Exact Match Disallowed Comment & Contact Forms
Change the default WordPress comment blocklist functionality to exact match and save entries marked as spam for review.
Consider an alternative
Exact Match Disallowed Comment… shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 90+ sites and was last updated 11 months ago, and scores 40/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (90+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.8 (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 Exact Match Disallowed Comm… stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| anti-spam | >100 |
| blacklist | >100 |
| contact form 7 | >100 |
| formidable | >100 |
| gravity forms | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Exact Match Disallowed Comment & Contac…
From the official readme · v1.3.1Description
Change the default WordPress comment blocklist functionality to exact match and save entries marked as spam for review.
The WordPress comment blocklist inside matches keywords, so for example, blocklisting a word such as “pasta” will automatically delete comments containing “pastaroni” or “anitpasta” (but not “chef boyardee”).
If you try to use the WordPress comment blocklist for contact form entries, this can be hugely problematic. The first major issue is falsely identifying comments as spam so you risk blocking valid contact form entries.
Additionally, there’s no moderation queue built into Formidable Forms, Contact Form 7, or Gravity Forms for entries marked as spam. This plugin fixes those issues.
Changing the default WordPress comment blocklist functionality
This plugin changes the default inside match blocklist functionality to exact match keywords, URLs, and ip addresses. If you add “karaoke” to your blocklist you’ll only be blocking “karaoke” and not “karaoke stars.”
Retaining Contact Form Entries
The plugin also retains contact form entries marked as spam in your database, so you can check them from the WordPress admin area.
Important Notes / FAQ
- For default comments in a post after submitting, if blocklisted, the comment will go to Spam status, whereas the default functionality would be to send that comment to the trash.
- We’re currently configured to work with Contact Form 7, Formidable Forms and Gravity Forms.
- Add keywords you want to block to the WordPress admin area under Settings > Discussion > Disallowed Comment Keys
- Upon activation, the plugin will automatically populate three keywords by default in the “Disallowed Comment Keys” field in the WP Admin area. This is so you know things are working. We leave it to the user to control their specific blocklist keywords. If you want a list of we’ll known spam words as a starting point, check your preferred search engine for “ultimate comment blocklist” or “WordPress comment blocklist.”
- CAUTION: Even though this is a significantly less blunt approach than the default WordPress functionality, please be careful. If you add the word “appointment” to your blocklist, you will block any form fill with the word “appointment” from getting through to your inbox.
Support the Plugin
If you love this plugin and want to support it, you can help us by linking to this page, leaving constructive feedback, or sending a monetary donation paypal.me/completewebresources.
Installation
- Upload the plugin directory to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
- Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” screen in WordPress.
- Use the Settings > Discussion > Disallowed Comment Keys screen to configure your blocklist keywords.
- Blocked entries you can see on Blocklist manager page from left sidebar.
Changelog
1.3
- The “Comment must be manually approved” setting didn’t work, a fix was applied
1.2
- Now comments that include blocklist keywords become “Spam” instead of “Pending”
- Gravity Forms is integrated
1.1
- Add WP 5.5 compatibility.
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
Exact Match Disallowed Comment & Co…: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 1, 2026
Is Exact Match Disallowed Comment… free?
Yes. Exact Match Disallowed Comment… is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Exact Match Disallowed Comment… safe to use in 2026?
Exact Match Disallowed Comment… shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 90+ sites and was last updated 11 months ago, and scores 40/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Exact Match Disallowed Comment…?
Exact Match Disallowed Comment… is active on 90+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 3,944 times since it launched in September 2020. It was downloaded 81 times in the last 30 days.
Does Exact Match Disallowed Comment… work with WordPress 7.1?
Exact Match Disallowed Comment… is officially tested up to WordPress 6.8.10, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Exact Match Disallowed Comment… need?
Exact Match Disallowed Comment… requires PHP 7.0 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Exact Match Disallowed Comment… last updated?
The latest version, 1.3.1, was released on November 17, 2025 (11 months ago).
Who makes Exact Match Disallowed Comment…?
Exact Match Disallowed Comment… is developed and maintained by Ryan Howard.
What are the best alternatives to Exact Match Disallowed Comment…?
The most popular alternatives to Exact Match Disallowed Comment… are Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Pro… (5M+ installs), Antispam Bee (700K+ installs) and WP Armour (400K+ installs).
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