hCaptcha for WP
by hcaptcha · Security
The strongest CAPTCHA. Switch from reCAPTCHA and Turnstile for free. Works with 60+ integrations: Contact Form 7, Elementor, WooCommerce, Divi, etc.
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Health
A 91/100
no flags
Active installs
70K+
≈79K estimated
Momentum
+30%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “spam”, “recaptcha” and “captcha” for “anti fraud”, “turnstile” and “works”. “spam” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “anti fraud” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “recaptcha” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “turnstile” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “captcha” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “works” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
91 health vs 66 average across 1,778 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 70K of 2.3M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 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 17 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 3 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 88 reviews, smoothed to 4.42★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
6 of 7 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.
31
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
9%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hcaptcha your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wp hcaptcha | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| nf captcha | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| elementor to divi | #2 | #3 | down 1 |
| answering contact form | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| turnstile | #7 | #6 | down 1 |
| works | #8 | #14 | down 2 |
| antispam your tag | #10 | #7 | up 1 |
| anti fraud | #7 | #3 | down 1 |
| switch | #11 | #10 | down 2 |
| wordfence | #8 | #8 | down 2 |
| antispam woocommerce | #6 | #4 | 0 |
| contact form 7 notifier | #6 | #4 | 0 |
| contact form 7 elementor | #18 | #16 | — |
| wp config | #13 | #15 | down 4 |
| captcha your tag | #22 | #16 | up 1 |
| recaptcha your tag | #24 | #14 | down 1 |
| integrations | #23 | #19 | up 1 |
| wp recaptcha | #9 | #9 | 0 |
| antispam protection | #16 | #14 | down 2 |
| spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
855 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 795 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “spam”, “recaptcha” and “captcha” for “anti fraud”, “turnstile” and “works”. “spam” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “anti fraud” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “recaptcha” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “turnstile” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “captcha” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “works” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Under-ranked on “recaptcha”. wp.org puts you #24; on merit you place #14. The plugins above you are winning on install count, not on rating or upkeep.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 106.2K · 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.
17
releases in the last 12 months
3d ago
latest release · v5.5.0 · 30 Oct 2026
113
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 “70K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 30 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 80K.
At the current install trend, crossing 80K+ in roughly 1443 days.
Install history since 27 Sep 2021
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 5.1.0 Added version switching to the What’s New popup. Added a Help button on hCaptcha admin pages to generate support reports for GitHub or WordPress.org, with optional System Info included. Added hcap_delay_api_event filter 5.1.0
- — Version 5.0.1 Fixed Elementor Pro Forms validation when the optional Form ID is empty or differs from the Elementor widget ID. Fixed Events statistics table handling to avoid runtime table-existence checks and recreate the table durin 5.0.1
- — Version 5.0.0 Added Trusted IP Headers settings. hCaptcha uses REMOTE_ADDR by default; custom hcap_trusted_address_headers filters are migrated into the setting during upgrade. Added Cloudflare detection to help identify when CF-Conne 5.0.0
- — Version 5.2.0 Added MetForm integration. Added MetForm migration to the Migration Wizard. Added an option to delay the hCaptcha API until the user interacts with a protected form. Added hCaptcha settings shortcuts to the WordPress Com 5.2.0
- — Version 5.3.0 Added the Advanced Theme Editor with a live widget and challenge previews and direct JSON editing. Added an Anti-Spam option to disable authenticated XML-RPC requests. Added a honeypot argument to the hCaptcha shortcode. 5.3.0
- — Version 5.4.0 Added optional AJAX submission for standard WordPress comment forms, with inline error messages. Added form data processing for anti-spam checks in 10 popular integrations: WordPress Core, WooCommerce, Divi, Ultimate Add 5.4.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (5.5.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.4 hCaptcha for WordPress <= 4.0.0 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via cf7-hcaptcha Shortcode ↗2024-04-19 CVE-2024-4014 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 4.0.0 Patched in 4.0.1
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.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 13 languages, 2 at 90% or more
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.
Share of voice
How often each assistant names hCaptcha for WP when asked about this topic, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 1 Nov 2026.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude
- Topics tracked
- Forms
Readme readiness
7 of 8 pass · checked 2 Nov 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 25 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 23 of 25 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("use this", "for developers", "use it").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Elementor, Gutenberg, Divi and 17 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 6 headings and 10 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 12,805 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "antispam" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-03 80K+ → 70K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-09-29 70K+ → 80K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-26 80K+ → 70K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-25 70K+ → 80K+ up after 20 days in tier
- 2026-09-05 80K+ → 70K+ down after 2 days in tier
- 2026-09-03 70K+ → 80K+ up after 443 days in tier
- 2025-06-17 60K+ → 70K+ up after 300 days in tier
- 2024-08-21 50K+ → 60K+ up after 322 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).
-
Friendly Captcha for WordPress 10K+ installs · 3.9★ · 4 shared tags B -
Prosopo Procaptcha 200+ installs · 4.3★ · 4 shared tags A -
reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags A -
CAPTCHA 4WP – Antispam CAPTCHA solution for WordPress 100K+ installs · 3.2★ · 3 shared tags B -
LukasApps CAPTCHA tools for Contact Form 7 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B -
Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 5K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for hCaptcha for WP into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/hcaptcha-for-forms-and-more" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="hCaptcha for WP — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> hCaptcha for WP: 70K+ active installs, 4.6★ (88 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/hcaptcha-for-forms-and-more
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