Turn on Discord's built-in AutoMod first. It's free and it runs before any bot sees a message. Then add one bot to cover what AutoMod can't do: caps filtering, rate-based anti-spam, link allow lists and an action set for each filter. YAGPDB gives you the most free rules plus scripting, PeakBot gives every free filter its own action, threshold and time window from a dashboard, and MEE6 is a poor fit for free automod because its own comparison puts Moderation on Premium.
Checked on each bot's own site or docs on 3 November 2026. We make PeakBot. Nobody paid to be in this post.
What Discord's AutoMod already covers
You'll find AutoMod under Server Settings > Safety Setup, then Edit next to AutoMod (Discord's AutoMod article). According to Discord's developer docs, a server gets:
- Up to 6 custom keyword rules. Each one holds up to 1,000 keywords and 10 regex patterns.
- One rule each for spam content, preset keywords (Profanity, Sexual Content, Slurs), mention spam and member profiles.
- A mention limit of up to 50 unique role and user mentions per message, plus a separate mention raid protection toggle.
- Four actions: block the message (with an optional custom note), send an alert to a channel, time the member out (up to 4 weeks, on keyword and mention spam rules only), or block member interactions.
- Exemptions for up to 20 roles and 50 channels.
What AutoMod doesn't do:
- No caps filter.
- No "block all links except these sites" rule. The suspicious link filter blocks known phishing links, but it isn't an allow list. To get one you need regex workarounds.
- No warnings, strike counts or escalation.
- Weak rate-based spam detection. Discord says its spam filter is "not perfect" and can miss copy-pasted or repeated messages.
- Members with Manage Server or Administrator are always exempt, and so are bots and webhooks.
Discord's own moderation guidance says "Auto moderation isn't a replacement for manual moderation."
Avoiding double punishments: let AutoMod handle the keyword presets and mention spam, and give the bot caps, link allow lists, message-rate spam and anything you want logged. Don't put the same word list in both, or one message can get a member punished twice.
How we chose
We ranked on four things, in this order:
- Free automod coverage: spam, links and invites, words, caps and mentions on the free plan.
- Per-filter control: whether each filter gets its own action and threshold.
- AI context moderation: whether a bot has it, and what plan you need for it.
- Paywall distance: how far setup gets before something asks for money.
We only quote limits and prices that a bot publishes on its own site. Where we couldn't confirm a free-tier filter, we say so and link the bot's site so you can check.
1. YAGPDB
YAGPDB gives free servers 25 automod rules, and Premium raises that to 150. It also has a custom-command scripting engine, so if a filter you need doesn't exist you can usually write it yourself. The downside is that setup is more technical than a toggle-and-threshold dashboard.
Pick YAGPDB if: you want the most free automod rules and you're comfortable writing configuration or simple scripts.
2. PeakBot
PeakBot's Auto Moderation page in the dashboard includes these filters on the free plan:
- Anti-spam
- Invite filter
- Link filter with an allow list
- Word filter
- Mention spam
Each filter has its own action, threshold and time window, plus exempt roles and channels. This means you can, for example, delete a single invite link but time out someone who mention-spams five times in ten seconds. Logging is set up on the same page and covers message edits and deletes, joins and leaves, and every manual mod action. Voice activity logs need a paid plan. The separate Security page adds anti-nuke and anti-raid: thresholds on mass bans, kicks, channel deletes and role deletes, plus join-rate and account-age limits, a quarantine role and a threat log. Full filter details are in the moderation docs.
The limits: the caps filter needs Starter ($5.75/month, or $48/year), and AI Moderation is on Pro ($8.25/month, or $69/year). AI Moderation reads what a message means instead of matching a word list. That lets it catch coded slurs and arguments that are heating up, and it covers images too. YAGPDB gives you more raw rules and scripting. PeakBot has no music or economy features.
Pick PeakBot if: you want a link allow list without regex, and you want each filter tuned separately from a dashboard on the free plan.
3. Dyno
Dyno is a long-running general bot with an automod module. Its free/Premium split for individual filters isn't on a readable public page we could cite, so check its site before you plan around a specific filter. In 2026 it made tickets and transcripts a free module. Premium pricing is on dyno.gg/upgrade.
Pick Dyno if: your mod team already knows Dyno and you want automod in the same bot.
