Advanced Custom Fields: reCAPTCHA Field
by Irvin Lim · Forms
Prevent spam on your Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) v5 frontend forms with Google reCAPTCHA.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 45/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
800+
≈850 estimated
Momentum
+48%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “acf”, “captcha” and “field” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
45 health vs 65 average across 2,513 Forms plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.4%
of downloads still active
At least 800 of 18.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Forms plugin keeps 1.3%, across 1,671 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Forms plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 7+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.9.35, well behind 6.8.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2850 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.9.35; the current branch is 6.8
4.2★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.12★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2850 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| acf your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| captcha your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| field your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| form your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| recaptcha your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 2 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “acf”, “captcha” and “field” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 202 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
7.8y ago
latest release · v1.3.3 · 12 Jan 2019
16
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “800+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 6 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 52% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Matthias Honert7.8y ago
If you using Advanced Forms with ACF and you need spam protection for your front end form — this is the perfect solution.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ codevelop8.9y ago
Plugin works great. I had a few questions and ideas, and the dev was amazingly quick to respond, eager to help, and very collaborative. 5 stars!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ radgh9.1y ago
Tried using this with an acf_form that created a new post, using the method to put it inside the acf_form() function. It worked, but you have to submit the form once before you can fill out the rest of the form. This actually creates blank posts! And configuration is just very convoluted. Some other reviews say it worked out of the box. What? Not for me. But I’m not using it in a field group, because it should only appear for guests. Oh well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ silentfred9.2y ago
Thank you for contributing this!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Andrija Naglic9.5y ago
Although it seems this plugin was broken and not maintained for several months, I’ve installed it just now, exactly one week since it’s last update – and it’s simple functionality just – works. I hope it will continue to work and that Google won’t change much in their API, but in case something does break, I will return here to add comments to this review. Till then, I believe the author deserves 5 stars for his effort, at least to improve the overall rating of the plugin which is currently (unjustified) 3.3 Keep up the good work!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Because Name Already Exists9.5y ago
Work like a charm
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pat_trick9.7y ago
Testing with ACF Pro 5.5.10 and version 1.0.5 of this plugin. Have been building front end forms, and it works like a charm! Just make sure to follow the setup instructions correctly.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dornstudio10.0y ago
Had some issues in the past, but have edited this review as this plugin has been updated and works perfectly now. This topic was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by dornstudio.
Read on wp.org ↗
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Advanced Custom Fields, ACF.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,116 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-10 900+ → 800+ down after 222 days in tier
- 2025-09-30 1K+ → 900+ down
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Advanced Google reCAPTCHA 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
CAPTCHA 4WP – Antispam CAPTCHA solution for WordPress 100K+ installs · 3.2★ · 2 shared tags B -
LukasApps CAPTCHA tools for Contact Form 7 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Captcha Code 100K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B -
Invisible reCaptcha 70K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Advanced Custom Fields: reCAPTCHA Field into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/advanced-custom-fields-recaptcha-field" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Advanced Custom Fields: reCAPTCHA Field — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Advanced Custom Fields: reCAPTCHA Field: 800+ active installs, 4.2★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/advanced-custom-fields-recaptcha-field
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