam folder. No admin drama.\nSet it up once. Let it work. Never think about spam again.<\/p>\n\n

Why you\u2019ll like it<\/strong>\nMost anti-spam plugins ship your comment data off to who-knows-where, demand an API key, or just shuffle spam into a folder that slowly turns into a digital landfill. This one does things differently: everything runs on your own server, zero external requests, and spam comments are gone before they ever arrive.\nNo spam folder to clean. No pending queue. No cloud. No key. No fuss.<\/p>\n\n

How it kicks spam to the curb<\/strong>\nThe plugin hooks into WordPress at the earliest possible moment \u2014 right before a comment would be saved. If something looks like spam, it\u2019s silently discarded. You get to choose what happens next: with Silent Mode on, bots see a fake success message and never realize they\u2019ve been blocked (so they won\u2019t change tactics). With Silent Mode off, the comment is rejected with a normal error message. Either way: zero database clutter.<\/p>\n\n

Heads-up (important!)<\/strong>\nDiscarded spam comments are gone for good. That\u2019s why there\u2019s a mandatory opt-in step \u2014 so you\u2019re fully aware before spam protection goes live. You keep full control over all detection settings, and comments only get discarded once you explicitly arm the plugin.<\/p>\n\n

Why this plugin exists<\/strong>\nMost anti-spam plugins:\n- send your data to external APIs
\n- require API keys and accounts
\n- store spam in folders nobody cleans
\nThis plugin does none of that. Everything runs locally on your server. No external calls. No cloud dependency. No unnecessary complexity.\nSpam is not stored. It\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n\n

Features (LITE \u2014 free)<\/strong>\n- No external API calls<\/strong> \u2014 fully GDPR-compliant by design\n- No API key, no account, zero setup fuss<\/strong> \u2014 just install, configure once, arm it, and you're done\n- No external API calls<\/strong> \u2014 all spam detection runs locally on your server\n- GDPR-compliant by design<\/strong> \u2014 no data leaves your site; IP addresses stored for spam detection only, auto-deleted after 90 days\n- Universal coverage<\/strong> \u2014 protects comments on posts, pages, custom post types, WooCommerce product reviews, and all native WordPress comment types\n- Comments get intercepted and discarded before they ever hit the database<\/strong> \u2014 no spam folder to clean, ever\n- Silent Mode<\/strong> \u2014 bots get a fake success message and never realize they\u2019ve been blocked (keeps them from adapting)\n- Set once, runs automatically<\/strong> \u2014 after you arm it, you\u2019re done\n- Works with all native WordPress comment types<\/strong> \u2014 posts, pages, custom post types, attachments, WooCommerce reviews\n- Mandatory opt-in<\/strong> \u2014 you\u2019re always in control\n- Arm \/ Disarm control<\/strong> \u2014 activate or pause spam protection instantly without losing settings\n- Rate limiting<\/strong> \u2014 automatically blocks IPs that submit comments too frequently\n- Discarded comments log<\/strong> \u2014 last 50 entries with date, IP, author and reason, auto-pruned after 90 days\n- Sleek & slim<\/strong> \u2014 one PHP file, one CSS file, one JS file. No classes, no autoloader, no framework baggage\n- Honeypot trap<\/strong> \u2014 invisible field silently catches automated spam bots\n- Speed check<\/strong> \u2014 discards submissions faster than any human could type\n- Time token validation<\/strong> \u2014 rejects replayed or forged submission tokens older than one hour\n- Link limit<\/strong> \u2014 discards comments containing too many links, a classic spam signal\n- Keyword blacklist<\/strong> \u2014 case-insensitive spam keyword list, fully customisable, one word per line\n- Whitelist: Email \/ IP \/ User-Agent<\/strong> \u2014 never block your trusted commenters\n- Daily report email<\/strong> \u2014 optional morning summary of discarded spam, sent straight to your inbox<\/p>\n\n

PRO version extras<\/strong>\nUpgrade to PRO and level up your spam defense:\n- Self-learning IP Blocklist<\/strong> \u2014 automatically flags repeat offenders (PRO only)\n- Custom Regex Patterns<\/strong> \u2014 build your own advanced spam rules (PRO only)\n- Smart Learning Spam Filter<\/strong> \u2014 trains itself on your site\u2019s own comment history (PRO only)\n- Adjustable log size<\/strong> \u2014 keep as many or as few entries as you like (PRO only)\n- CSV log export<\/strong> \u2014 download your discarded comments log anytime (PRO only)\n- WooCommerce Verified Buyer Whitelist<\/strong> \u2014 verified customers get a free pass (PRO only)\n- Statistics Dashboard Widget<\/strong> \u2014 see your spam stats at a glance (PRO only)\n- Priority support<\/strong> \u2014 fast help when you need it (PRO only)<\/p>\n\n