4. Carl-bot
Carl-bot includes automod alongside a lot of other server tools. Look at its site to see which filters are free. Premium is $7.99/month for one server, $12.99 for 2, $16.99 for 3 and $24.99 for 5, which helps if you run several servers. Leveling and level role rewards need Premium.
Pick Carl-bot if: you already use it for other things and want to keep moderation in one place.
5. Wick
Wick is a security bot. It offers anti-nuke and heat-based automod. Anti-raid, extended anti-nuke and backups are on Premium. It's built around protecting the server more than around tuning chat filters.
Pick Wick if: raids and compromised admin accounts are your main worry, more than everyday chat spam.
6. Sapphire
Sapphire keeps its core features free with limits. If you hit a limit, its Limit Increase costs $2.99/month per server. Check its site to see which automod filters fall under those limits.
Pick Sapphire if: you want a free core and the cheapest upgrade when you outgrow a limit.
7. Vetox
Vetox's free plan includes pattern automod and logging, along with tickets (200 open per server), temporary voice, giveaways and plain-text welcomes. Basic costs $4.99/month. AI moderation needs the Black plan at $17.99/month.
Pick Vetox if: you want pattern automod inside a broad free bot and don't need AI moderation yet.
Not a free automod pick: MEE6
MEE6's own free-vs-Premium comparison lists Moderation as Premium. Prices are on mee6.xyz/premium. If you're leaving MEE6 for other reasons too, see our free MEE6 alternatives.
Comparison table
"See site" means we couldn't confirm it from the bot's own published pages, not that the feature is missing.
| Bot | Free automod we could confirm | Link allow list | Caps filter | Per-filter action and threshold | AI context moderation | Paid tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discord AutoMod | Keyword (6 rules), spam, presets, mention spam, profile | Regex workaround only | No | Action per rule | No | Free |
| YAGPDB | 25 rules, scripting | See site | See site | See site | See site | Premium: 150 rules |
| PeakBot | Anti-spam, invites, links, words, mentions | Yes, free | Starter | Yes, free | Pro ($8.25/mo) | Starter $5.75/mo |
| Dyno | Automod module | See site | See site | See site | See site | dyno.gg/upgrade |
| Carl-bot | Automod | See site | See site | See site | See site | $7.99/mo, 1 server |
| Wick | Anti-nuke, heat-based automod | See site | See site | See site | See site | Anti-raid on Premium |
| Sapphire | Core features with limits | See site | See site | See site | See site | $2.99/mo |
| Vetox | Pattern automod, logging | See site | See site | See site | Black ($17.99/mo) | Basic $4.99/mo |
| MEE6 | Moderation is Premium | See site | See site | See site | See site | mee6.xyz/premium |
For bots beyond moderation, see our list of best free Discord bots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Discord's AutoMod enough, or do I still need a bot?
For a small server, AutoMod's keyword presets and mention spam rule may be all you need. Add a bot when you want a caps filter, a link allow list, rate-based spam detection that catches repeated messages, or logging of mod actions. AutoMod has none of these built in.
Which moderation bot is free with no paywall for automod?
Every bot here charges for something. On PeakBot's free plan you get anti-spam, invite, link, word and mention spam filters with per-filter actions. The caps filter needs Starter and AI moderation needs Pro, as shown on the pricing page. YAGPDB gives you 25 free rules. Check the other bots' sites, because free tiers change often.
Can I use AutoMod and a bot at the same time without double punishments?
Yes. Split the work so each tool owns different filters. Keep word lists in one place, and give the bot exempt roles that match the people AutoMod already skips. Keep in mind that AutoMod always skips members with Manage Server or Administrator, but a bot may not unless you exempt those roles.
How do I block all links except YouTube or other approved sites?
AutoMod can't do this without regex. In PeakBot, open Auto Moderation in the dashboard, turn on the link filter, and add the domains you trust (for example youtube.com and youtu.be) to its allow list. Then choose the action and threshold for that filter.
Is there a free bot that filters caps and emoji spam?
AutoMod has no caps filter. PeakBot's caps filter is on Starter, not Free. For the other bots, check their docs for current free limits.
Do AI moderation bots actually understand context?
They read meaning rather than matching exact words, which helps with coded slurs and arguments that build up over several messages. PeakBot's AI Moderation (Pro) also covers images. Keep your rule-based filters on alongside it, because they're predictable and cost nothing. Our AI Discord bots roundup covers more options.
