G-Forms hCaptcha
by Kevin Landsbergen · Forms
Also makes 1 other plugin · 3K+ installs across the portfolio →
A new way to monetize your site traffic with the hCaptcha addon for Gravity Forms.
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 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
3K+
≈3.9K estimated
Momentum
+26%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “addon”, “forms” and “gravity” 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.
46 health vs 65 average across 2,509 Forms plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →12%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 25.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Forms plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,668 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 4+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 6.0.18.
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 1569 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.0.18; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1569 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| addon your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| forms your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| gravity your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| hcaptcha your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| recaptcha your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 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
- “addon”, “forms” and “gravity” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 667 · 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.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 98% 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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 23 Oct 2020
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ shaunbowen8mo ago
I tried using the official hCaptcha plugin. In addition to it being really bloated and confusing, it wouldn’t let me click the submit button on my forms when activated! This plugin, on the other hand, works flawlessly! Only thing that worries me is that it hasn’t been updated in 4 years.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Duncan Michael-MacGregor4.2y ago
After trying to use the official hCaptcha and not being able to make it work with Gravity Forms I discovered this plugin. This plugin integrates seamlessly into Gravity Forms, so well that it feels like an official Gravity Forms add-on. Very impressed with this plugin and happy it exists! Good work devs!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Rahul6.3y ago
Awesome plugin and easy to use
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.3.1 Hotfix missing language file 1.3.1
- — Version 1.3.0 Added language selector in the field appearance settings Added placeholder image in the form editor to improve visibility Added field label visibility option in the field appearance settings Removed some parameters from 1.3.0
- — Version 1.2.3 Hotfix for last update where hCaptcha wouldn’t validate the required state. 1.2.3
- — Version 1.2.2 Tested up to WordPress 5.8 Made the hCaptcha field programmatically required when newly added to a form, so an asterisk will appear in the label 1.2.2
- — Version 1.2.1 Added advanced option to enable/disable reCAPTCHA compatibility, when using hCaptcha and reCAPTCHA both on one page 1.2.1
- — Version 1.2.0 Tested up to Gravity Forms 2.5 Added addon icon on Gravity Forms settings page Minor string fixes for settings page 1.2.0
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.4.8 · WP 6.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 languages, 1 at 90% or more · development strings
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 29 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 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 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 Gravity Forms.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 651 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ 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
- 2025-04-18 2K+ → 3K+ up after 139 days in tier
- 2024-11-30 3K+ → 2K+ down after 646 days in tier
- 2023-02-23 2K+ → 3K+ up after 243 days in tier
- 2022-06-25 1K+ → 2K+ up after 312 days in tier
- 2021-08-17 400+ → 1K+ up after 168 days in tier
- 2021-03-02 100+ → 400+ up
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).
-
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 -
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A - G Gravity Forms CSS Ready Class Selector 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Gravity Forms Constant Contact 3K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D -
Gravity Slider Fields 2K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags C
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for G-Forms hCaptcha into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/gf-hcaptcha" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="G-Forms hCaptcha — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> G-Forms hCaptcha: 3K+ active installs, 5.0★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/gf-hcaptcha
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