YAGPDB is the most configurable free anti-spam bot for most servers. Wick is the pick if hacked accounts and large-scale abuse are your main worry. PeakBot suits owners who want to set a threshold, a time window and an action for each filter from a web dashboard. Whichever bot you pick, keep Discord's built-in AutoMod switched on as well. It handles keywords and mention spam, but it has no trigger for how fast someone posts, so it can't stop flooding by itself.
Checked on each bot's own site or docs on 3 November 2026. We make PeakBot. Nobody paid to be in this post.
This post covers chat spam from people who are already in your server: message floods, the same message repeated, mass mentions, and invite or scam links. Mass joins and server wipes are a separate problem, covered in our anti-raid bot guide.
What Discord's AutoMod already handles
Look at the built-in tool before you add a bot, so the two don't do the same job twice. Discord's developer docs list these limits for each server:
- Keyword rules: up to 6. Each one holds up to 1000 entries of 60 characters, plus up to 10 regex patterns.
- Spam rule: 1. It flags content Discord's own system thinks is spam.
- Mention spam rule: 1. It counts unique user and role mentions in a single message, up to a limit of 50. There is also a mention raid protection option.
- Actions: block the message (with an optional custom message of up to 150 characters), send an alert to a channel, block member interaction, or time the member out for up to 4 weeks. Timeouts only work on keyword and mention spam rules.
- Exemptions: members with Manage Server or Administrator are always exempt, and so are bots and webhooks. You can exempt roles and channels too.
On Community servers, Discord also runs a background filter that blocks links it has verified as harmful, such as phishing links (Discord blog).
What AutoMod can't do: nothing in it counts messages over time. Someone posting 20 short messages in 10 seconds, or the same line across five posts, gets past every rule. That gap is the main reason to add a bot.
To find AutoMod on desktop, open Server Settings > Safety Setup and click Edit next to AutoMod. Older guides say Server Settings > AutoMod, so if your app doesn't show Safety Setup, look there. Our AutoMod setup guide walks through each rule.
How we chose
We ranked bots on five things, in this order:
- Coverage: does it handle flooding, duplicates, mentions, invites and links?
- Control: can you set how many messages, in what time window, and pick the action for each type of spam?
- Hacked accounts: does it react well when one account posts scam links in every channel?
- Exemptions and logs: can you exempt staff roles and channels, and see what got removed?
- Price: what stays free, using only what each bot publishes.
The picks
1. YAGPDB
YAGPDB builds automod from rules you put together: a trigger, optional conditions, and an effect. The free plan allows 25 automod rules and Premium allows 150. That's enough to write separate rules for each kind of spam, with different responses in different channels. It also has a scripting engine for custom commands, so you can automate whatever the built-in rules don't cover. The downside is setup time: there are more choices to make than in a simple on/off filter.
Pick YAGPDB if: you want fine control for free and don't mind building rules yourself.
2. Wick
Wick is a security bot with heat-based automod. Instead of one fixed counter per filter, it builds up a score from a member's recent activity and acts once that score crosses a line. This suits compromised accounts, which tend to do several bad things quickly. Wick also does anti-nuke. Anti-raid, extended anti-nuke and backups are on Premium.
Pick Wick if: your server is large or a frequent target, and you care more about stopping hacked accounts fast than about tuning each filter by hand.
3. PeakBot
PeakBot's Auto Moderation page has six filters: anti-spam, invite filter, link filter with an allow list, word filter, caps filter and mention spam. Each filter has its own action, threshold and time window, plus exempt roles and channels. That means link spam can get a ban while caps gets a warning. Message edit and delete logs are set up on the same page. Everything except the caps filter is on the free plan, which has no time limit.
For spam that dodges word lists, AI Moderation (Pro, $8.25/month or $69/year per server) reads what a message means. It catches coded slurs and arguments that are escalating, and it covers images too.
What others do better: PeakBot's docs don't list a separate duplicate-message filter, and YAGPDB gives you more ways to combine rules. If you also need anti-raid, PeakBot's Security page is a separate feature.
Pick PeakBot if: you want to set each spam filter's threshold, window and action in a dashboard rather than in commands. Setup steps are in the moderation wiki.
