Advanced Google reCAPTCHA
by WebFactory · Login & Users
Also makes 28 other plugins · 3.5M+ installs across the portfolio →
Captcha protection against spam comments & brute force login attacks using 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
A 88/100
no flags
Active installs
200K+
≈290K estimated
Momentum
+186%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “captcha” for “advanced”. “captcha” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “advanced” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
88 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →5.5%
of downloads still active
At least 200K of 3.6M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,476 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 9 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 25 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 430 reviews, smoothed to 4.73★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
4 of 4 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
51
Momentum
Holding steady
+1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
44%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.4
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| google recaptcha your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| comment recaptcha your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| recaptcha your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| login recaptcha your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| google captcha | #1 | #1 | up 3 |
| google v3 | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| google recaptcha v3 | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| comments recaptcha | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wp recaptcha | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| new recaptcha | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| recaptcha v3 | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| google login | #3 | #2 | up 1 |
| recaptcha for login | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| #6 | #4 | up 6 | |
| brute force login | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| google comments | #3 | #2 | up 1 |
| google spam update | #3 | #3 | down 1 |
| buddypress | #6 | #5 | up 3 |
| captcha protection | #9 | #5 | 0 |
| force login | #11 | #10 | up 5 |
155 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 115 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “captcha” for “advanced”. “captcha” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “advanced” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Under-ranked on “captcha”. wp.org puts you #22; on merit you place #10. The plugins above you are winning on install count, not on rating or upkeep.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 345.8K · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
9
releases in the last 12 months
25d ago
latest release · v5.42 · 6 Oct 2026
45
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “200K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 21 months ago; the previous band took 14 months to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 24 Jun 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ power4all6mo ago
Excellent plugin. However, as a PRO user, I would expect the ability to manage settings centrally — such as blocking countries, copying/importing and exporting configurations between sites, so I wouldn’t have to manually select countries for each individual site, along with other general settings and preferences.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kc220338mo ago
This may be a great plugin, but the fact that it’s still using moment.js is a HUGE red flag! To me, this says that the plugin isn’t being **seriously** maintained. The below information is directly from the builders/maintainers of Moment.js: We now generally consider Moment to be a legacy project in maintenance mode. It is not dead, but it is indeed done. In practice, this means: We will not be adding new features or capabilities. We will not be changing Moment’s API to be immutable. We will not be addressing tree shaking or bundle size issues. We will not be making any major changes (no version 3). We may choose to not fix bugs or behavioral quirks, especially if they are long-standing known issues.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dscreative8mo ago
Simple to set up and works great. When I thought I had an issue, support were very quick to respond and very helpful.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ erismanos11mo ago
Everything is fine, just the first login was in loop because the system send a key as password which can find on url that receive to change the password!! Strange! If you try to enter your password, then you will be in a constant loop that the login is invalid!Nice to have in the future: the option to add a signature or extra details in the footer of the login page.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wplogin121.1y ago
Would not work at all
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ infofabio1.2y ago
The sentence “Are you a human? Please solve:” only in english is not functional to sites in other languages.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ supakwai1.2y ago
The plugin won’t verify my Captcha keys.Error: An undocumented error has occurred. Please refresh the page and try again. This topic was modified 10 months, 3 weeks ago by supakwai.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ fufy1.2y ago
reCAPTCHA shown but even the checkbox is not ticked it allows user to login anyway. The reCAPTCHA seems to appear only for decoration but not linked to the login checking.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 5.40 Minor JS bug fix 5.40
- — Version 5.39 Updated the free version number to keep the free and PRO releases aligned and avoid confusion around public security advisories. The reported issue (CVE-2026-5411) affected the PRO version only (not the free one) and was 5.39
- — Version 1.35 Added option to customize “Are you human? Please solve:” text Fixed reCaptcha v3 token expiration 1.35
- — Version 1.34 Minor fixes 1.34
- — Version 1.33 Wordfence compatibility fix 1.33
- — Version 1.32 added captcha to WooCommerce payment endpoint improved checkout error handling 1.32
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 6 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (5.42). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched High · 8.8 WP Captcha PRO <= 5.38 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Authentication Bypass via Temporary Login Link ↗2026-06-05 CVE-2026-5415 Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel Affects <= 5.38 Patched in 5.39
- Patched High · 8.8 WP Captcha PRO <= 5.38 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Subscriber+) Arbitrary File Upload ↗2026-06-05 CVE-2026-5411 Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type Affects <= 5.38 Patched in 5.39
- Patched Medium · 5.3 Advanced Google reCAPTCHA <= 1.29 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Limited SQL Injection via 'sSearch' Parameter ↗2025-03-27 CVE-2025-2074 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command Affects <= 1.29 Patched in 1.30
- 2024-12-23 CVE-2024-12034 Generation of Predictable Numbers or Identifiers Affects <= 1.25 Patched in 1.26
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 30 languages, 15 at 90% or more
Plus 6 more locales with partial translations.
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 25 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 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, BuddyPress, Easy Digital Downloads.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 944 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "comment reCAPTCHA", "login recaptcha" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-02-19 100K+ → 200K+ up after 412 days in tier
- 2024-01-04 90K+ → 100K+ up after 40 days in tier
- 2023-11-25 80K+ → 90K+ up after 41 days in tier
- 2023-10-15 70K+ → 80K+ up after 45 days in tier
- 2023-08-31 60K+ → 70K+ up after 48 days in tier
- 2023-07-14 50K+ → 60K+ up after 54 days in tier
- 2023-05-21 40K+ → 50K+ up after 45 days in tier
- 2023-04-06 30K+ → 40K+ up after 57 days in tier
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).
- R reCaptcha for WooCommerce 500+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B
-
WP reCaptcha 100+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags D -
Addonify – reCaptcha For EDD 60+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Checkout Captcha for WooCommerce 60+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Easy reCaptcha Shortcodes 50+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags C -
reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Advanced Google reCAPTCHA into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/advanced-google-recaptcha" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Advanced Google reCAPTCHA — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Advanced Google reCAPTCHA: 200K+ active installs, 4.8★ (430 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/advanced-google-recaptcha
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