Google Perspective API is sunsetting in 2026. Here's your open-source alternative.
Perspective API (Google) announced end-of-life for late 2026. Thousands of forums and communities need a replacement. OpenModeration is the drop-in, open-source alternative with zero vendor lock-in.
Why this matters
Perspective API powered toxicity detection for thousands of publishers, forums, and news comment sections. With Google's end-of-life announcement for late 2026, every platform using Perspective must find a replacement.
Forums relying on Perspective need to migrate
No more Perspective API calls after 2026. Your moderation pipeline breaks unless you have a replacement ready.
DSA compliance adds urgency
The EU Digital Services Act requires automated moderation with audit trails. You can't afford to wait until 2026.
Quick migration: before & after
# Before: Perspective API
const result = await fetch('https://commentanalyzer.googleapis.com/v1alpha1/comments:analyze', ...)
# After: OpenModeration
const result = await fetch('https://api.openmoderation.com/v1/moderations', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer om_key_...' },
body: JSON.stringify({ input: text })
})How OpenModeration can replace Perspective API
One unified API, multiple providers. Switch anytime without changing your integration.
OpenAI Moderation API
Equally strong toxicity detection with OpenAI's moderation endpoint. Supports hate, harassment, self-harm, sexual, and violence categories.
HuggingFace Llama Guard
Zero-cost self-hosted moderation with Meta's Llama Guard. Run entirely on your infrastructure with no per-request fees.
LLM-based moderation
Use any LLM with custom moderation categories. Define your own policies and thresholds with prompt-based moderation.
Unified API, any provider
Same POST /v1/moderations endpoint regardless of backend provider. Switch between providers with a config change, no code changes.
Perspective API vs OpenModeration
See how OpenModeration compares across the features that matter most.
| Feature | Perspective API | OpenModeration |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free tier limited, then pay-per-request | Free self-hosted (zero cost) or SaaS pay-as-you-go |
| Open source | Proprietary, black box | Fully open source (AGPL v3) |
| Self-hosted | Not available | Docker deployment, full data sovereignty |
| Languages | ~20 languages with varying accuracy | Any language (provider-dependent), multi-provider routing |
| Moderation categories | 9 fixed categories | 17+ categories, fully customizable |
| Vendor lock-in | High (depends on Google) | None (switch providers via config) |
| DSA audit trail | Not available | Built-in logging and export |
| Status | Sunsetting late 2026 | Actively maintained, growing community |
Don't wait until sunset
Migrate from Perspective API now. Deploy self-hosted with Docker or start a free trial.