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Friendly Captcha for WordPress

By Friendly Captcha

Security & Privacy / Spam & Bot Protection

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

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

6.84/10

User Rating

3.9/5 (based on 18+ reviews)

Active Installations

10,000+

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 for WordPress offers a privacy-focused CAPTCHA solution with GDPR compliance, standing out among several alternatives in the WordPress ecosystem.

Top alternatives

Strengths

GDPR compliant and privacy-focused CAPTCHA solution
Easy to implement with popular form plugins
No known security vulnerabilities
European alternative to Google reCAPTCHA
Free plan available for basic use

Weaknesses

Requires creating an account and API keys
Free plan is limited, with paid plans starting at 9 € per month
Some users report errors and non-functionality
Lack of a clearly promoted pro version with enhanced features

User Sentiment Analysis

With a 3.9 out of 5 rating from 18 reviews, most users appreciate the plugin's privacy compliance and ease of use, though about 22% report issues mainly related to functionality and pricing.

Positive highlights

"Simple, accessible and GDPR compliant" — drfranzkauer
"Good protection and fully privacy compliant" — anne2dev
"Easy to implement and fully GDPR-compliant" — thedoctorcoernel

Common complaints

Plugin often shows errors and does not work as expected
Users can register without CAPTCHA confirmation
Requires a paid account or license to function properly

Weaknesses

Inconsistent functionality reported by some users
Dependency on external API and account setup
Limited free usage leading to pressure to upgrade

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a privacy-friendly, GDPR-compliant CAPTCHA solution as an alternative to Google reCAPTCHA, especially those comfortable with API key setup and account creation.

Not ideal for

Users who want a completely free, plug-and-play CAPTCHA without external account requirements or those who need guaranteed flawless functionality without troubleshooting.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers basic CAPTCHA protection with a personal plan that requires account registration and API key setup.

Final Verdict

Friendly Captcha for WordPress is a solid choice for those prioritizing privacy and GDPR compliance in CAPTCHA solutions. It integrates well with popular form plugins and offers a free tier, but the need for an external account and API keys may be a barrier for some users. The plugin has no known security vulnerabilities, which adds to its reliability.

However, some users report functionality issues and the free plan's limitations may push users toward paid plans, which start at 9 € per month. Those seeking a hassle-free, fully free CAPTCHA might consider other alternatives, but for privacy-conscious users, this plugin is a commendable option.

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.