CleanTalk Spam Protection
CAPTCHA-free cloud anti-spam for comments, registrations, WooCommerce and 100+ form plugins, with a firewall for known bots. From $12/year.
85
CAPTCHA 4WP
Freemium CAPTCHA plugin: free reCAPTCHA for core WordPress forms; Premium adds hCaptcha, Turnstile, WooCommerce, form plugins and geoblocking.
Free installs100K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~35KLikely 18K–70K
Vendor claims200K+Vendor's own figure
Rating3.2/5269 reviews
Price from$39/yrFreemium
Last updated25 Aug 2026Version 7.6.2
Overview
CAPTCHA 4WP is a freemium plugin that adds CAPTCHA checks to WordPress forms. It began as Advanced noCaptcha & invisible Captcha (hence the WordPress.org slug), was rebranded by Melapress (formerly WP White Security) after it acquired the plugin in 2021, and was sold to WPKube in May 2025. It is now developed and sold from captcha4wp.com.
Free version
The free plugin supports Google reCAPTCHA v2 checkbox, v2 invisible and v3, with a setup wizard, an adjustable v3 pass score and a failover option that shows a visible challenge when a v3 score is doubtful. It protects the native login, registration, lost password and comment forms, detects the visitor’s language automatically and allows several CAPTCHAs on one page. It can be enabled network-wide or per site on multisite.
Premium and Enterprise
- Premium adds hCaptcha and Cloudflare Turnstile, one-click WooCommerce integration with placement options, support for Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms, BuddyPress, bbPress, Elementor forms and other plugins, geoblocking by country, and customisation of CAPTCHA text, look and position.
- Enterprise adds CAPTCHA after failed logins, exemptions for chosen IP addresses, logged-in users and URLs, and priority support.
List prices start at $39 per year (Premium) and $59 per year (Enterprise) for one site, with multi-site licences up to unlimited sites and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Strengths and limitations
The main appeal is choice: one plugin can switch between reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha and Turnstile and add geoblocking. The free version, however, is limited to reCAPTCHA on core forms; WooCommerce, every third-party form plugin and the privacy-friendlier providers need a licence, and exemptions for logged-in users or IPs need the top plan. There is no honeypot, built-in CAPTCHA or spam log. Its WordPress.org rating is mixed (around 3.2 out of 5).
It suits sites that want one paid plugin covering several CAPTCHA providers and country rules, or simple reCAPTCHA on core forms for free.
Best for: Sites that want one paid plugin to switch between reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha and Turnstile with country-based rules.
CAPTCHA 4WP offers a wide choice of CAPTCHA providers plus geoblocking, but most of that sits behind Premium and the useful exemptions behind Enterprise. The free tier is fine for reCAPTCHA on login, registration and comments; anyone needing WooCommerce or form-plugin coverage should compare it with free alternatives first.
Pros
- Supports reCAPTCHA (v2, invisible, v3), hCaptcha and Cloudflare Turnstile in one plugin
- reCAPTCHA v3 failover shows a visible challenge when a score is doubtful
- Geoblocking can allow or deny form submissions by country
- Network-wide or per-site activation on multisite
- Entry Premium licence is relatively inexpensive
Cons
- Free version covers only native WordPress forms with reCAPTCHA
- WooCommerce, form plugins, hCaptcha and Turnstile all require Premium
- Skipping the CAPTCHA for logged-in users or trusted IPs needs the Enterprise plan
- No honeypot, built-in CAPTCHA or blocked-submission log
- Mixed WordPress.org rating (about 3.2/5)
Key features
What CAPTCHA 4WP highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- reCAPTCHA v2 checkbox, invisible and v3
- Login, registration, lost password, comments
- Setup wizard for quick configuration
- Adjustable reCAPTCHA v3 pass score
- v3 failover to visible challenge
- Automatic visitor language detection
- Multiple CAPTCHAs on one page
- Network-wide or per-site multisite
Pro / paid adds From $39/yr
- hCaptcha and Cloudflare Turnstile
- One-click WooCommerce integration
- Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms
- BuddyPress, bbPress and Elementor forms
- Geoblocking by country
- Custom CAPTCHA text, look and position
- CAPTCHA after failed logins (Enterprise)
- Exempt IPs, users and URLs (Enterprise)
- Priority support (Enterprise)
Feature checklist
30 of 46 features we track in CAPTCHA & Spam, feature score 67/100
Protection methods 4/7
Google reCAPTCHA Key
Supports Google reCAPTCHA (v2 checkbox, invisible or v3 score-based).
Free supports reCAPTCHA v2 checkbox, v2 invisible and v3 with adjustable score.
Included
Cloudflare Turnstile Key
Supports Cloudflare Turnstile, the privacy-friendly CAPTCHA alternative.
