reCaptcha by BestWebSoft
by bestwebsoft · Security
Also makes 17 other plugins · 204.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Protect WordPress website forms from spam entries 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
A 85/100
no flags
Active installs
100K+
≈180K estimated
Momentum
+5%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “anti spam security”, “antispam” and “captcha” for “disposable email”, “strong password” and “no captcha”. “anti spam security” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “disposable email” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “antispam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #13. “strong password” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “captcha” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #13. “no captcha” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
85 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.5%
of downloads still active
At least 100K of 6.8M lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,060 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security 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 5 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 1 day ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
3.9★ over 391 reviews, smoothed to 3.92★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
3 of 3 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.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
19%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| bestwebsoft | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| captha your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| google recaptcha | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| hide google recaptcha | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| move google recaptcha | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| cf7 google captcha | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| recaptcha your tag | #4 | #4 | down 1 |
| google captcha | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| google recaptcha v3 | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| google v3 | #3 | #2 | 0 |
| antispam your tag | #13 | #9 | down 1 |
| captcha your tag | #13 | #9 | down 3 |
| wp recaptcha | #5 | #4 | 0 |
| new recaptcha | #5 | #4 | 0 |
| recaptcha v3 | #5 | #2 | 0 |
| free captcha | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| entries | #15 | #14 | down 2 |
| recaptcha v2 | #6 | #4 | 0 |
| disposable email | #10 | #2 | 0 |
| strong password | #12 | #11 | 0 |
292 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 255 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “anti spam security”, “antispam” and “captcha” for “disposable email”, “strong password” and “no captcha”. “anti spam security” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “disposable email” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “antispam” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #13. “strong password” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “captcha” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #13. “no captcha” sits at #13 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Slipping on “anti spam security”. Down 5 places since 2026-09-19, now #22. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
- One page off on “antispam”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- One page off on “captcha”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 175K · 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.
5
releases in the last 12 months
yesterday
latest release · v2.0 · 31 Oct 2026
84
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 “100K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 months ago and the previous band took 6.5 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 200K.
Install history since 22 Jul 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ aqua11455mo ago
The company continued charging me an annual fee even though I no longer use the plugin. I also asked twice to remove/cancel the autopayment, but it was still not properly handled. A plugin can have technical issues, but continuing to charge customers after cancellation requests is unacceptable. Very disappointing experience. I do not recommend this plugin or the company’s subscription billing practices.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rosterdotcom9mo ago
Enabled for Login a Registrations and spam registrations are still happening. This plugin is useless.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wplogin129mo ago
Have not been able to get this to work, especially on login and register pages.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Joe1.3y ago
Version 1.82 crashed, caused problems, then in version V.83 they wrote Bugfix: Fixed the issue that this was a serious glitch, lack of reliability
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ danielepais2.2y ago
Fantastic plugin that can be placed on any page or post via shortcode. Highly useful.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ocassoc2.3y ago
Great piece of software. Solves the bot issue.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ IceDiamond2.4y ago
Once I got it working it proved to be excellent. I needed help from the support team though as I am a bit of a coding dummy. Anastasia in particular was helpful and prompt – thank you!I recommend that BestWebSoft have step-by-step instruction videos to help people like me.Regards Andy This topic was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by IceDiamond.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nofearmydear2.6y ago
Good support and smooth plugin
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 24.04.2026 NEW : Disable view source feature added. Update : BWS Panel section was updated. Update : All functionality was updated for WordPress 7.0. 24.04.2026
- — Version 10.02.2026 Pro : The new compatibility with Easy Digital Downloads has been added. NEW : The Force Strong Passwords functionality has been added. Update : BWS Panel section was updated. Bugfix : Minor bugs fixed. Update : All funct 10.02.2026
- — Version 08.12.2025 Pro : The Administrator Login notification functionality has been added. NEW : The Hide Login page functionality has been added. Update : BWS Panel section was updated. Bugfix : Minor bugs fixed. Update : All functionali 08.12.2025
- — Version 26.08.2025 Pro : The Block disposable emails functionality has been added. NEW : The new compatibility with BWS Login Register Form has been added. Update : BWS Panel section was updated. 26.08.2025
- — Version 13.07.2025 Bugfix : Fixed small bug with plugin activation. 13.07.2025
- — Version 11.07.2025 Update : All functionality was updated for WordPress 6.8. Pro : The new compatibility with Forminator forms has been added. Update : BWS Panel section was updated. Bugfix : Minor bugs fixed. NEW : Ability to change the r 11.07.2025
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2017-04-12 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 1.28 Patched in 1.28
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 75 languages, 9 at 90% or more
Plus 51 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
6 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Protect WordPress website forms from spam entries with Google reCAPTCHA."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 7 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 7 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Elementor, Divi, Contact Form 7 and 10 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 7 headings and 18 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 5,224 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("anti-spam security", "antispam", "captha" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-04-18 200K+ → 100K+ down after 2359 days in tier
- 2018-11-02 100K+ → 200K+ up after 457 days in tier
- 2017-08-02 90K+ → 100K+ up after 62 days in tier
- 2017-06-01 80K+ → 90K+ up after 61 days in tier
- 2017-04-01 70K+ → 80K+ up after 56 days in tier
- 2017-02-04 60K+ → 70K+ up after 126 days in tier
- 2016-10-01 50K+ → 60K+ up after 114 days in tier
- 2016-06-09 40K+ → 50K+ up after 129 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).
-
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
Friendly Captcha for WordPress 10K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags B -
Prosopo Procaptcha 200+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
WP reCaptcha 100+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags D - G GG Infucaptcha reCaptcha for Infusionsoft 40+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
-
VisualWP Cloudflare Turnstile – Easy Anti-Spam alternative to CAPTCHA 30+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for reCaptcha by BestWebSoft into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/google-captcha" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="reCaptcha by BestWebSoft — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> reCaptcha by BestWebSoft: 100K+ active installs, 3.9★ (391 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/google-captcha
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