Auto Approve Comments
Auto approve comments by Commenter (email, name, url), User and Role (Akismet and wpDiscuz compatible).
Consider an alternative
Auto Approve Comments shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 3.2/5 and was last updated 5 years ago, and scores 31/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (200+ active installs)
- Low rating so far — 3.2/5 from only 5 reviews
- No update in 5 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 5.8 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Auto Approve Comments stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| anti-spam | >100 |
| auto approve | >100 |
| comments | >100 |
| moderation | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 3.2 from 5 reviews
About Auto Approve Comments
From the official readme · v2.8Description
Auto approve comments by Commenter (email, name, url), User and Role (Akismet and wpDiscuz compatible).
Usage
- Open Comments -> Auto Approve Comments
- Go to Settings -> Discussion and check “Comment must be manually approved”
- Optionally install and activate Akismet (comments flagged as SPAM will never get auto approved)
- Configure your auto approval filters in “Commenters”, “Users” and “Roles”
- Save and you’re done
From now on all the comments that match at least one of the configurations in “Commenters”, “Users” or “Roles” will always be auto approved.
Commenters – example
Add one Commenter per line, follow the example below:
tom@myface.com
tom@myface.com,Tom
tom@myface.com,www.myface.com
tom@myface.com,www.myface.com,Tom
tom@myface.com,Tom,www.myface.com
Users – example
Add one Username per line, follow the example below:
steveknobs76
jeffmezos012
larrymage98
marktuckerberg2004
Roles – example
Add one Role per line, follow the example below:
contributor
editor
yourcustomrole
subscriber
Developers
Official Github repository:
https://github.com/fedeandri/auto-approve-comments
Installation
- Unzip the plugin file auto-approve-comments.zip
- Upload the unzipped folder “auto-approve-comments” to the
/wp-content/plugins/directory of your WordPress blog/website - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
Changelog
2.8
- Adds a notice when trying to save while current nonce is expired
- Adds the settings page link on plugins page
- Better script loading chain
- Minor fixes and code refactoring
2.7
- Updates the test to check if jQuery is loaded
- Fixes a minor CSS issue
2.6
- Better Akismet integration (comments flagged as SPAM will never get auto approved)
2.5
- Redesigns the settings page for better usability
- Guarantees compatibility with Akismet
- Guarantees compatibility with wpDiscuz
- Adds a test to check if jQuery is loaded
2.1
- Adds auto approval by role
- Fixes a bug that prevented to approve a commenter if only the email was configured
- Updates the email validation pattern to allow a wider set of charatcters
2.0
- Updates “save and refresh” via AJAX
- Adds nonce when saving changes
- Adds admin UI success/error notice
- Adds feedback when there are no suggestions
- Some cleaning and refactoring
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Auto Approve Comments alternatives
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FAQ
Auto Approve Comments: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 8, 2026
Is Auto Approve Comments free?
Yes. Auto Approve Comments is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Auto Approve Comments safe to use in 2026?
Auto Approve Comments shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 3.2/5 and was last updated 5 years ago, and scores 31/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Auto Approve Comments?
Auto Approve Comments is active on 200+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 10,474 times since it launched in December 2015. It was downloaded 114 times in the last 30 days.
Does Auto Approve Comments work with WordPress 7.1?
Auto Approve Comments is officially tested up to WordPress 5.8.18, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Auto Approve Comments last updated?
The latest version, 2.8, was released on June 15, 2021 (5 years ago).
Who makes Auto Approve Comments?
Auto Approve Comments is developed and maintained by Federico Andrioli.
What are the best alternatives to Auto Approve Comments?
The most popular alternatives to Auto Approve Comments are Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Pro… (5M+ installs), Antispam Bee (700K+ installs) and WP Armour (400K+ installs).
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