How it all works<\/strong>\n1. Install and activate the plugin.\n2. Go to Spam Mute<\/strong> in your WordPress admin sidebar.\n3. Read the opt-in notice and confirm you\u2019re cool with the fact that spam comments will be permanently discarded.\n4. Tweak your detection settings \u2014 honeypot, speed check, link limit, keyword blacklist.\n5. Set Spam Protection to Active<\/strong> and let the silence begin.<\/p>\n\n

That\u2019s it. The 9 Dollar Comment Spam Mute works in the background, quietly doing its thing. Zero-Touch.<\/p>\n\n

Important notice<\/h3>\n\n

Spam comments are permanently deleted.\nThere is no recovery, no trash, no undo.\nA mandatory opt-in ensures you understand this before activation. Nothing happens unless you explicitly enable it.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Upload the plugin folder to \/wp-content\/plugins\/<\/code> or install directly from the WordPress Plugins screen.<\/li>\n
  2. Activate it.<\/li>\n
  3. Head to Spam Mute<\/strong> in your WordPress admin sidebar.<\/li>\n
  4. Confirm the opt-in, tweak your settings, then arm the plugin.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
    \n

    Will discarded spam comments end up in trash or spam?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Nope. Once The 9 Dollar Comment Spam Mute discards a comment, it\u2019s gone for good \u2014 no trash, no spam folder, no second chances.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    What\u2019s the deal with Silent Mode?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Silent Mode (recommended) = spam comments are discarded and bots see a fake success message. They never figure out they\u2019ve been blocked, so they won\u2019t switch up their attack patterns. Silent Mode off = spam comments are rejected with a normal error message. Either way, your database stays clean.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    Can real comments ever get caught by accident?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    It\u2019s possible \u2014 no spam filter is 100% perfect. That\u2019s why the opt-in step makes this crystal clear. The keyword blacklist and link limit are the usual suspects if false positives happen. Tune them to fit your audience.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    Does it work with WooCommerce product reviews?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    You bet. WooCommerce reviews use the same WordPress comment hook, so all LITE features cover them automatically. No extra setup.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    Does this thing call home (external APIs)?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Never. Every spam check runs locally on your server. No data leaves your site.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    Is this GDPR\/DSGVO friendly?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Absolutely. No data ever leaves your server. The discarded comments log stores only IP, author name, email, and a short content preview \u2014 all inside your own database. IPs are kept for spam detection and security analysis (legitimate interest under GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)), never shared, never shown publicly. Log entries auto-delete after 90 days, and you can clear them manually anytime.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    How is this different from Akismet?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Akismet sends every comment to an external cloud for analysis and needs an API key. The 9 Dollar Comment Spam Mute runs entirely on your own server, requires no account or key, and discards spam before it reaches your database \u2014 instead of dumping it into a spam folder that just fills up.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    What's the difference between Armed and Disarmed?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Disarmed = the plugin is installed and configured, but no comments are discarded. Armed = protection is active, and spam comments are silently discarded on submission \u2014 they never reach the database.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    Can I pause spam protection without losing my settings?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Yep. Just set Spam Protection to \"Inactive\" anytime. All your settings stick, and you can re-arm in one click.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    Does the plugin protect against repeated spam attempts from the same IP?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Yes. The LITE version includes automatic rate limiting \u2014 any IP that submits more than 5 comments within an hour is automatically blocked for the remainder of that hour. This stops the most common bot patterns without affecting legitimate users.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    What happens when I uninstall the plugin?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    By default, all plugin data stays in your database. If you check \"Delete data on uninstall\" in settings, everything (settings + log) gets permanently removed when you uninstall.<\/p><\/dd>\n

    Do I need an API key or an account?<\/h3><\/dt>\n

    Nope. The LITE version is completely free \u2014 no registration, no key, no account. Just install and go.<\/p><\/dd>\n\n<\/dl>\n\n\n

    1.0 - 2026-03-24<\/h4>\n\n
      \n
    • Initial release.<\/li>\n
    • Honeypot trap, speed check, link limit, and keyword blacklist spam detection.<\/li>\n
    • Silent Mode \u2014 bots get a fake success response and never realize they\u2019re blocked.<\/li>\n
    • Discarded comments log \u2014 last 50 entries, auto-pruned.<\/li>\n
    • Mandatory opt-in with explicit Arm\/Disarm control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","raw_excerpt":"Auto-discard comment spam before it ever hits your database. Zero-Touch protection \u2014 no API keys, no external calls,","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin\/301816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/plugin"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=301816"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/the9dollarplugins"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"plugin_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_section?post=301816"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_tags?post=301816"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_category?post=301816"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_contributors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_contributors?post=301816"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_business_model","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_business_model?post=301816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}