/ Plugin Category

/ Security & Privacy

/ Spam & Bot Protection

/ Friendly Captcha for WordPress

Friendly Captcha for WordPress

By Friendly Captcha

Security & Privacy / Spam & Bot Protection

Friendly Captcha for WordPress Review - In-Depth Analysis

Friendly Captcha is a privacy-first anti-bot solution that protects WordPress website forms from spam and abuse. It blocks spam-bots without annoying captcha images, ensuring user privacy.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.92/10

User Rating

3.9/5 (based on 18+ reviews)

Active Installations

9,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Friendly Captcha is a privacy-first anti-bot solution that protects WordPress website forms from spam and abuse.

Do you use a captcha like reCAPTCHA to keep out bots? Friendly Captcha is a powerful anti-spam service that blocks spam-bots without annoying captcha images and protects user privacy.

Friendly Captcha is a tool for preventing spam on your website. Other CAPTCHAs are a burden on your users, Friendly Captcha respects your users.

Friendly Captcha is a proof-of-work based anti-bot solution in which the user's device does all the work. We generate a unique crypto puzzle for each visitor.

Solving it will usually take only a few seconds. As soon as the user starts filling the form it starts getting solved. By the time the user is ready to submit, the puzzle is probably already solved.

Friendly Captcha prevents spam and doesn't punish real users in doing so.

Our anti-bot service does not store personal data from your end users. See our Privacy Policy for End Users to learn more.

Our end user solution does not use cookies. This protects your end users from being tracked and followed from site to site.

Normal CAPTCHA tasks are not easy for all humans. Our solution works without labeling tasks and is thus accessible to everyone.

By default, requests are processed in the point-of-presence closest to where it is accessed by the end user. See our Privacy Policy for End Users to learn more.

Join thousands of organizations in switching to a privacy-first anti-bot solution.

Friendly Captcha supports various forms and plugins including WordPress Login Form, WooCommerce Checkout Form, and many more.

Comparing to Alternatives

Friendly Captcha offers a privacy-focused CAPTCHA solution that stands out among common alternatives by emphasizing GDPR compliance and ease of integration.

Top alternatives

Strengths

GDPR compliant and privacy-focused approach
Simple integration with popular form plugins
No traditional challenge-response tests, improving user experience
European-based alternative to Google reCAPTCHA

Weaknesses

Requires creating an account and obtaining API keys
Free usage is limited, with paid plans needed for higher volumes
Some users report technical issues and errors
Lacks a fully featured free version compared to some competitors

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback highlights the plugin's privacy benefits and ease of use but also points out concerns about pricing and occasional technical problems.

Positive highlights

'Simple, accessible and GDPR compliant' - drfranzkauer
'Good protection and fully privacy compliant' - anne2dev
'Easy to implement and works on first try' - drfranzkauer

Common complaints

Requires paid account for continued use beyond free tier
Errors reported during usage and setup
Some users experienced non-functioning CAPTCHA protection
Pricing considered high for long-term use

Weaknesses

Limited free plan functionality
Dependency on external service and API keys
Occasional technical glitches reported by users

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users and site owners seeking a privacy-friendly, GDPR-compliant CAPTCHA solution as an alternative to Google reCAPTCHA, especially those valuing user experience without traditional challenges.

Not ideal for

Those looking for a completely free CAPTCHA plugin without account setup or API keys, or users who prefer a plugin with extensive free features and minimal external dependencies.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version allows basic CAPTCHA protection with limited usage under the 'Personal' plan, requiring account registration and API keys.

Final Verdict

Friendly Captcha for WordPress is a solid choice for website owners prioritizing privacy and GDPR compliance in their CAPTCHA solution. Its ease of integration and user-friendly approach make it appealing, especially for European users seeking alternatives to Google reCAPTCHA.

However, the reliance on an external service with limited free usage and the need for a paid plan for higher volumes may deter some users. Technical issues reported by a few users suggest that support and reliability could be improved. Overall, it is recommended for those valuing privacy over cost and simplicity.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Friendly Captcha for WordPress plugin.

Antispam

Captcha

Contact Form

Spam

FAQ

The Friendly Captcha plugin supports WordPress core and many plugins with forms automatically.

To use Friendly Captcha, you can create an account at www.friendlycaptcha.com and create a Site Key and API Key there. It is best to copy both keys and save them in a safe place. Then go to the Friendly Captcha plugin settings page and enter the created site key and API key. Below that, select the forms you want to protect. Finally, save these settings by clicking on the “Save Changes” button at the end of the settings page.

Enable the Generic Integration (for custom and unsupported plugins) option in the Friendly Captcha settings page. This exposes two WordPress filters that you can use from your own theme or plugin code to render the widget and verify the solution.

1. Render the widget inside your form

Apply the frc_captcha_append_widget filter to append the widget HTML wherever you want it to appear (typically just before the submit button):

<?php echo apply_filters('frc_captcha_append_widget', ''); ?>

2. Verify the solution on submit

When the form is submitted, read the captcha solution from $_POST and pass it through the frc_captcha_validation filter. The second argument controls the network-failure behavior: true lets the user through (lax), false blocks them (strict).

<?php $solution = isset($_POST['frc-captcha-solution']) ? $_POST['frc-captcha-solution'] : ''; $is_human = apply_filters('frc_captcha_validation', $solution, true); if (!$is_human) {     // Reject submission, e.g. show an error. } ?>

If you have Friendly Captcha v2 enabled, use frc-captcha-response as the field name instead of frc-captcha-solution.