4. Dyno
Dyno has had an automod module for years, with spam, mention and link filters set from its dashboard. It's a familiar choice, and plenty of moderators already know how it works. Free servers get 3 reaction roles, and tickets became a free module in May 2026. Its Premium prices aren't on a readable public page, so see dyno.gg/upgrade.
Pick Dyno if: you want a widely used general bot with automod built in.
5. Carl-bot
Carl-bot includes automod alongside reaction roles and logging. Leveling and level role rewards need Premium, which costs $7.99/month for one server. That doesn't affect anti-spam, but it matters if you're hoping one bot will do everything.
Pick Carl-bot if: you already use it for roles and want spam filtering from the same bot.
6. Vetox
Vetox offers pattern-based automod and logging for free. AI moderation needs its Black plan at $17.99/month. Basic is $4.99/month.
Pick Vetox if: you want pattern automod free now and might pay for AI moderation later.
7. MEE6
MEE6's own free-vs-Premium comparison lists Moderation among its Premium features, next to XP, welcome messages and temporary channels. Check mee6.xyz/premium for what stays free before you rely on it for spam.
Pick MEE6 if: your server already runs on MEE6 and its moderation options cover what you need.
Comparison table
| Option | Strongest at | Free side (per their site) | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discord AutoMod | Keywords, mention spam, harmful links | 6 keyword rules, 1 spam, 1 mention spam | Free |
| YAGPDB | Custom rule building | 25 automod rules | 150 rules on Premium |
| Wick | Hacked accounts, heat scoring | Heat-based automod, anti-nuke | Anti-raid, extended anti-nuke on Premium |
| PeakBot | Threshold, window and action per filter | All filters except caps | Starter $5.75/mo; AI moderation on Pro $8.25/mo |
| Dyno | Familiar all-rounder | Automod module | See site |
| Carl-bot | Roles plus automod | Automod | $7.99/mo (one server) |
| Vetox | Pattern automod | Pattern automod, logging | AI moderation on Black, $17.99/mo |
| MEE6 | Existing MEE6 servers | See comparison page | See site |
How to add and set up an anti-spam bot
- Add the bot. On desktop, find it in Discord's App Directory and press Add App, or use the invite button on the bot's website. You need to be the owner or have Manage Server.
- Move its role up. In Server Settings > Roles, drag the bot's role above the roles it needs to act on. A bot can't time out or ban anyone whose role is higher than its own.
- Set the rate filter first. A sensible place to start is about 5 messages in 5 seconds, with a timeout as the action. Loosen it if normal chat bursts set it off.
- Set mention limits. Use AutoMod's mention spam rule or the bot's filter. A cap of around 5 to 8 unique mentions per message leaves room for real conversation.
- Block invites and links, with an allow list for your own domains and partner servers.
- Exempt staff and bot channels, and send every action to a log channel so you can review false positives.
- Escalate, don't jump to bans. Delete and warn first, then timeout, then kick, then ban for repeat offenders. Spam filters will sometimes catch someone by mistake.
There's more detail on each number in our AutoMod settings guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Discord's AutoMod stop people sending the same message over and over?
No. AutoMod checks each message by itself and has no trigger based on how often or how fast someone posts. To catch repeats and floods, you need a bot with a rate or duplicate filter.
How do I stop hacked accounts posting scam links in every channel?
Turn on a link filter with an allow list and a fast rate filter that counts messages across all channels, and set the action to timeout. A timeout stops the spam but lets the real owner come back once they've secured their account. Discord recommends that people who think their account was hacked report it to Discord's Safety team.
Should spam get a timeout, a kick or a ban?
Use a timeout for floods and first offenses, since filters sometimes catch real members. Save bans for obvious scam links or repeat offenders. Kicks rarely help, because the person can rejoin straight away.
How do I stop mass pings of @everyone?
Remove the "Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles" permission from regular roles, then add AutoMod's mention spam rule or a bot's mention filter as a backstop.
Can I use AutoMod and an anti-spam bot together?
Yes, and you should. Let AutoMod handle keywords and mention spam, and let the bot handle message rate and duplicates. Don't set both to punish the same thing, or one message could get two penalties.
