Privacy-friendly Accessible Customizable Fast + accurate API Trusted on 3.5 million+ sites
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| Feature | oopspam | hCaptcha |
|---|---|---|
| What visitors see | Nothing. Checks run on your server | A checkbox and, when unsure, a challenge. Passive mode on Pro; fully passive (no-CAPTCHA) mode on Enterprise only |
| Free tier | 40 checks/month | Basic plan is free |
| Paid | From $23/month for 25,000 checks, unlimited websites | Pro: $99/month billed yearly ($139 monthly), 100,000 evaluations, then $0.99 per 1,000 |
| Reads the message content | ✓ Spam words, links, language | ✗ Checks the visitor, not the message |
| Block by country or language | ✓ | ✗ |
| Explains each block | ✓ Spam score and reasons | Risk scores on Enterprise only |
| Script added to your pages | None | hCaptcha's widget script |
Prices checked on 5 October 2026. Sources: oopspam pricing, hCaptcha pricing.
We were getting a ton of registration and contact form spam. CAPTCHA wasn't doing much to slow it down. Installed OOPSpam and it instantly stopped the spam but allowed valid registrations and contact messages to come through. Thank you!
I implemented this for my client when other spam filters weren't working so great (Akismet and CleanTalk). After installing this, spam entries were cut down considerably – and the client was happy.
I noticed a missing country in this amazing indispensable plugin, but wasn't expecting an almost instant reply – and a fix !! The next day an update was issued and the problem sorted. Incredible support. Thank You
hCaptcha challenges are hard for everyone, and hardest for people using screen readers, keyboard navigation or switch devices. hCaptcha's answer is an accessibility cookie you have to request and users have to opt into: a workaround layered on top of a wall.
oopspam never shows a challenge, so there's nothing to work around. Forms stay usable for everyone and you stop losing visitors at the last step. We wrote about this in CAPTCHA and accessibility.
hCaptcha is more privacy-conscious than reCAPTCHA, but it's still a widget: a third-party script loads on every form, sets its own cookies, and sees every visitor. oopspam runs entirely server-side: no widget, no front-end script, and no visitor cookies to disclose.
We keep no logs by default and ask for the minimum data needed to score a submission.
Every hCaptcha challenge means loading hCaptcha's script and doing extra work in the browser before a form can be submitted. In our test on a simple contact-form page, adding hCaptcha doubled the network requests (6 to 12), raised data transferred from 39.1 kB to 322 kB, and took load time from 174 ms to 557 ms. Your numbers will vary with hosting, but the extra weight lands on every form page. See the hCaptcha performance analysis.
oopspam adds nothing to the page: the check happens on your server after submission, so your forms stay as fast as your theme.
Works with Elementor Forms, WPForms, Gravity Forms and more.
Install the oopspam WordPress plugin, paste your API key, and remove the hCaptcha widget. There are no form fields to add and no badge to display.
We reply fast. Contact us for any questions or concerns.
On WordPress it takes a few minutes, and you don't need to edit your forms.
Not on WordPress? Send each submission to the oopspam API (one call per check), or connect your forms through Zapier or Make.
Your search for a hCaptcha alternative is over
✓ No credit card required ✓ Cancel anytime
hCaptcha's Basic plan is free. Pro costs $99/month billed yearly ($139 month to month) and includes 100,000 evaluations, then $0.99 per 1,000. Its fully passive “no-CAPTCHA” mode is only on Enterprise (hCaptcha pricing, checked 5 October 2026).
No. oopspam scores submissions on your server, so there is nothing to solve, click or wait for.
Yes. There is no visible check, so there is nothing a screen reader or keyboard user has to get past. Your forms stay exactly as they are.
Yes. oopspam works on the server, separately from the hCaptcha widget, so you can run both and remove hCaptcha once you've seen the results.
Not by default. The oopspam API scores each submission without storing it, so there is no data to identify or track your visitors. See our GDPR notice and Data Processing Agreement.
You can start with 40 free spam checks a month, no credit card required. Paid plans start at $23/month for 25,000 checks, and every plan covers unlimited websites. See pricing.
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