Super CAPTCHA Security Suite – Hardened 3D CAPTCHA
by Mike W · Security
Also makes 1 other plugin · 30+ installs across the portfolio →
Scientifically proven by research from the University of Wollongong as the most secure text-based 3D CAPTCHA available -- on the most simple settings.
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 42/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
20+
≈27 estimated
Momentum
-35%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “anti spam”, “captcha” and “spam” 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.
42 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.3%
of downloads still active
At least 20 of 5.7K lifetime downloads are still running, below 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.
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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.5.33, 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 3824 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.5.33; the current branch is 6.8
3.0★ over 4 reviews, smoothed to 4.02★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3824 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.
33
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 10d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 10d
0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| anti splog your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| splog your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| anti spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| captcha your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
7 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 2 listed. 5 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “anti spam”, “captcha” and “spam” 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 64 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #25,400 to #28,300, alongside the other plugins at 20+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
10.5y ago
latest release · v3.1.0 · 13 May 2016
7
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 “20+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 4 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 65% of the way through.
Install history since 27 May 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Pet11.3y ago
I installed this but when I test it, there is no need to fill in the CAPTCHA field. I just enter username and password, and I get logged in. So it is useless.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ IndigoLightning11.3y ago
The FAQ was helpful to understand the pro version, but not helpful with implementation. Couldn’t find the settings again after the initial Hail Captain message. Couldn’t find how to add the captcha to Contact Form 7. And couldn’t find documentation that would help. AND when I clicked Dismiss on the Pro version dashboard note, I received I had “insufficient permissions,” so it just stayed there. Not cool.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mommie4life11.5y ago
With most captcha software you still get a lot of spam bots adding to your site. The only spam you’ll get with this software is where people manually put in the information. It made my site go from hundreds of spam messages a day to just a few. An awesome improvement if you ask me!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mike W11.5y ago
Please feel free to rate this plugin!
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
6 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 "Scientifically proven by research from the University of Wollongong as the most secure text-based 3D CAPTCH..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("use this", "if you need").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions BuddyPress.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 2 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 5,786 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("anti-spam", "anti-splog", "splog" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-27 30+ → 20+ down after 42 days in tier
- 2026-05-16 20+ → 30+ up after 4 days in tier
- 2026-05-12 30+ → 20+ down after 27 days in tier
- 2026-04-15 20+ → 30+ up after 12 days in tier
- 2026-04-03 30+ → 20+ down after 107 days in tier
- 2025-12-17 20+ → 30+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2025-12-12 30+ → 20+ down after 17 days in tier
- 2025-11-25 20+ → 30+ up after 82 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).
-
Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags A -
Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 5K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A - P Peter’s Custom Anti-Spam 200+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags C
- B BuddyPress reCAPTCHA 200+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
- B BuddyPress Captcha 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D
-
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Super CAPTCHA Security Suite – Hardened 3D CAPTCHA into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/super-captcha" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Super CAPTCHA Security Suite – Hardened 3D CAPTCHA — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Super CAPTCHA Security Suite – Hardened 3D CAPTCHA: 20+ active installs, 3.0★ (4 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/super-captcha
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