reCaptcha by WebDesignBy
by webdesignby · Security
Add Google’s simple checkbox reCAPTCHA to WordPress wp-admin login page.
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
B 84/100
Few reviews
Active installs
200+
≈250 estimated
Momentum
+14%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: “captcha”, “security” and “wp admin” 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.
84 health vs 66 average across 1,779 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.6%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 7.7K 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 1 release 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
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 141 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8; the current branch is 7.1
5.0★ over 2 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
58
Momentum
Gaining ground
+1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
60%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
+1.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| re captcha your tag | #7 | #21 | up 3 |
| recaptcha your tag | #17 | #22 | 0 |
| new recaptcha | #18 | #22 | up 1 |
| wp recaptcha | #20 | #23 | 0 |
| captcha your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wp admin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
5 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 4 listed. 1 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
- “captcha”, “security” and “wp admin” 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 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 360 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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.
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
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
5mo ago
latest release · v2.0 · 15 Jun 2026
3
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 53% 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 “200+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 months ago; the previous band took 20 months to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 9 Nov 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ josebaillo10.9y ago
Lo he instalado para el formulario de acceso y funciona perfectamente, tarda poco en cargar y no se salta la captcha. Satisfecho
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lminervino11.0y ago
Get the job done straightforward.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 4.4 reCaptcha by WebDesignBy < 2.0 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2026-04-24 CVE-2026-4512 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.0 Patched in 2.0
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.
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.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 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 "Add Google’s simple checkbox reCAPTCHA to WordPress wp-admin login page."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use it"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 600 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "re captcha", "security" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-04-20 300+ → 200+ down after 598 days in tier
- 2023-08-31 400+ → 300+ down after 1068 days in tier
- 2020-09-27 100+ → 400+ up after 1696 days in tier
- 2016-02-05 20+ → 100+ 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).
-
Login Security Captcha 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 3 shared tags A -
ReCaptcha Integration for WordPress 9K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags B -
SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Advanced Google reCAPTCHA 200K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
CAPTCHA 4WP – Antispam CAPTCHA solution for WordPress 100K+ installs · 3.2★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for reCaptcha by WebDesignBy into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/webdesignby-recaptcha" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="reCaptcha by WebDesignBy — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> reCaptcha by WebDesignBy: 200+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/webdesignby-recaptcha
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.