Cloudflare Turnstile is a Premium provider option.
Paid version Premium
hCaptcha
Supports hCaptcha challenges.
hCaptcha is a Premium provider option.
Paid version Premium
Built-in CAPTCHA
Own image, math or puzzle CAPTCHA with no third-party service.
Only third-party providers (reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Turnstile).
Not included
Honeypot fields
Hidden fields and timing checks that catch bots without a visible challenge.
No honeypot option listed in the feature or plan comparison.
Not included
Cloud spam filtering Key
Submissions checked against a cloud spam database of known spammers.
Does not check submissions against a spam database.
Not included
No challenge for real users
Blocks bots without asking visitors to solve anything.
Free reCAPTCHA v2 invisible and v3 run without a visible puzzle.
Included
Where it protects 7/7
Comments Key
Protects WordPress comments from spam.
Free protects the WordPress comment form.
Included
Login & password reset Key
Protects the login and lost-password forms.
Free covers login and lost password; failed-login CAPTCHA mode is Enterprise.
Included
Registration
Protects the user registration form.
Free covers the native user registration form.
Included
WooCommerce checkout & account Key
Protects WooCommerce checkout, login and registration forms.
One-click WooCommerce checkout, login and other forms with placement options.
Paid version Premium
Form plugin support Key
Works with popular form plugins such as Contact Form 7, WPForms or Gravity Forms.
CF7, WPForms, Gravity Forms and others via one-click integration.
Paid version Premium
Page builder forms
Protects forms built in Elementor, Divi or similar builders.
Elementor forms supported natively since 7.6.0, as part of the paid integrations.
Paid version Premium
Community & membership plugins
Protects BuddyPress, bbPress, Ultimate Member or similar.
BuddyPress and bbPress integrations are part of the paid plans.
Paid version Premium
Rules & controls 4/5
Block and allow lists
Block or allow specific IPs, emails, words or user roles.
Exempt chosen IPs, logged-in users and URLs (allowlist only).
Paid version Enterprise
Country & language filters
Block submissions by country or language.
Geoblocking allows or denies form and comment submissions by country.
Paid version Premium
Spam log & statistics
Log of blocked submissions with counts and reasons.
No log of blocked submissions appears in the plan comparison or docs.
Not included
Skip for logged-in users
Hide the challenge for logged-in or trusted users.
Disabling CAPTCHA for logged-in users is an Enterprise feature.
Paid version Enterprise
Custom labels & error messages
Change challenge text, errors, theme or language.
Free auto-detects language; custom text, visuals and position are Premium.
Partial
Privacy & performance 3/4
Privacy & GDPR options
No tracking cookies, data minimisation or a documented GDPR mode.
Free is reCAPTCHA only; Premium adds hCaptcha and Turnstile, pitched as GDPR-friendly.
Paid version Premium
Works without an external service
Core protection runs entirely on your own server.
All challenges are verified by Google, hCaptcha or Cloudflare.
Not included
Scripts load only where needed
CAPTCHA scripts are only loaded on pages that have a protected form.
All plans can remove the reCAPTCHA v3 script from chosen URLs.
Partial
Multisite support
Works across a WordPress multisite network.
Can be enabled network-wide or per site on multisite.
Included
Form & plugin integrations 11/17
Contact Form 7 Key
Protects Contact Form 7 forms.
Contact Form 7 integration is in paid plans.
Paid version Premium
WPForms
Protects WPForms forms.
WPForms integration is in paid plans.
Paid version Premium
Gravity Forms
Protects Gravity Forms forms.
Gravity Forms integration is in paid plans.
Paid version Premium
Elementor Pro forms
Protects Elementor Pro form widgets.
Native Elementor forms support added in 7.6.0; third-party integrations are paid.
Paid version Premium
Ninja Forms
Protects Ninja Forms forms.
Ninja Forms integration is in paid plans.
Paid version Premium
Formidable Forms
Protects Formidable Forms forms.
Formidable Forms integration is in paid plans.
Paid version Premium
Fluent Forms
Protects Fluent Forms forms.
Fluent Forms integration is in paid plans.
Paid version Premium
Forminator
Protects Forminator forms.
Not among the listed out-of-the-box integrations or docs guides.
Not included
Divi contact forms
Protects Divi contact form modules.
Not among the listed out-of-the-box integrations or docs guides.
Not included
Easy Digital Downloads
Protects EDD checkout, login or registration.
Not among the listed out-of-the-box integrations or docs guides.
Not included
BuddyPress
Protects BuddyPress registration and activity.
BuddyPress integration in paid plans, incl. comment and group forms.
Paid version Premium
bbPress
Protects bbPress topics and replies.
bbPress integration is in paid plans.
Paid version Premium
Ultimate Member
Protects Ultimate Member login and registration.
Not among the listed out-of-the-box integrations or docs guides.
Not included
MemberPress
Protects MemberPress signup and login.
Not among the listed out-of-the-box integrations or docs guides.
Not included
Mailchimp for WP (MC4WP)
Protects MC4WP newsletter sign-up forms.
MailChimp for WordPress integration is in paid plans.
Paid version Premium
wpDiscuz
Protects wpDiscuz comment forms.
Not among the listed out-of-the-box integrations or docs guides.
Not included
Custom forms & developer API
Protect any custom form via shortcode, function or hooks.
Adding CAPTCHA programmatically (action hook plus verify function) is a paid feature.
Paid version Premium
Advanced protection 1/6
Bot firewall
Blocks known spam bots before pages load.
CAPTCHA-only plugin; no bot firewall in the plan comparison.
Not included
Disposable email blocking
Rejects throwaway or fake email addresses.
No email validation features in the plan comparison or docs.
Not included
Card-testing protection
Stops bots testing stolen cards at WooCommerce checkout.
Paid WooCommerce checkout CAPTCHA can slow bots; no dedicated card-testing detection.
Partial
REST API & XML-RPC protection
Blocks spam or abuse through the REST API or XML-RPC.
Not verified
Spam review & false-positive recovery
Review blocked submissions and approve false positives.
No log or review queue for blocked submissions in the plan comparison.
Not included
Test mode & debugging
Test keys, debug logs or a test mode to check setup safely.
Not verified
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
FreelifetimeUnlimited
reCAPTCHA v2/v3 on native WordPress forms.
Premium
$39per year1 site
Licences for 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 or unlimited sites also offered; those prices were not shown on the pricing page.
Enterprise
$59per year1 site
Adds failed-login CAPTCHA, IP/user/URL exemptions and priority support. Multi-site licences offered.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use CAPTCHA 4WP?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
100K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
200K+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~35K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: WordPress.org shows 100K+ free installs, which could mean anything from 100K to 200K. The vendor says 200K+ sites, so we put the free count halfway between the middle of that range and the vendor figure, at about 180K. About 180K free installs x 20% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when many key features are paid) gives 35K. Likely range: 18K to 70K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
3,368 downloads last week, 3.7M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 7.6.2 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 25 Aug 2026 (70 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 5.5+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 0 of 1 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 27 Apr 2015 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2021 (source, 6 Oct 2026) Year Melapress acquired and rebranded the older plugin as CAPTCHA 4WP; sold to WPKube in May 2025. |
|---|---|
| Refund policy | 30-day money-back (source, 6 Oct 2026) |
CAPTCHA 4WP compared
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FAQ
Is CAPTCHA 4WP free?
Yes. CAPTCHA 4WP has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $39/yr.
How many sites use CAPTCHA 4WP?
WordPress.org reports 100K+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 200K+ sites in total. We estimate around 35K sites run the paid version.
Does CAPTCHA 4WP have google recaptcha?
Yes: included. Free supports reCAPTCHA v2 checkbox, v2 invisible and v3 with adjustable score.
Does CAPTCHA 4WP have cloudflare turnstile?
Yes: paid version (Premium). Cloudflare Turnstile is a Premium provider option.
Does CAPTCHA 4WP have cloud spam filtering?
No: not included. Does not check submissions against a spam database.
Does CAPTCHA 4WP have comments?
Yes: included. Free protects the WordPress comment form.
Does CAPTCHA 4WP have login & password reset?
Yes: included. Free covers login and lost password; failed-login CAPTCHA mode is Enterprise.
Does CAPTCHA 4WP have woocommerce checkout & account?
Yes: paid version (Premium). One-click WooCommerce checkout, login and other forms with placement options.
Does CAPTCHA 4WP have form plugin support?
Yes: paid version (Premium). CF7, WPForms, Gravity Forms and others via one-click integration.
Does CAPTCHA 4WP have contact form 7?
Yes: paid version (Premium). Contact Form 7 integration is in paid plans.
Is CAPTCHA 4WP still made by Melapress?
No. Melapress sold the plugin to WPKube in May 2025, and it is now sold and supported from captcha4wp.com.
Does the free version protect WooCommerce or Contact Form 7?
No. The free version covers native WordPress login, registration, lost password and comment forms; WooCommerce and third-party form plugins need Premium.
What is the difference between Premium and Enterprise?
Both include hCaptcha, Turnstile, WooCommerce and form-plugin support. Enterprise adds CAPTCHA on failed logins, exemptions for IPs, logged-in users and URLs, and priority support.
Does it work on multisite?
Yes. On a multisite network it can be enabled network-wide or for individual sites.
Last updated 6 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.